Potshot

Written by Robert B. Parker

Narrated by Joe Mantegna

Boston P.I. Spenser returns - heading west to the rich man's haven of Potshot, Arizona, a former mining town recently reborn as a paradise for Los Angeles millionaires looking for a place to escape the pressures of their high-flying lifestyles. When a band of modern-day mountain men, led by a charismatic individual known as The Preacher, takes over the town, even the local police are powerless to defend the residents in the face of the clever, dangerous gang. Spenser assembles a group of his own, including the redoubtable Hawk, to beat the gang at their own dangerous game and form the nucleus of a real police force to watch over the town when he's gone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Jul 4, 2000
• ISBN: 9780553753929

Robert B. Parker

Robert B Parker was the best-selling author of over 60 books, including Small Vices, Sudden Mischief, Hush Money, Hugger Mugger, Potshot, Widows Walk, Night Passage, Trouble in Paradise, Death in Paradise, Family Honor, Perish Twice, Shrink Rap, Stone Cold, Melancholy Baby, Back Story, Double Play, Bad Business, Cold Service, Sea Change, School Days and Blue Screen. He died in 2010 at the age of 77.

Reviews for Potshot

[unclebob53703 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Parker's take on "The Magnificent Seven," great read.

[drchevalier · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the paper book. The audio book I got from Scribd was corrupted and about 80% of the way through picked up a completely different book in progress. Notified Scribd and will come back when the title gets fixed.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Potshot is Robert B. Parker’s 28th Spenser novel. In the first 27, Spenser encountered many very tough characters who made their livings doing things like murder for hire. Spenser did not make enemies of all of them, however. And that turns out to have been very good for Spenser, because in Potshot, he needs all the help he can get.Mary Lou Buckman, a very pretty young lady, hires Spenser to find the killer of her husband. The murder took place in a western desert town in the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains, which actually are in Idaho, but in this book they seem to have migrated to Arizona. No matter—to Bostonians like Parker or Spenser, they are out west. In any event, the town of Potshot is terrorized by a gang of about 40 low-lives known locally as “The Dell.” The local sheriff isn’t tough enough to handle The Dell, and after one visit, Spenser decides he, himself isn’t tough enough either. So Spenser goes on a recruiting hunt reminiscent of “The Magnificent Seven,” enlisting the aid of several hired killers that loyal Parker fans have met in earlier novels. It’s all great fun as Spenser’s seven face off against The Dell. A lot of male bonding and macho repartee take place before the final confrontation. The plot is actually more complicated because it involves some doubt over who actually killed Mary Lou’s husband. In addition, a Los Angeles gangster and local water rights play important parts. You can almost hear the theme from “The Magnificent Seven” playing as the heroes patch up their wounds and return to their homes at the conclusion. (JAB)

[tcwriter · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've read most of the Spenser novels, but missed this one, and because I seem to be on a detective/crime novel binge, just plowed through it last night.

First, let's be clear; it's an homage to The Seven Samurai (the Magnificent Seven, actually) and Parker does a good job of hinting at -- but obscuring -- the "surprise" plot twists.

It contains all the elements; an obvious bad guy -- and a whole bunch of people who are not at all what they seem.

The final shootout is a teensy bit lacking in tension, but overall, it's one of Parker's better later efforts (some of which felt a little rushed).

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a huge fan of the dry wit and repartee so I enjoyed this as much as the others.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hail, hail, the gangs all here... Spenser gets a crew together to take on a mob of biker thugs in this foray into the desert heat. Hawk, Vinnie, Chollo, Tedy Sapp, Bobby Horse, Bernard J. Forntunato.... familiar tough guys who'll live and die by the gun. And of course, Spenser is there to lend his moral code. When a beatuiful blond appears in his office with a proposition - prove who killed her husband and take them down, Spenser agrees to investigate. The apparent culprits, a bloody gang of extorting toughs, aren't the only bad apples around, and it's time to call in the cavalry.Not a bad read, but neither as gritty, nor as deep as Parker's books can sometimes get.

[merijenben · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Super P.I. Spenser travels to the Arizona desert to discover who murdered a local, and to "assist" the town with clearing out a gang of thugs. However, there is more than meets the eye in Potshot...Spenser, the well-read, hard boiled private eye, is called upon by wilderness outfitter Mary Lou Buckman to find out who killed her husband Steve. Mary Lou and Steve live in Potshot, an upscale southwestern community (read: Bisbee) that has been terrorized by a gang of thugs known as the Dell. Mary Lou is sure the Dell killed Steve, however, when Spenser starts to investigate, he's not so sure. Nothing is what it seems in Potshot, not even Mary Lou. Spenser attracts the attention of the town fathers, who hire him to "clean up" the Dell, which he does by bringing in his own gang of thugs, including Hawk, Vinnie, Tedy Sapp, and Chollo, all of whom appear in previous novels.I read Spenser novels for much the same reason I read the Cat Who... books, they are formulaic in the extreme. Spenser will always be stronger and more noble than everyone else. Hawk will always save his ass. Susan will always be beautiful and brilliant. The only things that change are the circumstances. This one is a little better, although it's the Spenser reader's equivalent of fan-service, with popular characters making appearances. The mystery here gets convoluted, involving a gangster, a bunch of suits, and water rights, but the interactions between characters is what will attract fans.