Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York : Putnam's Sons, c1995.
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:The iconic Boston P.I. stars in six classic crime novels in �??one of the great series in the history of the American detective story" (New York Times Book Review). Thin Air Chance Small Vices Sudden Mischief Hush Money Hugger Mugger
User reviews
LibraryThing member MeriJenBen
PI Spenser must look for the missing wife of a friend; who readers know has been kidnapped by a former lover.
Lisa St. Claire, second wife of long-time Spenser ally Det. Frank Belson, has gone missing. When Belson is shot multiple times, Spenser takes over the search for her. Readers are privy to
A lot shorter than other Spenser books, this one changes up the formula by letting the reader know more than Spenser does. Parker is a good writer, lyrical and tight, but he only knows how to write two types of women -- perfect (i.e. paramour Susan) and troubled -- usually by bad choices in men/sex. Lisa St. Clair is no exception. Overall, this is a fast, entertaining read; but, I miss Hawk. His humor and lack of pompousness would have helped here.
Lisa St. Claire, second wife of long-time Spenser ally Det. Frank Belson, has gone missing. When Belson is shot multiple times, Spenser takes over the search for her. Readers are privy to
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what has happened to Lisa; she has been kidnapped by her former lover, a current gangster named Luis Deleon, and is being held prisoner in Hispanic Proctor. Spenser doesn't have this information, and must go digging into Lisa's past to figure out where and who she is. His search brings him back in contact with uber-gangster Del Rio, and Chollo, a sort-of Hispanic Hawk. Together, Chollo and Spenser work to free Lisa from her captivity.A lot shorter than other Spenser books, this one changes up the formula by letting the reader know more than Spenser does. Parker is a good writer, lyrical and tight, but he only knows how to write two types of women -- perfect (i.e. paramour Susan) and troubled -- usually by bad choices in men/sex. Lisa St. Clair is no exception. Overall, this is a fast, entertaining read; but, I miss Hawk. His humor and lack of pompousness would have helped here.
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LibraryThing member Darla
I just love the character of Spenser. Quite a lot like Harry Dresden--not surprisingly: Jim cites Parker as one of his influences. A woman is missing, her husband is a cop & friend of Spenser's. When the cop is shot, Spenser goes looking for the wife. Surprisingly complex, and the ending was...
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different. In a good way. The periodic glimpses into what was happening with the wife were reminiscent of when Nora shows us what the killer is thinking in the In Death books, and I had the same reaction to it: it's interesting, but it takes something away from the mystery, & I'd prefer the book without it. Show Less
LibraryThing member shelleyraec
I'm a huge fan of the dry wit and repartee so I enjoyed this as much as the others.
LibraryThing member catmommie
I really liked this book, enjoyed Spenser's dry humor and bad guy persona. Spenser is helping a copy buddy in finding his kidnapped wife who's got some skeletons in her armoire. This was maybe the third or so book I've read by Robert Parker and look forward to others. I first read Robert Parker
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years ago when reading Poodle Springs and I enjoyed his writing. Show Less
LibraryThing member raizel
There is no mystery to solve. (I kept waiting for the clue on page 44 to be used to solve something, but Mr. Parker seems to have missed its importance.) Anyway the book consists of two parallel stories: a third-person narrative about the abduction of a woman and Spenser's first-person narrative
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about trying to find out what happened after the wife a friend disappears into thin air. Show Less
LibraryThing member moonshineandrosefire
When a Boston police detective's adored new bride suddenly goes missing he comes to Spenser to help find her. Sleuthing from a New England college campus to the slick and sporty nightclub scene of Los Angeles, Spenser discovers all about beautiful Lisa St. Claire's secret past - her prostitution,
Accompanied by a wise-cracking Chicano shooter with an iron-clad attitude and an unflinching sense of honor, Spenser sets in motion a complex plan to rescue Lisa. Along the way, as he deals with broken down cops and messianic local warlords, Spenser questions his knowledge of truth, justice, passion and manhood.
Having read and enjoyed many of Robert B. Parker's previous Spenser books - for the most part - I found that this one wasn't really my type of book. I still thought that it was well-written and funny in parts, however it just wasn't my favorite book. I think I still will read Robert B. Parker's books as I have quite a number of them still to go through, but I have to give Thin Air an A!
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her substance abuse and her numerous destructive past love affairs. Spenser begins to suspect that Lisa has been kidnapped, and is being held prisoner by her sociopathic Latino ex-boyfriend in a burned-out tenement in a Massachusetts mill town's barrio.Accompanied by a wise-cracking Chicano shooter with an iron-clad attitude and an unflinching sense of honor, Spenser sets in motion a complex plan to rescue Lisa. Along the way, as he deals with broken down cops and messianic local warlords, Spenser questions his knowledge of truth, justice, passion and manhood.
