Hugger Mugger

By Robert B. Parker

"It's easy to see why Parker's snappy banter and cynical eye have kept fans turning pages for 25 years . . . his wisecracks, combined with Parker's shorthand flair for scathing characterization, make for a satisfying read," said Entertainment Weekly of last year's Hush Money. Now Parker presents Spenser with a deceptively dangerous and multi-layered case: Someone has been killing racehorses at stables across the south, and the Boston P.I. travels to Georgia to protect the two-year-old destined to become the next Secretariat.

When Spenser is approached by Walter Clive, president of Three Fillies Stables, to find out who is threatening his horse Hugger Mugger, he can hardly say no: He's been doing pro bono work for so long his cupboards are just about bare. Disregarding the resentment of the local Georgia law enforcement, Spenser takes the case. Though Clive has hired a separate security firm, he wants someone with Spenser's experience to supervise the operation.

Despite a veneer of civility, Spenser encounters tensions beneath the surface southern gentility. The case takes an even more deadly turn when the attacker claims a human victim, and Spenser must revise his impressions of the whole Three Fillies organization--and watch his own back as well.

With razor-sharp dialogue, eloquently spare prose, and some of the best supporting characters to grace the printed page, Hugger Mugger is grand entertainment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Jun 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9781101203859

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 Hugger Mugger

[conalo-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the most enjoyable of the Spenser stories and this re-read did nothing to change my opinion. This was as much fun as the first time I read this.

4 stars for a really fun read.

[fiberbabble_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't excited about the ending, but everything else was - as usual - highly entertaining.

Joe Mantegna is the audiobook voice; I have a problem now seeing him on television because I identify his voice as Spenser (physical description notwithstanding). He has a wonderfully dry tone and truly sounds like he's enjoying himself.

[repb_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another wonderful tale by Parker. Someone's shooting horses ... or is that just a diversion? Great dialogue, great characters. Irreverent, but take it or leave it.

[bjkelley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Parker does it again and again. He manages to entertain and write a good terse story (something I wish other writers could learn from him). I would recommend reading the Spenser novels in order, since many characters from previous books show up along the line. Plus, you get a real feel for Spenser and his relationship to not only Susan but with the world. Noticeably absent from this book was Hawk, but I"m sure we'll be seeing him again soon.

[dodau_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a late convert to this author. I only started reading him in the last year and I'm working my way through the Spenser novels whenever I go to the library. They don't however have many of them and Mr Parker is nothing if not a prolific writer so I haven't managed to find many of the older ones yet but I will. In the meantime there are plenty of newer ones. Takes me a few pages to get into the story normally but then I'm hooked and can't stop reading. I love the sense of humour in the books and want desperatly to meet all the characters in real life.Long live Spenser.

[brodiew2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite Spenser novel in recent years. I feel that Parker has gotten to the point where he is mailing it in without even giving the plots much thought. This book was a pleasant surprise. It was well written, well characterized, and a fun read. Spenser is in old school hard ass, wise ass form and I did not miss Hawk, who did not appear in this one. I've never said Parker had substance, but he does have style.