Monday, May 14, 2018

Spenser Getting Into Mischief Again

Sudden Mischief (Spenser, #25)Sudden Mischief by Robert B. Parker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A local bookshop owner recommended this to me after I mentioned I was into detective fiction, specifically Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder series. It was a fairly on-the-nose suggestion.

I'd never read anything by Robert B. Parker, which is surprising because his books are EVERYWHERE. You almost can't walk into a book store or library without bumping into one. So, I'd seen the name a million times. I'd heard he did a "Spenser" series. I am old and from the Boston area, so I was familiar with the old Spenser tv show. But I never put the two together. Now I know. A Boston-based detective fiction series?! Sign me up!

The plot is decent in Sudden Mischief, but the pacing is a little slow. Or perhaps it's the subject matter that hampers the action. This one is more about relationships than your usual crime novel, even a typical Scudder.

But I enjoyed Parker's style and that's the important thing. Even if this one didn't knock my socks off, I'd be willing to try more, because I already feel like I can trust the writer. For the most part, his prose flows. And when it isn't flowing, it's marching. I'm okay with that, as long as we're going forward.

With that in mind, I'm on to the next Parker!

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Salvatore's Adventure Continues

Luthien's Gamble (Crimson Shadow, #2)Luthien's Gamble by R.A. Salvatore
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The tale of Luthien of Bedwyr continues.

Luthien's Gamble focuses mostly on a revolt to take back a duchy from a bad hombre. It also delves into luuuv just a little bit.

There's a lot of fighting in this one and right from the get-go. You can tell Salvatore's a D&D player, because much of his fighting is described in terms of "strikes" and "hits". This might seem a bit impersonal, but I suppose it's best to keep a bit of distance from the hardcore reality of battle when you're trying to write a mostly lighthearted adventure story.

The fun characters from book one are all here and they're further rounded out. Brindamour, the wizard who seems to controlling the puppet strings, shows up more in this sequel. I can't tell if he's suppose to an all-powerful omniscient or what. He actually adds some comic relief in a scene or two. I'm sure it'll all be clear in the final book, which I'll be reading soon enough.

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