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Spenser #12
A Catskill Eagle
Susan's letter came from California: Hawk was in jail, and she was on the run. Twenty-four hours later, Hawk is free, because Spenser has sprung him loose—for a brutal cross-country journey back to the East Coast. Now the two men are on a violent ride to find the woman Spenser loves, the man who took her, and the shocking reason so many people had to die. . . .
Praise for A Catskill Eagle
“Entertaining.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune
“His best mystery novel.”—Time
Praise for A Catskill Eagle
“Entertaining.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune
“His best mystery novel.”—Time
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
595 people are currently reading
1377 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
489 books2,293 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 414 reviews
February 26, 2019
For years I believed it was here, at #12 in the series—almost one-third of the way through Parker’s Spenser books—that the rot began to set in. Reading it again now, thirty years later, I find A Catskill Eagle to be an entertaining narrative filled with surprises and ending in a satisfying conclusion.
Still, I haven’t changed my mind about the rot. This review is my attempt to say why.
Parker’s never excelled in constructing puzzles, which was always okay with me, since those Clue/ Agatha Christie type books were never my favorites. Still, I believe a good mystery requires some suspense about precisely where the evil is coming from, and then about what exactly must be done to eliminate it, or—at the least—to protect the weak from its attacks.
In Spenser novels, the source of the evil is often quickly discovered—perhaps too quickly—and the puzzle of the book consists in what methods should be adopted for its elimination and for the protection of the vulnerable. (What made some of the early books so unusual—and contemporary—was that the evil was so embedded in social structures that it could not be eliminated, and even its containment and the victims' protection from it often required sketchy methods and questionable moral decisions. Early Autumn and Ceremony are excellent example of this type.)
So, since there’s not much suspense, what fills the books instead? Superb description in a witty narrative voice, rock ‘em sock ‘em action, and talk… lots of talk. The talk falls into three groups: 1) wisecracking banter between adversaries or wary allies, 2) sharp discussions about morality and social mores, and 3) earnest discussions between Spenser and gal-pal Susan about the nature of their relationship. The first is laconic, expert and always compelling, the second is often informative and illuminates character, and the third—well, the third—quickly becomes tedious, and is probably the worst thing about the series.
In A Catskill Eagle there is no mystery to solve and no client. On the first page, Spenser learns that Hawk is in jail for murder and Susan is in trouble, and that he must fly out to California to rescue them. The entire book is the tale of a knight who rescues a “princess from the tower” (a phrase used more than once in the book), filled with Freudian dialogue led by Susan (about why she left him for this obvious jerk of a boyfriend) and an embarrassingly Jungian/Campbellian plot in which Spenser literally enters a dark cavern under the earth and emerges in the bedroom of the boyfriend’s mother. (It reminded me of Beowulf, but not in a good way).
Still, the action is good, the book really moves, and some of the vignettes are fine, particular the parts involving Hawk: Spenser’s breaking Hawk out of jail, Hawk’s making it clear to Rachel Wallace that he is definitely not a sidekick, and Hawk and Spenser negotiating with the leader of a Vietnamese work crew in order to foment a rebellion.
Yes, the book is good, but all the elements are here that will lead to the bad books to come: the absence of real plot, the reliance on action and Hollywood action movie cliches as a substitute, and Susan-Susan-Susan. All the time.
February 6, 2010
In the previous book in the series, Valediction, Susan had left Spenser to take a job in San Francisco, partially because she said that she needed some time alone because she’d always defined herself as someone’s daughter, wife, girlfriend, etc. and Spenser’s idealization of her had become overwhelming. That explanation might have held more water if she also didn’t admit that she’d been cheating on him for some time before she left and is still seeing the guy. But Spenser has committed himself to his idea of true love for Susan, so he’ll continue to do anything for her no matter what she‘s done. It’s not the healthiest of relationships.
Spenser gets a brief note in the mail from Susan stating that she’s in trouble, and that Hawk is in jail in a small town in California after trying to help her. If I had a former girlfriend who had dumped and cheated on me, and she’d gotten my best friend involved in something behind my back that got him arrested, I might go bail my buddy out of jail. I’d definitely hold it over his head for the rest of his life, and there’s no way on god’s green earth I’d try to help her. I guess I’m either more petty or more realistic than Spenser. Take your pick.
But Spenser is Spenser and before you can say “America’s Most Wanted”, he’s flown out to California and broken Hawk out of jail. It turns out that Susan’s new guy, Russell, is the son of super-wealthy Jerry Costigan. Russell and Susan have had a weird kind of co-dependent relationship, and when Susan couldn’t completely let got of Spenser, he got possessive. Susan had turned to Hawk for help to get away, but the Costigans had a set-up ready and got Hawk jailed. Now he has Susan, and it’s unclear whether she’s there of her own free will.
On the run, Spenser and Hawk will have to do a lot of very illegal and fairly nasty things to survive, and Spenser is willing to throw his usual rules out the window to get Susan back. It turns out that Jerry Costigan apparently thinks he’s a villain in a James Bond movie with his own private Blackwater-style army and hidden bases all over the country. He’s also too much of a right-wing nut job for even the Reagan-era U.S. government, and the CIA offers to get Spenser and Hawk off the hook with the cops if they’ll ‘take care’ of Jerry. Spenser is so desperate to find Susan that he’ll make a deal with any devil, and he’s soon asking friends and former clients for help, too.
This is a pretty outlandish plot for the usually more grounded Spenser stories, but it was the mid-’80s so it’s not too surprising that Parker embraced a big action story when it came time to resolve the Spenser and Susan saga. The plot is brisk and Spenser and Hawk are at their violent smart-ass best as fugitives.
The problem here is that it’s how you feel about Susan that’s going to determine how much you like the book. There’s a real Helen-of-Troy thing going on where Spenser and all his friends are willing to go to war to save Susan, but I don’t see where she’s earned that devotion. In the earlier books, she’s smart, sexy and funny, and you understand why Spenser loves her. But it’s not like she’s cured cancer or done anything except be Spenser’s girlfriend. Yet even the unsentimental Hawk is willing to throw his life away for her.
