Pun Salad

It's a minor joy every year or so to read the new Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. In this one, Spenser continues his run of very bad luck in clients. April Kyle, the hooker from previous books, returns to ask his help in saving her house of ill repute from a group of thugs who want something ill-defined from her.

Unfortunately this is not a case where things are easily resolved by wisecrackery and fisticuffs. As usual, a body soon appears. Nobody gives Spenser a straight story, including his client. And (also as usual), Spenser follows the trail right to the end, which pretty much nobody wants him to do, (also) including his client.

Parker makes his kind of spare writing look easy. But if it were easy, a lot more people would be doing it.