Widow's Walk (A Spenser Novel)(audiobook) by Robert B. Parker



 "Mr. Spenser, you are a little man in a big arena. You simply don't matter." 

Published by Books on Tape
Read by Joe Mantegna
Duration: 5 hours, 41 minutes.
Unabridged

Robert B. Parker
(1932-2010)
With that comment fans of Spenser know that in Widow's Walk he's going to be digging in his heels and pull even harder at all of the loose ends until he finds something he can use. That is both the beauty and the weakness of the Spenser novels - they are formulaic. Spenser has a routine and this one touches all points: 

Help from Hawk with a tail? Check. 

Vinny Morris brought in to back up Hawk? Check. 

Bounce his case off of Susan for a new perspective? Check. 

Witty commentary? Check. 

Both the cops and the bad guys irritated with Spenser? Check. 

It's predictable but quite enjoyable. 

 The case is interesting and goes all over the place. The only real problem I had with this audiobook presentation is Joe Mantegna as the reader. Mantegna does a solid job of reading - his diction is impeccable, he can deliver a smart-alack comment pretty well but his range of different voices is limited and his Susan Silverman voice sounded like Carey Grant to me. A four-star book is reduced to a total of three stars by the narration.

 I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5.

 This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Widow's Walk by Robert B. Parker.

 Reviewed on November 9, 2008.

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