Book ~ "A Savage Place" (1981) Robert B. Parker

From Goodreads ~ TV reporter Candy Sloan has eyes the color of cornflowers and legs that stretch all the way to heaven. She also has somebody threatening to rearrange her lovely face if she keeps on snooping into charges of Hollywood racketeering. 

Spenser's job is to keep Candy healthy until she breaks the biggest story of her career. But her star witness has just bowed out with three bullets in his chest, two tough guys have doubled up to test Spenser's skill with his fists, and Candy is about to use her own sweet body as live bait in a deadly romantic game - a game that may cost Spenser his life.

Spenser is a private detective in Boston and has been hired to be a bodyguard for television reporter Candy Sloan in Los Angeles as she investigates a corrupt movie studio.  Candy suspects it's the mob who is behind it.  As they start investigating, people start getting killed.  Spenser tries to convince Candy to go to the police with what she knows but she keeps holding back because she wants to break the story and get the glory to advance in her career.

This is the eighth in the Spenser series (there are currently 46, with the last six written by Ace Atkins after Parker's death in 2010).  I've read many over the years (and have enjoyed the series) and have started reading them from the beginning of the series.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.

I wasn't crazy about this book. I didn't find Candy very likable at all and wasn't overly sympathetic when there was violence against her.  I found there were a lot of male characters and was confused as to who was who and what they did and why.  To be honest, I gave up caring and trying to keep them straight.  Plus Spenser cheats on Susan Silverman (who has no presence in this book) but justifies it because there's no emotion involved ... it's just fun ... and she's allowed to do the same.  I found this to be conflicting because in previous books the two of them are always going on about how much they love love love each other.

I liked the writing style, though ... I found it humorous at times.  Spenser is a tough guy with a wisecracking sense of humour.  Though this book was written and is set in 1981, it didn't seem as dated as the earlier ones.  It's written in first person perspective in Spenser's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing.