The Final Spenser – “The Professional”

BOOK DETAILS/INFORMATION:

This is the thirty-eighth (38) Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker. It was originally published in 2009.  Recurring characters include Susan Silverman, Vinnie Morris, Hawk, Tony Marcus, & Ty Bop.

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

Preceded By: Rough Weather

PLOT SUMMARY:

Spenser is hired by a lawyer named Elizabeth Shaw to get to the bottom of her client’s problem – blackmail.  Shaw’s clients, wives of rich older men, have a mutual connection: they’ve all had an affair with a man named Gary Eisenhower— and now that he’s done doing the dirty with them, he’s getting dirtier… he’s going after the cash.   Spenser is hired to make Eisenhower “cease and desist,” but as many of Parker’s novels nothing is as it seems.  As bodies start turning up, Spenser’s call to action turns from blackmail to murder.  Susan Silverman offers her take on the situation and Spenser calls on old friends Hawk and Vinnie Morris to help him get to the bottom of things.

COMMENTARY:

I’ve had this post in my drafts for a while now and I felt compelled to finish it based on the untimely passing of Robert B. Parker.  As with all of Parker’s novels it’s all about dialogue.  The back and forth between Spenser and his clients makes for a very quick read though it does seem like we’ve been down these paths before.  I’ve never been a Susan hater but I don’t necessarily need to hear (from her) how good she and Spenser are in bed or that she went to Harvard yet again.

As he did in Rough Weather, Spenser ends up letting a murderer walk in the end of the book.  I’m sure this is all about “The Code” but I just don’t get it.  I could almost forgive it in the last novel based on the fact that it was with Rugar but this was a brand new character that Spenser had no history with.  This one left me scratching my head.

I’ve read every Spenser novel that Parker has ever written so I won’t bother with an objective recommendation.  I’m so so sad that this is the last Spenser novel (unless there’s something sitting on the shelf that we don’t know about).  On a purely selfish level I’m glad that we’ve got one more Jesse Stone novel to look forward to.  It’s been a great ride Spenser…thanks for everything.