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Description edit
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... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters edit
- Spenser: Hard boiled detective (The series is based on the adventures of this character)
- Paul Giacomin: A young man that Spenser has been hired to protect by Paul's mother, who feels that her ex-husband, Paul's father, is trying to kidnap.
- Dr. Susan Silverman: Spenser's long time girlfriend. She is a psychologist and his sounding board.
- Patty Giacomin: Paul's mother
- Harry Cotton: Major bad guy
- Buddy Hartman: Goon for hire
- Hawk: Spenser's friend and backup. Hawk is a handsome and dangerous black man.
- Stephen: Patty's boyfriend
- Harold: Another goon
- Shelley: Another goon
- Mel Giacomin: Paul's father
- Elaine Brooks: Mel's girlfriend
- Mr Ritchie: Assistant manager of the Hilton in NYC
- Jack: Insurance guy in Chicago
- Beck: Beer
Quotes edit
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““A way of living better is to make the decisions you need to make based on what you can control. When you can.””
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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“A way of living better is to make the decisions you need to make based on what you can control. When you can.”
Highlighted by 63 Kindle customers -
When you can, it’s better to deal with possibilities than likelihoods.”
Highlighted by 40 Kindle customers -
“What you’re good at is less important than being good at something.
Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers -
You don’t know what’s going to happen. People whose lives work best are the ones who recognize that and, having done what they can, are ready for what comes. Like the man said, ‘Readiness is all.’”
Highlighted by 32 Kindle customers -
Too much positive is either scared or stupid or both. Reality is uncertain. Lot of people need certainty. They look around for the way it’s supposed to be. They get a television-commercial view of the world. Businessmen learn the way businessmen are supposed to be. Professors learn the way professors are supposed to be. Construction workers learn how construction workers are supposed to be. They spend their lives trying to be what they’re supposed to be and being scared they aren’t. Quiet desperation.”
Highlighted by 30 Kindle customers -
But he doesn’t really know how to be a good man, so he goes for the simple rules that someone else told him. It’s easier than thinking, and safer. The other way you have to decide for yourself. You have to come to some conclusions about your own behavior and then you might find that you couldn’t live up to it. So why not go the safe way. Just plug yourself into the acceptable circuitry.”
Highlighted by 25 Kindle customers -
“The point is not to get hung up on being what you’re supposed to be. If you can, it’s good to do what pleases you.”
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“‘I could not love thee, dear, so much,’” I said, “‘loved I not honor more.’”
Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers -
“I mean you don’t have anything to care about. You don’t have anything to be proud of. You don’t have anything to know. You are almost completely neutral because nobody took the time to teach you or show you and because what you saw of the people who brought you up didn’t offer anything you wanted to copy.”
Highlighted by 17 Kindle customers -
“When you’re thinking about something important, like if your father might try to kidnap you again, it’s better to think of what the best thing would be to do if he tried, rather than trying to decide how likely he was to try. You can’t decide if he’ll try, that’s up to him. You decide what to do if he does. That’s up to you. Understand?”
Highlighted by 17 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
First Sentence edit
The urban renewers had struck again.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 7 of 40 in The Spenser Novels. (standard series)
Preceded by Looking for Rachel Wallace, and followed by A Savage Place.
This is book 48 of 113 in Book Smart Reading List. (community list)
Preceded by Paradise Lost, and followed by Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Robert B. Parker (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Delacorte
Country: US
Publication Date: 1981
ISBN: 0440022487
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Delacorte
Country: US
Publication Date: 1981
ISBN: 0440022487
Page Count: 212
Awards edit
- Shamus Award (Finalist, 1982: Best P.I. Hardcover)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813.54
Subjects edit
Popular Tags
Links to Supplemental Material edit
- Robert B. Parker: Author's website
Books with Additional Background Information edit
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