Rough Weather - Dark Publications

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“Robert B. Parker is that rarity–a prolific author whose books are consistently original, suspenseful and fascinating. His crackling dialogue is always fresh and smart-alecky. You’re happily hooked before you know it.”-Forbes

Heidi Bradshaw is wealthy, beautiful, and well connected–and she needs Spenser’s help. In a most unlikely request, Heidi, a notorious gold digger recently separated from her latest husband, recruits the Boston P.I. to accompany her to her private island, Tashtego, for her daughter’s wedding. Spenser is unsure of what his role as personal bodyguard will entail, but he consents when it’s decided that he can bring his beloved Susan Silverman along.

It should be a straightforward job for Spenser: show up for appearances, have some drinks, and spend some quality time with Susan. Yet when his old nemesis Rugar–the Gray Man–arrives on Tashtego, Spenser realizes that something is amiss. With a hurricane-level storm brewing outside, the Gray Man jumps into action, firing fatal shots into the crowd of wedding guests and kidnapping the bride–but Spenser knows that the sloppy guns-for-hire abduction is not Rugar’s style. Unable to prevent the attack, Spenser will stop at nothing to recover the kidnapped bride and figure out how the Gray Man is connected. It’s up to Spenser to decide who the real enemy is . . . before more people end up dead.

Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Another formerly great writer sells out November 4, 2008
21 out of 27 found this review helpful

Since the release of _The Godwulf Manuscript_ back in 1973, I have been fond of RBP's work, but it was _Catskill Eagle_ that turned me into a real Spenser fan. I have read everything Parker has written and I'm sorry to say that _Rough Weather_ will probably be my last.

Ever since the introduction of the Sunny Randall (Spenser in drag)and Jesse Stone series, I've increasingly felt like I was getting less and less "bang" for my buck --- not to mention the fact that the word count kept decreasing as the type size increased. But I kept on shelling out the dough...which also kept increasing.

Beginning several Spenser novels ago, I noticed Parker was not only relying on the same old characters - recycling them over and over again and apparently having decided to abandon the concept of introducing anyone new - but was also "crossing over" more and more (Spenser hooking up with colleagues of Sunny Randall and/or Jesse Stone, and vice versa). He also began to increasingly recycle dialogue (how many times do Spenser and Susan -- and occassionally Hawk --- need to have the same old conversation --- always over a meal ---about "Spenser's code" and what makes him different from Hawk or the Grey Man?

But _Rough Weather_ was the proverbial straw. I would venture to guess that there is not one line of original dialogue in the entire book. If one were to take the time to check, I believe you would probably find that 90% of _Rough Weather_ has already been published in previous RBP novels. The plot is thin, predictable, and completely unoriginal (I had the entire thing figured out by Chapter 4); Parker seems to be testing the limits of just how many old characters he can squeeze into one novelette (those who don't actually make an appearance are at least mentioned once or twice); and the action (what little there is)is contrived and boring. Even Hawk, who can usually be counted on to save a chapter in distress, is reduced to a mere caricature of himself --- whose most exciting moment comes when he's standing in a corner, gun held at his side, as he utters the memorable phrase, "Uh huh."

_Rough Weather_ is embarrassingly bad. I cannot help but wonder if RBP had anything to do with it (just as I am convinced that Tom Clancy did not write _Red Rabbit_ nor _Teeth of the Tiger_). Irregardless, this is the last RBP title I will waste my time and money on. I'm just grateful that I read it on my Kindle so it only cost $9.99 instead of $27.00.

If you _must_ read it, borrow it from a friend, or check it out from the library --- Parker doesn't deserve to profit from this drivel --- he's sold us out.

5 out of 5 stars

Return of the Gray man October 21, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful

Reading a Spenser novel is like breaking open a fine bottle of wine. You know once you try it you find that it's smooth and satisfying. And, of course, once you finish it off you'll have a damn headache knowing it'll be another year before the next one comes out.
ROUGH WEATHER is Parker's latest Spenser yarn, with some old and familiar characters we know and like and some we don't like and who scare the hell out of us, like the Gray Man.
ROUGH WEATHER is a quick read. The dialogue is always spot on and Spenser, well, he always gives us a sense of what the world could be, if only we could step up to the proverbial plate and stand tall.
On a final note it might be wise when you buy this book to put it away for awhile, at least until Parker gets closer to releasing the next one. That way you can become a bookaholic like the rest of us and open up one right after another.