Plus, a large number of people are hurt and killed in this little war between Spenser and Russell, yet everyone still acts like it’s Susan’s psychological well-being that is the most important thing in the world. Even after all the chaos and carnage, she still has issues letting go of Russell or Spenser, and everyone treats her like a fragile little flower instead of demanding that she take some responsibility for the situation she’s created and help end it.
The other issue is that after this, Parker stopped taking chances with the series, and locks down the Spenser formula. Until now, Spenser has had cases and issues that have caused him real ethical dilemmas. He’s failed at times, and gotten depressed and angry, or done things he’s not proud of. After this point, it’s mostly stoic Spenser, who is quietly sure of the right thing to do and doesn’t fail or compromise. It gets boring quickly.
Worse, Susan and Spenser quickly become smug and insufferable . They’ll never have anything but minor problems, and their delight at how perfect their love is makes me wish that some character would remind them of the body count that their happiness cost.
Parker was always open about how he and his wife nearly split during this time, and that she had an affair. They reconciled, but it’s obvious that he never really got over it. He did some good Spenser novels and other work after this point. But from now on, almost all the protagonists are stoic individuals whose main character trait is that they are exceptionally ‘still and quiet’. The theme of a ‘good’ man who loves a ‘bad’ woman will be repeated over and over.
We’d never again get a great Spenser novel. The best of them would be shadows of what he delivered in the first thirteen Spenser books. But I went back through these early Spenser books to praise Parker for what he did, not bitch about what he failed to do later. It’d been ten or fifteen years since I’d read the early books, and it was a pleasant surprise to be reminded how much I enjoyed Parker when he was still on top of his game.
Next up: Spenser tries to tame a seahorse in Taming A Sea-Horse.
Spenser gets a brief note in the mail from Susan stating that she’s in trouble, and that Hawk is in jail in a small town in California after trying to help her. If I had a former girlfriend who had dumped and cheated on me, and she’d gotten my best friend involved in something behind my back that got him arrested, I might go bail my buddy out of jail. I’d definitely hold it over his head for the rest of his life, and there’s no way on god’s green earth I’d try to help her. I guess I’m either more petty or more realistic than Spenser. Take your pick.
But Spenser is Spenser and before you can say “America’s Most Wanted”, he’s flown out to California and broken Hawk out of jail. It turns out that Susan’s new guy, Russell, is the son of super-wealthy Jerry Costigan. Russell and Susan have had a weird kind of co-dependent relationship, and when Susan couldn’t completely let got of Spenser, he got possessive. Susan had turned to Hawk for help to get away, but the Costigans had a set-up ready and got Hawk jailed. Now he has Susan, and it’s unclear whether she’s there of her own free will.
On the run, Spenser and Hawk will have to do a lot of very illegal and fairly nasty things to survive, and Spenser is willing to throw his usual rules out the window to get Susan back. It turns out that Jerry Costigan apparently thinks he’s a villain in a James Bond movie with his own private Blackwater-style army and hidden bases all over the country. He’s also too much of a right-wing nut job for even the Reagan-era U.S. government, and the CIA offers to get Spenser and Hawk off the hook with the cops if they’ll ‘take care’ of Jerry. Spenser is so desperate to find Susan that he’ll make a deal with any devil, and he’s soon asking friends and former clients for help, too.
This is a pretty outlandish plot for the usually more grounded Spenser stories, but it was the mid-’80s so it’s not too surprising that Parker embraced a big action story when it came time to resolve the Spenser and Susan saga. The plot is brisk and Spenser and Hawk are at their violent smart-ass best as fugitives.
The problem here is that it’s how you feel about Susan that’s going to determine how much you like the book. There’s a real Helen-of-Troy thing going on where Spenser and all his friends are willing to go to war to save Susan, but I don’t see where she’s earned that devotion. In the earlier books, she’s smart, sexy and funny, and you understand why Spenser loves her. But it’s not like she’s cured cancer or done anything except be Spenser’s girlfriend. Yet even the unsentimental Hawk is willing to throw his life away for her.
Plus, a large number of people are hurt and killed in this little war between Spenser and Russell, yet everyone still acts like it’s Susan’s psychological well-being that is the most important thing in the world. Even after all the chaos and carnage, she still has issues letting go of Russell or Spenser, and everyone treats her like a fragile little flower instead of demanding that she take some responsibility for the situation she’s created and help end it.
The other issue is that after this, Parker stopped taking chances with the series, and locks down the Spenser formula. Until now, Spenser has had cases and issues that have caused him real ethical dilemmas. He’s failed at times, and gotten depressed and angry, or done things he’s not proud of. After this point, it’s mostly stoic Spenser, who is quietly sure of the right thing to do and doesn’t fail or compromise. It gets boring quickly.
Worse, Susan and Spenser quickly become smug and insufferable . They’ll never have anything but minor problems, and their delight at how perfect their love is makes me wish that some character would remind them of the body count that their happiness cost.
Parker was always open about how he and his wife nearly split during this time, and that she had an affair. They reconciled, but it’s obvious that he never really got over it. He did some good Spenser novels and other work after this point. But from now on, almost all the protagonists are stoic individuals whose main character trait is that they are exceptionally ‘still and quiet’. The theme of a ‘good’ man who loves a ‘bad’ woman will be repeated over and over.
We’d never again get a great Spenser novel. The best of them would be shadows of what he delivered in the first thirteen Spenser books. But I went back through these early Spenser books to praise Parker for what he did, not bitch about what he failed to do later. It’d been ten or fifteen years since I’d read the early books, and it was a pleasant surprise to be reminded how much I enjoyed Parker when he was still on top of his game.
Next up: Spenser tries to tame a seahorse in Taming A Sea-Horse.
November 5, 2024
This one is quite a bit different from the typical Spenser novels as he spends the entire book trying to track down his missing ex-girlfriend. Seems like a lot of people get killed and needlessly injured because Susan had a crisis and needed to go off and “find herself”.
