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Cold Service    by Robert B. Parker Amazon.com order for
Cold Service
by Robert B. Parker
Order:  USA  Can
Berkley, 2006 (2005)
Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD

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* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

Spenser's alter ego Hawk runs into trouble and ends up being left for dead. As he heals, he states his intention for revenge. No one does something like that to him and lives to tell it! As Hawk recovers, he and Spenser plot how the two of them will discover the miscreants and administer just punishment. Be sure that will be accomplished.

As usual with a Spenser novel, the one liners are quick, to the point, and prolific. Author Robert B. Parker has an almost Hemingway knack of getting his point across with few words. Precise, carefully chosen words that speak volumes. Action moves at a fast pace throughout Cold Service, as the suspense builds steadily. Spenser's constant companion, Susan Silverman, does her best to persuade Hawk and Spenser to give up their perilous plans, but she can still understand why they must proceed.

I love Spenser's sense of humor along with his glibness. It's hard to sustain humor throughout a whole novel, but Parker has it down pat. I'm assuming that he loves what he does. He is a highly productive writer but still can't write fast enough to keep me in reading material.

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