Taming a Sea-Horse (1986)

In sampling Parker's fiction, I continue to find his earlier novels to be his best work. This is my 12th "Spenser" novel (and at 1986, the earliest I've sampled), and in my view it compares very highly with several of those that came later. Sure, it's cheap popular fiction, but the plot is interesting, the dialogue clever, and the action fast paced and absorbing. One thing I liked in particular was how real the story seems. Private investigator Spenser doesn't know what's going on or what to do about it, and just makes himself a sufficiently annoying presence to the people he's up against (even with acts of a sophomoric nature) that they finally have to deal with him to get him off their backs. A less skillful writer would feel obliged to write a superhuman protagonist never at a loss for what to do to "solve" the crime. Spenser is all the more human for his flaws, even if his creator does make him and sidekick Hawk irresistably attractive to any females in the vicinity -- a little indulgence for which most male readers (at least) will likely forgive the author. There's much humor in this little novel, some great dialogue, some gripping action, and overall, a sufficiently absorbing story to make it a fine book to read near bedtime, for those who like the genre. For others, try Crime and Punishment or Anna Karenina. ( )

This was not the best Parker I have read. Spenser tries to find a girl he had left with a madam in a previous book. She disappears and in the meantime her friend and pimp are murdered. I like his books with more of Hawk and Susan. I do like his sarcastic way of speaking so it makes the book readable and humorous at the same time. ( )