“[Robert B.] Parker's brilliance is in his simple dialogue, and in Spenser.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer A bitter divorce is only the beginning. First the father hires thugs to kidnap his son. Then the mother hires Spenser to get the boy back. But as soon as Spenser senses the lay of the land, he decides to do some kidnapping of his own. With a contract out on his life, he heads for the Maine woods, determined to give a puny 15 year old a crash course in survival and to beat his dangerous opponents at their own brutal game.
Rachel Wallace is a woman who writes and speaks her mind. She has made a lot of enemies -- enemies who threaten her life.Spenser is the tough guy with a macho code of honor, hired to protect a woman who thinks that code is obsolete.Privately, they will never see eye to eye. That's why she fires him. But when Rachel vanishes, Spenser rattles skeletons in blue-blooded family closets, tangles with the Klan and fights for her right to be exactly what she is. He is ready to lay his life on the line to find Rachel Wallace.
Boston P.I. Sunny Randall goes on the road to protect a bestselling author—and uncovers a world of dark secrets—in the new novel by the Grand Master. Melanie Joan Hall is a bestselling author in a bind. Her publisher needs her to tour on behalf of her latest blockbuster, and Melanie Joan needs a bodyguard-cum-escort to protect her from an overbearing ex-husband whose presence unnerves her to the point of hysteria. Sunny’s cool demeanor, cop background, and P.I. smarts are an instant balm for the older woman. Sunny begins to sense that Melanie Joan’s ex—a psychotherapist—is not your basic stalker, and when an incident at a book signing leaves the ex bloodied and the author unconscious, it’s clear the stakes are high. Having decided that the only way to crack the case is from the inside, Sunny enters therapy, only to discover some disturbing truths about herself . . . while putting her life on the line. Gripping, nuanced, and filled with Parker’s signature dialogue and psychological insight, Shrink Rap is a winner.
Ellis Alves, a brutal criminal with a history of rape, becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a white college girl. A determined defense attorney believes in his innocence and hires private detective Spenser to uncover the truth. However, Spenser soon faces a deadly threat from a mysterious killer.
Spenser has gone to London—and not to see the Queen. He's gone to track down a bunch of bombers who've blown away his client's wife and kids. His job is to catch them. Or kill them. His client isn't choosy.But there are nine killers to one Spenser—long odds. Hawk helps balance the equation. The rest depends on a wild plan. Spenser will get one of the terrorists to play Judas Goat—to lead him to others. Trouble is, he hasn't counted on her being very blond, very beautiful and very dangerous.
“His best mystery novel”—Time Susan's letter came from California: Hawk was in jail, and she was on the run. Twenty-four hours later Hawk is free, because Spenser has sprung him loose—for a brutal cross-country journey back to the East Coast. Now the two men are on a violent ride to find the woman Spenser loves, the man who took her, and the shocking reason so many people had to die. . . .
Exploring Spenser's formative years, this book reveals the influences of his father and two uncles during his upbringing in the West. It offers fans a deeper understanding of the beloved private investigator's origins while also serving as an engaging introduction for new readers. The narrative sheds light on the early experiences that shaped Spenser into the iconic character he is today, making it a significant addition to Robert B. Parker's acclaimed series.
In "Appaloosa," new chief Amos Callico seeks to align with lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch for his political ambitions. However, their refusal to be bought enrages him, leading to a tense power struggle. As Callico's threats escalate, he provokes a dangerous response from the steadfast duo.
A bad-boy movie star pushes the limits of his reputation when he's accused of rape and murder. It's a high-profile case for Spenser, but the Hollywood secrets he uncovers are sordidly lowdown -- and not just those of the accused.
Relocating to an Old West saloon town, Everett Hitch takes a job protecting the women in a house of ill repute but finds his peace at the side of an old friend challenged by a hired gun and a greedy mine owner.
Determined to locate a woman he loves who inexplicably ran off, hired gunman Virgil Cole, along with deputy Everett Hitch, makes his way across New Mexico and Texas before finding her in a brothel, a situation complicated by saloon violence. By the best-selling author of Appaloosa. Reprint.
Robert B. Parker introduces readers to police chief Jesse Stone in the first novel in the beloved mystery series—a New York Times bestseller. After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dumps him, thirty-five-year-old Jesse Stone’s future looks bleak. So he’s shocked when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise recruits him as police chief. He can’t help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can’t refuse. Once on board, Jesse doesn’t have to look for trouble in Paradise: it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption—replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. Against all this, Jesse stands utterly alone, with no one to trust—even he and the woman he’s seeing are like ships passing in the night. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero—or the deadest of dupes.
