Sixkill

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Joe Mantegna

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

The last Spenser novel completed by Robert B. Parker.

On location in Boston, bad-boy actor Jumbo Nelson is accused of the rape and murder of a young woman. From the start the case seems fishy, so the Boston PD calls on Spenser to investigate. Things don't look so good for Jumbo, whose appetites for food, booze, and sex are as outsized as his name. He was the studio's biggest star, but he's become its biggest liability.

In the course of the investigation, Spenser encounters Jumbo's bodyguard: a young former football-playing Native American named Zebulon Sixkill. He acts tough, but Spenser sees something more within the young man. Despite the odd circumstances, the two forge an unlikely alliance, with Spenser serving as mentor. As the case grows darker and secrets about both Jumbo and the dead woman come to light, it's Spenser--with Sixkill at his side--who must put things right.

©2011 Robert B. Parker (P)2011 Random House Audio

Parker: a marvelous old friend who makes you happy

Robert B. Parker was one of this country's most prolific authors, in league with Elmore Leonard. Like Leonard, he simply wanted to entertain us, and he succeeded almost every time out. Likewise, Michael Prichard was an amazingly prolific performer (and may still be). And Joe Mantegna is also an incredibly prolific and likable actor and narrator. Choosing between these two narrators is like trying to choose between the best apple pie and the best peach pie: very hard to do. In Sixkill, Parker again puts Spenser in his usual slot: a very tough guy on the outside with a very tender inside. The dialogue is, as always, witty and brief. You start chuckling right out of the gate. Mantegna seems to have a little more trouble with the repetitive "he said, she said" stuff than Prichard. I seem to notice that less when hearing Prichard. Mantegna, OTOH, is a face many of us know from movies and TV, and his voice is that of a friendly guy who might live next door to you, who happens to be one of the best storytellers anywhere. The plot of Sixkill is really just an excuse for Spenser to act, to play the tough guy when he wants to and the tender lover of Susan Silverman when he needs to. Not that the plot is trifling: it is clever and tugs at your heartstrings, in some ways. Sixkill is a huge Indian who once played great football, but then fell down a terrible slide. Spenser takes him on as a project, and between Spenser and the talk-about-tough-but-silent Hawk, they reclaim Sixkill in a way that is very humane and caring. Parker was a genius. Both Prichard and Mantegna make him sound wonderful. I have only tried to listen to one book narrated by David Dukes, and I hated it. Sit down with Parker and have a great time.

Recommend !

If Mantegna narrated all the Spenser series, I'd buy them all. This was a good story and although I missed Hawk a little - Sixkill made up for it. I bought a few of the series read by others and they weren't just bad, they were terrible.It would be fun to have Mantegna narrate the others..I can't even begin to listen to Rudnicki.
All in all this was a great listen and I was sorry when it ended...Parker will be missed!

SixKill

So sad this is the last Parker novel and it looks like he was introducing a new character Z. SixKill a Native American from the Cree Nation. Enjoy his tongue-in-cheek dialog with people particularly Susan. The "he said, she said" I am getting use to in his novels. The past of the story is fast. Mantegna does great job with the narration.

Spenser's Last Bow

What did you love best about Sixkill?

I liked Parker's approach of alternating episodes from the title character's life with narrative chapters in the present, so we get a sense of him organically. Would have loved to see how he fit in with the rest of Spenser's

What did you like best about this story?

It's vintage Spenser, with an unusual set of villains.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene in which Spenser finally gets Jumbo to talk.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Though I have a hard time picturing Joe Mantegna as the presumably Irish/English Spenser, Mantegna reads the character with flair and makes Spenser's wise-assery come alive.

Perhaps his best Spenser ever

The title says it all. I still love Parker and Spenser. He will be greatly missed.

Is it really so difficult to work out who is talking.

If you can put up with he said, she said, he said, she said, and on and on for hours then it’s ok. For me I gave up, I just could stop waiting for every sentence to be explained and ended by “said “.

Fun detective story

At first I was put off by two things. (1) Too many "he said" and "she said." (2) I thought that Joe Mantegna's narration was too high and light. However, as the story progressed I came to enjoy his interpretation of Parker's humor and the unique characters.

Dated and Offensive

The name of the story is the name of a main character in the story. A Native American who has a problem with alcohol. It's very difficult not to groan and eye roll over the repeated offensive cliches and references to outdated names, Tonto? Kemosabe? Injun lore? Nauseating and offensive and seemingly neverending. It was hard to follow the actual storyline, he said, she said, I said. The reader did what he could with this dreadful story. I guess I'll just stick with Jack Reacher and Elvis Cole, more believable stories if that tells you anything.

Another great Spenser novel!

As usual Mr. M does a genius job of narrating another well written novel.
Loved the addition of Spenser's new friend Z. He seems like he'll fit right in with Hawk and the boys!

Would you like to hear the word "said" over & over

This is the author's 40th book. This is not the first book or a printing after he died. 1st: The longest period without the word "said" in the 2.5 hours I listened was about 30 seconds. The story is rough. I don't mean violent or gritty. I mean that I can summarize the plot of half the book here: A despicable actor is accused of murder and sexual assault. A law firm hires a private investigator to help determine innocence or guilt. The investigator finds ties between the actor and organized crime money. The investigator convinces the actor's bodyguard to work out and train at the investigator's gym in order to try to get information. Now if that scintillating plot sounds like it is worth half the book then this is the book for you. I gave up after the 9th description of the body of the investigator's girlfriend.