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Parker, Robert B.
A Catskill Eagle
Spencer travels to Mill Valley, California, to assist Hawk and Susan.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Jocasta (pg. 235) -- Mother of Oedipus.
Quote:
She dog-eared the page to mark her place and smiled at me. (pg. 232) Caitiff!!! (Not the first word I thought of)
Read:
7/2008
Back Story
A friend of Paul asks Spencer to look into who killed her mother during a bank robbery 28 years ago.
Quibble:
On page 9 the text refers to a "M1 carbine. Fully-automatic." DISCLAIMER: I am not a weapons expert! As far as I can find, the M1 is semi-automatic, and it is the M2 that is fully-automatic. And there is a big difference between semi and fully.Read:
8/2008
Bad Business
Spencer is hired for a little marital investigation, finds out he is not the only one on the job, plus there's some other sordid stuff going on.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Portman lobbies (pg.17) -- John Portman, an American architect, is known for his atrium hotel designs.
Atrium -- Glazed courtyard often extending through several floors at the entrance to a building.
Cantabrigian (pg. 142) -- A student or graduate of Cambridge University; or a native or resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Read:
8/2008
Brimstone
First of the Westerns I have read. Seems very like the Boston books, don't ya think? Still, they are fun.
Read:
7/2013
Chance
Spenser ends up in Vegas looking for a gangster's son-in-law. Meets that short guy there.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Postlapsarian (pg. 73)-- Of, relating to, or characteristic of the time or state after the fall of humankind described in the Bible.
Tripartile (pg. 231 --Divided into or composed of three parts
Quote:
Outside the bright desert air hinted faintly of carbon monoxide as we walked down the Strip. -- (pg. 293) I think it is odorless and colorless, but i know what he means!Donut Quote:
I opend the box. Plain donuts. Perfect.
"Do you know how to eat a donut?" I said.
"I'll watch you on the first one," Susan said.
...I ate half a donut.
"Ugh," Susan said. "Is that how it's done?"
"Girls sometimes take smaller bites," I said. -- (pg. 181)
Read:
8/2008
Chasing The Bear
Spencer tells Susan about his adventures growing up.
Read:
12/2009
Cold Service
Hawk is almost killed while protecting a bookie. When he recovers, he and Spencer go after the Ukranian gangster responsible.
Quote:
My favorite quote is about the pumpkin pie Susan made, on page 41. To wit, in part, "Don't call her that thing," she said. "What if she hears you?"
Read:
8/2008
Death In Paradise
Jesse Stone #3. Chief Stone searches for the murderer of a teen girl found at a lake.
Read:
6/2026
Double Deauce
Spencer and Hawk investigate the murder of a kid and her kid in the 'hood.
Read:
7/2008
Edenville Owls
Parker's first book for younger readers. But not TOO young! A lot less cussing and violence than his adult books. A bit of bad language and teen yearnings by 14-year-old Bobby, who tries to help out his new teacher who is being threatened by a strange man. I enjoyed it.
Read:
5/2009
High Profile
Jesse Stone #6. Chief Jesse investigates the body of a famous personality found hanging in a tree. Not to mention a body in a dumpster.
Read:
6/2026
Hugger Mugger
Spenser travels to Georgia to investigate race horse shootings.
Donut Quote:
"Donuts put a nice foundation under your morning." -- pg. 51.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Club Man (pg. 136) -- Probably refers to the Clubman line of colognes and such. I never heard of it, I was more of a Russian Leather kind of guy, back in the day when I used the stuff.
Quote:
"Just so we're clear,", I said. "I'm not after your wife."... -- (pg. 31) I didn't understand the point of this exchange.
Read:
8/2008
Hundred-Dollar Baby
April Kyle asks Spenser to deals with some guys trying to cut in on her house of ill repute.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Tsimmis (pg. 174) -- Probably Tzimmis, one meaning of which is a state of confusion.
Read:
7/2008
Hush Money
Spenser helps out Hawk by investigating why a professor was denied tenure.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Defenestrated (pg. 65) -- Throwing of a person or thing out of a window.
Linguiça (pg. 104) -- Portuguese cured pork sausage.
Polemic (pg. 136) -- An aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another.
Formulaic Berbers (pg. 213) -- Don't know, maybe refers to something earlier in the story that I missed?
Quote:
"What she does," I said, "is she tries not to want me to do things I don't want to do." -- (pg. 123) Spenser on the successful male/female relationship.
Read:
8/2008
Night And Day
Jesse Stone #8. The town of Paradise seems to have a peeper!
Read:
6/2026
Night Passage
For some reason I thought this was another Spencer story, but although it takes place in the same world (i.e., Gino and Vinnie are present), it introduces a new guy, Jesse Stone, who just got a new job as a small-town police chief after getting fired from the LAPD for being a drunk.
Read:
7/2008
Now & Then
Spencer, who I mistakenly keep calling "Parker", starts out on a cheating spouse case, ends up in the middle of some sort of terrorist thing.
Quote:
"Or maybe it is Margaret that I mourn for" -- Related to a poem by G. M. Hopkins (pg. 50)
Words I Had To Look Up:
Bench strength (pg. 219) -- The quality of the players sitting on the bench.
Inextricable (pg. 169) -- Incapable of being disentangled or untied.
Read:
7/2008
Painted Ladies
Spencer takes on the chore of bodyguard to an art professor who is to fetch the ransom for a painting to the picture-nappers. Said painting explodes, killing the art professor. Spencer returns his fee, and goes after the fiends.
Quote:
"Frees their minds," I said,"to romp with the mind of god." -- (pg. 154)-- Now I have to read The Great Gatsby!
Words I Had To Look Up:
cathexis (pg. 220) -- Concentration of emotional energy on an object or idea. One source suggests a "crush" as an example.
Read:
12/2010
Paper Doll
Spenser investigates the murder of a perfect wife on behalf of her perfect husband and perfect kids. Not so perfect, any of them.
Read:
8/2008
Pastime
Spencer helps Paul locate his missing mother.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Cathexis (pg. 41) -- From MSN Encarta: the concentration of a great deal of psychological and emotional energy on one particular person, thing, or idea
Ineffable (pb. 188)-- Incapable of being expressed in words. I've used the word, but, as usual, couldn't have put a coherent meaning to it.
Read:
7/2008
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