TV reporter Candy Sloan has eyes the color of cornflowers and legs that stretch all the way to heaven. She also has somebody threatening to rearrange her lovely face if she keeps on snooping into charges of Hollywood racketeering.Spenser's job is to keep Candy healthy until she breaks the biggest story of her career. But her star witness has just bowed out with three bullets in his chest, two tough guys have doubled up to test Spenser's skill with his fists, and Candy is about to use her own sweet body as live bait in a deadly romantic game--a game that may cost Spenser his life.
New Mexico Territory 1882 - two itinerant lawmen walk their horses down the long, shale-scattered slope into the frontier town of Appaloosa. But they aren't the only new arrivals in town. Mrs Allison French has stepped off the train with only a dollar to her name, a keen sense of survival and a good eye for a strong man.
A high-class New York madam hires Spenser to find a missing hooker, But when Spenser tracks down April Kyle, he uncovers the murder of yet another prostitute. Now Spenser is searching through a world of sex for sale. Because somewhere between Boston and a kinky Caribbean club, someone has a taste for young women, big money, and murder. . . .Praise for Taming a Seahorse“Irresistible!” — The Bergen Record“A winner.” — The Chicago Tribune
Hawk enlists Spenser to take on a street gang, while Susan hopes he'll move in with her. Caught between these two demands, Spenser finds himself in unfamiliar territory and decides to embrace the challenge of both situations.
Spenser is good at finding things. But this time he has a client out on Cape Cod who is in over his head. Harvey Shepard has lost his pretty wife -- and a very pretty quarter million bucks in real estate. Now a loan shark is putting on the bite.Spenser finds himself doing a slow burn in the Cape Cod sun. The wife has turned up as a hot suspect in a case of murder one...the in-hock hubby has 24 hours before the mob makes him dead...and suddenly Spenser is in so deep that the only way out is so risky it makes dying look like a sure thing. "Spenser is the sassiest, funniest, most-enjoyable-to-read private eye around today." (The Cincinnati Post)
Who better to tour us through such Bostonian sites as the Ritz Bar and Beacon Hill than author Parker, creator of Beantown's most famous private-eye, Spenser? 5 1/2" x 7 1/2". Color photos.
Robert B. Parker's Spenser series has long been a hallmark of detective fiction, but the debut of Jesse Stone in Night Passage showcased the potential for new narratives within Parker's literary world. Critics hailed the novel as "fresh and bold," praising Parker's signature wit and the complexity of Stone as a protagonist. Stiles Island, an exclusive enclave, becomes the target of James Macklin, who sees it as a prime investment opportunity. With plans to invade, destroy the bridge, and loot the island, Macklin enlists a crew of ex-cons, including the menacing Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow. As Macklin's dangerous scheme unfolds, Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone grapples with his own challenges, including complicated romantic relationships. His ex-wife Jenn is in jail for assault, he is dating Stiles Island realtor Marcy Campbell, and he still has feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin's attack threatens both Marcy and Abby, Jesse must act quickly to protect them. With its intricate plot and rich character dynamics, Trouble in Paradise exemplifies Parker's mastery of the genre.
Hired as security man for Alexander's election campaign, Spenser checks out blackmail concerning the politician's wife. Aided by sidekick Hawk, and surrogate son Paul Giacomin, he is sucked into political ambition, corruption, violence, and the truth about his relationship with Susan Silverman.
Robert B. Parker is back in Paradise, where Detective Jesse Stone is looking for two things: the killer of a teenage girl—and someone, anyone, who is willing to claim the body…
Investigating a thrill-seeking pair of serial killers who are targeting the residents of an affluent suburban town, police chief Jesse Stone finds his job complicated by local politicians, the media, his drinking problem, and his ex-wife
Boston PI Spenser investigates the perfect murder in this New York Times bestselling mystery in Robert B. Parker’s acclaimed series. She was a model wife and mother, bludgeoned with a hammer on the streets of Beacon Hill. Spenser's searching for a motive and a murderer—and finding more secrets than meet the eye... “Among the best Spensers...Parker's at the top of his game!”—Boston Globe
For Spenser, that most unorthodox of private detectives, no case is ever straightforward and the theft of a 14th-century illuminated manuscript proves no exception. His investigation soon leads him into organized crime, dope-pushing, theft, radical politics, adultery and murder.
