"; if(is_file("header.php")) include "header.php"; else include "../header.php"; ?>

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 read the editorial reviews, you know the synopsis: Hawk is shot, he recovers and with the help of Spenser enacts his own brand of brutal justice (some would call it revenge) on those responsible for him being shot. But it's more. You actually get an understanding of *WHY* Hawk must personally enact his sense of justice; and why despite everything "justice" is still the better word than "revenge". But Robert Parker writes this novel so well that you realize that it is a very thin line between "justice" and "revenge" and, indeed, even though you're rooting for Hawk all along (or at least, I was), there still is that question about whether it's justice or revenge. And you see the high "price" Hawk has paid in being "Hawk". And that despite the cost, it was more than well worth it! But enough of the "Susan-esque" psychobabble. You have action. You have suspense. You have people getting shot. You have "the Gray Man" (who nearly killed Spenser in "Small Vices"). You have our intrepid duo displaying their macho superiority over every other testosterone (and estrogen) possessing being on the Eastern seaboard. You have the essence of why Parker's fans love his writing. If I don't tell you more about what happens it's only because I don't want to spoil the fun. Let me just say that this is probably the best book Robert B. Parker has ever written. This is the one we've all been waiting for. Postscript. The one thing I will giveaway that is so apparent as you read this one is that Hawk does have his perfect match. Rita Fiore.