Who is Spenser from A Savage Place: A Spenser Novel and what is their importance?

Spenser is a private investigator who works out of Boston. Spenser gets a call from a television reporter who got his number from a previous client. The reporter, Candy Sloan, wants to hire Spenser to act as a bodyguard while she investigates corruption in the movie industry. Spenser immediately flies out to Los Angeles where Candy puts him up in a local hotel. The next day Spenser learns that Candy was attacked by a couple of thugs, beat up, and warned to stay away from the corruption story. However, Candy is more determined than ever to work the story.