In "Pastime," Robert B. Parker delivers a gripping Spenser thriller that intertwines memory, desire, and danger. Spenser confronts his past when a young man, whom he once saved, seeks help to uncover his mother's mysterious disappearance. This case forces Spenser to delve deep into his own soul.
In this gripping novel, private eye Sunny Randall navigates a dangerous Boston mob war while searching for a runaway teenager, Millicent. As she confronts deep-rooted crime and challenges societal expectations, Sunny relies on her ex-husband and a flamboyant friend to tackle murder and corruption, all while discovering her own strength.
In 1974, a revolutionary group held up the Old Shawmut Bank in Boston's Audubon Circle. Money was stolen. A woman named Emily Gordon, a visitor in town cashing traveller's cheques, was shot and killed. No one saw who shot her. Despite CCTV photos and a letter from the group claiming responsibility, the perpetrators remain at large for nearly three decades. Then Paul Giacomin, the closest thing Spenser has to a son, brings Daryl to see him. She is the daughter of the long gone Emily and wants to finally know the truth about her mother's death .
A Boston-based crime organization is in the process of expanding its activities. Their next stop: Paradise, Massachusetts. One that, if Paradise police chief Jesse Stone has his way, will be their last.
The celebrated series continues as a troubled teenager accused of a horrific crime draws Spenser into one of the most desperate cases of his career. Lily Ellsworth - erect, firm, white-haired, and stylish - is the grand dame of Dowling, Massachusetts, and possesses an iron will and a bottomless purse. When she hires Spenser to investigate her grandson Jared Clark's alleged involvement in a school shooting, Spenser is led into an inquiry that grows more harrowing at every turn. Though seven people were killed in cold blood, and despite Jared's being named as a co-conspirator by the other shooter, Mrs. Ellsworth is convinced of her grandson's innocence. Jared's parents are resigned to his fate, and the boy himself doesn't seem to care whether he goes to prison for a crime he might not have committed.
When the son of Spenser's cobhort hawk is denied univesity tenure, hawk asks Spenser to investigate. It appears the denial is tied to the suicide of a young gay activist.
Brad Sterling - former Harvard football player, ne'er-dowell, and Susan Silverman's long-out-of-touch ex-husband - is, by all appearances, a successful businessman. But when he is charged with sexual harassment in the course of running a vast fund-raiser called Galapalooza, he turns to Susan for help. Though Brad denies the charge, he's desperate, behind in alimony and child support to other exes, and on the verge of dissolution. When Spenser reluctantly agrees to the case, he finds Brad denies everything. Sterling claims everything is fine - he is free of debt and free of problems. While the harassment charge begins to look more and more specious, Spenser begins to sense there is something wrong with Galapalooza, when leads to charities turn into dead end. Susan, meanwhile, becomes steadily more problematic as she wrestles with demons reinvigorated by the resurrection of her ex-husband. As the questions mount, Brad disappears, a body is found, and a shadowy mob connection begins to coalesce. Spenser finds himself fighting a two-front war: against some very bad men on the one hand, and an increasingly difficult Susan, struggling with her own resurrection, on the other.
Spenser, the beloved private eye, uncovers corruption in a college town where a basketball star is involved in point shaving for money. As he navigates the dangerous situation, Spenser must be careful to protect his own life from those behind the scheme.
Her name is Lisa St. Claire. Her husband's a cop. Her whereabouts are unknown. Spenser thought he could help a friend find his missing wife. Until he learned the nasty truth about Lisa St. Claire. For starters, it's not her real name...
"It's easy to see why Parker's snappy banter and cynical eye have kept fans turning pages for 25 years . . . his wisecracks, combined with Parker's shorthand flair for scathing characterization, make for a satisfying read," said Entertainment Weekly of last year's Hush Money. Now Parker presents Spenser with a deceptively dangerous and multi-layered case: Someone has been killing racehorses at stables across the south, and the Boston P.I. travels to Georgia to protect the two-year-old destined to become the next Secretariat. When Spenser is approached by Walter Clive, president of Three Fillies Stables, to find out who is threatening his horse Hugger Mugger, he can hardly say no: He's been doing pro bono work for so long his cupboards are just about bare. Disregarding the resentment of the local Georgia law enforcement, Spenser takes the case. Though Clive has hired a separate security firm, he wants someone with Spenser's experience to supervise the operation. Despite a veneer of civility, Spenser encounters tensions beneath the surface southern gentility. The case takes an even more deadly turn when the attacker claims a human victim, and Spenser must revise his impressions of the whole Three Fillies organization--and watch his own back as well. With razor-sharp dialogue, eloquently spare prose, and some of the best supporting characters to grace the printed page, Hugger Mugger is grand entertainment.
