Parker is the kind of writer who sometimes goes through the motions and collects a paycheck. He is also the kind that sometimes stretches himself and writes something thoroughly brilliant. This is the latter. A terse, well crafted tale, told in large part through dialogue, this is Parker at his very best.

This is, without a doubt, the best Spenser book of all. Superficially, it's a great story with a captivating plot. Look a little deeper and you will see a more complex moral commentary.

This book made quite an impression on me many years ago when I first read it as a teenager. Perhaps that was when I first developed my crush on a fictional character... I was particularly struck with Spenser's explanation of gender roles, which I have since used on my own kids since (with no credit to RBP - sorry!).

I was actually visiting this page today because my old copy got wet and I need to buy a new one. I just couldn't resist throwing in my two cents.

EARLY AUTUMN is the seventh Spenser novel, and it's definitely one of the best ones. In this story, Spenser first meets 15-year old Paul Giacomin, who will become something of a surrogate son to him. This novel is mainly about their relationship with each other, and how Spenser teaches him how to grow up and deal with life in a self-respecting way.

I love this novel because Spenser teaches Paul about his moral code, which I pretty much fully agree with. I really enjoyed the life lessons in this book. There is a crime plot in this book, but it definitely takes a back seat to the Spenser-Paul relationship.

I've read most of the Spenser books, and EARLY AUTUMN is one of the best ones. Maybe not the best entry to start with (I would suggest GOD SAVES THE CHILD or PROMISED LAND or LOOKING FOR RACHEL WALLACE), but definitely a novel that shows how Spenser has matured as a character.

Highly recommended.

I started reading Robert B. Parker on a whim a couple of years ago, and I have not been able to put his books down...I even reread the favorites often because they are so enjoyable. The one I pick up the most is Early Autumn, because it truly shows Spenser as a man, not just a literate PI, not just as Susan Silverman's subject and object of affection. Not only is he a true man in this story, but he also shows a young, lost-to-the-world boy how he needs to become a man fast to survive.

In this book, we have some of our old favorites back, like Spenser, of course, Susan, and Hawk. Susan is out-of-sorts in this book, consistently in a bad mood. Interestingly enough, I believe this book came out before A Savage Place, where she had good reason to be angry with our hero (no spoilers on that one). However, I believe that Spenser's ans Susan's relationship came to a true form after A Catskill Eagle, where their love was truly understood as eternal. Hawk is Hawk here, but we see his growing devotion toward Spenser. Not only does he refuse a contract on Spenser, but he kills the man who puts it out on him, after Spenser decides not to kill the man himself. He has Spenser's back, and will for the unforseeable future.

Spenser is hired to find young Paul Giacomin, an awkward teenager who's answer to everything is an indifferent shrug. Once Spenser returns him to his mother, he is left to watch TV. After figuring out the indifference toward Paul by both of the parents, and some underworld bozos try to get at Spenser, he decides he needs to make a man of Paul through some outdoors bodybuilding, and cabinbuilding, along with daily structure. It doesn't happen right away, but Spenser makes Paul see where he will go if he stays with his parents and out of their way (the parent's perfect world, in fact), and lectures him about "the rules", and society's categories of behavior. The troubled teenager slowly comes out of his shell. He still has a long way to go, and will face his demons again years later (I believe Pastime deals with this), but by the end of Early Autumn, Paul is not the same.

Spenser sees to it at the end that the parents will let their boy grow without their influence. We see Paul many times in later books, and he has a better sense of himself. Therefore, not only does Sepnser have a love and a best friend, but he now has a surrogate son in his life.

We see Spenser's softer side in this book, where what starts as what seems a fairly straight-forward attempt to retrieve a boy (Paul) from a non-custodial father turns deadly when the father doesn't want to give up his rights and turns to some unsavory elements to get his way. When mother and father continue fighting dirty and Spenser notes that neither truly want Paul - they just want what he represents (a triumph over the other), Spenser takes matters into his own hands and takes on Paul himself, to teach the boy to be autonomous. Over a summer, he teaches Paul how to be a man and learns that what Paul really wants to learn is how to dance. Spenser manages to dig up dirt on both Paul's parents, so that they will pay support for Paul and at the same time stay out of his life and Spenser will be there for Paul as needed.

This was not really your traditional gumshoe novel, but it did have its elements of violence (Hawk even showed up for a show-down toward the end with the very dangerous Harry Cotton). Written in 1981, this book didn't have quite as many references to modern culture outside of clothing (narrow ties and so forth), which I missed - I did like the culture references from his books in the 1970s and I hope they are back in later books. I enjoyed this book a great deal - the characters are continuing to grow, some in unexpected ways (Hawk, for instance, is a most interesting character and I'm enjoying watching where his character goes). A must-have for Spenser fans!

This is my third (i.e. the third one I have read, NOT the third one in the series!) Spenser novel. I did read the first two in the series, Godwulf Manuscript and God Save the Child. Now at last I see what all the hullaballoo over Spenser is about. He's not just a good detective, not just courageous, and not just outrageously smart-mouthed. Spenser also possesses the wisdom of Solomon and all of the goodness and decency we would all like to possess. He wants always to do what is right, and there is nothing harder in life than doing right. If you don't believe me, next time you're in a tight situation just ask yourself what is the right thing to do; betcha even money that of all your options, the right thing will be the hardest thing to do. And Spenser makes himself do the right thing, no matter who has to pay for it. So now I have all these other Spenser novels to look forward to reading. How cool is that?