September 5, 2010
It doesn't matter which Spenser novel you read--I suggest you start with the first one, Godwulf Manuscript. They all draw you into the fascinating, quick-moving world of Spenser, the PI. They're all short, easily read in a few days (in no small part because you won't want to stop). The early books introduce we the reader to the world of Spenser the PI, where he makes the rules, is honest and caring, but razer-edge sharp, where he was kicked out of the police force because he didn't take direction well, but as a PI, gets along well with his local police.
He's like a dog with a bone when he sinks his prodigious will into a case. Nothing stops him. The client may fire him, stop paying him. Bad guys can threaten him, but he won't stop until he's ready to stop. He's funny, clever, full of one-liners I had to write down. For example: "Pearl loped around my apartment, alert for something to chew." Pearl's his dog. "Pearl ran to the couch and got a pillow and shook it violently until it was dead, and came back to show us."
The early part of the series was pre-Susan (his forever girlfriend) and Hawk (his erstwhile sidekick). I didn't miss them until I met them, and then, for several of the books that I read out of order, the story was a little flat without their involvement.
Parker's Spenser has been called "the toughest funniest, wisest private eye in the field these days" and "one of the most engaging characters in contemporary American fiction." It's true. Read any of them--or all--and you'll agree.
He's like a dog with a bone when he sinks his prodigious will into a case. Nothing stops him. The client may fire him, stop paying him. Bad guys can threaten him, but he won't stop until he's ready to stop. He's funny, clever, full of one-liners I had to write down. For example: "Pearl loped around my apartment, alert for something to chew." Pearl's his dog. "Pearl ran to the couch and got a pillow and shook it violently until it was dead, and came back to show us."
The early part of the series was pre-Susan (his forever girlfriend) and Hawk (his erstwhile sidekick). I didn't miss them until I met them, and then, for several of the books that I read out of order, the story was a little flat without their involvement.
Parker's Spenser has been called "the toughest funniest, wisest private eye in the field these days" and "one of the most engaging characters in contemporary American fiction." It's true. Read any of them--or all--and you'll agree.
July 14, 2012
The 70's Spencer novels are wonderful. The first 7 or 8 books in the series are among the best detective novels I have read. Something happens to this series in the mid 80's though and in comes to a finale here in this terrible 80's action movie posing as a Spenser novel. The entire storyline is beyond belief. First, we are expected to feel sorry for Susan Silverman after she spends 3 books in a row acting like a selfish child. Then we are supposed to believe Spenser and Hawk would go to all this trouble and kill dozens of people to help Susan get in touch with her feelings. This book is appalling and unfortunately is the beginning of Susan and Spenser's relationship becoming so irritating in future books that you find yourself skipping the sections she appears in. There are some enjoyable stories to come in the series, but from here on its very much the same formula book after book.
January 21, 2021
This is part of a series but it can be read as a stand alone novel. In this one, Susan is in trouble with her new boyfriend and she asked Hawk for help. He gets into trouble and away goes Spenser to rescue both of them.
As you can tell by my rating I was disappointed by this offering. Instead of the usual blueprint for the Spenser novels we get a buddy cop pure action flick. I don't mind when an author tries new things in their work but not at the expense of the established characters. Unfortunately, this one was at the expense of the characters. There are some great things about this book. The Spenser and Hawk relationship shines in this book and often times put a smile on my face. I also know this was a difficult time for the author when he wrote this and it reflects in this book. I like it when an author puts their actual life experiences into their work. Sadly, that is all the positive I can say about this book. My biggest gripe was the change of character. What happened to Spenser who is the tough guy with a strong moral code? He totally went against it in this book. And Susan with her indecisiveness and wish washy way was a big disappointment. There is a lot of hate for Susan in this book and now I understand why.
It seemed like that Robert Parker saw that buddy cop movies were a huge success and he tried to implement that in this book. For me, it does not work for Spenser. I am hoping that the subsequent books go back to the original formula.
As you can tell by my rating I was disappointed by this offering. Instead of the usual blueprint for the Spenser novels we get a buddy cop pure action flick. I don't mind when an author tries new things in their work but not at the expense of the established characters. Unfortunately, this one was at the expense of the characters. There are some great things about this book. The Spenser and Hawk relationship shines in this book and often times put a smile on my face. I also know this was a difficult time for the author when he wrote this and it reflects in this book. I like it when an author puts their actual life experiences into their work. Sadly, that is all the positive I can say about this book. My biggest gripe was the change of character. What happened to Spenser who is the tough guy with a strong moral code? He totally went against it in this book. And Susan with her indecisiveness and wish washy way was a big disappointment. There is a lot of hate for Susan in this book and now I understand why.
It seemed like that Robert Parker saw that buddy cop movies were a huge success and he tried to implement that in this book. For me, it does not work for Spenser. I am hoping that the subsequent books go back to the original formula.
May 23, 2017
(The word "maroon" appears 4 times in this novel)
The single most important book of Parker's life. The end of his marriage, in many ways. Very sad, very poignant if you know of the collapse of Parker's marriage around the time this book (and the previous two) was written.
As I noted previously:
Parker and his wife, Joan, separated at one point but then came to an unusual arrangement. They lived in a three-story Victorian house just outside of Harvard Square; she lived on one floor and he on another, and they shared the middle floor. This living arrangement is mirrored in Spenser's private life: his girlfriend, Susan, had an aversion to marriage and living together full-time. Living separately suited them both, although they were fully committed to each other. Explaining the arrangement in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Parker said, "I want to make love to my wife for the rest of my life, but I never want to sleep with her again."
Sometimes in a relationship, life happens in ways that cannot be forgotten, or overcome.
The past is gone, and tomorrow is an illusion. There is only Now.
In this book, I found myself focused almost completely on the relationship between Spenser and Susan, the growth of Spenser's understanding of Susan's needs, and how those needs are ultimately tragic.
Susan is tied to a monster, a thug, a repeat killer, even as Spenser has grown and matured, become more self-aware, and aware of Susan's life needs. She loves him for very deep reasons, his integrity, his personal power and magnetism, but they tie into her psyche in partly destructive ways. To be in love with both Russell and with Spenser is a conflicted completion, trying to satisfy her needs from the best of both men, who are ultimately in conflict with each other. There can be no solution by choosing one over the other.
