Spenser's out to make war, not love, as he goes after Boston's entire X-rated industry. Pretty teenager April Kyle has disappeared into the city's darkest underworld, and to rescue her, Spencer pits muscle and wit against bullets and bullies.
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"In comparison to Parker's "The Boxer and the Spy",this young adult novel is hands down a better read. Tying in Spenser's current relationship with Susan and his past as a young boy, you can see the foundational develop of his character leading to the man he is today. Nicely done! "
— Rena (5 out of 5 stars)
" Typical Spencer novel, several hours of great fun. Ending of this one was a bit atypical. "
— doug, 2/12/2014" April Kyle is not a terribly compelling character but this book probably has the best fight scene of any of the Spenser novels when Spenser and Hawk beat up nearly every participant of a drug fueled orgy over the course of five pages. Next to that the book is a bit of a let down. "
— Nate, 1/28/2014" That was pretty dark for a Spenser book, I loved the fight at the end and the resolution was odd. Not even Spenser is sure if he saved her or not. Definatley one of the classic good ones. "
— Nathan, 1/27/2014" Needed to get back to reading a classic "
— Ray, 1/26/2014" Spenser, Hawk corrupt Massachusetts employees and questions about what one views as moral. "
— Pat, 1/24/2014" parker nails this one, and as a bonus, you get some gritty mid '80s combat zone scenes as well. the more hawk, the better. "
— Mike, 1/7/2014" These Spencer novels are hard boiled detective stories "
— Janet, 1/1/2014" I enjoy this series although I didn't think this was the best one I had every read. Spencer is a funny, intelligent tough guy. "
— Beth, 1/1/2014" Disturbing. But that won't keep me from reading the rest of the Spenser books! "
— Ellen, 12/27/2013" I particularly liked the ending of Ceremony. The majority of the story is pretty typical of the Spenser novels, but Parker being willing to place the decisions he did in his heroes in a novel written in the 80's stands out to me as brave and remarkable. "
— Jeff, 12/23/2013" Good; Continuing character: Spenser; parents hire Spenser to find their daughter, who has turned to a life of prostitution. "
— Joe, 11/20/2013" This is one of Mr. Parker's books that truly defines Spenser. Spenser does what he sees as right, but not everyone would agree. Loved it! "
— Yeva, 11/20/2013" You can't beat Robert parker when it comes to detective novels, and Spenser is an icon. This is another great read in a long line of work!!! "
— Ron, 11/16/2013" Not the best of the Spenser series. Not really much of a mystery again. Teenage runaways and prostituition and lots of punching people is pretty much the premise. "
— Deborah, 11/4/2013" Another Spenser winner from the early days. "
— Mailmanr5, 9/17/2013" Standard Spenser quick read. Plenty of plot and acid wit from the get-go. We see more of Susan and Hawk, so this is a good-time read. The bad guys get it in the end with a nice burst of action. Recommended. "
— Kenny, 9/11/2013" Sometimes you can't win. The lesser of two evils might still be evil but sometimes ther's no changing the hand you're dealt. "
— Cyn, 5/25/2013" What I really like about Parker's Spenser is that he loves one woman throughout the series--a couple is actually allowed to stay together and be happy. I also like that Parker himself adored his wife in the same way. "
— July, 5/14/2013" Teenage prostitution, hypocrisy and tough choices dominate this excellent mystery. It feels like Chapter One of a bigger story, and adds some more depth to this ongoing portrait of this one-named sleuth. "
— Steve, 10/5/2012" Excellent PI novel, terrible attempts at ebonics "
— JD, 7/1/2012" story setting was too seedy. "
— Will, 5/7/2012" Ceremony by Robert Parker (1992) "
— Julie, 4/3/2012" This is the first Spencer book I've read. It was fun reading a book written in the 80's. So many things are different - an example being that characters go to pay phones because nobody has no cell phones. "
— Dave, 9/29/2011" Don't know that I agree with his solution to help a troubled teen. "
— Jane, 8/7/2011" Not too bad, though not as titillating as I thought it might be. What you can pretty much expect from a Parker book. "
— Chandler, 7/12/2011" The voice just sounds different to me. It was O.K. but..... "
— Tony, 5/24/2011" I enjoyed this YA novel about the young Spencer and how he came to be. I read the first book in the Spencer series some months ago and was wondering if I could actually read more books that were so old, but this one made me eager to give it a shot. "
— Penny, 5/10/2011" While parts of the book repeat information that true Spenser fans already know, the books is a great addition to the Spenser lore. It's a little like hearing a familiar story that is repeated at family gatherings. "
— Erika, 3/25/2011" this book was not quite up to par with the rest of Parker's books. I still enjoyed it, but it did ramble just a bit. "
— Michael, 3/6/2011" Good, but definitely late Spenser. It wouldn't have been the end of the world to miss this one. On the upside it took just over 2 hours to read. "
— Du, 2/20/2011" Spenser’s formative years spent with his father and two uncles out West<br/>i read it aqnd didn't write notes.<br/>short and charming little spenser.<br/>go for it. "
— Steve, 1/23/2011" As a friend opined, "This is the 'secret origin' of Spenser you've kept us waiting for?" Oh please... "
— David, 1/20/2011" Would that every boy have parents like Spenser has in this book! "
— Mary, 1/16/2011" So long Mr. Robert B. Parker. It was great fun joining younger versions of our beloved Spenser as he developed those unique characteristics. we will sadly miss reading this series develop. "
— Yankey, 1/13/2011" Spenser relates some of the incidents in his life that formed his code of ethics. "
— Gary, 6/22/2010" I enjoyed this little book. Definitely Spenser light. It is also the first book I've read from Parker since his death. I heard he had passed away on his keyboard. Not sure where I read that, but that is definitely how I want to go. "
— J.R., 6/21/2010" A brief look at Spenser's early years, as told to Susan, his current love interest. In the book, Spenser saves a girl (but not a girl friend) from an abusive father, a Hispanic boy from bigoted classmates, and learns life lessons from his father and uncles. "
— Tom, 5/14/2010" As the title says, this YA novel deals with the young Spenser. Find out what made him. Quick read, but enjoyable. "
— Margaret, 4/12/2010" Good story. I've read a Spenser book before and thought it was just OK, but this one tells about him as a boy and was quite good. "
— Daphne, 4/6/2010" A little disjointed but still pretty great. Spenser's father and uncles are well drawn and do a fine job of showing how Spenser became Spenser without any George Lucas like suckyness. "
— Nate, 3/17/2010Robert B. Parker (1932–2010), long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, was the New York Times bestselling author of the Spenser mysteries, as well as the Jesse Stone novels. He was named Grand Master at the 2002 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. He has more than fifty books to his credit.
Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.