School Days by Robert B. Parker

School Days by Robert B. Parker
304 pages
Published October 2006 by Penguin Group
Source: my parents

Lily Ellsworth, wealthy matriarch and devoted grandmother, has hired Spenser, private detective, to prove her grandson, Jared Clark, innocent in a recent school shooting.  No one else, however, seems to think the boy is innocent, not even his own parents.  In fact, no one else, including Jared himself, seems to want to fight the charge at all despite the fact that there is no physical proof that Jared was involved, only the word of the one boy that was caught still in the school.

For Spenser, the question soon becomes not "if" Jared was involved in the shooting that killed seven people but "why." Why would a boy that had never caused any trouble suddenly decide to start shooting classmates? Where would the two boys have gotten the guns and the experience to shoot so accurately? And why is Jared so willing to go to prison without a fight?

This is the 33rd Spenser novel Parker wrote and it didn't take long to figure out how Spenser came to be so popular with readers.  He's walking testosterone with an eye for the ladies but faithful to his beloved.  He's a well-read tough guy. Spenser has a charm that's irresistible for men and women alike.  The case of Jared Clark is interesting with some surprising twists and turns, but this book is really all about Spenser. It's fast-paced, dialogue heavy with plenty of action and I couldn't put it down.

My parents are big fans of Parker's books, both his Spenser books and his westerns, so I've got no shortage of his books to choose from next and I'm looking forward to it!

Update: My dad wrote to remind me that Parker's books were not limited to the Spenser series or the westerns. The man was prolific!

Not only Spenser and the westerns;  there’s also the Sheriff Jesse Stone books (which CBS has turned into such excellent TV movies with Tom Selleck as Jesse) and those featuring female detective Sonny Randle (who sometimes collaborates with Spenser).  The westerns are my favorites, but I enjoy them all.