Having read and enjoyed many of Robert B. Parker's previous Spenser books - for the most part - I found that this one wasn't really my type of book. I still thought that it was well-written and funny in parts, however it just wasn't my favorite book. I think I still will read Robert B. Parker's books as I have quite a number of them still to go through, but I have to give Thin Air an A!
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LibraryThing member Crazymamie
I will be so happy to return this book to the library because it is not in pristine condition, and by that I mean that it is in slightly disgusting condition, but I read it anyway. Those of you who have followed my thread for years will remember Roberta, Donna and I reading twelve of these books
This is entry number 22, and here Spenser is asked to find Detective Frank Belson's missing wife. I love Belson, and I wish we got to see more of him here, but, alas, it was not to be. We, the readers, know that Belson's wife has been kidnapped, but Spenser and Belson do not know this - another possibility is that she has simply run off. I though this one was kind of lame - the villain is really built up as this crazy tough guy, but he does not fully deliver. Also I though the brief glimpses into what was happening to our victim were pointless - for me, these detracted from the story, and I think the book would have been more suspenseful if we were kept in the dark like Spenser until the end. I think Parker was attempting to add drama, but it was a complete fail for me.
Spenser's side-kick in this one is Chollo, who is good enough, but I would have preferred Hawk, who is always fabulous. Too bad he was in Burma. And we had to drag through more Spenser and Susan scenes, although, it was not as painful in this book than it has been in previous books. And to think that I really loved Susan back at the very beginning. *shakes head sadly* Again she nibbles and she sips, but we are also treated to her actually eating a full meal AND drinking her margarita with salt. So that was worth waiting for, right?!
The ending was a bit too pat for me, but it will do in a pinch. Typical Spenser, IMO.
*I forgot to add that Parker only used the word machismo twice here, which I really appreciated, and he waited until page 71 to introduce it. Bonus points for that.
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together several years ago, and it led to some delightful ranting. I have a love/hate relationship with Spenser - mostly, I love to hate him. Heh. And Susan really gets on my nerves. But I love Hawk, and I think Pearl is charming, and I adore the conversation that reading these books provides, so when Roberta asked me if I would like to read four with her this year - one per quarter, I eagerly said yes. This is entry number 22, and here Spenser is asked to find Detective Frank Belson's missing wife. I love Belson, and I wish we got to see more of him here, but, alas, it was not to be. We, the readers, know that Belson's wife has been kidnapped, but Spenser and Belson do not know this - another possibility is that she has simply run off. I though this one was kind of lame - the villain is really built up as this crazy tough guy, but he does not fully deliver. Also I though the brief glimpses into what was happening to our victim were pointless - for me, these detracted from the story, and I think the book would have been more suspenseful if we were kept in the dark like Spenser until the end. I think Parker was attempting to add drama, but it was a complete fail for me.
Spenser's side-kick in this one is Chollo, who is good enough, but I would have preferred Hawk, who is always fabulous. Too bad he was in Burma. And we had to drag through more Spenser and Susan scenes, although, it was not as painful in this book than it has been in previous books. And to think that I really loved Susan back at the very beginning. *shakes head sadly* Again she nibbles and she sips, but we are also treated to her actually eating a full meal AND drinking her margarita with salt. So that was worth waiting for, right?!
The ending was a bit too pat for me, but it will do in a pinch. Typical Spenser, IMO.
*I forgot to add that Parker only used the word machismo twice here, which I really appreciated, and he waited until page 71 to introduce it. Bonus points for that.
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LibraryThing member bas615
Not my favorite Spenser to be honest. Felt Parker was reaching with the first person narration from the victim's perspective. No doubt after 22 books he was getting a bit bored, but this bit of experimentation didn't work as well. Plus, the depiction of the inner city doesn't hold up well. Anyway,
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still enjoyable, but far from his best. Show Less
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Only made it through chapter 6; just not my cup of tea, mostly for the cussin' language.
That ruins a reading experience for me, even if it is "authentic."
I was not brought up in a family or community that used the now commonly-heard epithets.
Also, the premise of the story (chasing a kidnapper the
YMMV
That ruins a reading experience for me, even if it is "authentic."
I was not brought up in a family or community that used the now commonly-heard epithets.
Also, the premise of the story (chasing a kidnapper the
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reader already knows the identity of) is not a subgenre I'm partial to.YMMV
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LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
A cop friend of Spenser's has been shot, and his wife has disappeared. Spenser is on the trail. Parker uses a little different style here, with about half the book told from the POV of the missing woman, whose character is developed much more fully than the usual damsel-in-distress types.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1995
Physical description
293 p.; 24 cm
ISBN
0399140204 / 9780399140204