Reviews for A Catskill eagle

The average rating for A Catskill eagle based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-11-02 00:00:00 Craig Coulter For years I believed it was here, at #12 in the series'almost one-third of the way through Parker's Spenser books'that the rot began to set in. Reading it again now, thirty years later, I find A Catskill Eagle to be an entertaining narrative filled with surprises and ending in a satisfying conclusion. Still, I haven't changed my mind about the rot. This review is my attempt to say why. Parker's never excelled in constructing puzzles, which was always okay with me, since those Clue/ Agatha Christie type books were never my favorites. Still, I believe a good mystery requires some suspense about precisely where the evil is coming from, and then about what exactly must be done to eliminate it, or'at the least'to protect the weak from its attacks. In Spenser novels, the source of the evil is often quickly discovered'perhaps too quickly'and the puzzle of the book consists in what methods should be adopted for its elimination and for the protection of the vulnerable. (What made some of the early books so unusual'and contemporary'was that the evil was so embedded in social structures that it could not be eliminated, and even its containment and the victims' protection from it often required sketchy methods and questionable moral decisions. Early Autumn and Ceremony are excellent example of this type.) So, since there's not much suspense, what fills the books instead? Superb description in a witty narrative voice, rock 'em sock 'em action, and talk… lots of talk. The talk falls into three groups: 1) wisecracking banter between adversaries or wary allies, 2) sharp discussions about morality and social mores, and 3) earnest discussions between Spenser and gal-pal Susan about the nature of their relationship. The first is laconic, expert and always compelling, the second is often informative and illuminates character, and the third'well, the third'quickly becomes tedious, and is probably the worst thing about the series. In A Catskill Eagle there is no mystery to solve and no client. On the first page, Spenser learns that Hawk is in jail for murder and Susan is in trouble, and that he must fly out to California to rescue them. The entire book is the tale of a knight who rescues a "princess from the tower" (a phrase used more than once in the book), filled with Freudian dialogue led by Susan (about why she left him for this obvious jerk of a boyfriend) and an embarrassingly Jungian/Campbellian plot in which Spenser literally enters a dark cavern under the earth and emerges in the bedroom of the boyfriend's mother. (It reminded me of Beowulf, but not in a good way). Still, the action is good, the book really moves, and some of the vignettes are fine, particular the parts involving Hawk: Spenser's breaking Hawk out of jail, Hawk's making it clear to Rachel Wallace that he is definitely not a sidekick, and Hawk and Spenser negotiating with the leader of a Vietnamese work crew in order to foment a rebellion. Yes, the book is good, but all the elements are here that will lead to the bad books to come: the absence of real plot, the reliance on action and Hollywood action movie cliches as a substitute, and Susan-Susan-Susan. All the time.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-07-02 00:00:00 charles dye In the previous book in the series, Valediction, Susan had left Spenser to take a job in San Francisco, partially because she said that she needed some time alone because she'd always defined herself as someone's daughter, wife, girlfriend, etc. and Spenser's idealization of her had become overwhelming. That explanation might have held more water if she also didn't admit that she'd been cheating on him for some time before she left and is still seeing the guy. But Spenser has committed himself to his idea of true love for Susan, so he'll continue to do anything for her no matter what she's done. It's not the healthiest of relationships. Spenser gets a brief note in the mail from Susan stating that she's in trouble, and that Hawk is in jail in a small town in California after trying to help her. If I had a former girlfriend who had dumped and cheated on me, and she'd gotten my best friend involved in something behind my back that got him arrested, I might go bail my buddy out of jail. I'd definitely hold it over his head for the rest of his life, and there's no way on god's green earth I'd try to help her. I guess I'm either more petty or more realistic than Spenser. Take your pick. But Spenser is Spenser and before you can say "America's Most Wanted", he's flown out to California and broken Hawk out of jail. It turns out that Susan's new guy, Russell, is the son of super-wealthy Jerry Costigan. Russell and Susan have had a weird kind of co-dependent relationship, and when Susan couldn't completely let got of Spenser, he got possessive. Susan had turned to Hawk for help to get away, but the Costigans had a set-up ready and got Hawk jailed. Now he has Susan, and it's unclear whether she's there of her own free will. On the run, Spenser and Hawk will have to do a lot of very illegal and fairly nasty things to survive, and Spenser is willing to throw his usual rules out the window to get Susan back. It turns out that Jerry Costigan apparently thinks he's a villain in a James Bond movie with his own private Blackwater-style army and hidden bases all over the country. He's also too much of a right-wing nut job for even the Reagan-era U.S. government, and the CIA offers to get Spenser and Hawk off the hook with the cops if they'll 'take care' of Jerry. Spenser is so desperate to find Susan that he'll make a deal with any devil, and he's soon asking friends and former clients for help, too. This is a pretty outlandish plot for the usually more grounded Spenser stories, but it was the mid-'80s so it's not too surprising that Parker embraced a big action story when it came time to resolve the Spenser and Susan saga. The plot is brisk and Spenser and Hawk are at their violent smart-ass best as fugitives. The problem here is that it's how you feel about Susan that's going to determine how much you like the book. There's a real Helen-of-Troy thing going on where Spenser and all his friends are willing to go to war to save Susan, but I don't see where she's earned that devotion. In the earlier books, she's smart, sexy and funny, and you understand why Spenser loves her. But it's not like she's cured cancer or done anything except be Spenser's girlfriend. Yet even the unsentimental Hawk is willing to throw his life away for her. Plus, a large number of people are hurt and killed in this little war between Spenser and Russell, yet everyone still acts like it's Susan's psychological well-being that is the most important thing in the world. Even after all the chaos and carnage, she still has issues letting go of Russell or Spenser, and everyone treats her like a fragile little flower instead of demanding that she take some responsibility for the situation she's created and help end it. The other issue is that after this, Parker stopped taking chances with the series, and locks down the Spenser formula. Until now, Spenser has had cases and issues that have caused him real ethical dilemmas. He's failed at times, and gotten depressed and angry, or done things he's not proud of. After this point, it's mostly stoic Spenser, who is quietly sure of the right thing to do and doesn't fail or compromise. It gets boring quickly. Worse, Susan and Spenser quickly become smug and insufferable . They'll never have anything but minor problems, and their delight at how perfect their love is makes me wish that some character would remind them of the body count that their happiness cost. Parker was always open about how he and his wife nearly split during this time, and that she had an affair. They reconciled, but it's obvious that he never really got over it. He did some good Spenser novels and other work after this point. But from now on, almost all the protagonists are stoic individuals whose main character trait is that they are exceptionally 'still and quiet'. The theme of a 'good' man who loves a 'bad' woman will be repeated over and over. We'd never again get a great Spenser novel. The best of them would be shadows of what he delivered in the first thirteen Spenser books. But I went back through these early Spenser books to praise Parker for what he did, not bitch about what he failed to do later. It'd been ten or fifteen years since I'd read the early books, and it was a pleasant surprise to be reminded how much I enjoyed Parker when he was still on top of his game. Next up: Spenser tries to tame a seahorse in Taming A Sea-Horse.