Cold Service: Amazon.co.uk: Robert B. Parker: Books

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Synopsis
When Spenser's closest ally, Hawk, is brutally injured and left for dead while protecting bookie Luther Gillespie, Spenser embarks on an epic journey to rehabilitate his friend in body and soul. Hawk, always proud, has never been dependent on anyone. Now he has to reinforce the emotional ties to those around him.

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5 Reviews

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3.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hawk is shot and Spenser helps him do something about it, 16 Dec 2005

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Cold Service (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers) (Paperback)

"Cold Service," Robert B. Parker's thirty-second Spenser novel will inevitably and invariably be compared by fans to the twenty-fourth Spenser novel, "Small Vices." The latter was the pivotal novel where Spenser was gunned down by the shadowy assassin known as the Grey Man. It took Susan Silverman and Hawk a year to put our hero back together again so that he could take steps to even the score with his assailant. This 2005 Spenser novel begins with Hawk in the hospital, having been shot in the back three times while protecting bookie Luther Gillespie. Now it is Spenser's turn to stand by his friend and not only help him rehabilitate but also to help him even the score. However, there are some significant differences between the two similar stories

First, the rehabilitation part is greatly truncated this time around because the wounds are clearly more to Hawk's pride than his body. Second, because we are talking about Hawk we are much more on the outside than when Spenser was in the same situation. Hawk has already been shot and is talking to Spenser in the hospital when this one starts, and while we miss the action at the start Parker provides symmetry by letting us miss the action at the end as well, which tends to suggest that the action is not the point here. Third, there are significant moral dilemmas this time around. Ironically, none of them exist for Hawk but rather for Spenser, who has reservations about the killing that will be involved, and for Cecila, Hawk's current paramour, who is no where near as accepting of the way her man settles accounts as is the lovely Susan.

However, friendship outweighs moral dilemmas in Spenser's world, and the fact that the point is made several times in the novel speaks to why it seems like Parker is doing this Spenser novel by the numbers. The witty repartee between Spenser and Hawk seems like the witty repartee that we have heard before, and there really is a sense that we are going through the motions here. When we get to the point where Hawk and Spenser assemble some of their small circle of friends to help with the endeavor they really end up with nothing to do. The biggest surprise is that apparently the new person added to that roster is the Grey Man, who turns out to be the only person in the known Spenser universe who speaks Ukranian. You might anticipate that this could lead to something significant happening, but actually it is what does not happen that ends up mattering with the Grey Man.

I think that Hawk is slightly different at the end of this novel, although that may well be projection on my part. It may well be that "Cold Service" simply underscores a fundamental difference between Hawk and Spenser that we have not fully appreciated in the past, but once again that might simply be my trying to read more into this novel than is actually there. As always this Parker novel is a quick read, which makes it eminently easy to work in a chapter here and there throughout the day. It is a pleasant enough read, but given the storyline I was expecting something more than what we ended up getting.

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One of his worst, 6 Jun 2005

By	Sanjeev Shetty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Service (Spenser Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Having been a Spenser fan for 16 years and read each and every one of the series, I was more disappointed than ever before by this book. Maybe I'm getting old and cynical, but I found the tone of the writing to be glib and smug, the plot barely credible and the length of character analysis and developement minimal. The story revolves around Spenser's best buddy Hawk being seriously injured while acting as a bodyguard and then predictably looking for revenge. Given the chance to flesh out Hawk's character further, Parker fails to deliver and before you know it, Spenser and Hawk are doing battle with an improbable cast including Ukrainians and Afghans. Spenser's long-time girlfriend Susan prattles more inanely than ever before in a novel that never comes close to delivering, with Hawk emerging as little more than someone who kills a lot of people, despite having come close to death.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even at half his best, he's still good enough..., 6 Aug 2006

By	Negotiator (Nottingham, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Service (Paperback)

FOR SPENSER 'NEWBIES': Spenser is a private detective of the hardboiled, 'life on the urban streets' style. He is erudite, intellectual and a former heavyweight boxing contender. This particular story follows him and his friend Hawk (also a former contender as well as a hitman/ soldier of fortune type) as they attempt to avenge Hawk's near-fatal shooting.

I wouldn't characterise this as an epic journey like the Jacket blurb. However, it does convey the friendship and attachment that Spenser feels for Hawk in an understated way and is insightful into how some men protect their self-image and identity. If you are a newbie, prepare for unusual levels of analysis and exposition into this identity phenomenon. But also prepare for smart dialogue; sharp action and lovable, well formed characters that you will want more of.

FOR LONG-TIME SPENSER FRIENDS: This is not a bad read. It is a warm and comfortable 'Spenser' novel. I've read them all so far - more than once and I don't feel a moment was wasted. It's just that... I feel he's taking it for granted that his readers know all the backstory. He also trots out some conventional stuff that was fresh twenty years ago, but hearing conversations about Spenser and Hawk's self-reliance and 'inner toughness' for the umpteenth time feels a little worn, even mechanical maybe.

I haven't read the other stuff Parker's been writing recently (Sunny Randall or Jesse Stone) so I don't know if he's spreading his creativity across them, but it feels as though he hasn't spent as much time on this as previous novels.

Ah... maybe I'm expecting too much. Still got the sparkling dialogue and the pace & depth of the action setpieces never disappoints. In his body of Spenser work I give this a THREE - against anyone else's, it's still a FOUR.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Same old Same Old
Having read just about all of the previous Spenser novels I think that this is maybe the one that makes me call it a day. Read more

Published on 13 Jul 2006 by Alan Boss

5.0 out of 5 stars Prime Cut
From the peerless Spenser series of novels, one of the finest in crime writing, comes this stellar entry. Read more

Published on 17 Jun 2006 by Mr. Warren M. Fisher

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