3 out of 5 stars

Spenser finds stormy times! October 22, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful

If you watch this space (and I certainly hope you do), you will know that Parker seems particularly interested in family these days, as his last few books, spanning all his current series, seem to revolve around how they behave towards each other. Rough Weather is no exception.

Spenser is hired by the oft-married temptress/socialite Heidi Bradshaw to be her "escort" at her daughter's pending wedding on the privately-owned paradise known as Tashtego Island. Spenser agrees to act as bodyguard on the condition that he is allowed to bring along his own "protection", Susan Silverman.

Upon arrival on the island, he sees a face from his past that brings him up short. That being the infamous Ruger, the Gray Man from Thin Air. Yup, the guy that nearly sent ol' Spens off to a dirt nap is back to deliver his own particular brand of threat to the proceedings, and it doesn't take long before that threat is fulfilled, and the wedding is disrupted by the inconvenient murder of the groom (for starters), and the kidnapping of the bride, all against the backdrop of the titular hurricane that blankets the island in a shield of wind, rain and darkness.

Parker stages these violent and complex proceedings in such a precise manner via Spenser's narration--we feel the tension, and our clothes feel damp from the storm's fury.

Once the storm has passed and Susan is safe, Spenser must deal with the guilt of failure to protect the victims, and it's this guilt is what drives him on after being fired by his client. Guilt over letting Ruger execute his plot and escape, and even deeper, for not killing Ruger back when he had a chance.

So he enlists Hawk, and a few other characters to help him figure out what exactly happened, all the while breaking things down with Susan, as he so often does--this time, with the added force of her involvement in the situation.

As he explores the murky world of the victims--nearly becoming one himself--and suspects, it becomes clear that Heidi Bradshaw was hiding things. No, really? And there's gambling in Casablanca? Shocking.

Parker's oft-noted skills for snappy dialogue are as sharp as ever in Rough Weather, and he takes a complicated story and tells it in his ever-entertaining style. No great revelations here, simply the things we love and expect from the author.

Spenser discovers some truths at the core of the crime that bring us to what's on Parker's mind about family, and these truths bring color to what might seem stock characters on both sides of the story.

It's these truths--how far some people will go to protect family, and how little others care about family--that also drive events in a fairly shocking conclusion.

It's a story for the faithful, certainly. Rough Weather breaks no new barriers, but it still delivers the goods we rely on Parker for, and after almost 40 years, that's no mean feat!!

3 out of 5 stars

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "NEEDS MORE HAWK... LESS SUSAN... AND A MORE BELIEVABLE PLOT" November 28, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

As a devoted Robert B. Parker fan it is sad to say his Spenser books are becoming a staid cookie-cutter series with almost replaceable by the number scenes. The razor edge that Spenser was famous for is not quite as sharp... and perhaps dulled by his advancing middle age... as more and more literary time is spent with boring predictable time with Susan. Loyal readers know she takes mini-microscopic bites of whatever food she orders... in whatever restaurant they visit. We know that whatever clothes she wears... she is the most beautiful woman Spenser has ever seen... we know that if she says she'll be ready in five minutes... she'll be ready in thirty-five minutes. And even more depressing for readers is the non-stop double entendre sexual conversations between the two of them... that are actually boorishly embarrassing to any adult. (Could you imagine sitting next to them on a cross country flight listening to such sophomoric interaction?)

And then there's Hawk. Just one sentence from Hawk when he enters a scene and there is immediate hope and enthusiasm brewing in the reader's soul. In this installment he doesn't do much more than chauffeur Spenser around.

The storyline starts when Heidi Bradshaw an attractive rich and famous woman who built her wealth by marrying a number of rich men ambles into Spenser's office and hires him to be her male escort and provide a non-defined security at her daughter's wedding, that will be taking place on her private island, Tashtego. Spenser takes Susan along with him and can't even explain to himself... let alone... to Susan... what his security job entails. On the day of the wedding... arch enemy "THE-GRAY-MAN" shows up as a guest... with no explanation or deep *"detecting"* work by Spenser... and from there we get senseless mass killings... what appears to be a ransom situation... without any immediate ransom request being made... and of course Spenser can't let go of the case even though he is no longer being paid.

