Spenser novel is must-read for series fans (AP)

Thirty-seven years after Robert B. Parker introduced the Boston-based private detective in "The Gudwulf Manuscript," and nine months after Parker died of a heart attack at his writing desk, another novel in the long-running series has been published.

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Although Parker never gave his most famous creation a first name, he gave him boundless courage, a stubborn streak, a hostility toward authority, a loathing for anything pretentious, and the smartest mouth in captivity. As Spenser said about the latter on more than one occasion, "I get a lot of complaints about it.

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All of these familiar traits are on display in "Painted Ladies," which also features many of Spenser's longtime supporting cast including two able Massachusetts cops, Capt. Martin Quirk and Lt. Frank Belson, as well as Spenser's one true love, Susan Silverman. In many ways, this is as much Susan's book as it is Spenser's, the Boston psychologist playing a major role in the story. But many Parker fans will be disappointed that Hawk, Spenser's intimidating African-American sidekick, has no role in the tale.

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Spenser novel is must-read for series fans (AP)