Sixkill by Robert B. Parker

Sixkill, the 39th Spenser novel, was also the last book by Robert B. Parker. Ace Atkins will write future books in the series, as agreed by the estate. Other families have tried to continue series with mixed results. Robert Goldsborough wrote seven books about Nero Wolfe after Rex Stout died. After Lawrence Sanders' death, Vincent Lardo wrote six McNally books. I tried both series, and gave up on them. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Atkins. Spenser was my favorite private investigator, and this last book by Parker would have been an appropriate culmination.

Even the opening chapter of Sixkill is filled with the witty conversations Spenser was known for. Quirk, Spenser's police captain friend, shows up to ask for help in a complicated situation. Jumbo Nelson, a well-known actor, is a person of interest in a murder investigation. A twenty-year-old girl is dead following sex with Jumbo. Everyone from the governor to the newspapers likes Jumbo for the death. But, Quirk is a little dubious and doesn't want to see an innocent man railroaded, no matter how sleazy the actor may be. He asks Spenser to investigate, on behalf of Jumbo's attorney, Rita Fiore.

Unfortunately for Jumbo, he doesn't like Spenser's attitude, and wants to fire Spenser and Rita. He also sets his bodyguard, Zebulon Sixkill, on Spenser. When Spenser knocks Sixkill on his ass, Jumbo fires him. With no place to go, the Cree Indian ends up asleep outside Spenser's office. Now, Spenser has an investigation and a protégé. 


I read all 39 Spenser books, so I just might not remember Parker providing background for a character in the way he did for Sixkill. He dribbles out bits and pieces of Sixkill's life in the course of the book. The style works perfectly with Spenser's unquestioning methods of working with Sixkill. With Hawk out of town, Spenser builds Zebulon Sixkill into another man to watch his back when there's serious opposition to Spenser's investigation into Jumbo Nelson's role in the death of Dawn Lopata. Had Parker continued the series, Zebulon Sixkill might have been a fascinating new back-up for Spenser.

For anyone who read, and will miss, the Spenser series, this book actually provides a satisfying finale. Despite the fact that Hawk is missing in action, we get the chance to remember most of Spenser's friends and allies. Most of them are mentioned in the course of the book when Susan Silverman is mentioning back-up for Spenser in his latest quest that alienates dangerous opposition. And, whether or not you're a reader that liked Susan and Pearl, they're present. In fact, it's Susan who actually provides the suitable eulogy for Spenser. "Sometimes I think you are far too kind for your own good." Other times, "I think you are the hardest man I've ever seen."

I'm going to miss Robert B. Parker's literate, wiseass detective with his code of conduct, and his fascinating sidekicks. 

Sixkill by Robert B. Parker. G.P. Putnam's Sons. ©2011. ISBN 9780399157264 (hardcover), 293p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - Library Book

Love You More by Lisa Gardner

Maybe I don't read thrillers much because once I start one, I can't put it down. I read Lisa Gardner's Love You More in one day, staying up late to finish it. That's the definition of page-turner, since I'm pretty religious about getting to bed on time.

Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren of the Boston Police Department returns in Gardner's latest, a book that once again puts Warren and the reader into a situation that isn't what it seems. Warren is having a difficult morning, can't keep food down, and isn't quite ready to tell her boyfriend, Alex. They've been dating for six months, and have been careful not to define their relationship. D.D. isn't always comfortable in long-term relationships. And, the crime scene she's called to doesn't help matters.

Tessa Leoni, a rookie trooper with the Massachusetts State Police, called the police herself. Although her union rep and her lawyer are on the scene, the case is turned over to Boston and D.D. Tessa's husband, Brian, is dead in the kitchen, shot three times in the chest with Tessa's gun. And, Tessa's six-year-old daughter, Sophie, is missing. It appears that Tessa finally had enough of her abusive husband. But, how does the missing child play into this scenario?

D.D. has a hard time dealing with a cop who won't cooperate in the investigation. Tessa won't talk about abuse, and only seems concerned about her child. Warren's state of mind makes her wonder what kind of mother stays with an abusive man. What kind of cop ends up killing a husband, instead of leaving the situation?

