Potshot

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Joe Mantegna

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Boston P.I. Spenser returns - heading west to the rich man's haven of Potshot, Arizona, a former mining town reborn as a paradise for Los Angeles millionaires looking for a place to escape the pressures of their high-flying lifestyles. Potshot overcame its rough reputation as a rendezvous for old-time mountain men who lived off the land, thanks to a healthy infusion of new blood and even newer money. But when this western idyll is threatened by a local gang - a twenty-first century posse of desert rats, misfits, drunks, and scavengers - the local police seem powerless. Led by a charismatic individual known only as The Preacher, this motley band of thieves selectively exploits the town, nurturing it as a source of wealth while systematically robbing the residents blind.

Enter Spenser, who has been hired by the comely Mary Lou Buckman to investigate the murder of her husband. The Buckmans, a pair of L.A. transplants, moved to Potshot and started a modest outdoor tour service. It is Mary Lou's belief that when her husband refused to pay The Preacher and his men protection money he was killed. Without any witnesses, Spenser has little to go on, and it's clear the local police chief won't be doing much to help. Calling on his own cadre of tried-and-true cohorts, Spenser must find a way to beat the gang at their own dangerous game.

©2001 Robert B. Parker (P)2001 Random House, Inc. Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Spenser's moral compass is unerring, and it has nothing to do with political correctness. Parker breaks the mold of popular fiction." - (The Boston Globe)
"Mantegna ably captures the spirit and emotion of the people..." (AudioFile)

Terrific!

one of my favorites. Brings back so many from previous stories & Hawk is again amazing at knowing him so well.

Spencer meets Preacher - shots fly

I love Spencer novels. They never let me down and always entertain me. Robert Parker was a great storyteller and created great characters in his Spencer series. I have read ALL the books in the series and this book, Potshot, is one of my favorites. Spencer is his wonderful lovable tough guy self and he has a formidable foe, Preacher, in the town of Potshot. Go get 'em Spencer!

Same ol' Spenser

If you've read any Spenser novels before, you probably don't really care about the reviews... you're going to read (or listen to) it anyways.

That being said... you won't be disappointed by Joe Mantegna's reading of these books, although I found the accents that he gives the female characters hysterical. The "he said, she said" comment of the previous reviewer is valid, but I didn't find it overly distracting.

Great get together of Spenser and his pals

Another great Spenser tale, read beautifully by the narrator. Can't wait for the Spenser series on Netflix!!

Spenser's Magnificent Seven

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes,This is a truly fun romp. This is RBP wrapping a western movie inside of a detective novel. Spenser goes out west to investigate a murder and ends up needing to clean up a town, Our favorite tough guy PI gathers his tough guy friends for assistance. The Parker characters kibitz as you would expect, This is a fun almost silly wish fulfillment Yarn.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Spenser. He is the reason the story happens.

Which character – as performed by Joe Mantegna – was your favorite?

Spenser

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

A 'POTSHOT' at Potshot

The title of this book makes almost too good of a target. OK -- To make it short and sweet -- it's got a good beat, but it's hard to dance to (my apologies to those of you too young to have watched American Bandstand). Parker's Spenser series of books have always been written sparingly, and this is no exception (As an example, Potshot has more than 50 chapters -- Parker outdoes Papa H in hes conciseness). One of the reasons that many of the previous Spenser books have worked is that Parker has kept the plot somewhat simple and, more importantly, does not include the cast of 'Ben Hur.' In this departure, there are 7,8,9, ??? characters with speaking parts in this book. Had Potshot been longer, Parker might have gotten around to fleshing the thing out. However, he stayed the course, and the result is a bunch of characters with only a patina of character development.
However, after the nit picking above, I still enjoyed the book. Spenser, Susan, and Hawk are at their best and if you have been a long time reader, you can easily forgive Parker's attempt to 'stretch' as illustrated in Potshot.
Lastly: This is an unabridged book and the reader is good enough to not get in the way.

I really like the book...But

The story line and characters were quite good. And I had a hard time putting the book (mp3 player) down.

But like one of the other readers of another Robert B. Parker book said. The narrator repeating "I said", "He said", "She said" following every line of dialog, drove me crazy.

The narrator did a great job changing voices for each character, so I dont know why he has to end each line of dialog with "I said".

One of the best Spenser outings

Where does Potshot rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Potshot is one of my favorite audiobooks, but, then, I am an avid Robert Parker fan. I like Jesse Stone and Sonny Randall, but Spenser and Hawk are the best! This plot is absorbing, convoluted, as usual, and entertaining, because of the plethora of characters involved. Who can NOT enjoy the bi-play between Hawk and Spenser, but this book adds the rest of the rascals....including Bernard Fortunato, Horse, Cholo, etc.....Very funny.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot is intricate, and, as usual, Parker begins the book with one presumption, but, through all the plot twists and turns, the issue of murder becomes another problem. At the end, multiple issues are solved, the characters have developed sufficiently to end with the necessary plot resolution.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene in which Spenser, Hawk and the cohorts interact is both revealing and hilarious.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

To not listen to this all the way through makes it a scattered plot. The reader needs to keep track of all the plot threads.

One of the best

Now and Then, Cold Service, and Potshot are the best three Spencer novels by Robert B. Parker. I say this because these are the titles that bring together all the right characters from the series. Get them all

Good story

Would you consider the audio edition of Potshot to be better than the print version?

Don't know

What was one of the most memorable moments of Potshot?

When the native-America said, "Indian use sun-block".

Any additional comments?

Joe Montagne is the best reader by far. I won't order any more books from the previous reader.