Rating: 
Summary: A rough but promising start to the Spenser series
Review: A friend recommended the Spenser novels to me, knowing that I was not much of a mystery/detective fan but assuring me that I would appreciate the hero's sarcastic wit. Even if I did not know that "The Godwulf Manuscript" was the first of Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels, I think I would have concluded as much halfway through the book. Spenser starts mouthing off on page two and very rarely stops, even if warranted by the situation. The story is set in the early 1970s and is populated by stereotypical rich people, campus radicals, university administrators, hard-boiled cops, and crime bosses that smacks a too much of imitation Hammett/Chandler. The title, while quite interesting, is something of a misnomer since the theft of the illuminate manuscript is but the first in an increasingly complex series of crimes. But I appreciate the fact that the "crime" for which Spenser is originally hired is "solved" halfway through the book. I have to think that all of the glowing quotations on the frontispiece are from much later novels, although I do see the raw potential for the writer and the hero they describe. There are clearly times when the dialogue has a sharp crackle and it is always nice when the reader is the only one who gets the point of the barb. But seeing as how there was neither Susan nor Hawk are in this book, I have to deduce that things get better as we go along. Actually, I tend to enjoy seeing how an artist develops over time and I have heard good things about the next novel in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Where it all began - a great book
Review: Ah, Spenser. Edmund Spenser wrote "The Faerie Queen." And this Spenser is anything but. Former boxer, Korean vet, and armed to the teeth with moxie and sass. And a little hiphugger pistol for those moments when a Dennis-Miller-esque zinger goes right over the thug's head. This intro to Spenser is hilarious in its descriptions of early 70's apparel and attitudes, not the least of which is Spenser's bedding of a mother and daughter within a 24-hour period. Paging James Bond. Anyway, it's all for fun. The plot's kind of 1-2-3 but it's nice to see where Elvis Cole and Fletch (at least the movie Fletch) came from.
Rating: 
Summary: The Godfather of Sass
Review: Ah, Spenser. Edmund Spenser wrote "The Faerie Queen." And this Spenser is anything but. Former boxer, Korean vet, and armed to the teeth with moxie and sass. And a little hiphugger pistol for those moments when a Dennis-Miller-esque zinger goes right over the thug's head. This intro to Spenser is hilarious in its descriptions of early 70's apparel and attitudes, not the least of which is Spenser's bedding of a mother and daughter within a 24-hour period. Paging James Bond. Anyway, it's all for fun. The plot's kind of 1-2-3 but it's nice to see where Elvis Cole and Fletch (at least the movie Fletch) came from.
Rating:
Summary: Spenser's Auspicious Debut
Review: As a mystery novelist with my debut novel in its initial release, I am well aware of how series protagonists evolve as a series progresses. THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT marks Spenser's debut. In his spare time, his hobby is woodcarving. He also likes to cook--which is handy because Susan Silverman struggles to boil water. But that doesn't matter here because Susan isn't yet in this series. Neither is Hawk or Pearl the Wonder Dog, but Spenser's essence is the same as it is in Parker's recent works. In THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT, Spenser is hired by a college to recover a stolen manuscript. A murder occurs, and a stunning coed is the obvious murderer. Obvious is not alway correct, and Spenser proves that simple truth true, not for the last time. THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT marks an auspicious debut for Spenser. While some of the trappings and the supporting cast have changed as Robert B. Parker has developed his series, Spenser remains true to his inner soul.
Rating:
Summary: An early, grittier Spenser
Review: As one who had read most of the series already, finding this one was a real treasure. So this is the first time any of us met Spenser! This is an early, pre-Susan Spenser who exhibits less conscience when dealing with the ladies but who is still an incorrigible wise-acre and a smart, independent, fearless PI. I missed Hawk, Pearl and even Susan, but still enjoyed this book for the window it gave us into Spenser's early development. BTW, his first name is Jim. (I'd always wondered about the first name thing. I mean, I knew he had to have one!)
