The Godwulf Manuscript

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Spenser earned his degree in the school of hard knocks, so he is ready when a Boston university hires him to recover a rare, stolen manuscript. He is hardly surprised that his only clue is a radical student with four bullets in his chest.

The cops are ready to throw the book at the pretty blond coed whose prints are all over the murder weapon but Spenser knows there are no easy answers. He tackles some very heavy homework and knows that if he doesn't finish his assignment soon, he could end up marked "D" -- for dead.

Crack another case with Spenser.

©1992 Robert B. Parker (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

>"Spenser is Boston's answer to James Bond - irreverent, witty, worldy. His first-person recital of his detective work makes for fast, amusing reading." ( The Pittsburgh Press)

Disappointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The book is just okay, even though Robert B. Parker is one of my favorite authors.

Has The Godwulf Manuscript turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How could the performance have been better?

I guess I was expecting Robert Urich!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes

Any additional comments?

No

Dated

However, it should be. Luckily, I’m old enough to catch the references. He feeds alcohol to a minor and has sex with her just after he had sex with her mother. He solved the crime. I don’t think morals were that lax back then. I’m not a PI or a detective. I have the reading order. I’ll see what is next.

Good story from a day gone by.

A great lesson, and a great performance. But you can tell from the clothes alone that this was written sometime ago.

Jesse Stone book

Dr Parker got this additional Jesse Stone book perfectly. This book was excellently narrated. It's one of the last in the

Good book great read for detective fiction lovers

What made the experience of listening to The Godwulf Manuscript the most enjoyable?

The story was definitely most enjoyable. The main character is great!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Godwulf Manuscript?

Spencer has sex with both the suspect and her mother in the same day.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I couldn't picture him as Spencer, he sounds a lot older. He does a good job at reading and he very clear. This is great for me because I always have trouble keeping up with what is happening in detective fictions and often have to go back, but its easy to take mental note with him reading.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No Idea

Good Beginning for a New (to me) Series

If you could sum up The Godwulf Manuscript in three words, what would they be?

Perfect Memory Detective

What did you like best about this story?

Story line about a detective with a perfect (sort of) memory

Which character – as performed by Michael Prichard – was your favorite?

Spenser, the detective, was my favorite character.

Any additional comments?

l look forward to reading the rest of the series.

1st Book ... More and better to come!!!

What did you love best about The Godwulf Manuscript?

Spencer as a young, relatively innocent, PI. Stumbling and Bumbling (as he does for the next 36 books) through things to find the real reason something took place ... he is the idealist that we would all like to be.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Spencer. See above. He's young, fresh, inquisitive, and wants to do the right thing ... by his standards.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hated the reader until I really listened. He is fabulous! He reads such that you don't hear his voice, but hear the text and storyline. He is matter of fact ... just the way Spencer is ... Great Reader! Read the book ... hear the voices in my head. Mr. Prichard ... hear the voices in the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sure, you laugh at Spencer bumbling about. You cry at the victim (he can't save) losing their life. You wait for the next emotional reaction.

Any additional comments?

Robert B. Parker wrote 37 books. It is my goal to collect ALL of them!

Sensational

Maybe Parker's best. Great story, great lines, unpredictable from start to finish. This is a slam dunk.

always with the snappy dialogue

loved the book and it was read extremely well. Admittedly a huge Parker fan. Had the pleasure of meeting him. Not so much a fan of those who try to mimic his writing since his death.

Great book, even better performance!

Mr. Orchard delivers the lines as they were intended, dry and witty, not "going for the laugh." Would by another in the series and hope they are all narrated by Mr. Prichard; if not may think twice.