Customer Reviews

Pale Kings and Princes

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Spenser is hired to find out who killed reporter Eric Valdez. Valdez's assignment was to get to the bottom of the cocaine trade in Wheaton, Massachusetts, but the town is owned by the Columbians, including the police force. So Spenser does what he does best. He parks himself in town and asks questions until he annoys enough people and something shakes loose.

I read this book years ago and just re-read it. I think it stands up well. I've always liked the Spenser series because of it's dialog between Spenser and Hawk. Actually the dialog between Spenser and whoever he's talking to always crackles. I also like the fact that the story makes sense. Many mystery/crime novels today depend on the serial killer schtick but to me Parker's mysteries are always grounded on something believable. Cocaine trade in Wheaton, Massachusetts? Might seem ridiculous at first but after it's explained it makes perfect sense. It could happen that way and the story that follows also could have happened that way.

Anyway, like all of the Spenser series I enjoyed it and recommend it. It's not deep literature but it is a fast enjoyable read.

This book was certainly not one of Robert Parker's best but it as a good read. It is also a very fast read and there is never a lull in the action of the book. Spenser's great dry wit and creative responses continue to be some of the many reasons we can't get enough of this character. Sometimes I found some of the events in this book to be a little farfetched but that is what I love about these books and the stories Parker brings to us. He is a great storyteller and if you have never read one of his books do so now. Bottom line on this book: if you are a fan of spenser buy it but if you have never read any of the spenser books(not that there is a certain order) you might want to start you spenser addiction with Early Autumn or All Our Yesterdays.

An enterprising investigative reporter is killed in Wheaton, Massachusetts, a town known to many as the hub of cocaine traffic for the Northeast. The owner of the paper the reporter worked for hires Spenser to investigate the murder. He goes to Wheaton and gets nowhere at the start. Local police are obviously being bought off and when he asks questions the universal response is "nobody saw nothin." It is obvious who the drug lord is, so in an attempt to move his investigation forward, Spenser hijacks a major cocaine shipment. The son of the police chief was driving the rig, so his actions are of interest to more than just the drug dealers. Spenser then goes to the kingpin and offers to sell the cocaine back to him.
After the police chief and his son are both killed, Spenser befriends the grieving widow and enlists Susan to help her cope with her losses. Hawk is also recruited to help even the odds against Spenser. There is a final battle with Spenser, Hawk and an honest state trooper on one side and the drug dealers with their corrupted cops on the other. In an interesting twist, Hawk has a battle with a man (Cesar) that clearly was his physical superior, had he not held a small gun inside a mitten on his hand and shot first, Cesar would have killed him with his bare hands.
Once again, Spenser wisecracks his way through danger and remains noble in the completion of his job. When the drug lord kills the son of the police chief after Spenser hijacks the cocaine shipment, Spenser personally confronts his mother and only Susan can console him. She makes him understand that it truly was not his fault that the boy was involved in trafficking drugs and she will do what she can to help the woman. In terms of action and intrigue, this book doesn't have as many exciting moments as other Spenser novels. However, the dialog is excellent as always, which is why it still deserves four stars.

I thought this book, like other Spenser books I have read or listened to was well worth the time. Parker has a definite knack for keeping you entertained. Admittedly I liked Playmates and Widening Gyre a little better, I would not pass on this book at all. Having read the other reviews I am anxious to get into more Spenser novels because if this one is middle of the road, then I can't wait for the others. The story centers around the murder of a journalist investigating a small town in Massachussetts that seems to be the cocaine depot of the northeast. Parker's storytelling and Spenser's keen wit make it a quick read.

This is not a spectacular book but a solid one. It took me over 2 decades(!!) to acquire a taste for Spenser but am now caught. Drug trafficking is almost a McGuffin in this book about drugs but also about dedication, honorability, pursuit of truth, corruption, and painful tragedy. Parker does not write easy books, but, as far as I have read him, does not write bad books, either. Solid and entertaining.

