by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: January 28, 2009

American crime novelist Robert B. Parker is best known for the large number of books he has written for his popular "Spenser" series. "Bad Business" is the thirty-first detective-novel installation in the series, and was originally published in 2004.

Parker's cast of likeable characters returns yet again, including the loveable hero, Spenser, whose first name has remained a mystery throughout the series.

In this installment, Spenser, who is a self-employed private investigator in the Boston metropolitan area, is hired by yet another wealthy client. This time, the seductive client goes by the name Marlene Cowley. Not surprisingly, the woman has come to Spenser for help concerning her belief that her husband, Trent, a prominent Chief Financial Officer at a multi-million dollar company named Kinergy, has been cheating on her.

This story line seems to pop up over and over again in the Spenser series, and is rather reminiscent of Parker's "Now and Then." Just as in "Now and Then," as soon as Spenser begins to unravel the details of the case, characters begin to drop like flies, including Trent. Before long Spenser is involved in a tangled web of homicides, corporate corruption, mysterious liaisons, accounting scandals, and minimal action-packed sequences.

Aside from Parker's relatively decent prose, "Bad Business" is completely lack luster. There is just no thrill or mystery to this supposed "mystery thriller." The plot's "twists" are as predictable as the calendar date and leave much to be desired. Furthermore, Parker fails to adequately explain the events that transpire, and (to say the least) seem absolutely incredulous, even for "fiction."

At thirty-one novels in a series, I think it is about time for Parker to look elsewhere for inspiration. Not only is Spenser aging as a detective, it also appears that writing so many Spenser-based novels has also taken a toll on Parker's creativity and his ability to develop an entertaining and borderline plausible plot. The same stale cast of characters returns, including Hawk, Vinne Morris, Pearl, and Spenser's long-time love interest, Susan Silverman.

The bottom line is that there are way too many private investigators and not enough investigation going on in this book. Ultimately "Bad Business" is a BAD BOOK. Don't waste your time reading this one as it is not entertaining in the least, and will undeniably leave readers wishing that they had the couple of hours that they spent struggling through this atrocity back in their lives.

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