Potshot

Wild, wild west: When a gang of thugs runs rough-shod over a town and a nice lady comes to Spenser to ask for help finding out who murdered her husband, Spenser finds himself in Potshot, a small town in the desert. It is never made really clear whether it is in California or Nevada or Arizona or where exactly in the desert it is, but apparently there is an abandoned mine nearby and a gang of thugs has taken over the mine as their base of operations (they call themselves the Dell) and now they own the town, selling "protection" to the businesses and using the services of the town as they wish. Spenser quickly realizes things are not as they seem; after bracing Preacher (the leader of the Dell), Spenser believes the Dell are not show more responsible for the murder, at least, and he heads to LA to try to find out more about the murder victim and his wife, as well as some of the other members of the community.

Spenser ends up gathering a few of his friends to join him back in Potshot, so we are treated to a rare gem when our old friends Hawk, Vinnie Morris, Chollo, Bobby Horse and Bernardo J. Fortunato as well as a new friend - Tedy Sapp - are all gathered together in one place. The witticisms are thick on the ground when everyone is in one place. I believe that alone makes this one of my favorites in the Spenser series. Not to be missed! show less

Super P.I. Spenser travels to the Arizona desert to discover who murdered a local, and to "assist" the town with clearing out a gang of thugs. However, there is more than meets the eye in Potshot...

Spenser, the well-read, hard boiled private eye, is called upon by wilderness outfitter Mary Lou Buckman to find out who killed her husband Steve. Mary Lou and Steve live in Potshot, an upscale southwestern community (read: Bisbee) that has been terrorized by a gang of thugs known as the Dell. Mary Lou is sure the Dell killed Steve, however, when Spenser starts to investigate, he's not so sure. Nothing is what it seems in Potshot, not even Mary Lou. Spenser attracts the attention of the town fathers, who hire him to "clean up" the Dell, which show more he does by bringing in his own gang of thugs, including Hawk, Vinnie, Tedy Sapp, and Chollo, all of whom appear in previous novels.

I read Spenser novels for much the same reason I read the Cat Who... books, they are formulaic in the extreme. Spenser will always be stronger and more noble than everyone else. Hawk will always save his ass. Susan will always be beautiful and brilliant. The only things that change are the circumstances. This one is a little better, although it's the Spenser reader's equivalent of fan-service, with popular characters making appearances. The mystery here gets convoluted, involving a gangster, a bunch of suits, and water rights, but the interactions between characters is what will attract fans. show less

Potshot is Robert B. Parker’s 28th Spenser novel. In the first 27, Spenser encountered many very tough characters who made their livings doing things like murder for hire. Spenser did not make enemies of all of them, however. And that turns out to have been very good for Spenser, because in Potshot, he needs all the help he can get.

Mary Lou Buckman, a very pretty young lady, hires Spenser to find the killer of her husband. The murder took place in a western desert town in the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains, which actually are in Idaho, but in this book they seem to have migrated to Arizona. No matter—to Bostonians like Parker or Spenser, they are out west.

In any event, the town of Potshot is terrorized by a gang of about 40 show more low-lives known locally as “The Dell.” The local sheriff isn’t tough enough to handle The Dell, and after one visit, Spenser decides he, himself isn’t tough enough either. So Spenser goes on a recruiting hunt reminiscent of “The Magnificent Seven,” enlisting the aid of several hired killers that loyal Parker fans have met in earlier novels.

It’s all great fun as Spenser’s seven face off against The Dell. A lot of male bonding and macho repartee take place before the final confrontation. The plot is actually more complicated because it involves some doubt over who actually killed Mary Lou’s husband. In addition, a Los Angeles gangster and local water rights play important parts. You can almost hear the theme from “The Magnificent Seven” playing as the heroes patch up their wounds and return to their homes at the conclusion.

(JAB) show less

This is just a Spenser version of The Expendables, and I loved it. The ending left a bit to be desired, but overall, it was super fun.

There was a certain hokey charm to the Magnificent Seven Round Up the Tough Guys and the mystery even got an 'Uh-Huh' from me but Spenser seems to be letting the bad guys get away with it a bit more often. Mary Lou was an effective bad guy, though.

I've read most of the Spenser novels, but missed this one, and because I seem to be on a detective/crime novel binge, just plowed through it last night.

First, let's be clear; it's an homage to The Seven Samurai (the Magnificent Seven, actually) and Parker does a good job of hinting at -- but obscuring -- the "surprise" plot twists.

It contains all the elements; an obvious bad guy -- and a whole bunch of people who are not at all what they seem.

The final shootout is a teensy bit lacking in tension, but overall, it's one of Parker's better later efforts (some of which felt a little rushed).

I'm a huge fan of the dry wit and repartee so I enjoyed this as much as the others.