While the Spenser novels, after the first one, The Godwulf Manuscript (1973), could be viewed as a series of sequels, each one also stands on its own merits, and each one is a novel in the full sense of the word, not just a detective novel. Parker's genius is shown in his ability to maintain a strong central character through a series of entertaining novels and at the same time to create other believable characters and wide variations in storylines so that his novels can be read singly and enjoyed just as much as when a reader is familiar with all of them.

Hugger Mugger is related to all the other Spenser novels, of course, in the sense that it continues the story of Spenser and Susan while introducing the stories of other characters, but it is especially related to two recent Spenser novels, Hush Money (1999) and...