Hugger Mugger

I always enjoy the Spenser novels, but I felt this was one of his best.

I somehow skipped this book in the Spenser canon, and once I had read it, I wished that I’d read it much sooner. It’s as if Parker longed to return to the early days of Spenser, and wrote a throwback. He sheds — for the largest part — most of the formulaic earmarks of the series readers have come to......more

Spenser is hired by Walter Clive, the owner of the Three Fillies Racing Stable in Georgia, to find out who has been shooting at his horses. He is particularly worried about the two-year-old thoroughbred Hugger Mugger, who has the temperament and instincts of a champion. Clive has hired a firm to gua......more

Spenser tracks down a vicious mugger who has been terrorizing Boston, and then he gives him a great big hug. No, I was just making sure you were paying attention. Actually Spenser gets hired by Walter Clive who is the wealthy owner of a racing horse stable in Georgia. Someone has shot several of Cliv......more

O Parker, you must have had an idea for this book but could not put it all together. A very weak 3 stars, ladies and gentlemen. In a way, I am pained after reading this novel. All of the quirky Parkerisms are present: pithy dialogue, interesting set pieces, Susan and her psychobabble (although I cou......more

This was an interesting read and I consider Robert Parker to be in the same class with Lawrence Sanders and James Handley Chase.......more