Lisa Gardner always leads readers down interesting paths. She tells the story from two viewpoints. Tessa Leoni, as a suspect, tells her story from first person. But, the reader also follows D.D. Warren's investigation. It's a combination that doesn't always work for me. I prefer not to be in the mind of a killer, and many thrillers take readers there. But, once again, Lisa Gardner proves she's a master at manipulating characters, the plot, and the reader, to take us into unexpected territory. I did figure out the problem half-way through the book, but I went back to read the opening three times in the course of the book. Love You More is gripping, suspenseful, and it won't disappoint.

Lisa Gardner's website is www.lisagardner.com

Love You More by Lisa Gardner. Random House, ©2011. ISBN 9780553807257 (hardcover), 368p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of the book, in hopes I would review it.

Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker

There's something sad about reading the second last Spenser novel.  I'm going to miss Robert B. Parker's wit, the thoughtful conversations between the characters.  Painted Ladies brought appearances by most of the cops in Spenser's life, along with a few other friends, but Hawk is missing.  I hope he's in the last book in the series.

When a painting is stolen from the Hammond Museum, and there's a ransom demand, Dr. Ashton Prince is asked to handle the exchange, money for the painting.  Prince hires Spenser to protect him, but the site of the exchange, and the details, are very carefully set up, and everything goes wrong.  Spenser didn't take care of his client, so he's determined to make it right.

However, it seems that no one else really cares.  On the advice of their attorney, the Hammond won't deal with Spenser.  No one at Walford University, where Prince taught, seems particularly upset.  The professor's widow is caught up in her own world.  Even the insurance company's representative isn't interested in the investigation.  Not having a client has never stopped Spenser, when he's determined to discover the secrets behind his client's murder.   This time, though, someone has Spenser targeted, and he thinks it involves this case.

This mystery involving the art world takes Spenser down some unexpected paths.  In a change from recent books, there's actually more mystery involved in this book by Parker.  It's a treat to watch Spenser work a puzzling case.  But, as always, the greatest treat is spending time in Spenser's world, with Susan and Pearl, and the cops who respect his ability.  Spenser is the detective who recognizes and can recite poetry, appreciates attractive women, but always remains faithful.  It's going to be tough to finally lose mystery's knight in shining armor, the detective with a code of honor.

Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker.  G.P. Putnam's Sons, ©2010. ISBN 9780399156854 (hardcover), 304p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - Library Book

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Last week, Lisa Gardner's The Neighbor was named Best Hardcover Novel of 2009 by the International Thriller Writers. Her new Detective D.D. Warren novel, Live to Tell, was released today. I see no reason why this disturbing book shouldn't be named the best hardcover thriller of 2010.

Gardner skillfully ties together the story of three women. It's a hot August night in Boston when Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren is called away from a date to the scene of a terrible mass homicide. An entire family has been slaughtered, with the father, the suspect, rushed to the hospital as a gunshot victim. Self-inflicted, since it appears he killed his entire family? Or, is there something more involved here?

Danielle Burton is a nurse, devoted to her patients in a Boston Pediatric Clinic where she works with mentally and emotionally disturbed children in a locked ward. She knows the trauma in a child's life. She still bears the scars of a family tragedy twenty-five years earlier.

And, then there's Victoria Oliver. She's a devoted mother, determined to protect her troubled son, even if it means giving up the life she's known.

The stories of these three women converge on a path that can only lead to tragedy. And, it will take all of D.D. Warren's skills as the leader of an investigative team to find a killer before more families are destroyed.

Live to Tell is a gripping, disturbing book in which Gardner delves into the world of children who are psychotic. It's hard to avert your eyes from the tragedies portrayed in the pages of Gardner's latest book. Lisa Gardner builds the suspense to an almost unbearable level, before shocking the reader with an unexpected twist. She manipulates the characters and the reader just as beautifully in Live to Tell as she did with The Neighbor. Best thriller of 2010, anyone?

Lisa Gardner's website is www.lisagardner.com

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner. Bantam Books, ©2010. ISBN 9780553807240 (hardcover), 388p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - Gardner's publicist sent me Live to Tell, knowing Gardner was appearing at the library.