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The Professional: A Spenser Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,295 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A knock on Spenser's office door can only mean one thing: a new case. This time the visitor is a local lawyer with an interesting story. Elizabeth Shaw specializes in wills and trusts at the Boston law firm of Shaw & Cartwright, and over the years she's developed a friendship with wives of very wealthy men. However, these rich wives have a mutual secret: they've all had an affair with a man named Gary Eisenhower- and now he's blackmailing them for money. Shaw hires Spenser to make Eisenhower "cease and desist," so to speak, but when women start turning up dead, Spenser's assignment goes from blackmail to murder.
As matters become more complicated, Spenser's longtime love, Susan, begins offering some input by analyzing Eisenhower's behavior patterns in hopes of opening up a new avenue of investigation. It seems that not all of Gary's women are rich. So if he's not using them for blackmail, then what is his purpose? Spenser switches tactics to focus on the husbands, only to find that innocence and guilt may be two sides of the same coin.
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"All of Robert Parker's novels, whether about Spenser, Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, or a western, are so enjoyable. If you need a quick shot of mystery and intrigue he is the writer to whom you can turn with confidence. His characters are so well written that they feel like old friends. That may be cliched, but it is true. With literary references sprinkled about, ala Ruth Rendell minus the pretention, a reader can even enjoy a bit of smugness when the allusions are recognized. I think I have read them all...I certainly mean to do so."
— Robyn (4 out of 5 stars)
The Professional Listener Reviews
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Codename Eric, 8/17/2020
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" This more recent Parker novel is a favorite so far! "
— Roberta, 1/30/2014 -
" I love me some Spenser novels. Parker is a master at dialog and banter, especially between Spenser and Susan, his lady love. I believe this was Parker's last novel before his death. I miss him already. "
— Linda, 1/28/2014 -
" Great... One day read "
— Stansherman, 1/26/2014 -
" One dimensional characters, plot points taken from "Of Mice and Men". Still, I love a quick Spenser book. "
— Alan, 1/24/2014 -
" I read these books mostly for the dialogue between Spenser and Hawk. There wasn't a lot in this book. I don't ever expect these books to be better than ok so I wasn't disappointed. "
— Clara, 1/23/2014 -
" The second to last Spenser book is a quick read and typical Spenser, but a bit thin. I finished it in two hours, which is fast even for me. I hope the next, and last Spenser book before Parker died, is better. "
— Eddie, 1/21/2014 -
" A nice quick audio book for a road trip. "
— Cathy, 1/21/2014 -
" Another great Spenser novel. What can I say - Robert B Parker is one of my all time favorite authors! "
— Pj, 1/17/2014 -
" Have to agree with Skip on this one. Inane. "
— Jennifer, 1/16/2014 -
" Might be his best book. "
— Michael, 1/5/2014 -
" Another pleasant escapist novel of the read and discard variety. "
— Barbara, 1/1/2014 -
" A very good read from Robert Parker, as usual. "
— Allison, 12/25/2013 -
" Well written as usual, I wish Parker was still with us. His language and phrasing is always good. "
— Jonathan, 12/12/2013 -
" I'll always love Spenser, Hawk, Susan, and the crew, but this plot was a tad lame and didn't hold together very well. "
— Suzanne, 12/12/2013 -
" I enjoy reading Parker. Good little plot, but not one would remember for long. Great for a relaxing easy read. "
— Karin, 6/13/2013 -
" It was different kind of ending than I thought it would be, but still good. "
— Kristie, 6/7/2013 -
" i love Spenser, i love some more than others. Whilst this wasn't as fab as some are, it still took me to my happy reading place. "
— Wintercherry, 3/10/2013 -
" Spencer and Hawke, remain consistent in their style crime fighting. Parker shall be missed! "
— Melinda, 1/20/2013 -
" good. always like my Spencer fix. "
