Jumping back to 1987 to fill-in on the 14th novel in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, Pale Kings and Princes starts out with our private detective being hired by a newspaper who wants him to investigate the apparent murder of one of their reporters. The report was undercover in a small town, trying to find out about a connection between local business and cocaine. The local police seem to imply that the reporter was murdered by a jealous husband who believed the reporter was having an affair with his wife.
The book very much has that late 80's feel to it, with the drug business and the infidelity intrigue that was prominent in late 80's television dramas. Parker, however, writes his novels in such a way where they aren't truly dated. The clothes and make of cars is about all that can nail the period down. I felt the events could happen just as easily today as they might have twenty years ago.
As I've mentioned before, I had to skip this book at the library because someone else had it out. The nice thing was going back didn't feel that jarring or out of order. While Susan and Hawk continue to support Spenser in his case, it didn't matter that I had read two other books past this one in the series before getting to this one. I liked that.
The book also had a few twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing where it would end up. The ending did not feel rushed at all, nor did the book feel like it dragged in many parts. It was a good read. I'd recommend it.
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