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When it comes to writing, Robert B. Parker knows no boundaries. From the iconic Spenser detective series and the novels featuring Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone, to the groundbreaking historical novel Double Play, Parker's imagination has taken readers from Boston to Brooklyn and back again. In Appaloosa, fans are taken on another trip, to the untamed territories of the West during the 1800s.
Dave Robicheaux has been warned that he's on somebody's hit list, and now the homicide detective is trying to discover just who that is before he ends up dead. Meanwhile he has taken on the murder investigation of a young black girl found dead in the Bayou swamp. Robicheaux uncovers a web of corruption that leads him to a terrifying confrontation with the one horror he fears most of all.
When quiet Ellen Lang enters Elvis Cole's Disney-deco office, she's lost something very valuable - her husband and young son. The case seems simple enough, but Elvis isn't thrilled. Neither is his enigmatic partner and firepower Joe Pike. Their search down the seamy side of Hollywood's studio lots and sculptured lawns soon leads them deep into a nasty netherworld of drugs and sex - and murder. Now the case is getting interesting, but it's also turned ugly.
A long time ago, Joe Pike asked for help. In return, he would, one day, be called upon to return the favour, no questions asked. That day has come. Joe Pike is asked to protect the life of Larkin Conner Barkley, a spoiled rich girl who happens to be a federal witness in a major case. But someone is leaking information about their whereabouts, and the killers are getting all too close. So Pike hatches a plan: disappear into the anonymous underbelly of Los Angeles, turn the tables and hunt down the hunters.
This is the first in the popular series featuring California investigator Kinsey Millhone. She's 32, twice divorced, no kids, an ex-cop who likes her work...and who works strictly alone!
East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, OAPs are getting hoodwinked, children are missing. But word has spread: if you've got a case the police can't or won't touch, Isaiah Quintabe will help you out. They call him IQ. He's a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his clients whatever they can afford. But now he needs a client who can pay.
When it comes to writing, Robert B. Parker knows no boundaries. From the iconic Spenser detective series and the novels featuring Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone, to the groundbreaking historical novel Double Play, Parker's imagination has taken readers from Boston to Brooklyn and back again. In Appaloosa, fans are taken on another trip, to the untamed territories of the West during the 1800s.
Dave Robicheaux has been warned that he's on somebody's hit list, and now the homicide detective is trying to discover just who that is before he ends up dead. Meanwhile he has taken on the murder investigation of a young black girl found dead in the Bayou swamp. Robicheaux uncovers a web of corruption that leads him to a terrifying confrontation with the one horror he fears most of all.
When quiet Ellen Lang enters Elvis Cole's Disney-deco office, she's lost something very valuable - her husband and young son. The case seems simple enough, but Elvis isn't thrilled. Neither is his enigmatic partner and firepower Joe Pike. Their search down the seamy side of Hollywood's studio lots and sculptured lawns soon leads them deep into a nasty netherworld of drugs and sex - and murder. Now the case is getting interesting, but it's also turned ugly.
A long time ago, Joe Pike asked for help. In return, he would, one day, be called upon to return the favour, no questions asked. That day has come. Joe Pike is asked to protect the life of Larkin Conner Barkley, a spoiled rich girl who happens to be a federal witness in a major case. But someone is leaking information about their whereabouts, and the killers are getting all too close. So Pike hatches a plan: disappear into the anonymous underbelly of Los Angeles, turn the tables and hunt down the hunters.
This is the first in the popular series featuring California investigator Kinsey Millhone. She's 32, twice divorced, no kids, an ex-cop who likes her work...and who works strictly alone!
East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, OAPs are getting hoodwinked, children are missing. But word has spread: if you've got a case the police can't or won't touch, Isaiah Quintabe will help you out. They call him IQ. He's a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his clients whatever they can afford. But now he needs a client who can pay.
When Robin Nevins, the son of Hawk's boyhood mentor, is denied at an exclusive university, Hawk asks Spenser to investigate. It seems the denial is tied to the suicide of a young gay activist, and as Spenser digs deeper, he is nearly drowned in a multicultural swamp of politics: black, gay, academic, and feminist.
At the same time, Spenser's inamorata, Susan, asks him to come to the aid of an old college friend, K.C. Roth, the victim of a stalker. Spenser solves the problem a bit too effectively when K.C. turns the tables and begins to stalk him.
With Hush Money, Robert B. Parker adds a morally complex tale to this legendary series.
A big fan of Jesse Stone, man of few words, this was my first experience of Spenser. A combination of witty dialogue and fabulous narration made this the most entertaining listen I've experienced for a while and I am just about to search out my next instalment of this long running series.
I wish Burt Reynolds narrated more Spenser novels. Burt brings a star power to a great author - enjoy
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
What did you love best about Hush Money?
Spenser
What other book might you compare Hush Money to and why?
Chance, Now and Then
What does Burt Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Unlike many other Spenser fans, I like Reynolds as a Spenser narrator. His voice characterizations aren't realistic, but they are entertaining.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This is the stupidest question Audible asks. I realize this review format is intended to dumb things down for the slow witted, but this is too much.
Any additional comments?
This is one of the better Spenser novels. The novels in which Parker takes on the political nonsense of modern academia are entertaining, always containing the proper blend of irony and serious criticism. Susan is as irritating as ever, but that's what you get with Parker. I simply skip the chapters with Susan. Thankfully they are self-contained.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Burt Reynolds is terrible as a reader. He is flat. He mumbles. He has no respect for the character. I struggled to put up with the weak Spenser offering and could barely get through the first 1/3 of the book. I am very disappointed. No more Spenser for me unless it's read by Joe Mantegna!
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Burt Reynolds really brings the story alive. Character voices are unmistakable. Wish it were longer.
A lot more fun if you know the environs. Burt Reynolds does a great job emulating the wry humor Parker enjoys. His Maine accents are weak but otherwise does a great job.
I love the stories and I'm a huge Robert B Parker Spenser fan. I love every book that Joe Mantegna narrates. This and the other Spenser story that Burt Reynolds narrates are horrible. He's a constant mumbler and makes it very hard to understand. In my dream world, all the previous Spenser books that Mantegna didn't do would be redone.