— Ruth, 12/6/2012 -
" Fast action "
— Carolyn, 8/26/2012 -
" An easy read, not too complex plot, but maintains continuity, liked it "
— Anil, 8/1/2012 -
" Spenser is assisted by his longtime love, Susan, to untangle the love affairs of wives of very weatlhy men with a blackmailer "
— Ken, 6/29/2012 -
" These books are like old friends, you know the characters, and care about them. "
— Shoehn, 1/23/2012 -
" Predictable for the most part. Fast easy read if your looking for a "Reading for Stupid" type of book. "
— Derek, 10/17/2011 -
" Not a good book in an otherwise stellar series "
— Patt, 9/7/2011 -
" The voice just sounds different to me. It was O.K. but..... "
— Tony, 5/24/2011 -
" I enjoyed this YA novel about the young Spencer and how he came to be. I read the first book in the Spencer series some months ago and was wondering if I could actually read more books that were so old, but this one made me eager to give it a shot. "
— Penny, 5/10/2011 -
" While parts of the book repeat information that true Spenser fans already know, the books is a great addition to the Spenser lore. It's a little like hearing a familiar story that is repeated at family gatherings. "
— Erika, 3/25/2011 -
" this book was not quite up to par with the rest of Parker's books. I still enjoyed it, but it did ramble just a bit. "
— Michael, 3/6/2011 -
" Good, but definitely late Spenser. It wouldn't have been the end of the world to miss this one. On the upside it took just over 2 hours to read. "
— Du, 2/20/2011 -
" Spenser’s formative years spent with his father and two uncles out West<br/>i read it aqnd didn't write notes.<br/>short and charming little spenser.<br/>go for it. "
— Steve, 1/23/2011 -
" As a friend opined, "This is the 'secret origin' of Spenser you've kept us waiting for?" Oh please... "
— David, 1/20/2011 -
" Would that every boy have parents like Spenser has in this book! "
— Mary, 1/16/2011 -
" So long Mr. Robert B. Parker. It was great fun joining younger versions of our beloved Spenser as he developed those unique characteristics. we will sadly miss reading this series develop. "
— Yankey, 1/13/2011 -
" Spenser relates some of the incidents in his life that formed his code of ethics. "
— Gary, 6/22/2010 -
" I enjoyed this little book. Definitely Spenser light. It is also the first book I've read from Parker since his death. I heard he had passed away on his keyboard. Not sure where I read that, but that is definitely how I want to go. "
— J.R., 6/21/2010 -
" A brief look at Spenser's early years, as told to Susan, his current love interest. In the book, Spenser saves a girl (but not a girl friend) from an abusive father, a Hispanic boy from bigoted classmates, and learns life lessons from his father and uncles. "
— Tom, 5/14/2010 -
" As the title says, this YA novel deals with the young Spenser. Find out what made him. Quick read, but enjoyable. "
— Margaret, 4/12/2010 -
" Good story. I've read a Spenser book before and thought it was just OK, but this one tells about him as a boy and was quite good. "
— Daphne, 4/6/2010 -
" In comparison to Parker's "The Boxer and the Spy",this young adult novel is hands down a better read. Tying in Spenser's current relationship with Susan and his past as a young boy, you can see the foundational develop of his character leading to the man he is today. Nicely done! "
— Rena, 3/24/2010 -
" A little disjointed but still pretty great. Spenser's father and uncles are well drawn and do a fine job of showing how Spenser became Spenser without any George Lucas like suckyness. "
— Nate, 3/17/2010
About Robert B. Parker
Robert B. Parker (1932–2010), long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, was the New York Times bestselling author of the Spenser mysteries, as well as the Jesse Stone novels. He was named Grand Master at the 2002 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. He has more than fifty books to his credit.
About Joe Mantegna
Joe Mantegna is a versatile, seasoned actor on both stage and screen. He first garnered national prominence for his work with writer-director David Mamet, earning a Tony Award for Glengarry Glen Ross in 1983. His name has become synonymous with Robert B. Parker’s Spenser since he has narrated the entire series.