There are books where the genesis of the title is obvious, like Green Eggs and Ham. There are books where the title is not immediately obvious, but is revealed in the reading, such as The Hunt for Red October or The Red Badge of Courage. Then there are books which, when finished, you are left scratching your head, wondering “where the heck did THAT title come from?” like Cry, The Beloved Country. Taming the Sea-Horse is one of those.
This is one of the series featuring Spenser as the very masculine PI with a heart of gold. This is the 15th in the series. If you love Spenser you will enjoy this one because he does all the Spenser-esque things that you love: punches the lights out on some bad guys, stands up to mobsters and other assorted cretins (example: he overpowers two would-be assassins, spray-paints their hair pink and sends them packing), wise-asses his way through some incredibly dangerous predicaments and, in the end, gets the girl. If you know Spenser you know that “getting the girl” does not involve sex as he is 100% monogamous and totally in love with his psychologist FWB, Susan, who he stumpfs innumerable times (which is the other reason he keeps in great shape). No, in this case the girl is a young hooker that he snatches from the clutches of some bad guys in New York who happen to have some Boston buddies. It is just the kind of thing a PI with a heart of gold would do.
The Spenser novels are all set in Boston, so if you like reading narratives involving real Boston locations and institutions, then you have another reason to like this book.
I like all those things so, despite my puzzlement over the title, I enjoyed this book very much. Not a deep plot, but a fun ride.
7 out of 10.
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