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A Catskill Eagle
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A Catskill Eagle
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A Catskill Eagle
Audiobook6 hours

A Catskill Eagle

Written by Robert B. Parker

Narrated by Michael Prichard

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Spenser's girlfriend Susan goes away with another man, Jerry Costigan, the son of a very rich and dangerous criminal. Spenser and his friend, Hawk, go to find Susan. Soon they are in the world of the CIA, guns and murder.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 14, 2009
ISBN9780307705259
Unavailable
A Catskill Eagle
Author

Robert B. Parker

Robert B Parker was the best-selling author of over 60 books, including Small Vices, Sudden Mischief, Hush Money, Hugger Mugger, Potshot, Widows Walk, Night Passage, Trouble in Paradise, Death in Paradise, Family Honor, Perish Twice, Shrink Rap, Stone Cold, Melancholy Baby, Back Story, Double Play, Bad Business, Cold Service, Sea Change, School Days and Blue Screen. He died in 2010 at the age of 77.

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Reviews for A Catskill Eagle

Rating: 3.6760219387755098 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

196 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An absolutely preposterous story, built on the difficulties in Spenser's relationship with Suze.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although I have to admit this one felt a little bit more dated than I might have liked, I really enjoyed diving back into the universe of Parker's Spenser. Parker has a way of bringing characters and scenes to life even against fast and dialogue-driven scenes, and this was an easy, enjoyable read to sink into while on vacation. It's a reminder to me to go back to the other Spenser novels I never got around to and wander through them as I get the chance.I probably wouldn't recommend starting with this one if you're not already a fan of this series, but it's worth getting around to once you become a fan.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Just to let you know where I'm coming from,, I'm not a big fan of hardboiled detectives, but a friend really wanted me to read these, They were at least o.k., sometimes even pretty good, but after reading this one , I told him never to bring me a Spencer novel again. He tried, but I handed it back to him. He claimed the characters went back to how they were before, but I can't wash this one out of my mind. One thing that I demand in a book is that the author persuade me to accept the characters at his/her evaluation of them; otherwise the book doesn't work. I have been told that this is childish, but it is not only that I have to spend hours with these people, but that there is a serious dissonance if the author wants me to be holding my breath worrying about the protagonist, and I am in fact thinking that I'd like the antagonist to shoot him and put all of us out of our misery.I got the feeling that this was supposed to be a "major" novel; it's a thriller rather than a detective story. I thought it was too much of too much; all it needed for the kitchen sink to fall on someone's head. With a little rewrite, it could be a parody of the thriller. The characters were much worse than the strained plot. We have been watching Susan's moral compass deteriorate in the last couple of books -- it's completely out of whack here. She had taken up with a very wealthy, very controlling man out in California. Now she wants to leave, but she is scared, so she calls Hawk to rescue her, and in the melee he ends up in prison, possibly looking at a life sentence. So now Spenser is called upon to rescue them both.It is at this point that Parker seems to show that he realizes that the reader might not have the best opinion of Susan, because when the other characters find out that Spenser is going to see Susan, they keep remarking on what a "special" person she is. Very unsubtle, and very bad writing. If we can't decide that Susan is a good person from her thoughts and actions without being bashed over the head with it, it seems clear that even the author realizes that he might have painted himself into a corner. The adjective that comes to mind to describe Spenser is a little rude, so let's just say that he is pretty thoroughly emasculated by his attachment to Susan, even if still macho in some regards. In fact, perhaps in an effort to bolster Spenser's flabby character, the title is taken from this quote by Herman Melville:"... 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 even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar."I think this eagle got lost and drowned in the sea. Anyway, after busting the slave labor out of the camp where Susan's latest ex is holding them prisoner, and talking to his terrorized ex-wife, and being pursued all over the country by violent men, there comes a crucial moment when it would really help if Susan gave Spenser and Hawk her ex's phone number. But in another display of inverted morality, Susan decides that she had a "real" relationship with the man who tried to hold her prisoner, got Hawk thrown in jail when he tried to help her, and is now trying to kill at least Spenser and Hawk, and maybe her, too, and tells them that it would be dishonorable for her do something that would help them against her violent ex. And the totally emasculated Spenser accepts that. What really destroys the already strained credibility, is that Hawk accepts it. Maybe he can't slap her around with Spenser there, but he could go through her purse or at least be disgusted that while she expects him and Spenser to get her out of a mess of her own making, she doesn't feel that it would be appropriate for her to be helpful.Pathetic.By the end of the book, I thought that Spenser had lost the moral standing that was supposed to justify his illegal and semi-legal actions.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I am not sure what I think about this book. On one hand, it is the end of a story line that started a few books ago. On the other hand, I am really tired of Susan's actions. I do not need my heroines to be likeable or even nice. And I would admit that there are women like that in real life. I just do not understand them. At all. Back to the book - Susan is not only still in California, she also has a relationship there and the guy is a bit... possessive. And has a father that is even more possessive. Which Spenser has no idea of until he gets a letter that Hawk is in jail and Susan is in trouble. And off he goes. Welcome to the Spenser and Hawk comedy special - the dynamics between the two of them had always been there but that is the first book where their friendship takes a front seat compared to Spenser's love story. Jail-break, murders, arson, assault, kidnapping - all these are normal in a Spenser novel. Except that usually our favorite detective is investigating it. This time, he and Hawk are the ones that are wanted for it... and they did it all. Add a few illegal immigrants and a mutiny in a pseudo-military compound, running from one coast to another, the reappearance of Rachel Wallace from a previous novel (she starts to become a feature in the series), a millionaire that is actually a decent person and keeps his promise (also given earlier in the series), the two policemen that seem to trust Spenser no matter what, FBI, CIA and Susan... the damsel in distress that cannot make up her mind who she loves. Somewhere in the middle of the story, Spenser breaks any code he ever had. It does make sense in the long run and based on where he was heading anyway but... he may have crossed a line he should have been a lot more careful of. On the other hand, at least Susan is back so he should get to his normal - or a new normal at least. I am really curious where the series will go from here - a less competent story teller would chose to end the series here. Parker did not - hopefully using this whole thing to build up a more rounded Spenser. If he reverts back to his old self, it will be a disappointment. If you had never read another book from the series, do not start here. It is a wrap up book of a series in a way that makes it almost impossible to work as a standalone. It is as full of machismo and testosterone as usual, with the humor leaking from each page. I do not need to like where a character is going - and Parker seems to have a plan. And after a full book of Hawk, I really hope he does not blend into the background again, just to be called when there is an emergency.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely harrowing in a way his stories usually aren't. One of the series best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    We learn that Spenser was in the Korean War and Hawk was in the Foreign Legion in Indochina. Spenser was raised by his father and his mother's two brothers after she died. Spenser knew Hawk for 30 years at the time of the story (in the early 1980s). He was born in Laramie, Wyoming. [p. 229]Spenser knows poetry. "Mortal Stakes" (the title of another of his books) is from a Frost poem mentioned here. "Death is the mother of Beauty" from a poem by Wallace Stevens is a quote he explains as "The possibility of loss is what makes things valuable." [p. 179] (Apropos of very little, another Wallace Stevens quote is "And not to have is the beginning of desire." used by Aviva Zornberg for the title of her book on Genesis.)And Spenser's modus operandi is described by him: "So far the ploy I had devised had me feeling my way along in the dark until something happened. Then I'd react to what happened. It wasn't a hell of a plan, but it had the advantage of being familiar. Live its own self, I thought.SPOILERS: I'm troubled by all the killing. I feel bad for the guards who are just trying to make a living, although, admittedly, they could have asked who their boss was (or maybe they don't care). Russell admits that he may have gotten carried away with trying to hold on to Susan (so that she feels she has to ask Hawk for help), but Susan seems to have stayed with Russell because of her own psychological issues and not because she was physically unable to leave. And I'm also troubled about the CIA (in 1985!) asking Hawk and Spenser to kill someone, an American citizen in fact, without a trial, even if he is starting wars around the world for his own fun and profit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Parker's Spenser novels always have an element of psychology to them, but this one was clearly written while Parker was deep into 1970s therapy of some kind. Susan Silverman becomes nearly unbearable in her post-analysis dialogue and does any of that help illuminate the deep romantic divisions Parker sets up? No. I had this rated as three stars, but there's lots of Hawk/Spenser dialogue and that is always worth a star on its own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Up late with insomnia so I re-read this (I last read it almost a decade ago).

