Hundred Dollar Baby by Robert Parker

I’ve got to tell ya that I’ve found another favorite author. Hundred Dollar Baby by Robert Parker, is #34 in the series, and is written just the way I like them.

The book opens with a former teen-age runaway turned madam of a bordello April Kyle walking into Spencer’s office asking for help. The two have a relationship from previous years and the emotion shows. Spencer who has a soft spot for April agrees to help her with the problem of allegedly being harassed by an unknown assailant. Then there is a couple of murders of which anyone could be the trigger puller.

The deeper Spencer digs the more he finds out that at every turn and question someone is lying to him about what’s really going on, including April. The story is packed with bad guys, and bad-good guys that beat the living crap out of anyone who crosses them.

Hundred Dollar Baby ends with a bang that really doesn’t surprise, but the dialog in the story is great. Parker sprinkles minute details that make you feel as though you are there on the streets of New York investigating the mobsters with him. To me this is the greatest thing a writer can do in a story.

Again, this is the kind of book I like. It yanks you in, and is a great ride. Fast paced, not sludged up with a bunch of back-story and sub-plots. Has some damn funny parts too. I caught myself laughing and talking out-loud when there was no one around.