I feel that Susan chose Spenser because she realised that in the long term, Russell would be unreliable and self-destructive.
Parker presents the end of this book, and the events in his own life, as a resolution and a solution, a victory of shared effort. But he lied... Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Remember now that Parker said, "I want to make love to my wife for the rest of my life, but I never want to sleep with her again."
See my review of Crimson Joy for more Spenser Series opinion...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Notes -
91.0% "... the relationship between Spenser and Susan (Parker and wife Joan in real life) has, sadly, failed in a way that cannot be recovered now, I feel. A life together, in part, is possible from this point, but severely limited in joy. Very sad for our heroes, very sad for Parker and his wife."
60.0% "“...and there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar.” -Melville"
41.0% "... wow, nice save by a Parker, vis a vis legal repercussions, considering the number of deaths in the first half of the book."
12.0% "... wooohoooo right into the deep end again! I am beginning to like Hawk more. Do you think he's Spenser's id?"
The single most important book of Parker's life. The end of his marriage, in many ways. Very sad, very poignant if you know of the collapse of Parker's marriage around the time this book (and the previous two) was written.
As I noted previously:
Parker and his wife, Joan, separated at one point but then came to an unusual arrangement. They lived in a three-story Victorian house just outside of Harvard Square; she lived on one floor and he on another, and they shared the middle floor. This living arrangement is mirrored in Spenser's private life: his girlfriend, Susan, had an aversion to marriage and living together full-time. Living separately suited them both, although they were fully committed to each other. Explaining the arrangement in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Parker said, "I want to make love to my wife for the rest of my life, but I never want to sleep with her again."
Sometimes in a relationship, life happens in ways that cannot be forgotten, or overcome.
The past is gone, and tomorrow is an illusion. There is only Now.
In this book, I found myself focused almost completely on the relationship between Spenser and Susan, the growth of Spenser's understanding of Susan's needs, and how those needs are ultimately tragic.
Susan is tied to a monster, a thug, a repeat killer, even as Spenser has grown and matured, become more self-aware, and aware of Susan's life needs. She loves him for very deep reasons, his integrity, his personal power and magnetism, but they tie into her psyche in partly destructive ways. To be in love with both Russell and with Spenser is a conflicted completion, trying to satisfy her needs from the best of both men, who are ultimately in conflict with each other. There can be no solution by choosing one over the other.
I feel that Susan chose Spenser because she realised that in the long term, Russell would be unreliable and self-destructive.
Parker presents the end of this book, and the events in his own life, as a resolution and a solution, a victory of shared effort. But he lied... Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Remember now that Parker said, "I want to make love to my wife for the rest of my life, but I never want to sleep with her again."
See my review of Crimson Joy for more Spenser Series opinion...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Notes -
91.0% "... the relationship between Spenser and Susan (Parker and wife Joan in real life) has, sadly, failed in a way that cannot be recovered now, I feel. A life together, in part, is possible from this point, but severely limited in joy. Very sad for our heroes, very sad for Parker and his wife."
60.0% "“...and there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar.” -Melville"
41.0% "... wow, nice save by a Parker, vis a vis legal repercussions, considering the number of deaths in the first half of the book."
12.0% "... wooohoooo right into the deep end again! I am beginning to like Hawk more. Do you think he's Spenser's id?"
August 22, 2014
To me, a less intellectual and more physical Spenser. I enjoyed the action but found myself missing the cerebral guy. But that makes reading fun .... suprising our expectations.
April 22, 2020
This is the "biggest" Spenser plot I think I've read so far in this series. At least, it's big by the measure of its global significance. Spenser and Hawk are in deep, so deep that they need special governmental assistance to extricate themselves. And yet, somehow love is the all-important motive to solving the whole sticky situation. I loved it!
October 16, 2014
Holy crap. Am I the only one who wished Susan died a slow and agonizing death in this book? Spenser and Hawk were just barely worth the suffering.
I wish someone could explain how Susan could justify loving Spenser, the very embodiment of a morally driven person who tries to do the right thing and also Russell, the shallow, dirtbag, cheating on his wife, son of one of the biggest sleazeballs on Earth. Susan is clearly playing Grace, Russel's mother, in that relationship and Grace is "the worm in the apple." Doesn't that make Susan the worm in the apple too? How can Spenser, Hawk, Rachel, etc not see this and continue to worship her without condition?
The fact that Spenser chose to stay with Susan really sullies his character for me. I mean he shoots a couple of guys to protect two prostitutes from possible harm but has no qualms about beating and killing numerous people so Susan doesn't have to make a "tough" decision? Not in character at all for Spenser and not sure I can handle reading the next books with Susan and Spenser merrily back together.
I wish someone could explain how Susan could justify loving Spenser, the very embodiment of a morally driven person who tries to do the right thing and also Russell, the shallow, dirtbag, cheating on his wife, son of one of the biggest sleazeballs on Earth. Susan is clearly playing Grace, Russel's mother, in that relationship and Grace is "the worm in the apple." Doesn't that make Susan the worm in the apple too? How can Spenser, Hawk, Rachel, etc not see this and continue to worship her without condition?
The fact that Spenser chose to stay with Susan really sullies his character for me. I mean he shoots a couple of guys to protect two prostitutes from possible harm but has no qualms about beating and killing numerous people so Susan doesn't have to make a "tough" decision? Not in character at all for Spenser and not sure I can handle reading the next books with Susan and Spenser merrily back together.
December 9, 2025
Spenser lost his sense of right and wrong and crossed the line into criminal behavior.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2016
This 12th in Parker’s original 39-book Spenser set is flawed by the entire premise that Spenser and Hawk would go out to San Francisco to rescue Susan from her “boyfriend” Russell Costigan, despite avowing her “love” for our hero. Hawk goes out first and gets setup by thugs, killing one in the process; and thus is promptly jailed. When Spenser gets a short note from Susan saying she and Hawk need help, out he goes and successfully jailbreaks Hawk. Thereafter, the two friends maim and kill all manner of supposed bad guys all for their commitment to, perversely, a hardly committed Susan. Apparently the moral code that ordinarily endears us to these two protagonists goes totally out the window in this therefore disquietly unappealing story.
