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Author: Robert B. Parker
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Dimension: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
Weight: 1.4 pounds.

Cold Service Left Me Cold
It feels like Robert Parker phoned this one in. The dialogue is tired, the characters, although familiar and much loved, have become cliched. Susan is just annoying now. Even Pearl has lost her spark. I hope that this is the last of the Spenser mysteries.... more

I'd recommend this
Any Spenser book featuring Hawk as the primary focus is always a treat and this doesn't fail BUT it could have been written in about 100 pages less.

The derring do of Spenser, and Hawk when he feels better, are worth the read. It's the Susan,... more

Of Identity, Friendship, Love and Self-Discovery
For some time, the Spenser novels have been exploring the subtle psychology of who Spenser is and how he defines himself in terms of other people. For many action novels purists, these stories have been sheer tedium. For those who like some depth to... more

Enough is enough
That's it, this is the last Parker novel for me. I was drawn back in with reviews saying this was his best novel in years. It wasn't. The dialogue and plot was so unbelievable and boring I couldn't finish it. It's time to wrap up Silverman and Spenser... more

Best Service Cold
This novel deserves three-half stars. While the plot was very good with the surprise adding of the Gray Man. The ending in my opinion was lacking. Also thought that Hawk having greater role was a stroke of genius but I was hoping he would have a steady... more

This will rank high among the best in the Spenser series
Robert B. Parker has authored one of the classic PI series of all time involving his ageless Boston sleuth, Spenser. After 32 novels stretching back three decades, we still don't know Spenser's first name, but who cares? Mystery fans know Spenser well... more

New to Spenser? Do yourself this favor:
Do what I did when I discovered Spenser at the library (at age 12):

Go to the library, check out all of the first eleven books. Here they are, in order, from memory:

The Godwulf Manuscript
God Save the Child
Mortal... more

A less than satisfying outing
I am a huge Spenser/Robert Parker fan. I've read everything in the series and have enjoyed most of it immensely. That said, Cold Service is brief, freely uses large type and LOTS of white space in an attempt not to appear brief, and bases much of the... more

Smart-Ass Spoken Here
Is there something that draws us back to Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels other than their ubiquity on the bookstands?

These are not so much crime novels or detective stories (Spenser himself frequently makes light of the amount of actual... more

Alas, A Lackluster Effort
Despite a strong review in the Sunday N.Y. Times Book Review, and despite a nice-if-predictable premise (i.e., Spenser's sidekick, Hawk, gets mortally wounded but summons his strength to eventually do payback), this entry in an overall great series is... more

REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD
My review title is the epigram which introduces this outstanding novel by Robert Parker and which together with the book jacket illustration summarizes the storyline. However, despite the fact that this thirty-second entry in Robert Parker's Spenser series... more

Best Spenser Book in Years
I'm a long time loyal Parker reader, despite the Spenser books becoming formulaic and less meaty. They've been extrememly inconsistent for at least 10 years.

Cold Service, however, is tremendous. The plot is more complex, with more depth... more

this may be my last spencer
while parker avoids repeating the recuperation scenario, and while the basic plotting and the dialogue and descriptions are extremely good, the book left me tired and annoyed.

the plot, for all its twists, felt rather claustrophobic--all... more

Superman levels of testosterone
The Ukrainian mob has begun to muscle its way into the Boston rackets with an eye on competing against Luther Gillespie's bookie operations. Luther fearing the intrusion of this dangerous group from Brooklyn hires Hawk as his bodyguard. However, as... more

How is revenge best served?
This might be the sequel to Small Vices. Here Hawk, the Spenser running mate for . . . . is it thirty years(?), takes three in the back while acting as a bodyguard. The result is extreme physical and psychic trauma. 'Nothing like being shot at and missed'... more

The best Spenser book in years ... the best EVER!
This is the definitive "Spenser" novel, and not just if you're a big fan of Hawk (like me). The action is first-rate and the character development, not just for Hawk but also for Spenser (and those around them), is great, too.

If you've... more

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