false 69623 9 In this 30th entry in one of mystery fiction's longest-running and best-loved series, Spenser--the tough yet sensitive Boston private eye with no first name--takes on an unsolved murder nearly three decades old. The client, an actress, is a friend of Paul Giacomin, Spenser's surrogate son (who first appeared in 1981's <I>Early Autumn</I>). Her mother was slain by leftist radicals at a bank holdup in 1974, and now she wants to know who fired the shot. As Spenser digs into the past, he soon learns that powerful people on both sides of the law want the case left alone--badly enough to kill.<p> These death threats provide a fine excuse for Hawk, Spenser's extremely scary (yet sensitive) bad-guy pal, to tag along in nearly every scene as bodyguard. The interaction of the two friends is one of this series's familiar pleasures, as is the presence of Susan Silverman, Spenser's longtime love interest. Another pleasure is Parker's stripped-down prose, a marvel of craftsmanship as smooth as 18-year-old Scotch. (Plus we get the first meeting between Spenser and Jesse Stone, hero of another Parker series.) Alas, the whole enterprise feels a little tired. The plot never generates much sustained suspense, and the author's adoration for his central characters renders them at times almost cartoonesque. Still, <I>Back Story</I> is excellently prepared comfort food, even if it isn't five-star cuisine. <I>--Nicholas H. Allison</I> 403894 2003 Back Story (Spenser) total:588|5:104|4:225|3:226|2:30|1:3| 588 2161 739 30 4 0 false false Thu Aug 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 13:54:35 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 08:23:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sun Jan 27 21:26:15 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 27 21:28:12 -0800 2008 Audible.com

Narrator: Joe Mantegna
Publisher: Random House Audio, 2003
Length: 5 hours and 24 min.

Publisher's Summary
Spenser tries to solve a 30-year-old murder as a favor to an old friend in the brilliant new mystery from the Grand Master.

In...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Mon Sep 10 14:54:29 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 10 14:57:06 -0700 2007 In 1974, a revolutionary group calling itself The Dread Scott Brigade held up the Old Shawmut Bank in Boston's Audubon Circle. Money was stolen. And a woman named Emily Gordon, a visitor in town cashing traveler's checks, was shot and killed. No one saw wh...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jun 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 15:05:22 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 05:40:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 true false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Aug 05 10:20:46 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 12:16:18 -0700 2008
I'll spare the plot details as the other reviewers have already covered the gist of those.
...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat May 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 16:20:37 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 16:23:46 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 19:00:53 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 19:00:53 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Wed Jan 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 18:36:09 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 18:37:31 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Mar 24 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sun Sep 06 11:36:52 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 11:37:11 -0700 2009 ]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 21 15:26:24 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 15:28:16 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 14:12:29 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 14:13:28 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 15:03:57 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 15:03:57 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jan 18 18:51:48 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 18:51:48 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Mar 14 10:40:22 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 10:40:22 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 04:12:40 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 06:48:06 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Nov 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Oct 05 11:47:07 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 02 12:51:40 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri May 01 16:25:09 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 16:25:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jul 07 16:37:10 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 16:39:49 -0700 2008
ALTHO, i have to admit, i am getting a bit tired of the "bad guys" getting away w/ things in the end!

also, i hate how Parker keeps dropping major characters out of "play" for a few books, then drops them back in about 10 years later in the story lin...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 05 18:50:37 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 09 10:50:23 -0700 2007
Anyway, it is what it is, and if you like detective stories or cold case stories, you w...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 19:31:35 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 09 15:09:26 -0700 2008 its a bonus if you know the Boston area (and LA a little)landmarks.
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