In this gripping tale, April Kyle, a former runaway prostitute turned head of a Boston call-girl operation, seeks private investigator Spenser's assistance to thwart a local kingpin's takeover. Their reunion brings dangerous complications from Spenser's past, testing his skills and resolve.
The wives of Boston's wealthiest men have a mutual secret: they all had an affair with the same cad who's blackmailing them, and Spenser's been hired to stop him. But when the wives start dying one by one, Spenser's new case becomes murder.
Boston P.I. Sunny Randall joins forces with the most important man in her life—her father—to crack a thirty-year-old case. When a serial murderer dubbed “The Spare Change Killer” by the Boston press surfaces after three decades in hiding, the police immediately seek out the cop, now retired, who headed the original task force: Phil Randall. As a sharp-eyed investigator and a doting parent (“You’re smart. You’re tough . . . You, too, are a paradigm of law enforcement- perfection, and you’re my kid”), Phil calls on his daughter Sunny to help trap the criminal who eluded him so many years before. After interviewing just a handful of suspects, Sunny is certain that she’s found her man. Though she has no evidence against Bob Johnson, she trusts her intuition. And she knows the power she has over him—she can feel the skittishness and sexual tension that he radiates when he’s around her—but convincing her father and the rest of the task force is a different story. When the killer strikes a second time and a third, the murders take a macabre turn, as, eerily, the victims each resemble Sunny. While her father pressures her to drop the case, her need to create a trap to catch her killer grows. In a compelling game of cat-and-mouse, Sunny Randall uses all her skills to draw out her prey, realizing too late that she’s setting herself up to become the next victim.
Sunny Randall comes to the aid of three very different women, with deadly
consequences. Hired by prominent feminist Mary Lou Goddard to protect her from
threatening phone calls and shadowy pursuers, Sunny must contend with
Goddard's reluctance to reveal all she knows about the unwelcome attention
bestowed upon her. When a member of...
Marlene Cowley wants to hire Spenser to investigate her husband, Trent Cowley. She is convinced he is cheating on her and wants proof that will humiliate and destroy him in open court. Spenser reluctantly agrees as he does not care for this type of cases and such proof isn't required in the courts of today. Before long, Spenser discovers that his client has a tail of her own. Apparently Trent shares the same concerns and has hired another investigator to tail her. The two investigators as a matter of professional courtesy acknowledge each other's case but neither can explain why there soon appears to be yet another investigator involved. Spenser begins looking at that angle and before he can get very far, the deaths begin. The two investigators soon vanish and Spenser is left working a case that grows stranger by the day.
When Nathan Smith is found in bed with a hole in his head, it's hard not to imagine his young bride as the one with the finger on the trigger. Thanks to Nathan's millions she can afford the best defense money can buy and Spenser is hired to investigate Mary's bona fides.
Boston P.I. Spenser heads to Potshot, Arizona, a haven for wealthy Angelenos, to investigate the murder of Mary Lou Buckman's husband. With local police ineffective against a gang led by The Preacher, Spenser enlists his trusted allies to confront the criminals and uncover the truth behind the murder.
A high society wedding ends unhappily ever after in this mystery starring Boston PI Spenser—“the timeless hero of American detective fiction” (The New York Times Book Review). Hired as a bodyguard at an exclusive wedding, Spenser witnesses an unexpected crime: the kidnapping of the young bride, which opens the door for murder, family secrets, and the reappearance of an old nemesis.
Investigating a new client's unfaithful wife, Boston private eye Spenser finds himself in trouble when the case goes terribly wrong and three people wind up dead, a situation that reveals the wife's lover's ties to a terrorist organization.
At 46, Aaron Newman was enjoying the good things in life - a good marriage, a good job - and he was in good shape himself. Then he saw the murder. A petty vicious killing that was to plunge him into an insane jungle of raw violence and fear, threatening and defiling the things he cared about.
