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Hugger Mugger |
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 Hugger Mugger:A Spencer Novel by Robert B. Parker Putnam 307 pages, 2000 ISBN 0399145877 Reviewed by Phillip Tomasso III When horses are randomly shot at the Three Fillies Stables, the owner Walter Clive finds himself in a desperate situation. He wants his prize racehorse Hugger Mugger to be protected. With a security team guarding the stables, he has no one to investigate the shootings. Walter and Penny - Walter’s youngest of three daughters and his right-hand-woman - offer the investigative job to Spencer, an ex-cop turned private who might be perfect for the assignment. Intrigued by the mystery, Spencer readily accepts employment. His investigative dig unearths an unusual coffin filled with family skeletons that range from a pedophile and a drunk, to a hippie and an illegitimate child. When Spencer consults with the local sheriff, he learns that the Clive clan is an influential family: the law tends to look the other way when minor infractions in the law occur. Then there's the deputy sheriff - a likeable character without enough backbone to make a difference - who is quite willing to feed Spencer enough information to keep the private eye digging. The story switches into high gear when Walter Clive is murdered and Penny fires Spencer. Dolly Hartman, a woman who had an affair with Walter, then approaches Spencer and asks him to look into Walter’s will. She is certain that Walter is the father of her son. And like any good mother, she wants their son to receive what is rightfully his: one quarter of the estate. Hugger Mugger, Parker’s 36th novel, is as outstanding as all his other books. Parker provides a plot as equally compelling as the three dimensional characters he creates. Spencer is witty to the point of making me laugh out loud. Susan, Spencer’s romantic sweetheart and psychology Harvard graduate, is ready to listen and ready with advice, making his time away from her less lonely. The character of Hawk, introduced in the previous books of this highly successful series, was not included in this book, and his presence was greatly missed. If you are a fan of the Spencer novel series, Hugger Mugger is one you will not want to miss. |
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