I've read nearly all of Parker's work and the last few spenser novels have left me feeling cheated. The plot is weak, the entire book is predictable, and it seems to have no final ending. Spenser's investigation is nearing conclusion and then the book just runs out of pages. Parker has done so much better in the past. Readers new to Parker would do better to start out with the Godwulf Manuscript or The Judas Goat.