Patricia S. (patsto) reviewed on + 33 more book reviews
Sudden Mischief, finds Robert B. Parker's famous sleuth once again engaging Boston's bad
guys and sorting out life's moral dilemmas, all (or mostly) in the name of love. When
Spenser's girlfriend, psychiatrist Susan Silverman, asks him to investigate charges of
sexual harassment leveled against her ex-husband, Brad Sterling, the detective agrees,
though the assignment "shows every sign of not working out well." As the sexual harassment
allegations melt like April snow, Sterling drops out of sight, a dead body appears in his
office, and Spenser discovers a murky slush of clues that suggest Sterling's work as a
marketing genius for local charities has been a front for some truly despicable criminal
activities. As always, the more-than-slightly-shady Hawk is on hand to help Spenser sort the
good from the bad, but Spenser is left to his own devices when it comes to making sense of
the emotional havoc the case creates in his relationship with Susan. And what devices they
are: emotionally mature and physically dynamic, Spenser once again proves himself as
detective, friend, lover, and human being as Sterling's reappearance forces Susan to examine
her past and her conscience while searching for her own autonomy. As always, Spenser endures
as an intelligent, ethical, and poetic private eye. Parker's Spartan prose suits a
character who carries his years in wisdom. If the heart of any truly great detective series
is a truly great detective, Sudden Mischief and the rest of Parker's Spenser novels surely
fit the bill.
guys and sorting out life's moral dilemmas, all (or mostly) in the name of love. When
Spenser's girlfriend, psychiatrist Susan Silverman, asks him to investigate charges of
sexual harassment leveled against her ex-husband, Brad Sterling, the detective agrees,
though the assignment "shows every sign of not working out well." As the sexual harassment
allegations melt like April snow, Sterling drops out of sight, a dead body appears in his
office, and Spenser discovers a murky slush of clues that suggest Sterling's work as a
marketing genius for local charities has been a front for some truly despicable criminal
activities. As always, the more-than-slightly-shady Hawk is on hand to help Spenser sort the
good from the bad, but Spenser is left to his own devices when it comes to making sense of
the emotional havoc the case creates in his relationship with Susan. And what devices they
are: emotionally mature and physically dynamic, Spenser once again proves himself as
detective, friend, lover, and human being as Sterling's reappearance forces Susan to examine
her past and her conscience while searching for her own autonomy. As always, Spenser endures
as an intelligent, ethical, and poetic private eye. Parker's Spartan prose suits a
character who carries his years in wisdom. If the heart of any truly great detective series
is a truly great detective, Sudden Mischief and the rest of Parker's Spenser novels surely
fit the bill.
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