Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living with the consequences of your actions, 6 Jul 2004
When a friend suggested I should read the Spenser novels because I would appreciate the character and his humor, this was the novel she wanted me to read since she knows I like baseball. Of course, I am going through them in order and this is the third of Robert B. Parker's series. The case here is that Spenser has been hired by the Red Sox to look into the rumors that Marty Rabb, the best lefthander in the game since Koufax, might have gambling connections. As always, there is much more to the story than meets the eye, which is always part of the fun when following Spenser along the trail. What I most like about this book is that Parker has not slipped into a pattern. For Spenser this case is much more of a solo effort than the first two, which is totally appropriate given the peculiarities of the situation and the solution that is forced upon him and the people he has been hired to help. The world of the detective is always an attempt to restore order, even when making things right is impossible. One of the strongest dictates is that there are consequences for your actions, and in "Mortal Stakes" that rule has serious implications for both Spenser and his clients. This book is about couples--Marty and Linda Rabb, Bucky Maynard and Lester Floyd, Frank Doerr and Wally Hogg--and how Spenser deals with them to solve the case. I was somewhat disappointed to see only vague references to Susan Silverman for most of the novel, but her absence is certainly strategic given the story Parker is telling here. In that context, Spenser's relationship with Brenda Loring reinforces through the two women in his life the two sets of choices that confront our hero. The "couple" motif was quite effective. As always, Parker's novels are great reads for those of us committed to the commuter lifestyle. You can polish them off in two days on your trips to and fro work.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living with the consequences of your actions, 18 Jun 2003
When a friend suggested I should read the Spenser novels because I would appreciate the character and his humor, this was the novel she wanted me to read since she knows I like baseball. Of course, I am going through them in order and this is the third of Robert B. Parker's series. The case here is that Spenser has been hired by the Red Sox to look into the rumors that Marty Rabb, the best lefthander in the game since Koufax, might have gambling connections. As always, there is much more to the story than meets the eye, which is always part of the fun when following Spenser along the trail. What I most like about this book is that Parker has not slipped into a pattern. For Spenser this case is much more of a solo effort than the first two, which is totally appropriate given the peculiarities of the situation and the solution that is forced upon him and the people he has been hired to help. The world of the detective is always an attempt to restore order, even when making things right is impossible. One of the strongest dictates is that there are consequences for your actions, and in "Mortal Stakes" that rule has serious implications for both Spenser and his clients. This book is about couples--Marty and Linda Rabb, Bucky Maynard and Lester Floyd, Frank Doerr and Wally Hogg--and how Spenser deals with them to solve the case. I was somewhat disappointed to see only vague references to Susan Silverman for most of the novel, but her absence is certainly strategic given the story Parker is telling here. In that context, Spenser's relationship with Brenda Loring reinforces through the two women in his life the two sets of choices that confront our hero. The "couple" motif was quite effective.
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by Robert B. Parket
by Robert B. Parker
by Robert B. Parker
by Robert B. Parker
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