When Raymond Chandler died in 1959, he left behind the first four chapters of a new Philip Marlowe thriller. Now three decades later, Robert B. Parker, the bestselling creator of the Spenser detective novels, has completed Poodle Springs in a full-length masterpiece of criminal passion. "More than just an impressive homage, this is a first-rate detective novel with all of the suspense, action, and human drama that we have come to expect from the best."--Playboy Philip Marlowe is alive and well and living in Poodle Springs, California. He's married to a wealthy heiress now. But living in the lap of luxury hasn't made a dent in Marlowe's cynicism--or his talent for attracting trouble. Soon he's on a trail of greed, lust, and murder as dark and cunning as any he's ever seen. Philip Marlowe is back in business. "Raymond Chandler fans, throw away your dog-eared copies of The Big Sleep...Philip Marlowe has returned!"--Milwaukee Journal
His name is Jesse Stone.He's left the LAPD in disgrace and found himself the new chief of police in Paradise, Massachusetts -- a town that's a lot less idyllic than it sounds.This exciting departure for "the reigning champion of the American tough-guy detective novel" (Entertainment Weekly) has landed him on the New York Times bestseller list once again...and thrilled readers and critics alike.
Aufruhr in Paradise: Eine Schule für lateinamerikanische Einwandererkinder soll in einem Nobelviertel der Stadt gebaut werden. Die Anwohner fürchten eine Zunahme der Kriminalität durch Latino-Gangs. Polizei-Chef Jesse Stone hat alle Hände voll zu tun, um die erhitzten Gemüter zu beschwichtigen. Plötzlich taucht der Killer Wilson Cromartie – genannt Crow – in Paradise auf. Vor zehn Jahren ist er Stone als einziger Gangster bei einem brutalen Überfall mit einem Haufen Geld entwischt. Was will er in Paradise?
Die attraktive Fernsehreporterin Candy Sloan bittet Spenser um Unterstützung. Bei ihren Recherchen um einen Schmiergeldskandal in Hollywoods Filmindustrie wird sie verfolgt und zusammengeschlagen. Als daraufhin auch noch ihr einziger Augenzeuge ermordet wird, ist klar, dass auch Candy in Lebensgefahr schwebt. Doch sie weigert sich die Story fallen zu lassen und lässt sich sogar auf eine riskante Affäre mit dem Präsidenten eines Filmstudios ein, der eindeutige Verbindungen zur Unterwelt hat. Für Spenser wird es immer schwieriger diesen gefährlichen Auftrag zu erfüllen …
Der Privatdetektiv Spenser wird von Lily Ellsworth angeheuert, die Unschuld ihres 17-jährigen Enkelsohnes Jared Clark zu beweisen. Ihm wird zur Last gelegt, gemeinsam mit seinem Mitschüler Wendell Grant fünf Schüler, den stellvertretenden Dekan und eine Spanischlehrerin erschossen und weitere Personen von der Dowling Privatschule verletzt zu haben, bevor sich die beiden mit Geiseln in der Bibliothek verbarrikadierten. Einer Spezialeinheit der Polizei gelingt es zwar die Geiselnahme zu beenden, aber nur einer der Täter, Wendell Grant, kann gefasst werden. Grant gibt Jared Clark als Mittäter an, der schließlich ein Geständnis ablegt. Der Fall scheint abgeschlossen. Die beiden Täter warten im Gefängnis nur noch auf ihre Verurteilung. Nach ersten Befragungen ist Spenser zunächst selbst von der Schuld Jared Clarks überzeugt. Neugierig macht ihn allein das allgemeine Desinteresse an den Hintergründen der Tat. Die Polizei, die Schulleitung, aber auch Jareds Eltern scheinen die Ereignisse vor allem möglichst schnell hinter sich lassen zu wollen. Spenser hingegen lässt die Frage nach dem Motiv nicht mehr los. Gerade weil er von allen Seiten auf Widerstand stößt, ermittelt er weiter und entdeckt, dass der Fall des stillen Schülers noch längst nicht zu den Akten gelegt werden kann.
Schauspieler Jumbo Nelson ist abonniert auf Bad Boys. Die Rolle passt. Mit Skandalen und ausschweifenden Partys pflegt er genüsslich sein Image als Kotzbrocken. Als ein junges Mädchen tot aufgefunden wird, gerät er allerdings unter Verdacht und wird am Set einer Filmproduktion verhaftet. Ist das Großmaul tatsächlich ein Mörder? Die Polizei tappt im Dunkeln und beauftragt Privatdetektiv Spenser. Ex-Boxer Spenser heftet sich an Zebulon Sixkill, den Cree-Indianer, der als Bodyguard für Jumbo Nelson arbeitet. Zunächst stößt er bei ihm auf Ablehnung, aber als Jumbo Nelson seinen Schutzengel aus einer cholerischen Laune feuert, werden Spenser und Sixkill zu einem ungewöhnlichen Team. Mit Witz, rasanten Dialogen und sehr viel Spannung – denn die beiden haben es längst nicht mehr nur mit der Aufklärung eines Falls zu tun, sondern müssen auch ihre Haut vor einem eiskalten Mafiakiller retten.
