Paper Doll (Spenser Series #20)

by Robert Parker Narrated by David Dukes

Overview

Hired by an aggrieved Boston aristocrat who believes his wife's brutal slaying to be something other than random violence, Spenser immediately senses that his client's picture-perfect portrayal of his family life is false. For starters, the victim's reputation is too saintly, her house is as lived-in as stage set, and her troubled children don't appear to be products of a happy home. Spenser plungers into a world of grand illusion, peopled with cardboard cutouts, including a distinguished public servant with plenty to hide, a wealthy executive whose checks bounce, a sleepy Southern town seething with scandal, and a victim who may or may not be really dead.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

In this novel, Boston detective Spenser is investigating the inexplicable murder of a respected wife, mother, and educator. To solve the crime, Spenser takes a trip to South Carolina to look into the victim's past, only to find danger and yet another perplexing question, which, when answered, will break the case wide open. David Dukes's interpretation of Spenser emphasizes his laconic, uncooperative nature, yet Spenser's practical kindness to a bereaved cop and general fellow feeling for underdogs comes through. Dukes is less successful with attractive and intelligent Susan, the love of Spenser's life, whom he portrays with few nuances-a drawling pace and soft voice is about all the personality she gets. He provides creditable Southern accents to color the South Carolina portion of the book but is less successful with the upper-crust family of the dead Olivia: the husband's speech is characterized by a slow pretentiousness, the son's, by the thick consonants of a street thug. Not an essential purchase.-Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

From the Publisher

Praise for Paper Doll

“Hidden identities and grand illusion...one of Parker's more stellar performances!”—Detroit News

“Brilliantly Spenserish!”—The New York Times Book Review

“A new, very satisfying case...with the emphasis on sins of the soul...very well done.”—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175633314
Publisher:	Phoenix Books, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Series:	Spenser Series , #20
Edition description:	Unabridged

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