Rough Weather (Spenser Series #36)

by Robert B. Parker

Overview

A high society wedding ends unhappily ever after in this mystery starring Boston PI Spenser—“the timeless hero of American detective fiction” (The New York Times Book Review).

Hired as a bodyguard at an exclusive wedding, Spenser witnesses an unexpected crime: the kidnapping of the young bride, which opens the door for murder, family secrets, and the reappearance of an old nemesis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425230176
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Series:	Spenser Series , #36
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	261,060
Product dimensions:	4.30(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert B. Parker was the author of seventy books, including the legendary Spenser detective series, the novels featuring police chief Jesse Stone, and the acclaimed Virgil Cole-Everett Hitch westerns, as well as the Sunny Randall novels. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award and long considered the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, he died in January 2010.

Date of Birth:

September 17, 1932

Date of Death:

January 18, 2010

Place of Birth:

Springfield, Massachusetts

Place of Death:

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Education:

B.A. in English, Colby College, 1954; M.A., Ph. D. in English, Boston University, 1957, 1971

Website:

http://robertbparker.net/

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Rough Weather
 
“Rough Weather is bliss.”—The Spectator
 
“Comically acerbic...the reader is treated to all the familiar pleasures...Spenser sitting in his office overlooking Berkeley Street in Boston; the knock on the door announcing a client; Spenser's rapier repartee with client and suspects; the return of his love, Susan, given a larger role here; the always amusing interplay with the mercurial Hawk, Spenser's muscle; and Parker's graceful descriptions of interiors, meals, and clothes.”—Booklist
 
“As usual, Parker's crisp, unadorned style is superb. Parker remains a major figure in American crime fiction.”—Associated Press
 
“Robert B. Parker at his very best with a great suspenseful mystery enhanced by the hero’s even greater love for Susan...The storyline is fast-paced from the moment the Gray Man arrives in a shockingly fumbled caper, but it is the dry-witted Spenser who turns the tale into a thriller’s thriller.”—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

Spenser, the redoubtable Boston PI, struts his stuff in this 36th entry in the series, but may leave some readers wondering if his ethics will bear even casual examination. When Heidi Bradshaw hires Spenser to "support" her at her daughter's wedding on Tashtego Island in Buzzards Bay, Mass., an old nemesis of Spenser's, the Gray Man, who almost killed Spenser in Small Vices(1977), also shows up on the island. Spenser is unable to prevent the kidnapping of the bride or the deaths that attend it. Assisted by a cadre of familiar players, Spenser persists in trying to find the missing bride in spite of warnings from the Gray Man. The trademark banter and snappy dialogue may seem more forced than natural. Spenser displays his machismo in dealing with a muscle builder and his detective skills in figuring out the Gray Man's connections to the case. A troubling conclusion produces one resolution and the promise of further consequences in the next installment. (Oct.)

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Publishers Weekly

Parker’s Boston-based PI, Spenser, is hired as a bodyguard for a socialite who is hosting her daughter's wedding on her private island. When the groom is murdered and the bride is kidnapped, Spenser is determined to get to the bottom of the suspicious circumstances—especially the appearance of the Gray Man. Joe Mantegna's characterization of Spenser is as rock-steady as Spenser's integrity. Mantegna IS Spenser: determined and erudite, equally capable of killing a foe and cooking a gourmet meal. The dialogue, sometimes lacking the concise perfection that is Parker's hallmark, is rescued by Mantegna's portrayals of the characters, Spenser himself, Susan (elegantly cultured but remarkably tolerant of Spenser's life-and-death world), and Hawk (ever stalwart and loyal). Thanks to Mantegna's skill, this audiobook is better than the print publication. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2009 - AudioFile