Those that wonder why Susan warrants all this would certainly be on target – not to mention the worship she will foster from Spenser throughout all the rest of the set, despite their decision not to marry but just be totally committed lovers. That Susan has so many psychological hang-ups (she is seeing a shrink regularly in “Eagle”) is almost too perverse given her Harvard PhD in Psychology, a fact mentioned ad nausea hereafter throughout the set.
Those things don’t sit well with us – and despite a modicum of suspense involved in the “rescue”, we aren’t buyers. Indeed, Susan will become to us a rather tiresome presence in the 27 books to follow!
Those that wonder why Susan warrants all this would certainly be on target – not to mention the worship she will foster from Spenser throughout all the rest of the set, despite their decision not to marry but just be totally committed lovers. That Susan has so many psychological hang-ups (she is seeing a shrink regularly in “Eagle”) is almost too perverse given her Harvard PhD in Psychology, a fact mentioned ad nausea hereafter throughout the set.
Those things don’t sit well with us – and despite a modicum of suspense involved in the “rescue”, we aren’t buyers. Indeed, Susan will become to us a rather tiresome presence in the 27 books to follow!
February 13, 2016
Spenser and Hawk go to rescue Spenser's love Susan who is seemingly under the control of a rich, powerful new love in her life and the ensuing body count is significant. Susan, with her Ph.D. now from Harvard in clinical psychology has chosen to take a job in San Francisco, is involved with married man who helped find her new job, and won't give Spenser her address and yet calls him regularly talking of her continued love for him. Spenser remains doggedly, depressingly, blindly devoted in his love for Susan. Frankly, the best thing about this book is the bantering friendship between Spenser and Hawk.
I've heard it said that people choose their careers to save their own souls. Clearly Susan has followed this model. She and Spenser are well into their adulthood. Susan, however, is struggling to understand who she is - as not defined by others (particularly men). Ah, 60s women. She's in therapy, but there is no mention of any major trauma such as being abused as a child, etc. that she is dealing with. Good grief, she just completed her Ph.D. from Harvard in the 1980s and she still lacks interpersonal skills and confidence. I kept thinking that Spenser is such a depressing sucker to continue a relationship with this messed up woman who keeps blowing hot and cold and that Susan is such a selfish, self-centered good-looking bitch (pardon my language) who is sleeping with another woman's husband (and this seems not to bother her at all) and keeping a devoted man dangling with love talk while sleeping with the other guy whom she tells Spenser she also loves during their long-distance calls. And even more annoying, in the end, we discover she wasn't even really a captive. It was her choice to go with the other guy AND a large number of people are injured or die because of her choices. But as in real life, people can also be this dysfunctional - so kudos to the author for capturing this. But it is still annoying. Spenser should cut bait and move on - but sadly, as in real life, we know he won't.
And we'll just leave the government arranged/sanctioned murder of U.S. citizens on the sideline without further comment.... -not to mention the way that Asians are referred to in the book (offensive dated language).
I've heard it said that people choose their careers to save their own souls. Clearly Susan has followed this model. She and Spenser are well into their adulthood. Susan, however, is struggling to understand who she is - as not defined by others (particularly men). Ah, 60s women. She's in therapy, but there is no mention of any major trauma such as being abused as a child, etc. that she is dealing with. Good grief, she just completed her Ph.D. from Harvard in the 1980s and she still lacks interpersonal skills and confidence. I kept thinking that Spenser is such a depressing sucker to continue a relationship with this messed up woman who keeps blowing hot and cold and that Susan is such a selfish, self-centered good-looking bitch (pardon my language) who is sleeping with another woman's husband (and this seems not to bother her at all) and keeping a devoted man dangling with love talk while sleeping with the other guy whom she tells Spenser she also loves during their long-distance calls. And even more annoying, in the end, we discover she wasn't even really a captive. It was her choice to go with the other guy AND a large number of people are injured or die because of her choices. But as in real life, people can also be this dysfunctional - so kudos to the author for capturing this. But it is still annoying. Spenser should cut bait and move on - but sadly, as in real life, we know he won't.
And we'll just leave the government arranged/sanctioned murder of U.S. citizens on the sideline without further comment.... -not to mention the way that Asians are referred to in the book (offensive dated language).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2019
First published in 1987, Spenser goes full-80s action hero here. This brings a conclusion to a thread that's been running through the last few books, and although it's all a bit messy, it's just a pleasure to enjoy Spenser and Hawk laying waste to baddies left, right and centre.
This was my first Spenser. I picked it up out of boredom, during a family holiday to Spain. I think I was about 12, and the resort didn't have a lot for a kid my age to do to stay out of trouble. My dad (who was a Parker fan) had brought this along as a holiday read. I'm pretty sure a lot of it would have went over my head back then, but nevertheless, i was a goner.
Spenser receives a brief, panicky letter from Susan, in California, who he's been estranged from for a while, saying that she needs his help, and that Hawk is in jail over there. He hatches a plot to bust Hawk out of the small town jail, and together the outlaws go about trying to 'rescue' Susan from the clutches of dangerous playboy type Russell Costigan, son of one of America's richest men. No mean feat, since the Costigans have their own private army. The bodies soon start to pile up, and Spenser is forced to dance with the devil when a CIA operative offers to clear his, and Hawk's record... at a cost.
There are some huge problems with this story, and Susan, who I usually defend, is extremely annoying here. Still, the action is relentless, and we're introduced to the mysterious CIA agent, Ives. You never forget your first love, and this one will always have a special place in my heart.
This was my first Spenser. I picked it up out of boredom, during a family holiday to Spain. I think I was about 12, and the resort didn't have a lot for a kid my age to do to stay out of trouble. My dad (who was a Parker fan) had brought this along as a holiday read. I'm pretty sure a lot of it would have went over my head back then, but nevertheless, i was a goner.
Spenser receives a brief, panicky letter from Susan, in California, who he's been estranged from for a while, saying that she needs his help, and that Hawk is in jail over there. He hatches a plot to bust Hawk out of the small town jail, and together the outlaws go about trying to 'rescue' Susan from the clutches of dangerous playboy type Russell Costigan, son of one of America's richest men. No mean feat, since the Costigans have their own private army. The bodies soon start to pile up, and Spenser is forced to dance with the devil when a CIA operative offers to clear his, and Hawk's record... at a cost.
