Rough Weather (2008)

An absolutely preposterous story. And the story knows it. ( )

The return of another villain, as often happened during this stretch of Spenser stories. The Gray Man was first introduced eleven years earlier as a professional killer, and he nearly did end Spenser’s life. In his second appearance he acted more as a paid associate. This time he again conflicts and contrasts with Spenser: they are moral opposites with a degree of mutual respect. Accordingly, their struggle takes place on multiple levels. Some good character bits and psychological exploration--standard Parker--but also standard with the second half of his career, no clear, satisfying ending. The story sort of peters out. ( )

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book ( )

Best of his later ones. ( )

Typical Spenser, which is not a bad thing. SPOILER: Perhaps I'm naive, but I found the motive too far-fetched. What I like about Parker's stories is that he often asks an interesting question at the end: Doing what is right is not always simple; sometimes it's a question of which option is the least bad. ( )