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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 story around a circular theme - Hawk is Hawk, can be nothing but Hawk, which makes him more Hawk, which drives him to do only the things Hawk would do, because he is Hawk, etc., etc, ad infinitum. The actual story is OK, but nowhere near the author's best efforts. I was left with the vague notion that what was said here has all been said before in the series' better books. All that said - glad I bought it, glad I read it, and I'll be buying the next one - while hoping for a richer read than this book provides. I know Parker can do better because he has done so on many previous occasions.