There are some huge problems with this story, and Susan, who I usually defend, is extremely annoying here. Still, the action is relentless, and we're introduced to the mysterious CIA agent, Ives. You never forget your first love, and this one will always have a special place in my heart.
August 11, 2013
3 ½ stars. This had more action than most of his books, and it was good action. I enjoyed it. Although, it did not have as much humor and wit as the early books.
The major flaw for me was Susan’s motivations and actions described in Spoiler below. In the previous book (#11), she left Spenser to “find herself” - my words. She dates Russell Costigan, a married man. Russell’s father is one of the richest men in the world, dealing in guns and mercenary armies. Even though I didn’t like the spoiler issues, it was still a pretty good story. The Hawk and Spenser partnership is good.
The narrator Michael Prichard was very good.
DATA:
This is book #12 in the Spenser series.
Narrative mode: 1st person Spenser. Unabridged audiobook length: 6 hrs and 46 mins (384 pages). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words and a racial slur, but rarely used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one referred to no details. Setting: current day various U.S. locations. Book copyright: 1985. Genre: PI mystery.
The major flaw for me was Susan’s motivations and actions described in Spoiler below. In the previous book (#11), she left Spenser to “find herself” - my words. She dates Russell Costigan, a married man. Russell’s father is one of the richest men in the world, dealing in guns and mercenary armies. Even though I didn’t like the spoiler issues, it was still a pretty good story. The Hawk and Spenser partnership is good.
The narrator Michael Prichard was very good.
DATA:
This is book #12 in the Spenser series.
Narrative mode: 1st person Spenser. Unabridged audiobook length: 6 hrs and 46 mins (384 pages). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words and a racial slur, but rarely used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one referred to no details. Setting: current day various U.S. locations. Book copyright: 1985. Genre: PI mystery.
September 11, 2016
This is the 12th book from Parker's Spenser series.
This one goes through a patterned plot-Spenser and Hawk go to various places to rescue Susan Silverman from her boyfriend, Russell Costigan and his family; break into the place; kill some people; realize Susan isn't there and move on to the next place. I feel like Parker could have kept doing this till he had written enough pages to end the book by Spenser rescuing Susan.
In the previous book, Susan had moved to San Francisco for a new job and stopped seeing Spenser. Turns out it was a boyfriend, not a job that led her to SF. Susan, who is still trying to find herself, calls Hawk and asks him to help her leave Russell. Hawk heads out there, murders some people and gets arrested by cops who are basically on the Costigan payroll. Susan then mails Spenser a letter asking him to help Hawk get out of jail. The adventure begins.
Lots of killing in this one. Remember when Spenser wouldn't kill anyone unless he had to. Not anymore. In fact, Spenser and Hawk are basically hired to kill Russell's father by the FBI.
After looking for Susan and killing a bunch of people in California and Washington, Spenser and Hawk head to Idaho where they find the Costigan family and Susan. They liberate Susan but is that what she wants? Does she still love Russell? Does she love Spenser? This girl be messed up in the head. She can't make up her mind. Spenser is very patient with her through it all.
This one goes through a patterned plot-Spenser and Hawk go to various places to rescue Susan Silverman from her boyfriend, Russell Costigan and his family; break into the place; kill some people; realize Susan isn't there and move on to the next place. I feel like Parker could have kept doing this till he had written enough pages to end the book by Spenser rescuing Susan.
In the previous book, Susan had moved to San Francisco for a new job and stopped seeing Spenser. Turns out it was a boyfriend, not a job that led her to SF. Susan, who is still trying to find herself, calls Hawk and asks him to help her leave Russell. Hawk heads out there, murders some people and gets arrested by cops who are basically on the Costigan payroll. Susan then mails Spenser a letter asking him to help Hawk get out of jail. The adventure begins.
Lots of killing in this one. Remember when Spenser wouldn't kill anyone unless he had to. Not anymore. In fact, Spenser and Hawk are basically hired to kill Russell's father by the FBI.
After looking for Susan and killing a bunch of people in California and Washington, Spenser and Hawk head to Idaho where they find the Costigan family and Susan. They liberate Susan but is that what she wants? Does she still love Russell? Does she love Spenser? This girl be messed up in the head. She can't make up her mind. Spenser is very patient with her through it all.
December 11, 2021
I really hope this book is the end of the whole Susan/Spencer dilemma it is becoming really annoying. Still I do love Spence and Hawk so I will read the next novel in this series.
September 11, 2025
not very good. not one of his best Spenser mystery.
June 21, 2024
Spenser and Hawk go to a lot of trouble to retrieve Susan from her unfortunate relationship with the spoiled son of a major gunrunner who is more or less holding her against her will, confused as it is. The novel is at the end of the four-novel sequence in which Susan comes to terms with her dependence on males and proves it by being dependent on two men at the same time. Spenser suffers the tortures of the damned during the process and shows it by hurting and killing a lot of people who obstruct his retrieval of Susan. Hawk helps mightily, and Quirk and Belsen either abet the two righteous thugs or look the other way while they cut down their opponents. The several books in the sequence rack up the highest body count in the series, none higher than in this one. Still, it's all in a good cause, and Spenser and Susan's relationship will be the better for it. The writing is fine, except for the racial shuck and jive between Spenser and Hawk, and the descriptive passages are quite good. The book represents the end of the hard-edged part of the series (alas), and leads to a somewhat gentler Spenser and to increasingly irritating conversations with Susan about the nature of manhood. There would be occasional resurrections of the tough-as-nails Spenser (e.g., "Small Vices"), but the books are much more relationally oriented after this one.
It's hard not to notice that Susan carries much of the moral responsibility for the mayhem that Spenser, Hawk, and their opponents create in this book. Her Hamlet routine comes with quite a body bill this time around.
It's hard not to notice that Susan carries much of the moral responsibility for the mayhem that Spenser, Hawk, and their opponents create in this book. Her Hamlet routine comes with quite a body bill this time around.
