Early Autumn
admin | Dec 03, 2009 | 5 comments
- ISBN13: 9780440122142
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
A bitter divorce is only the beginning. First the father hires thugs to kidnap his son. Then the mother hires Spenser to get the boy back. But as soon as Spenser senses the lay of the land, he decides to do some kidnapping of his own.
With a contract out on his life, he heads for the Maine woods, determined to give a puny 15 year old a crash course in survival and to beat his dangerous opponents at their own brutal game.
$3.84
Early Autumn
Filed Under: Novels & References
I read this book for a class, yes a class, and in reading this book I had to look beyond the fact that my teacher has an infatuation with small boys in tights. I looked beyond that and tried to get into the story, but it seemed that the plot came out of an old Lassie Show. The authour has next to no writing skill, and he seems to keep pumping out books for the money. If you want to contribute to this quest, buy the book, if you are sane you won’t.
Rating: 1 / 5
Spenser’s sauntering, subtle swagger spoke volumes: “I’m restless and bored. What worthy chatter can I get into.” Applying that approach this time, Spenser had entered the literary construction, no Elvis implied. Imaginary settings of shuffling leaves skittered through Spenser’s hop, hip, and pause. The season was EARLY AUTUMN, but only in mood and theme. The plot opened in January.
Lighting the scene of Spenser’s recently seated new office location, a flickering female of many poses, the now famous Patty Giacomin, put an edge on Spenser’s curiosity and he began wondering (in essence) what caused X Chromosomes to grow gangrene. The plot pivoted around Patty for a while as Spenser rescued her lost son. In following scenes, the cat-like P. I. became curious about a 15-year-old stuck in a litany of shrugs. With no leeway to “lick em” Spenser joined Paul’s rap (no shrink intended). By the time Spenser had met, “saved,” and matched Paul Giacomin, I had been pleasantly warmed into “Do The Shrug Shuffle.”
Autumn was the symbolic season, but what was the reason for Spenser to further his feisty, full-of-it facade by adopting and growing a kid.
For me, teenage chemical chaos isn’t easy to cozy into (no wanna go back). But, Spenser sidled through Paul’s Sea of Sleazy and set up male bonding before a fish could flop. Read and watch the deceivingly easy maneuvers of Spenser’s pairing with Paul’s paused psyche. See a master at work, and a kid whose sour luck had just turned sweet, by simple, easy treats on Private Eye Lonely Street, which had suddenly lost the edge of ennui.
Spenser is Goooood.
Not so much “Good” as opposed to Evil (that, too), but good like, “What part of `cool’ do you understand.” This time Parker pulled my interest so smoothly I had zero chance for resistance, though I gave futility a phase. Around word four, I felt a flash of dread, “Are you gonna lose it this time, Parker?” The opening was so low key I had almost bought the boredom as my yawn instead of Spenser’s. Misconception wasn’t maintained past a few easy-flowing pages, and I hadn’t noticed when the flash bought the pan and the plot popped. Corn, anyone? (The yellow kernels would be mine, not Parker’s.)
Maybe it was Spenser’s study of Patty’s entry onto his “WS” mode of “All the world’s a stage” which had me fooled about Parker’s faked foibles. His sleuth’s female exorcism was so subtle I began flickering; which way would she would go, with character charisma condensation. But the bitters had been brewed by Patty’s “selfless” reaction (she was so solidified-on-centered there was no self) to Spenser’s success in bringing Paul home. Her character had clarified, then chilled as corrupt. Done. Jell-O, anyone? Future flickers would fumble and die, no where to hide.
As noted, I wasn’t ready to be sucked into the relationship between Paul and Spenser, but under Parker’s liquid-butter rap and rachet-up intrigue, ready or not didn’t matter. The quick slip into liking Paul was good enough for me. As hinted above, what got me there was Spenser first imitation of Paul’s shrugging shuffle, as Spenser timed his shoulders in synch, doing a duo. Recalling the way Parker wormed the reader into that capture makes me smile even now, as I type about it. I won’t forget about it. (In this case if Italian, it would be, “Fuhgeduhboudit.”)
Parker’s technique was so natural it would have been easy to miss what had just happened, which would have been fine, because the author had me hooked as simply as Spenser had Paul on the line. That technique did a neon-light-script around the advice, “If you can’t lick em join em.” Then RBP took the thought behind the color highlight, bounced and twirled it, dropped it, kicked out the taint of time-gathered-trite, then renewed the candor of a cliche gone rap(ture). Lucky kid. Lucky you.
The way Spenser took on the raising of Paul Giacomin was one of the best dramatizations I’ve seen anywhere about saving a teenaged boy whose soul had nearly shrunken in on itself. The working scenes between Paul and Spenser gave primal meaning to warm, mesmerizing, and inspiring, as they danced through the construction of a “fancier” cabin than the more primitive one they inhabited while Paul learned who Spenser was and how to apply some of his tricks of growing strong and autonomous.
I agree absolutely with the reviews which wisely concluded that this is the novel in the series which defines Spenser personally. I loved it. Being party to Paul’s transformation was one of the most sensitive yet underhandedly powerful psychological passages I’ve ever attended. There can be no doubt that this plot is pivotal as well as potent, yet gently so. The cooking was up to par, too.
Okay, enough jiggling and juggling the review dance. Enough steaming the yeasty bread, dripping garlic-warmed-basil-butter. Dine on this: If you know what’s good for you (even if you don’t), get it, the Early Autumn (healing) Virus. “Gedit now, kid.”
“Aaaachhhhhhhooooooo!!” (No yawn intended.)
Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.
Binoculars set on Marple’s Mark,
Linda Shelnutt
Author of several books and Amazon Shorts, including:
Molasses Moon
Myrtle’s Ultimate Mystery
Rating: 5 / 5
My first Spenser novel – but 7th in the series. Probably my last Spenser novel, but it wasn’t bad. The humor of the story did draw me in, and I did want to see what happened, but I can’t say I would go out of my way to read more of them. The humor in the story was definitely apparent – but having seen the TV series all I could see was Robert Urich throughout the book. In this one, a woman hires Spenser to find her son. Said son is with the father. Spenser brings the son back, and then second-guesses his decision but lets it be. But not for long. Like I said, not a bad read, but not my first choice. Surprising, I admit, since humor is usually foremost in my choices.
Rating: 3 / 5
Interesting story plot about a teenage boy with two uncaring parents. Spenser, the lead character, decides to do something to improve the boy’s life. The author gives us some interesting tidbits about P.I. work. In addition, readers are given insight into his philosophy on living life. It is a fast-paced and entertaining read. Recommended for anyone who likes a detective story that is funny and thoughtful at the same time. The only reason I gave it a 3 star instead of a 4 or 5 is because it is not the type of book I would normally read.
Rating: 3 / 5
Great but too short. Should of been deeper. Covers a subject matter that hit home for me.
Parental neglect, of the type where the parents, who’s rotten relationship is so all consuming that you, the only child, become just another unwanted burden they can’t or don’t want to deal with so they cope with you by disregarding your very existence. Add to that the fact that the parents themselves have no friends and discourage you from bringing any home. Add to that the child is shy and not too bright to begin with and you end up with a 15 yr old who’s still 8 yrs old…..a looser, a total blank slate. I’d like to see Parker redo this one.
Spenser came along and saved the kid.
Rating: 5 / 5