Double Deuce

A Spenser Novel

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: David Dukes

Spenser is forced by loyalty into an alien world where violence is a way of lie and outsiders enter at a lethal risk. When Spenser's cohort, Hawk, is hired by the tenants of a gang-plagued Boston housing project known as "Double Deuce", he enlists his friend's aid.

A friend's girl and her infant daughter have been gunned down. Though the act at first appears to be an accidental drive-by shooting, it soon becomes clear that it was premeditated murder. Before they can solve the crime, Spenser and Hawk must take on an adolescent band of hardened urban warriors. As bullets fly and the brutality escalates, Spenser learns more than he ever dreamed about a generation imprisoned in a hell of poverty and hopelessness where muscle is the ticket to survival, and the surest way out is in a body bag.

Pulsing with moral complexity, Double Deuce is the kind of no-holds-barred action thriller only Robert B. Parker can create.

Crack another case with Spenser.©2005 Robert B. Parker (P)2005 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The plot is nothing new - it might be described as Spenser meets New Jack City - but Deuce 's snappy dialogue, timely, fast-paced action and quick characterizations make it classic Spenser." (Publishers Weekly)

Spenser

Another we'll done Spenser tale. More background on Spenser, Susan, and Hawk. A story well told.

LOVE these books....DESPISE this narrator

I'm hooked on these books. I love the quick wit and the back and forth conversations. Spenser is a no bull kind of person that calls things the way he sees them and the books flow and roll very well. Even though these books were written 40 or more years ago they are still appealing. I have bought every one and listened to them and thoroughly enjoyed them until I started listening to David Dukes. By far the worst narrator ever. He makes the characters sound so ridiculous. I cannot believe how he makes Hawk sound and the female characters make me cringe. I'll keep listening until I get through the books that he reads but I just want to know WHY??? Why would you pick someone that is this bad to read these books?

Avoid this narrator

Would have enjoyed this a lot more if anyone, and I mean ANYONE, else would have narrated. The characters voices were affected, and the ethnic attempts were insulting. There was a good yarn here, but it was totally obscured by the extremly bad performance.

Reader disappoints.

I can’t criticize the readers acting skills. However, I’m not sure why he thinks Hawk should sound like Huggy Bear, that Quirk and Belson should sound like Lenny and Sqiggy and Susan like a cross between Tallulah Bankhead and Katherine Hepburn. It’s like he never read the books before starting his narration. Oh well.

Narrator bad fit for this series

Would you try another book from Robert B. Parker and/or David Dukes?

This is the 18th audio book I've listened to in this series. The narrator is not a good fit. Many times his cadence is that of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Starship Enterprise...quick then pause for dramatic effect several times within a sentence. It worked for William Shatner but not this series. Also...he has taken the deep sexy smooth voice of Hawke (as performed by the previous narrator Michael Prichard and the TV series with Avery Brooks) to a nasal, high pitched southern accent.

In my opinion, audio books need to meet two primary criterion, 1) good story; 2) good narrator. If they don't have both...I won't be back for another. I like series...I loved the TV show with Robert Urich and Avery Brooks. I like the audio book series up to this book. I had intended on buying/listening to all 40 books in the series. I won't be purchasing another one after this.

Very disappointed with the choice of narrator.