With the new killings the police ask Phil, now retired, to assist them in the case. Phil calls upon his daughter, Sunny, now a private investigator, to join him. Sunny soon identifies the most likely suspect and begins to play him in an attempt to find the evidence to capture him. The killings continue, but now the victims all bear a resemblance to Sunny. Against her father's admonitions to drop the case she is determined to catch the killer.

Spare Change is an excellent police procedural, written in Parker's smooth style. There is depth in the character development with an exploration of Sunny's relationships with her father, her mother, her sister, and of her relationship with her ex-husband for whom she still carries a torch. We meet again a recurring Parker character, Susan Silverman, from previous series. There is much bantering byplay which helps to lessen the tension of the cat and mouse action. The final solution comes as an unexpected surprise.

This is a stellar addition to Parker's already engrossing novels.