    One of my favorite Spenser novels, it's a little bit more "epic" than most, and probably a little less believable, but pure escapist fun anyway.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was probably the best Spencer novel I have read in my collection. I always love how Spencer and Hawk interact and Hawk was in the story all the way through.Susan has to choose between Spencer and Russell. This is the book where Susan and Spencer are finally a committed couple.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    If you're a Spenser fan, you'll probably like this book. It has all the ingredients: good, tough-guy fighting scenes; the clipped dialog Spenser is famous for; some very interesting and unusual characters.If you read a lot of noir detective fiction, you may be less impressed. The book has a sort of "climax of a great career" feel to it, like the author was trying to pull out all the stops and have Spenser doing everything. Which is precisely what he does: every cliche you could think of for a tough guy is in this one. There's a jailbreak, a deal with the FBI, an infiltration of an army camp, an invasion of a well-guarded fortress. It would probably make a pretty good movie, because you need to suspend a whole lot of disbelief before you can buy into everything that's in here.But again, it's Spenser. He's a tough guy that does crazy things, and if you enjoy Spenser, you'll enjoy this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Every time I read another Parker novel, I tell myself I'm going to print out a list of all his books, check off the ones I have, and then start getting the rest in order. This time, I'm doing it.Although, I think I'm happier having read a few later Spenser books before this one, so I know how the Susan thing works out.Spenser gets a note from love-of-his-life Susan, saying she's in trouble and Hawk's in jail. Seems her new lover, Russell, is possessive and part of a powerful family, and when she'd asked Hawk for help, Russell had him framed for murder.So Spenser has to break Hawk out of jail, and rescue Susan... although Susan's not quite sure she wants to be rescued. And there are the corrupt cops and the FBI and CIA to deal with as well.The action/mystery part of the book is exciting and just plain fun. I always love seeing Spenser and Hawk in action, and this is no exception. Just the scene of Spenser breaking Hawk out of jail was worth buying the whole book.The personal/emotional part, though, is dark and both painful and joyous. Spenser loves Susan, and she loves him, but she also loves Russell. Something about their relationships, the way they're written, touches a chord deep inside (I know that sounds uncharacteristically fanciful, but it's the best I could come up with to describe it). Parker has a genius for conveying his characters' deeper feelings without resorting to flowery language--the essence of "show, don't tell."I was a bit dissatisfied at first with Russell--it was understandable that Susan would pick someone very different from Spenser, but there didn't seem to be anything about him that would make Susan choose him. Then it clicked: it's in Spenser's POV. Duh. He's not going to see the same things in Russell that Susan does, nor does he want to. It's enough for him to know that Susan loves him. And when I realized that, I was awed all over again.The first 3 Spenser books are now on my to-buy list.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you like Spenser this is one of the two best Spenser books out there (Judas Goat is the other one).