Even Spenser's usual quota of sharp-snappy-funny quips are cut down to a minimum, but here's a couple of good ones: "IF YOU'RE GOING TO PRACTICE NEPOTISM, YOU MAY AS WELL KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY." And "SHE WAS CARRYING A PURSE THAT WOULD WORK AS A HAMMOCK FOR PYGMIES." And "ACCORDING TO RULE 4 IN SPENSER'S DETECTIVE FOR DUMMIES, IF YOU AREN'T GETTING ANYWHERE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, GO ANNOY SOMEBODY." The one great flash of former Parker street poetry occurred when he described the reverence that Ty-Bop a mob bosses killer had for Hawk: "HE WOULD KILL ANYTHING THAT TONY POINTED HIM TOWARD. BUT THAT ASIDE, HE ALWAYS SEEMED TO ADMIRE HAWK. HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING, BUT HE WATCHED HIM ALL THE TIME, THE WAY A SCHOOLYARD PLAYER WOULD WATCH MICHAEL JORDAN."

My suggestion for a future Spenser installment would be for Spenser to breakup with Susan, and then for Spenser, Hawk, and maybe one other respected "shooter" that Spenser calls on in time of need... go away to a mountain cabin to bond and unwind... and in the midst of booze and steaks... and sharing old stories... the cabin is surrounded by a group of bad guys whose lives Spenser and Hawk had made miserable in the past... and the boys have to fight to the death to survive.

This would be a lot more entertaining than listening to double entendre chit-chat while watching Susan take microscopic bites of her lettuce.

4 out of 5 stars

Solid Spenser Entry October 24, 2008
2 out of 6 found this review helpful

When the leaves start to change color and the mornings are crisp and cool, you know it's time for the eagerly awaited - new Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. For the last few years, the Spenser novels have gotten shifted from March to October, which has been great. The books are meant to be read on an evening when it's too dark or too cold or too wet to go outside. With the rapid pacing, blistering dialogue, and casual, linear storytelling, a Spenser book almost reads itself.

In ROUGH WEATHER, fans are treated to a few new things in the long-running series. As typical, Spenser gets hired in the first chapter, but this time his client is Heidi Bradshaw, a professional gold digger that's left a trail of broken and financial bereft husbands in her wake. Instead of wanting Spenser to find someone or protect her from someone, she just wants him to join her at her daughter's wedding. The request, as Spenser notes, is curious.

After a brief conversation with Susan, Spenser's significant other, Spenser agrees that the job is incredibly fishy, and it's that mystery that pulls Spenser to Tashtego Island. That question also yanks the reader along suitably as well. I know. I kept flipping pages myself.

Things take a decided turn for the worse when Spenser bumps into his chief rival at the wedding. Rugar, the Gray Man, has crossed paths with Spenser twice before. The first time, the Gray Man almost killed the tough private eye. The second time their conflict was sidelined for a larger threat. However, Spenser readily admits that the Gray Man - stone-cold killer and ex-CIA hitman - is the most dangerous man he's ever encountered.

Things go wrong fast at the wedding. The Gray Man steals the bride away and kills several people while getting off the island. For a few chapters, we get to see Spenser in action as he frees himself and works to get Susan out of harm's way. I was glued to the pages during that brief encounter because we haven't gotten to see Spenser up against such desperate odds in a while. I really hoped the book would continue offering that level of action, especially with the Gray Man in the mix, but that ended too soon and moved into one of Spenser's normal investigations.

I read Parker's books as comfort food rather than for new experiences. After thirty years of reading his novels, I don't expect surprises from Parker, but I do expect the excellent pacing, dialogue, and bits of psychology, male-bonding, and action that he delivers without fail. ROUGH WEATHER has all that, but I had the final twist figured out long before I got there.

There are a lot of detractors of Susan Silverman out there, and I'll admit that I've been one of them. But in this book she really complements Spenser in a way that readers have seldom seen. Not only that but Hawk spends Thanksgiving with Spenser and Susan (and she even cooked!). That was something readers were told not to expect back in book six of the series: LOOKING FOR RACHEL WALLACE. It's a little scary seeing all of this togetherness, almost like Parker is preparing his characters for eventual retirement.

However, I was let down by the ending somewhat. I'd expected it to end like a house on fire since the Gray Man was involved in such an adversarial role. The ending still satisfied, but I'd just wanted more. I read the book from cover to cover because I just couldn't walk away from a favorite acquaintance telling another intriguing story. I think most of the fans will feel the same way.

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