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Aug 14, 2011

Kemper rated it:

Robert B. Parker died almost a year ago, but from what I’ve read Painted Ladies is the first of two unpublished Spenser novels that he had completed. Plus, considering Parker’s output, who knows how many books from his other three series may come out? It seems like Parker’s literary ghost will be with us for some time to come. Considering how much bitching I’ve done about his later work, I was a bit conflicted over whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. However, I was pleasantly surprised More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2011

Barbara rated it:

I had previously thought I had read Parker's last book, but now I really think this is it. I shall miss having his books there for me when I need his fiction and humor! It's like eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream- you know it's not really good for you, but so comforting!

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Again Robert Parker has provided me with the perfect medium for a snowy day!One cannot compare h More...

16 comments like (7 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2011

Jodi rated it:

I read this book with great sorrow, knowing it was the last Spenser novel. It was a good way to go out. I missed Hawk but he was there in spirit. We got nearly everyone else. When Spenser is asked to protect a art professor who is paying a ransom for a stolen, no one expected that the professor would be murdered when the painting exploded. In fact, no one things Spenser could have done anything differently. Except Spenser. As he starts to dig into the case, it becomes pretty clear that someone e More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

Larry rated it:

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

Kathy rated it:

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May 29, 2011

Spotsalots added it

Another mystery from the book exchange table. I had read a few of Parker's Spenser novels years ago, and generally enjoyed them; on the whole I enjoyed this one as well, perhaps partly because it has an art history angle. At the same time, I had a bit of a feeling that the author was really churning this out at the end of his life. All of the dialog is brief exchanges and quips; while I like that kind of thing, it has to be balanced with some longer sentences. Here it gave me the feeling that Pa More...

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Apr 19, 2011

Sammy rated it:

I wonder, that if Robert Parker (RIP) was able to watch the tv series, he would like tv show character better then what he turned the book character into.

Spenser has always been very much a mans' man - he became a PI because he was unable to take orders; he used to box; he uses the bare-bones gym (you know, not those sissy fitness centers); he enjoys a good burger and whiskey. Or beer. Or you know, just about anything of decent quality with an alcohol content. But he is a good guy More...

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Mar 29, 2011

mark rated it:

‘PAINTED LADIES’ is a fine finale for Robert B. Parker and his superhero –sleuth – Spenser, and the girl of his dreams, psychoanalyst Susan Silverman. I love the fact that Parker wrote right, right up until he died at the age of 78 at his writing desk in his home – writing I presume. And also, that Spenser kept on detecting (watching & waiting, poking & provoking, asking questions & pushing for answers) drinking & thinking, cooking & eating, loving Susan, doughnuts, dogs, books, girls in short s More...

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Mar 02, 2011

Joy rated it:

Oh, how I love reading Parker books! It's hard to not give five stars to a Spenser book, especially if this might be the last. I'd like to think Parker was 10 books ahead in his writing at the time of his death a year ago. It was good to know I can stay awake to read a hundred pages if the book is so much fun. I loved his 'take' on the modern workplace: "A series of half-partitioned cubicles marched in a fearful symmetry. The one where Winifred Minor had her desk had a higher partition More...

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Jan 08, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker is one of the many books in his long-running series about Spenser, a Boston private investigator.

In this one, art professor Dr. Ashton Prince hires Spenser to protect him when he goes to make a ransom payment for a valuable painting that's been stolen. However, the ransom exchange goes wrong, and Prince is killed by a bomb hidden in the painting. Of course, Spenser feels responsible and sets out to bring the bad guys to justice. Along the way, Spenser More...

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Dec 08, 2010

Gail rated it:

Have to admit it - seeing the name Joe Mantegna on an audio book sells me immediately. His incredibly compelling reading of Boardwalk Empire is one of my all-time favorites and the same can be said of PAINTED LADIES.

A 40 year show business veteran he is an accomplished, versatile actor as evidenced in over 100 films (The Godfather Part 3, Forget Paris, etc.) In addition, his television appearances have garnered critical praise (The Rat Pack, The Last Don. Criminal Minds).
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Oct 30, 2010

Jay rated it:

This is the last Spenser novel. So the feeling throughout is kinda like an Irish wake -- sad but full of joyful memories. It is disappointing that Hawk only makes an appearance by reference, but all of the other players -- Susan, Quirk, Rita, etc. -- get a pleasant final turn.

