[DMcCunney]

I just finished _Rough Weather_, the latest Spenser novel from Robert B. Parker.

Spencer is hired by a wealthy woman to be a presence at the wedding of her daughter on her own private island. In the middle of the wedding, armed intruders break in and kidnap the bride, after killing the minister performing the ceremony, the groom, and four hired security people on the island. Spencer tries to find out who was responsible and why, since the leader of the bad guys is someone Spencer has tangled with before, and this sort of thing is not his usual style.

Personally, I found it disappointing. It has Spenser's usual wisecracking, and relationship with his lover Susan Silverman and his old friend and sometimes comrade in arms Hawk. But it's a thin book, bulked up by typography, that I read in a couple of hours. It's also not for new Spenser readers. It assumes familiarity with past events and an assortment of minor characters.

The identity of the mastermind, and the reasons for the kidnapping are kept pretty well obscured till the end, and the resolution is unexpected, but the book as a whole lacks the depth and emotional resonance the best of the Spenser books have. At this point, I think Parker could write a Spencer novel in his sleep, and the most recent one feel like he has. Reading the latest Spencer novel is like listening to a renowned concert pianist play five finger exercises. It's good, but you know he is capable of so much more.
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Dennis