Early Autumn

This—along with Mortal Stakes, Looking for Rachel Wallace, and Ceremony—is one of the best of the first dozen Spenser books, written in Robert B. Parker's finest period. Like the others, it deals with America's shifting values, and how a macho but moral hero—our Spenser—must make ambiguous ethical c......more

Spenser gets another peach of a client in this one. Patty Giacomin hires him to get her son, Paul, back from her husband, Mel. Patty and Mel had a nasty divorce, and they’ve made a game out of trying to keep Paul away from each other. Spenser doesn’t have much trouble finding the kid but is disturbe......more

This is the one to read if you're reading only one. Spenser is an acquired taste. You have to like the formula and the archetype and not be overly concerned by the built-in limitations imposed by both. For me, when done well it's like listening to a great old song: you know what's coming but there's......more

Loved this book but for different reasons than many of the other Spenser novels. As much as i enjoy a badass team up between Spenser and Hawk, i enjoyed it more for the relationship between Spenser and Paul. He forms a father/son relationship with the kid. He transforms a skinny prick of a kid into......more

This is, I think, the best of the Spenser mysteries. It presents the hero as a more fully rounded character with interests and talents outside the rote solving of crimes. His interaction with the boy who has been damaged by the actions of his divorced parents reveals not only the human behind the wi......more