Parker was so prolific that I'm not sure he knew that this was his last Spenser excursion. If he did (or even considered it), then Spenser's reflection, starting on page 205, of why he does what he does, how More...

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Jan 26, 2011

Frederic rated it:

It's silly to complain that the late Robert B. Parker wrote,re-wrote and published what was virtually the same novel under different titles for the last thirty years...even the first decade of Spenser(from Godwulf to Catskill,roughly)were pretty thin...once Susan and Hawk came onboard we got Baby-Talk between the lovers and a lot of Come-Back-to-the-Raft-Huck,honey byplay between Spenser and his Shadow-Self...over the years the secondary and tertiary characters(Tough Cops,Tough Gays,Tough Latino More...

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Feb 11, 2012

Teena rated it:

I've been reading Parker's Spencer series for years and have enjoyed them. Over the years, though they are entertaining, they have gotten fluffier.

The story was interesting and could have been meatier. The pages that are thick, the type is large and there is a lot of white space to give you the illusion that it's a big story in a big book. The characters were bland and the ending seemed to be wrapped up quickly. Perhaps Parker's estate (he died in January 2010) wanted to put out anot More...

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Oct 21, 2010

Giovanni rated it:

Many different emotions went through my mind even before I opened this novel up. I have read all of the novels Parker has written, and to be honest I can’t really say which of his characters I enjoy the most. The odds on favorite for most would be Spenser, but I have to say I enjoy Jesse Stone and Virgil Cole as well. I guess though, a Spenser novel is fitting for the end of the run; it is what started it all, the alpha and now the omega.
I am not a real emotional guy but I am totally bumm More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 13, 2011

False rated it:

I rated it amazing because I know it's the last Spenser book I'll ever read, and I'm heartbroken. Truly heartbroken. Parker died working at his desk, and I was struck down by the news. Yes, his books are beach reading...goof off reading for me...but I fell in love with Spenser and Hawk and my beloved Boston. Others will tell you what this book is about. I will quote one passage that struck me to the bone.

A professor's death is being investigated, and Spenser goes through the man More...

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Feb 01, 2011

Susan rated it:

I have to have my detective novels! This is the last, or one of the last, of Robert Parker's novels that he wrote before he died. They are elegant in their simplicity, and Parker's humor makes for a good bedtime read. My daddy, who was a doctor, used to read Mickey Spillane and those of his ilk to turn off his mind so he could go to sleep, and I guess I learn to love mysteries and lawyer stories and detective novels from him. This one is a "Spencer for Hire" dealing with an art profess More...

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May 18, 2011

Randy rated it:

Spenser is hired as bodyguard for Dr. Ashton Prince in a ransom exchange for a stolen painting. Things go bad, Spenser has to stand well below the exchange, then a bomb in the package explodes, blowing Prince to bits.

Spenser, as usual, won't let things go.

He starts investigating, looking for the killer. He has suspicions about the dead Prince. As clues start to turn up and events happen, things keep pointing to WWII.

Prince turns out to have been Jewish, real n More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 07, 2011

Andrea rated it:

After the last book I read, Moon Over Tokyo, Painted Ladies was a breath of fresh air. It reminded me once again how much I enjoy reading Robert B. Parker's books.

Painted Ladies does not refer to ladies of the night nor Victorian homes but artwork that has been stolen. Spenser is called in to protect the man who is to pay the ransom in exchange for the stolen painting. However, that protection fails when Ashton Prince is blown to bits (along with the painting) after paying them off. No More...

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Jan 11, 2011

Kay rated it:

It can take me longer to read a New Yorker article than Spenser novels but I have always dearly loved the dialog and solving the mystery while wandering around Boston. But his adoration of Susan always annoyed me. Now that Parker is dead and we learn that he and his "Always Joan" lived separate lives it adds poignancy to the fantasy romance he concocted as the heart of his Spenser novels. Must have been the love he wished he had found. It is sad to read the last Spenser, he was like More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Patricia rated it:

Much as I have been getting sick of the Spenser novels, I still read them and had to read this, the last one. Regrettably, one of my favorite characters (Hawk) was not in it, and too many characters bought into Spenser's annoying repartee. I am glad that I don't have to suffer through another discussion of Spenser being who he is and doing what he does and how much they love each other between he and Susan Silverman because quite frankly I think I would either hurl or throw the book across the More...