December 10, 2020
Dec 2020 I ts been 7 years since I revisited Spencer. Still a favorite.
re-read it 2013 August. I liked it more the first time but still enjoyed it 4 years later.
march2009
5 stars just for audacity!!
just started it. Wonderfull Melville quote: "And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. and even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar."
Just finished: WONDERFULLY OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
This is soooo farfetched. Each chapter getss more outrageous.
Interesting blending of morality and the graying of morality... by doing what the bad guys do, have the good guys turned into bad guys?
re-read it 2013 August. I liked it more the first time but still enjoyed it 4 years later.
march2009
5 stars just for audacity!!
just started it. Wonderfull Melville quote: "And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. and even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar."
Just finished: WONDERFULLY OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
This is soooo farfetched. Each chapter getss more outrageous.
Interesting blending of morality and the graying of morality... by doing what the bad guys do, have the good guys turned into bad guys?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2017
Not a good period for the series. A Catskill Eagle is a shockingly bloated Spenser outing that finds Parker tossing everything, including the kitchen sink, into a barely comprehensible narrative seemingly ripped from slambangin' Hollywood blockbusters. Comparing A Catskill Eagle with earlier classics in the series like Moral Stakes is illustrative of what a fallow period this is for Parker's writing. The best advice a reader can be given about this novel is don't think too hard and judge it on its own rather than in the context of a long series or a writer's career. It's likely a tolerable time passer when viewed in such a way.
December 20, 2011
This is Robert Parker's masterpiece. It is easily the best of all the Spenser novels (and many of them are very, very good).
The characters are nuanced, there are many shades of grey, yet Parker's wonderful wit is still there.
This is the Spenser novel that should have been made into a feature film.....
The characters are nuanced, there are many shades of grey, yet Parker's wonderful wit is still there.
This is the Spenser novel that should have been made into a feature film.....
June 19, 2018
Hawk shouldn't be there in the first place and this book shouldn't even exist.
December 30, 2019
Too much Susan - she is the worst
April 20, 2024
This is going to be a long review AND spoilery. I need to get my hate and aggression out for Susan lol 😆
Here we go….This book is basically Hawk and Spenser rescuing Susan from herself. She is VERY selfish and I had hoped she would get killed but unfortunately she lives. Ugh.
Susan is a dumb bitch. Spenser rescues her and she still wants to keep Russell on the side (the guy who kidnapped her!!) and Spenser. I will NEVER respect her after this book. I know she’s in the rest of the series but every book I’ll pray that she dies. I’ll kill her in my mind every book. Ughhhhhhh so ughhhhh. Spenser finally gets a back bone though and says this “You can’t have us both,” I said. “I’d be pleased to spend the rest of my life working on this relationship. That includes the damage your childhood did you, the damage I did you. But it doesn’t include Russell. He goes or I do.” “You’ll leave me?” Susan said. “Yes,” I said. “If I don’t give up Russell?” “Absolutely.”
Having Rachel Wallace in this book provided some levity and clarity like this part…
“He commands loyalty,” she said, “doesn’t he?” “Spenser?” Hawk said. “Yes,” Rachel Wallace said. “Here you are, and here I am.” She drank some of her Scotch. “Remarkable,” she said.”
I hate Susan with the passion of a thousand fire-y suns ☄️☄️☄️☄️
This part ugh… ““New physical scars,” Susan said. “Here.” She traced the healed bullet wounds in my chest. “A young woman shot me,” I said, “last year.” “And you never told me?” “No need,” I said. “Was it bad?” “Yes,” I said. “Almost killed me.” Susan put her head against my shoulder.” Yes, Susan while you were off fucking Russell, Spenser was fighting for his life. Hawk saved him AND is the real soulmate to Spenser. Their unbreakable friendship bond is with out parallels.
Here we go….This book is basically Hawk and Spenser rescuing Susan from herself. She is VERY selfish and I had hoped she would get killed but unfortunately she lives. Ugh.
Susan is a dumb bitch. Spenser rescues her and she still wants to keep Russell on the side (the guy who kidnapped her!!) and Spenser. I will NEVER respect her after this book. I know she’s in the rest of the series but every book I’ll pray that she dies. I’ll kill her in my mind every book. Ughhhhhhh so ughhhhh. Spenser finally gets a back bone though and says this “You can’t have us both,” I said. “I’d be pleased to spend the rest of my life working on this relationship. That includes the damage your childhood did you, the damage I did you. But it doesn’t include Russell. He goes or I do.” “You’ll leave me?” Susan said. “Yes,” I said. “If I don’t give up Russell?” “Absolutely.”
Having Rachel Wallace in this book provided some levity and clarity like this part…
“He commands loyalty,” she said, “doesn’t he?” “Spenser?” Hawk said. “Yes,” Rachel Wallace said. “Here you are, and here I am.” She drank some of her Scotch. “Remarkable,” she said.”
I hate Susan with the passion of a thousand fire-y suns ☄️☄️☄️☄️
This part ugh… ““New physical scars,” Susan said. “Here.” She traced the healed bullet wounds in my chest. “A young woman shot me,” I said, “last year.” “And you never told me?” “No need,” I said. “Was it bad?” “Yes,” I said. “Almost killed me.” Susan put her head against my shoulder.” Yes, Susan while you were off fucking Russell, Spenser was fighting for his life. Hawk saved him AND is the real soulmate to Spenser. Their unbreakable friendship bond is with out parallels.
May 2, 2017
This is an older Spenser novel, #12, actually, 1985, even before cell phones were so prevalent. It seems odd to read about them looking for a phone booth to make a call, but we all did it.
Spenser's lady-love, the shrink Susan, has taken up with another man, which seems so out of character for her. Apparently it happened during a falling out with Spenser and the guy she's with is of questionable character. She wants to leave him to think about her situation. She is in love with two men. Spenser and the new guy, Russell. Russell however, won't let her leave him and whisks her away. Susan manages to get a letter to Hawk, asking for rescue assistance. Russell is very wealthy and his father even more so, with many places they can escape to, and many hired guns to protect them and their shady business.
