Robert B. Parker · 1983 · thriller

In the tenth Spenser mystery, the Boston private eye takes a security job for a devout Senate candidate whose wife has been caught on a blackmail tape, a case that draws Spenser into the Broz crime family and shuttles him between Boston and the corridors of Washington, all while his love Susan builds a new life apart from him in the capital.

1. 1
   Boston

   Bored and pining for Susan, Spenser signs on to guard Congressman Meade Alexander's Senate campaign, only to learn a blackmail tape of the candidate's wife is the real problem.

2. 2
   Washington

   Spenser flies to Washington to view the tape at the Alexanders' Georgetown home, and there, near Susan, traces the blackmail to mobster Joe Broz's college-age son.

3. 3
   Boston

   Back in Boston he faces down Broz and his gunmen, survives an ambush with Hawk at his side, and forces a bargain to bury the tape for good.