When Marlene Cowley hires Spenser to find out if her spouse Trent is cheating on her, he encounters a lot more than he bargained for: not merely does he look for a two-timing hubby, but another investigator aswell, hired with the hubby to provide for his wife. Due to their joint efforts, Spenser soon discovers himself investigating both individual depravity and corporate and business corruption.

It seems the folks in the Cowleys’ circle have become enamored of radio chat show host Darrin O’Mara, whose sights on Courtly Like are clouding some currently fuzzy thoughts with the notion of cross-connubial human relationships. O’Mara’s brand of sex therapy is normally unconventional at best, unlawful–and deadly–at worst. A murder at Kinergy, where Trent Cowley is certainly CFO, sends Spenser in yet another path. Evidently, the unfettered pursuit of profit has a price.

With razor sharp characterizations and finely honed prose, that is Parker on the height of his capabilities.