But never fear, Hawk and Spence are on the trail and this has enough twists and turns to keep you entertained as you accompany them on their mission.
All Spenser fans should read this one, as it gives you some background on the main characters, Spenser and Susan, and what makes them click. I learned things about Spenser that I never knew, like that he was raised in an all-male household by his father and two maternal uncles. He learned to cook as a youngster, helping out in this "male family" which is what whetted his appetite, (pun intended) for cooking, and contributed to his enjoyment and skills in the kitchen.
I went on to read "Pastime" after this one, which also gives us readers glimpses into Spenser's growing up years. He is an interesting guy, but in this one Susan is the one that surprised me, taking up with this Russell character.
Spenser's lady-love, the shrink Susan, has taken up with another man, which seems so out of character for her. Apparently it happened during a falling out with Spenser and the guy she's with is of questionable character. She wants to leave him to think about her situation. She is in love with two men. Spenser and the new guy, Russell. Russell however, won't let her leave him and whisks her away. Susan manages to get a letter to Hawk, asking for rescue assistance. Russell is very wealthy and his father even more so, with many places they can escape to, and many hired guns to protect them and their shady business.
But never fear, Hawk and Spence are on the trail and this has enough twists and turns to keep you entertained as you accompany them on their mission.
All Spenser fans should read this one, as it gives you some background on the main characters, Spenser and Susan, and what makes them click. I learned things about Spenser that I never knew, like that he was raised in an all-male household by his father and two maternal uncles. He learned to cook as a youngster, helping out in this "male family" which is what whetted his appetite, (pun intended) for cooking, and contributed to his enjoyment and skills in the kitchen.
I went on to read "Pastime" after this one, which also gives us readers glimpses into Spenser's growing up years. He is an interesting guy, but in this one Susan is the one that surprised me, taking up with this Russell character.
November 1, 2018
It was a hard book to judge. On one hand the plot was awesome, the characters continue to amaze, and the chemistry of Spenser and Hawk still makes me laugh. On the other hand the relationship drama between Spenser and Susan still puts me off. With a lot of the drama still making no sense to me.
November 26, 2020
Many people have bashed this book in the Spenser series for good reason. While the action is good and the plot forgivably forced, the relationship between Spenser and Susan is not so simply overlooked.
I won't ruin plot other than to say that Parker's understanding of abusive relationships is flawed.
I won't ruin plot other than to say that Parker's understanding of abusive relationships is flawed.
February 21, 2016
As a long time fan of the Spenser books, the ones that cover Susan and Spenser's separation are the worst, in my opinion. It's just too hard to believe that a tough, autonomous guy like Spenser can be reduced to adolescent blubbering Jello by a narcissistic Jewish American Princess who has decided that she needs to get away from him and "find herself."
If she needs to "find herself," all well and good. The problem is Spenser's reaction to her absence. What's to like about Susan? Nothing. She's the most annoying character in all of detective fiction. She's anal retentive about her looks; her appetite for food is nonexistent, because God forbid she should gain an ounce of weight; and her favorite activity is shopping for expensive clothes.
So in this book, it's the old Damsel in Distress routine, as Spenser and Hawk determinedly shoot and maim their way through a pantheon of bad guys to "rescue" Susan from a guy she deliberately had an affair with. She is completely undeserving of their efforts.
I've always wondered what Parker was thinking when he conceived the Susan character. Was he trying to show us that Spenser has a soft, romantic side? If so, why not give Spenser a woman who is worthy of him, rather than a spoiled, whining beauty queen who contributes nothing to his life?
There are many great, strong women characters throughout this genre who are worthy of our respect. But Susan is not one of them.
Anyway, I give the book three stars because it's always fun to see Spenser and Hawk working together. There's plenty of action, for sure. But the basic premise of the story is just silly. Spenser violates his code of ethics and wantonly kills and beats people throughout the book, just to save Susan from a situation that she created herself. I'm not buying it.
And by the way, the "witty dialogue" that the Spenser books are so well known for takes place between Spenser and the cops, Spenser and Hawk, and Spencer and the bad guys, but not between Spenser and Susan. When these two converse, the dialogue is inevitably reduced to reminders that she has a Harvard degree. Who cares?
If she needs to "find herself," all well and good. The problem is Spenser's reaction to her absence. What's to like about Susan? Nothing. She's the most annoying character in all of detective fiction. She's anal retentive about her looks; her appetite for food is nonexistent, because God forbid she should gain an ounce of weight; and her favorite activity is shopping for expensive clothes.
So in this book, it's the old Damsel in Distress routine, as Spenser and Hawk determinedly shoot and maim their way through a pantheon of bad guys to "rescue" Susan from a guy she deliberately had an affair with. She is completely undeserving of their efforts.
I've always wondered what Parker was thinking when he conceived the Susan character. Was he trying to show us that Spenser has a soft, romantic side? If so, why not give Spenser a woman who is worthy of him, rather than a spoiled, whining beauty queen who contributes nothing to his life?
There are many great, strong women characters throughout this genre who are worthy of our respect. But Susan is not one of them.
Anyway, I give the book three stars because it's always fun to see Spenser and Hawk working together. There's plenty of action, for sure. But the basic premise of the story is just silly. Spenser violates his code of ethics and wantonly kills and beats people throughout the book, just to save Susan from a situation that she created herself. I'm not buying it.
And by the way, the "witty dialogue" that the Spenser books are so well known for takes place between Spenser and the cops, Spenser and Hawk, and Spencer and the bad guys, but not between Spenser and Susan. When these two converse, the dialogue is inevitably reduced to reminders that she has a Harvard degree. Who cares?
March 14, 2016
#12 in the Spenser series. Finalist 1986 Shamus Award for Best Novel.
Spenser novel - Susan, living in CA, has an affair with the possessive son of a billionaire arms dealer the CIA wants eliminated. Spenser and Hawk agree to kill him in return for help finding Susan and getting murder and jailbreak charges dropped.
Spenser novel - Susan, living in CA, has an affair with the possessive son of a billionaire arms dealer the CIA wants eliminated. Spenser and Hawk agree to kill him in return for help finding Susan and getting murder and jailbreak charges dropped.
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