Painted ladies

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Title:

Painted ladies

Author:

Parker, Robert B., 1932-2010, author.

Series:

Spenser ;

Series Number:

38.

Summary:

Hired by a museum to provide protection during a ransom exchange for a stolen painting, Spenser is personally outraged when the ransom fails and the painting is not recovered, a case that makes him suspect the innocence of the art scholar who retained him.

General Note:

Originally published: New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010.

Edition:

Berkley premium ed.

Physical Description:

287 p. : map ; 20 cm.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Subject Term:

Spenser (Fictitious character) -- Fiction.

Private investigators -- Fiction.

Art thefts -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Art thieves -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Massachusetts -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Berkley Books,

Publication Date:

2011

2010

ISBN:

9780425243626

Publication Information:

New York : Berkley Books, 2011, c2010.

Call Number:

PARKER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607002809971	Adult Fiction	PARKER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Spenser had a simple job-protect an art scholar during a ransom exchange for a stolen painting. No one was supposed to die. But the scholar had secrets no one knew, and uncovering them will endanger Spenser as well.

Author Notes

Robert Brown Parker is an American fiction writer of mysteries. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and earned his BA degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He went on to earn his master's degree in English literature from Boston University. He started his career working in advertising. After some years, he went back to school to earn his PhD in English from Boston University in 1971. He then began his writng career while teaching at Northeastern University. He decided to become a full-time writer in 1979. His most popular works were the 40 novels written about the private detective Spenser. The ABC Television Network developed the television series "Spenser: For Hire", based on the character in the mid-1980s. Parker also wrote nine novels based on the character Jesse Stone and six novels based on the character Sunny Randall.

On January 18, 2010, Robert Parker died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Cambridge Massachusetts.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

At the start of the lackluster 38th Spenser novel from late MWA Grand Master Parker, the iconic Boston PI agrees to protect art historian Ashton Prince during the exchange for cash of a rare painting held for ransom, 17th-century Dutch artist Franz Hermenszoon's Lady with a Finch. When a bomb kills Prince during the botched exchange, Spenser naturally plans to even the score. And naturally, Spenser's probing-into the painting's complex history, Prince's twisted life, the museum that owned the painting-leads to violent reactions. Spenser's habitual wisecracking often comes across as merely smart-alecky, but as always he backs the attitude with performance. While this crime thriller is short on the kind of grit and character that earned Parker (1932-2010) an Edgar Award and numerous Shamus nominations, fans should still relish this probably final opportunity to enjoy the inimitable Spenser, who made his debut in 1973's The Godwulf Manuscript. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Parker died this past January, making this the last in his long-running and popular series featuring wisecracking Boston PI Spenser. Like the series debut, The Godwulf Manuscript, the plot involves a missing artifact, a murder, and Spenser's determination to do the job he set out to do no matter who or what stands in his way. The missing artifact here is a stolen painting, and Spenser's client is an art professor who wants protection while ransoming it. Things, of course, are not quite what they seem, and the path to resolution is full of twists, betrayals, secrets, and good intentions gone horribly wrong. Parker's dialog is as sharp and snappy as ever. Verdict Fans of the series and of mystery fiction in general will enjoy one last outing with Spenser, longtime lover Susan, and Pearl the Wonder Dog. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/10.]-Bradley A. Scott, Texas A&M Univ., Corpus Christi (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.