Jesse Stone muss sich entscheiden: Seine Ehe liegt in Trümmern und sein Alkoholproblem droht übermächtig zu werden. Der Cop tritt die Flucht nach vorn an – nur weg aus Los Angeles. Dass er auf Anhieb einen Posten als Polizeichef in dem kleinen Städtchen mit dem verheißungsvollen Namen Paradise erhält, überrascht niemanden mehr als Stone selbst. Doch schon bald merkt er: Die Neu-England-Idylle trügt. Mehrere brutale Morde erschüttern Paradise. Bei seinen Ermittlungen stößt Stone auf politische Verstrickungen und korrupte Beamte, die ihm das Leben schwer machen. Den kaltblütigen Machenschaften steht Jesse Stone ganz allein gegenüber, denn in Paradise kann er niemandem trauen. (Übersetzt von Robert Brack)
Spenser bekommt einen Anruf von seiner alten Bekannten April Kyle, einer Edelhure, die in Schwierigkeiten steckt. Sie wird von einem anonymen Anrufer erpresst. Was zunächst nach einem einfachen Job aussieht, erweist sich als höchst brisanter und gefährlicher Fall, denn niemand sagt die Wahrheit. Angefangen bei April, die tief in ein dubioses Dreamgirl-Hotel -Projekt verstrickt ist. April will endlich unabhängig und auf eigene Rechnung arbeiten. Dafür geht sie auch über Leichen
Brad Sterling steckt in der Klemme. Er hat eine Klage wegen sexueller Belästigung am Hals. Susan Silverman will ihrem Exmann helfen und bittet ausgerechnet ihren Freund Spenser um Unterstützung. Reine Routine, glaubt der Privatdetektiv, denn die Anklage steht auf schwachen Füßen. Doch der Fall ist verworrener, als er zunächst schien. Sterling ist so gut wie pleite, zwielichtige Gestalten treten auf den Plan und irgendwer trachtet dem lakonischen Ermittler massiv nach dem Leben. Plötzlich verschwindet Sterling und in seinem Büro wird eine Leiche gefunden. Ein schwieriger Fall für Spenser.
Die Privatdetektivin Sunny Randall sucht die Tochter eines einflussreichen Mannes und findet sie im Prostituiertenmilieu. Millie hat einen guten Grund, von zu Hause wegzulaufen, und Sunny entscheidet sich, der Sache selbst nachzugehen, wobei sie auf dunkle Geheimnisse der Familie stößt.
Paul Giacomin sucht seine verschwundene Mutter, die die einzige Verbindung zu seiner Kindheit ist. Rich Beaumont hat Angst, denn er weiß, dass man besser die Finger von fremdem Geld lassen sollte, besonders wenn es mit einer tödlichen Drohung verbunden ist.
Double Deuce ist die gefährlichste Gegend von Boston – Drogen, Bandenkriege, ein Teufelskreis aus Not und Gewalt. Weiße verirren sich nicht hierher, und auch die Polizei meidet das Viertel. Als ein Mädchen und sein Kind bei einer Schießerei getötet werden, verbucht man den Fall als tragisches Unglück. Das Leben fordert hier immer wieder unschuldige Opfer. Doch manche wissen es besser, und Privatdetektiv Spenser wird beauftragt, die Täter zu finden. Falls man ihn lang genug leben lässt …
Die junge Frau des Bostoner Cops Belson ist spurlos verschwunden. Belson bittet Spenser um Unterstützung. Seine Ermittlungen führen Spenser ins verregnete Massachusetts. In einer von Gott und der Industrie verlassenen Stadt namens Proctor kämpfen zwei rivalisierende Latino-Gangs um die Vorherrschaft, während sich die Cops lieber einen Drink genehmigen. Hier irgendwo könnte Lisa Belson stecken. Aber was hat sie ausgerechnet in dieser Gegend verloren? Wird sie gegen ihren Willen festgehalten? Spenser schmiedet einen riskanten Plan, um Lisa zu finden.'Spenser betreibt seine Ermittlungen mit einer charmanten Mischung aus Ernsthaftigkeit und Selbstironie. Und er schafft es, nach einem anstrengenden Tag im Kampf gegen das Verbrechen ein köstliches Mahl für seine Freundin und sich zu zaubern. Das ist wahre Klasse.' KIRKUS REVIEW