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Apr 29, 2011

Liz rated it:

When R.B.P passed away I thought I would not read anymore about Spencer and Susan and Hawk. I was so glad to see that there are a couple more books still to be published. Some people might say that the books now are "formulaic" as a negative. I say they are familiar like spending time with good friends. They talk the same, have the same issues, and they are comfortable to spend time with. What I enjoy is his dry sense of humor and I wish I could be so quick "on my feet" in More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Dave rated it:

Parker is my favorite author to listen to while driving long trips. He tends to use few words to describe a scene, which keeps the driver engaged in the story. His dialog is good and there is usually some level of banter between the lead character and others that is entertaining. The plot flows well. In most Parker books, you and the lead character figure things out before the climax - so if and how the bad guy is caught becomes the suspense, as well as whether or not the good guys will all More...

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Jan 26, 2011

Gavin rated it:

I have only read a few of the Spenser books, so I can't really elaborate as some of the other reviewers have about Parker getting back to his old self in this one. However, I can say, unlike the ones I had read previously, this one seems to be driven more by the actual mystery than the banter of the characters. With that being said, I have to admit that I like the banter of the characters. It's pithy and adroit. And, heck, who doesn’t like a poetry spouting detective? The big downfall of th More...

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Oct 22, 2010

Greg rated it:

Written before he died, but not published until after his death, Painted Ladies is another in Parker's Spenser series. Not bad, not great, but good Parker writing. I often find myself looking up esoteric bits of information, or following up on artifacts or quotes that appear in his books, just to learn a bit more about them. This was no exception, and I enjoyed learning a little more about Robert Frost. I only found a few hits on Google on low country realism, but did discover what could not hav More...

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Dec 12, 2010

Lynn rated it:

Possibly the final Spencer. Listened to it after downloading from local library. Really enjoyed the TV series with Rob't Ulrich and this Joe Mantagna who played Spencer in a couple TV specials is just too soft. And he read this one in a sort of soft way -- not at all Spencer-like to me.

Add to that the endless he said - she said - I said that Parker uses, and it's just not all that much fun. Somewhere he bragged that he never uses "he asked" or "she agreed." But More...

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Nov 02, 2011

Eileen rated it:

I haven't read a spenser novel in a while, but I used to like them a lot. They are crime novels and have their share of gore and bad language, but I was refreshingly interested in this one because of the degree of sarcasm that is in it. I kept smiling at the sarcastic things that spenser said to everyone around him. He was investigating an interesting case involving art, which is not a hot topic, but it was great. I loved the limits and lack of limits that a character like spenser has. And More...

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Sep 07, 2011

Mary rated it:

Spenser, the iconic Boston PI agrees to protect art historian Ashton Prince during the exchange for cash of a rare painting held for ransom, 17th-century Dutch artist Franz Hermenszoon's Lady with a Finch. When a bomb kills Prince during the botched exchange, Spenser naturally plans to even the score. And naturally, Spenser's probing--into the painting's complex history, Prince's twisted life, the museum that owned the painting--leads to violent reactions. Spenser's habitual wisecracking often c More...

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Aug 01, 2011

Bruce rated it:

This is probably the next to last Spenser novel, and offers no surprises in its storytelling. Hawk is not present, but not missed by me. Spenser does a bit less soul searching about his life and relationship with Susan - a welcomed change. Spenser is hired to guard as art professor in the ransom of a stolen painting, but things go wrong, and the professor is blown up. Of course Spenser takes it personally and sets about solving the murder and theft. For me this book is the equivalent of men More...

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Oct 31, 2010

Trent rated it:

Grade: B ... with the death of Parker will this be the last Spenser? Don't know, we'll have to wait and see what's in the publisher's vaults, or, see what his estate has planned. Personally, I'd love to see the estate/publisher pull a Patterson and farm out Spenser, the character, to multiple writers ala some shared world type series, and do away with hardcovers altogether; we loyal readers could have a new Spenser paperback original every month or two. Yes, this would be shameless publishing s More...

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