In this entry in the Spenser series, he is hired by a newspaper when an up-and-coming young reporter - Eric Valdez - is murdered while investigating the cocaine trade in Wheaton, Mass - a small town with a big reputation of being the Miami of the North. When Spenser starts asking around, he finds that no one knows nothing and that the police seem to be spectacularly unhelpful - and they, especially, seem to want him gone. They insist that Valdez's murder was due to his sexual peccadilloes and nothing else, pointing to the bodily mutilation as proof.

Of course, when people want Spenser gone - or when they want him to quit asking questions - that just makes him stick around and ask more questions.

When first the sheriff and then the sheriff's son are murdered - after Spenser catches the son smuggling cocaine, apparently for the town's biggest produce warehouser, named Felipe Esteva - the action begins to really heat up.

Was Eric Valdez killed because he was getting too close to the truth about the drug trade in Wheaton? Or because he was having an affair with the wrong woman? Why were the sheriff and his son killed?

This was a multi-layered and very satisfying book. Things that seem obvious turn out to be red herrings - things that appear to be obvious red herrings turn out to be truth. I loved it. Strong recommend from me!

The fourteenth Spenser story and I am a huge fan. Robert B Parker lucky for me has written many many more. GOOD. This is a pretty typical Spenser yarn, great dialogue, action, and interesting characters. Takes a little liberties that a hughe drug dealer is know to the Feds, they dont have time; local cops are all corrupt, and a newspaper is driving the investigation. But a good story anyway. Hawk and Silverman are back, of course and Spenser's love for Silverman is brilliantly presented as always. HIGHLY RECOMMEND SERIES.

Requested by a newspaper to investigate the death of a reporter, Spenser heads to Wheaton, Massachusetts where he finds cocaine, police corruption, further deaths, and illicit behavior. Using his method of annoying people and investigating various hints of problems, Spenser unearths a level of criminal activity that is ultimately connected to local law enforcement. Eventually bringing in Hawk for some muscle, and Susan for psychological insights and therapy, Spenser is able to end the problems in the town and put a stop to the drug trafficking. Along the way we find an extramarital affair, a drug lord using local law enforcement, two more murders, and finally a level of violence not unlike the battle of the OK Corral.

Robert Parker's smooth prose, terse dialog, and concise descriptions shine forth throughout the story, demonstrating his no nonsense approach to fiction. The style is gold without ornaments, and the architecture is functional, solid, without frivolity or unnecessary frills. This makes the story move quickly, giving the reader the facts and not cluttering up the purpose with excessive platitudes or sideline stories. Spenser's odd brand of moral values dictates the book's ending, and his own desire to protect the weak but destroy the powerful once again reigns victorious.

Yet, in spite of the solid plot and carefully crafted story, the book has a predictable quality to it. We know the drug lord will be killed, we know Hawk will shoot some bad guys, we know the corrupt officers will receive their just deserts, and we know the widow will be given a chance deal with her grief and to start over. In addition, the book reads like a television episode with everything be resolved at the end. A good read, but not great, and a solid book for those interested in the detective genre.

This is a good Spenser novel. It has good lines and a good plot. I'm impressed with how Parker writes of Spenser's love for Susan. It is refreshing!

The book deals with murder, cocaine, trafficking, crooked cops, adultery - - it's all there. Great read for plane or beach.

I've read most of the Spenser novels, and I think PALE KINGS AND PRINCES is definitely one of the better ones.

In this novel, Spenser goes to a small town to investigate the murder of a journalist, and discovers that the town is effectively controlled by a mysterious drug lord. What follows is the typical Spenser plot: lots of funny dialogue, romantic interludes with Susan Silverman, and exciting action scenes with Hawk.

PALE KINGS AND PRINCES isn't a great book, but it's very enjoyable and far better than the two Spenser novels that immediately preceded it (TAMING A SEA HORSE and A CATSKILL EAGLE). So if you enjoy Parker's writing style, I'm guessing you will find pleasure with this one.

Three and a half stars.