What do You think about Bad Business (2005)?
This is a typical Spenser book.....which I happen to like. I think I've read them all and usually I am pleased. Bad Business was a keeper.Oh, to be sure, there's the required comments about Spenser and Susan's relationship and why they don't want to get married. There's the required comments about Spenser and Hawk's relationship and how they'd die for each other, etc. There's the required comments about Spenser's checkered career in law enforcement. It's a formula to be sure, but I like the formula.Spenser's comments and observations are pure gold and the case was interesting because it (sort of) explains what happened to Enron.I guess I'm over the fact that Spenser never ages (Parker must have been hearing comments because he includes a NY Times review that excuses this fact inside the dust cover at the beginning of the synopsis) - it doesn't bother me with James Bond, why should it bother me with Spenser? Read all of my reviews of Robert B. Parker's Spenser books at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/searc...
—Dale
The Spenser novels of Robert Parker are characterized by witty, sarcastic dialog between the characters. Even when the plot line is weak, the way they speak to each other always delivers a high level of entertainment. In this story, Marlene Crowley hires Spenser to follow her husband to determine if he is cheating on her. His name is Trent Crowley and he is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Kinergy, one of the most dynamic companies around. It is an energy trading company and rose from very small beginnings to an apparent powerhouse. Robert Cooper, the CEO of Kinergy and an expert glad-hander, has designs on a run for the U. S. Senate, so he wants to keep his image as clean as possible. When Trent Crowley is murdered on the Kinergy premises, things change. Furthermore, Spenser finds a veritable daisy chain of wife swapping and private detectives following husbands and wives. As usual, Spenser makes enemies, one of which is Gavin, the chief of security at Kinergy. When Gavin is killed, there seems to be no reason for the murders. However, Spenser eventually determines the identity of the murderers, amid the additional discovery that Kinergy is a house of cards. The higher executives have been gradually selling off their stock in anticipation that it will quickly become nearly worthless. The ending is not a great dramatic one, as there is no shootout, just Spenser punching a man. This story is taken directly from the events surrounding the collapse of Enron, with the exception of the internal mate-swapping and the murders, you could replace Kinergy with Enron and most of the story would be factual. I don’t consider it one of Parker’s best Spenser novels, but once again the quality of the dialog makes it very entertaining. Hawk and Vinnie Morris appear, but are not heavily involved, which is a disappointment. In my opinion, the conversations between Spenser and Hawk are the best dialog in the Spenser series. This review also appears on Amazon
—Charles
BAD BUSINESS (Private investigator) – G+Robert B. Parker – 31st SpenserG.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004 – HardcoverSpenser is hired by Marlene Crowley to find out whether her husband, an executive with Kinergy, is cheating on her. But when he finds Marlene is being watched by a fellow PI hired by her husband, and the woman with whom Marlene’s husband is having an affair, is being watched by a third investigator, Spenser decides to find out what is really going on. What Marlene’s husband is murdered, then the head of security for Kinergy, it’s clearly more than a case of wife swapping.*** This was an interesting Spenser as there was must less violence and much more investigation. All the gang is there, but in more realistic roles, although the descriptions of watching Susan eat drives me crazy. The strength is definitely the pacing, characters and excellent dialogue. You are always assured of a few, highly-enjoyable hours with one of Parker’s books.
—LJ
