Chasing the Bear
A Young
Spenser Novel
Robert
B. Parker
Philomel (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-399-24776-9 (0399247769)
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-24776-7 (9780399247767)
Publication Date: May 2009
List Price: $14.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Spenser's father and two uncles, all three boxers and
carpenters, raised him to be tough. However, his father also taught him
something even more important: Sometimes the toughest thing a guy can
do is walk away from a fight.
Between learning to spar from his father and uncles, Spenser forms a
friendship with Jeannie. Jeannie's relationship with her abusive father
challenges this paramount lesson of knowing when to walk away from a
fight. When she gets into trouble, Spenser knows he has a difficult
decision to make. Should he trust his gut and risk his own life to save
hers?
Review: Robert
B. Parker uses a present-day conversation between Spenser (a Boston
private investigator who has appeared in some 36 novels thus far) and
his ladyfriend Susan to introduce readers to his character as a
teenager in Chasing the Bear,
a non-mystery novel that nonetheless could serve as an introduction to
a potential mystery series featuring the PI for young adults.
Spenser is living with his father and his mother's two brothers (his
mother having passed away when he was very young) in some unnamed Rocky
Mountain state (Denver seems to be the closest major city), where he
learns about life and responsibility from the three men. Though
employed as carpenters, each of the adult men is an accomplished boxer,
using the sport to keep both body and mind in shape. Spenser not only
learns how to fight, but also when to fight: some things are simply not
important enough to fight over. How to know the difference? "Most
people know what's right," Spenser's uncle says. It's also important to
know when the odds are stacked against you, and the smart thing to do
is not to fight at all, possibly the hardest lesson of all for Spenser
to learn.
Adults who have read any of the Spenser books will likely appreciate Chasing the Bear more than the
intended audience, young adults who in all likelihood have never read
any of the series. Indeed, one of the best aspects of the book is that
the author has written the book for an adult (albeit without excessive
violence and coarse language). Just as Spenser's father and uncles
never treated him like a kid, Parker doesn't treat the reader like one
either. The stories Spenser relates to Susan demonstrate a progression
from learning something on an abstract level to applying it in a
real-life situation.
Parker's typically brisk pacing keeps the plot moving forward, and
alternating chapters between Spenser in the present and Spenser in the
past provides an interesting perspective to the story. Though one might
have expected, or maybe hoped, that more of a mystery might have been
presented here, Chasing the Bear
is a terrific introduction to Spenser, for readers and fans of all ages.
Special thanks to Penguin Group for providing an ARC of Chasing the Bear for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Chasing the Bear? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Chasing the Bear
Philomel (Hardcover), May 2009
ISBN-10: 0-399-24776-9 (0399247769)
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-24776-7 (9780399247767)
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