Rating:
Summary: My fall buddies - Parker & Spenser
Review: I first picked up a Spenser novel in 1988. Since then, I've read all the Spenser novels every year as my own annual "rite of passage". I agree with others - Spenser wasn't exactly my idea of a man's man in this book. But don't give up ... his randiness dissipates, and he develops into a loyal, devoted, caring, sensitive thug. Start here, and don't stop. You'll wish you knew someone like Spenser before too long ...
Rating:
Summary: Good enough to keep me reading the series...
Review: I just recently returned to reading mysteries, and after reacquainting myself with Hammett & Chandler, and being introduced to Michael Connelly, I naturally decided on checking out the Spenser books. Like a couple of others here, I decided to start with the beginning. First, I quite enjoyed the character, although he, in this first novel, is a bit extreme & non-discriminate in his skirt chasing. I understand that mellows out later in the series. His show of intelligence and of advanced education fascinated me. This combined with the typical wise-cracking tough guy PI attitude makes Spenser (Note, everyone, his name is spelled with two S's) unique enough to continue following. The mystery itself was less than challenging, but the main character and the taut writing kept me going. Definitely a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait to Read the Rest!
Review: I love reading mysteries. I've torn through John Sanford, Michael Connelly, Jeffrey Deaver, Elmore Leonard, Ross MacDonald, and the like...and so, it's with a little shame that I admit I hadn't read a Spenser novel before now. My mother told me that the authors I was reading now, while good, were basically following the formula that Robert B. Parker had been perfecting for the last 25 years. So rather than picking up "Potshot", his newest book, I went to the used bookstore and found myself the first book in the series. Although a little out of my element with references to people and styles that were popular when I was three years old (the book was first published in 1973), the story crackles like any on the shelves today. I was reminded of the gritty violent world that Dennis Lehane portrays in his Boston mysteries starring Kenzie and Gennaro, and the wise-cracking wit of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole. Of course, now I realize that these PI's owe a great deal of their success to Spenser. The plot of the mystery in "The Godwulf Manuscript" was fair and interesting, but ultimately it is secondary to the captivating character of Spenser and the people surrounding him. I cared less about the unfolding of the mystery of where the Godwulf Manuscript went and who took it, than I did learning about the people who were involved in the deadly circumstances surrounding it. An excellent first book of a series. I'm thrilled to know that 27 more Spenser books are in my future!
Rating:
Summary: Meet Spencer
Review: I recently had the pleasure of meeting for the first time a tough-talking, wise-cracking Boston P.I. named Spencer. Spencer (who is also a better than average cook) is hired by a local university to find a stolen 14th-Century manuscript. His search leads him down a very slippery path filled with drug dealers, the mob, and of course, murder. When I start any series, I usually begin with the first book and read them in order. This time I started with "Early Autumn," the seventh book in the series. Going to the first book next, I was able to see how the character was going to evolve through the first several books. While Parker seems to be putting the finishing touches on Spencer, this first case is a good solid adventure. Things are somewhat slow at times in this first outing, but not too much. Spencer's moral code of doing the right thing is not altogether clearly locked in yet. Some of the supporting characters are not quite as colorful or animated as they will become later, but as a whole, Spencer's first adventure gives new readers a good, interesting adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: A Virtuoso's Baby Steps
Review: I remember once at the Museum of Modern Art seeing an Edward Hopper exhibit with his early sketches. There were glimpses of greatness amid a lot of pedestrian stuff. Ditto this book. Spenser's sharp dialogue is there, but not honed as it is in later books. But the plot is pedestrian, college and the rebellion scene, and there's no Hawk and no Susan to help broaden the interest and spice up the dialogue. Parker makes a quantum leap in God Save the Child, putting it almost all together at his current level in Book 2. I had read many Spencers before I located this beginning novel. Like the Hopper sketches, its greatest interest is in the glimpses of the genius to come. But if this had been my first Spencer read, I might never have gone on to the pleasure of the rest of them.
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