The bad kid from the 'hood has a long, long record, but did he really murder the white coed from ritzy Pemberton College? His former lawyers believe that he was framed, and they hire Spenser and Hawk to uncover the truth. Plumbing the depths of the seamy side of life, they encounter a no man's land of twisted cops and spoiled rich kids with peculiar private proclivities. When a master assassin's bullet takes Spenser down, he survives the attack but remains dead to the world, plotting to pay back his shooter while recovering his strength in secret. From the back streets of Boston to Manhattan's most elegant thoroughfares, Small Vices delivers both galvanizing action, suspense and a complex meditation on morality and mortality in the blend that legions of Spenser fans recognize and appreciate.