Perhaps the unusual interpersonal connections of Kinergy staff explain why Spenser keeps running into other private investigators, but it doesn't necessarily explain why Trent Rowley suddenly shows up dead, shot to death in his posh Kinergy office. Ultimately, however, Spenser starts to unravel a criminal plot to artificially inflate Kinergy's value and siphon off the money through some accounting sleight of hand. The novel features less violence than is common for Spenser. Which basically means he doesn't hit anybody, which has to be a first - perhaps Parker is subtly making allowances for his character's "age" after all. The closing scene, in which all the suspects end up in a room with Spenser, suggests the same thing: this is the first time Parker tried an "Agatha Christie" like ending to one of his stories. Since if Spenser actually acted his age, he'd be about as old as Miss Marple, maybe such an ending is appropriate, but it actually seems oddly out of place in Spenser's tough guy universe.
While some scenes (most notably the obligatory "Why is Spenser the way he is" scene) feel tired, especially to one who has read all the other novels, Parker still manages to produce a fair amount of humor in the banter between Spenser and Hawk. The addition of Hawk's current paramour, a physician named Claire, doesn't hurt either: she banters well with the big boys. And while Spenser sometimes feels like the literary equivalent of the businessman a bit tired of his job, there's still enough sparkle to justify the journey.
Article comments
1 - The Crutnacker
Excellent review, encapsules my thoughts exactly about the Spenser books. They're comfortable, fun reads, but they're all the same these days.