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Title: Promise but no punch.
Review: This is the first of Robert Parker's books that I've read, and were it not for the general raves by Parker fans and the continued popularity of the Spenser character I might not be willing to read further into the series. Stylistically, I'd say the work is embryonic (at least I hope so), and the plot & characterization simply have nothing new to add to the detective fiction genre. I'm told that Spenser is quite the wit but that must develop in future books because although he occasionally has the witty quip here, there was nothing that really made me sit up and take notice. But I did pick up a copy of 'God Save the Child,' and I'm hoping for something more substantial as I read further.
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