false 414402 12 Everybody loves a winner, and the Rabbs are major league. Marty is the Red Sox star pitcher, Linda the loving wife. She loves everyone except the blackmailer out to wreck her life. <P>Is Marty throwing fast balls or throwing games? It doesn't take long for Spenser to link Marty's performance with Linda's past...or to find himself trapped between a crazed racketeer and an enforcer toting an M-16. <P>America's favorite pastime has suddenly become a very dangerous sport, and one wrong move means strike three, with Spenser out for good! 3173257 1975 Mortal Stakes total:400|5:85|4:165|3:137|2:12|1:1| 400 1521 504 22 4 2 false false Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 06:28:15 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 06:31:07 -0700 2009 And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future’sakes.
--Robert Frost

That’s the frontispiece for Robert B. Parker’s Mortal Stakes, an early entry in the famed Spenser...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Mar 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 17:18:11 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 17:39:50 -0700 2009 baseball. Spenser is hired to investigate a player who may be
"tossing" games.
The book started out a bit offensively to me (a Texan). Spenser
is complaining at a ballgame, "No Tarton Turf. No A...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 10:45:49 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 11:06:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 10 08:21:43 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 14 05:40:53 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 16 18:34:52 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 23:00:31 -0700 2008
The plot is the owner of the Red Soxs hires Spenser to see if his star pitcher is into gambling and losing gam...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jun 13 14:52:30 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 15:10:35 -0700 2009 He is getting serious about Susan and sifting out his code of honor.
Action & intrigue, violence (but no glorification.)]]> 4 0 false false Wed May 27 00:00:00 -0700 1998 Sun Sep 06 11:47:48 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 11:48:09 -0700 2009 ]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 14:01:06 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 07:56:42 -0700 2009
I have often thought things should be handled the way Spencer takes care of this.]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 04:00:41 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 04:01:49 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 25 19:22:43 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 19:23:40 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 05:08:32 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 05:09:24 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri May 01 16:35:25 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 16:35:25 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 22 05:28:25 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 22 05:29:08 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 16 13:59:45 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 11 07:38:59 -0800 2007
gives a LOT of details, so you can REALLY picture everything that's going on, and envision evry characther quite well.

Spencer also seemed more "human" in this book. of course, i'm not sure he co...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Feb 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 23:50:48 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 10:46:32 -0800 2009 2 5 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 26 12:58:35 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 02 19:10:47 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Mon Mar 17 16:16:48 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 17 16:19:24 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sun Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 25 12:32:12 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 25 12:32:58 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 29 07:17:11 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 29 07:18:02 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 30 09:23:43 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 03 09:14:31 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=414402