Paper Doll (Spenser) (Paperback)

by Robert B. Parker (Author) "LOUDON TRIPP, WEARING a seersucker suit and a Harvard tie, sat in my office on a very nice day in September and told me he'd..." (more)
Key Phrases: track kitchen, dark scotch, framing hammer, Olivia Nelson, Cheryl Anne Rankin, Jumper Jack (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Spenser fans will delight in the Boston PI's latest adventure, after Pastime and Double Deuce , as Parker, restraining a penchant for arch characterization, returns his attention to plotting. Spenser is hired by Boston Brahmin Loudon Tripp to find the murderer of his conventionally impeccable wife, Olivia Nelson, whom the police consider a victim of random urban violence. After consulting with the police detective assigned to the case, a gay man whose lover is dying of AIDS, Spenser travels to Olivia's hometown in South Carolina, where his questions land him in jail, uncharged, and at the mercy of some Northern thugs. Rescued at the last minute by Boston police Lt. Quirk, the burly detective soon finds himself taken into the confidence of a sleazy but powerful Massachusetts senator. The case builds on a nicely woven mix of false identity, self-delusion and, unexpectedly, the powerful attachment of two old Southern gentlemen, one black and one white. Spenser's lover, the elegant psychiatrist Susan, and his pal Hawk stay pretty much in the background as the tough-but-sensitive PI hews mainly to the mystery at hand. Mystery Guild Main selection, Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
When Boston aristocrat Loudon Tripp hires Spenser to investigate his wife's murder, Spenser uncovers high-class scandals and a corpse who might not be dead after all. Reprint. NYT. K.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425141551
• ISBN-13: 978-0425141557
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,271 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 20 in The Spenser Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summer reading, funny, intelligent., June 11, 1999

By A Customer

I bought this book to give to someone else and read it myself only because I had run out of books of my own. I was hooked. By the time the summer was over, I had read 4 more Spenser novels and now have my name on our local library's waiting list for the new novels. I have read all the Spenser novels now and love them. I never did get a chance to watch the TV series but have seen a couple of TV movies. I like the books better.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the Best, December 22, 2000

By A Customer

I have read all the Parker books more than once, and this one is my favorite. You shouldn't start with it - it would be better to be familiar with the character first - but if you're going to pick and choose, choose this one. The mystery is top-shelf, the supporting characters are carefully drawn, there isn't too much of the adorably annoying Susan, and Spenser is at his wise-cracking best. He really hit his stride with this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PARKER DOES IT AGAIN!!!, March 7, 2001

By	Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

I have read many, many of the Spencer books. Some I liked better than others. I rank this one close to the top. Spencer is hired to find out who killed Olivia Nelson. She was killed with many blows to the head with a hammer. The police have done all they can to find the killer but had no success. Spencer is hired by Olivia's husband. A trip is made back to a town in South Carolina, where Olivia Nelson came from. But is her real name Olivia Nelson? Yes, there is a person by that name but where is she? Why would a Senator want to keep Spencer from finding out anything? Spencer in jail?????? Many, many twists and turns. The ending is very good, really two endings, finding the killer and finding out about the senator. A good Spencer read! The only thing that would make it better, for me, would be less Susan and more Hawk.