Walking Shadow (Spenser)

Author - Robert B. Parker ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Berkley was reviewed on 4-Nov-2008.

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1) Paperback Book Walking Shadow (Spenser) by Berkley. Susan is on the board of directors of a local theater, so when the theater owner says he´s being followed, Spenser agrees to investigate as a favor to her. Between Spenser and Hawk, however, they can´t find anyone following him.

Then during a performance of an exceedingly long, boring, and pointless play, one of the actors is shot dead with a .22 to the heart, and things start getting more exciting, with the involvement of a Chinese gang and the reappearance (or not) of the stalker.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The mystery was convoluted and complex, yet everything got tied up in the end, and the ending was.... (trying hard to avoid spoilers) .... dark and surprising. I love, love, loved the ending. In a way it was unsatisfying, but that just made me like it more. Gah. I can´t explain without giving it away. Suffice to say it´s not your usual mystery novel climax.

It was also a relief to read a book from a bit later in the series, with Spenser and Susan more comfortable in their relationship--they´ve just bought a house in the country, where they live together on weekends, maintaining their separate lives during the week.¤

2) Paperback Book Walking Shadow (Spenser) by Berkley. Pure Spencer, crisp and witty in dialogue, exciting in plot, delightful to read. And, as always, full of action, suspense, and excellent plot. It´s always hard to put down a Robert Parker book. This one is another of his masterpieces. Don´t miss it.¤

3) Paperback Book Walking Shadow (Spenser) by Berkley. Susan has become a board member for a theatre in Port City, a shabby district on the water front that contains a Chinese ghetto filled with many illegal immigrants, including the Death Dragons, a gang that is run by the dai low for the Kwan Chang tong. The dai low in this case is Ronnie Lu, whose wife Rikki is on the board with Susan. Susan brings Spenser to a board meeting one day because the Artistic Director of the board - Demetrius Christopoulous - believes he is being stalked and wishes Spenser´s protection.

When one of the actors is murdered during a production later that night, Spenser´s priorities shift to finding the murderer; however, no one knows much about the murder victim - Craig Sampson - and certainly no one can come up with a reason for his demise. However, as soon as Spenser begins nosing around in the area, Ronnie Lu shows up with a couple of young Death Dragons to ask Spenser to butt out or face the consequences. This, of course, just makes Spenser decide to call in Hawk and Vinnie Morris for back up.

The addition of Ming Lei to the team for her linguistic skills is something I hope will be permanent. She adds good chemistry. A side plot with a new house Spenser and Susan buy that they are fixing up makes a nice change of pace once and a while during the book. A third thread with another actor - Jocelyn Colby - claiming first to be stalked and then disappearing altogether with a videotape soon showing up at Spenser´s office showing her bound to a chair, adds a note of intrigue.

All in all a nice, well-written book. Strong recommend from me.¤

4) Paperback Book Walking Shadow (Spenser) by Berkley. Robert Parker books are always a good read. Quick, snappy and entertaining, I enjoy them immensely and Walking Shadow is no exception. The book opens with Spenser and Susan, his girlfriend, attending a play in a nearby small coastal town where Susan is on the board of directors. During the performance an actor is shot and killed on stage. Hawk and Vinnie are enlisted to help Spenser find the killer. During their investigation, they discover the small town is not as placid as it seems and the rest of the story is vintage Robert Parker with a few unexpected twists and turns.

I love Spenser novels for their humor and integrity; Spenser and Hawk always win, good triumphs over evil, Spenser is always faithful to Susan and Pearl the dog is always the darling.
¤

5) Paperback Book Walking Shadow (Spenser) by Berkley. I very much enjoy the work of Robert B. Parker, and even his lesser books are quite entertaining. WALKING SHADOW is a decent Spenser mystery, set in the world of theater and Chinatown. This novel has all the strengths of Parker´s books: snappy dialogue, lean writing, and politically incorrect humor.

The major downside of Parker´s later novels is repetition. If you´ve read a lot of them, you notice that Parker often reuses certain types of characters and situations. As a result, very little happens in this novel that hasn´t happened in past Spenser books. Parker does focus on the Chinese immigrant community in Massachusetts, but most of the Chinese characters are portrayed as caricatures, rather than three-dimensional human beings. In the end, I just didn´t find this aspect of the story that interesting.

If you already like Parker´s style of writing, you should enjoy this one. Otherwise, my advice is to skip WALKING SHADOW, and go for the early Spenser novels or the books in Parker´s Jesse Stone series.¤

6) Paperback Book Walking Shadow (Spenser) by Berkley. When the star of a poorly rated stage production is shot mid-scene, Spenser and his sidekick, Hawk, comb the shabby waterfront town and find a cast of likely suspects among the underworld. Reprint. K. PW. ¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 2-Dec-2008, 04251477469780425147740, 300-510-460-740-860-8X0-8

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