Finished The Professional by Robert B. Parker. This is the latest book in his long-running series about Spenser, a Boston private investigator.

In this one, Spenser is asked to find a man named Gary Eisenhower, a man who had an affair with several wealthy women and is now blackmailing them all. Spenser eventually finds Gary, who refuses to quit blackmailing his victims. But when people start turning up dead, Spenser decides that someone needs to handle the mess and figure out exactly who has an unhealthy obsession with Gary and why …

I like this series a lot and always enjoy Parker’s witty dialogue. This book has plenty of that. But it also has characters that I’ve seen before — namely a not-so-smart woman who uses sex to get what she wants. This is the sort of character that I’m starting to get a little tired of seeing over and over again. And, as much as I enjoy Parker’s books, I knew where this one was headed at the halfway mark. So for those reasons, I’m going thumbs down on this one.

Up next: Heart Fate by Robin D. Owens.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.