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Early Autumn Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2,458 listener ratings
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“[Robert B.] Parker's brilliance is in his simple dialogue, and in Spenser.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer A bitter divorce is only the beginning. First the father hires thugs to kidnap his son. Then the mother hires Spenser to get the boy back. But as soon as Spenser senses the lay of the land, he decides to do some kidnapping of his own. With a contract out on his life, he heads for the Maine woods, determined to give a puny 15 year old a crash course in survival and to beat his dangerous opponents at their own brutal game.
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"My favorite of Robert B. Parker's many Spenser novels, and an anomaly among them because the story here really isn't much of a mystery. Spenser, Parker's wise-cracking gourmet-cooking tough-guy Bostonian detective, becomes involved in the fate of a sullen teenage boy named Paul who is caught in a tug-of-war between two estranged parents. Since neither parent is interested in Paul except as a lever, Spenser takes it on himself to teach the boy how to be a man: boxing, books, ballet, baseball, and everything in between. There is very little action or crime, and very few other characters. Spenser's tiresome girlfriend Susan makes the occasional appearance, but the book's core is Spenser's patient mentoring of Paul, and Paul's slow growth from a sulky teenage blank slate to a fine young man. A classic coming-of-age story."
— Kate (5 out of 5 stars)
Early Autumn Listener Reviews
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Ron Eagle, 5/6/2022
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Codename Eric, 2/25/2020
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" I liked it, but Spenser solemnly teaching a 15-year old how to live gets pretty corny. "
— Kit, 2/15/2014 -
" I really liked this one. There wasn't really a lot of action but maybe that made it better. This novel was more about Spenser growing up a bit and taking a young boy under his wing, showing him how to be his own person and take care of himself. If I'm not mistaken, this young man becomes Spenser's surrogate son in the rest of the series. Another great story from Parker that illustrates a "genre" novel can be more than what some people define as "a silly distraction" or "not real literature". Genre or "serious" fiction, if the story isn't compelling, it doesn't matter what it's called; it will bore the reader and no one will care to read it. Robert B. Parker, in my opinion, doesn't have to worry about having that problem. The man could tell a wonderful story and he proves it here. "
— M., 2/15/2014 -
" I don't mean to say these books are not worth reading. In each I laugh a little and think a little, there is enough mystery to keep the pages turning and a faint hard boiled edge that I like. "
— Martin, 2/14/2014 -
" I enjoy Paul and Spenser's relationship and this is the story in which it begins. I also love the idea of taking Paul, a struggling teenager, to the woods for some life lessons. It's Parker's version of a coming of age story in the Spenser series. "
— Brian, 2/12/2014 -
" One of Parker's best, and that's saying something. "
— Kathy, 2/5/2014 -
" This is probably my favorite of all the Spenser novels. I find I enjoy his earlier work much more than his recent books. In Early Autumn, Spenser takes a teenaged boy under his protection and helps mold this kid who is almost literally a lump into a strong, self-sufficient young man. The process and the result are intriguing. Spenser became a little too self-righteous and pleased with himself in later books for my taste, but these earlier ones were good enough to keep me reading, on the lookout for glimpses of what I loved years ago. "
— Laurie, 2/2/2014 -
" Against Susan's advice, Spenser takes on Paul Giacomin who is nothing but a pawn in his parents' bitter divorce. "
— Christine, 1/30/2014 -
" This was the first Spenser book I read. "
— Fran, 1/20/2014 -
" The book where "Spenser takes that boy to Maine and teaches him what he knows" (to quote my mom) which is cooking, fighting and building. It was pretty cool to read about the boy going from a passive wimp to a more confident adolescent. "
— Allison, 12/13/2013 -
" You can't go wrong with any Spenser novel "
— Mike, 11/30/2013 -
" My review can be found on my blog: Martin's View: Early Autumn. "
— Martin, 10/29/2013 -
" This was one of my favorite Spenser novels. It is an early one and I prefer Hawk as he developed in the later novels, but the emphasis on Spenser's personality was nice. "
— Karen, 10/12/2013 -
" Not disappointed. I flew through this one. Needed to read some good crime stuff, and this was so-so on the crime department. Very good on the 'how to live your life without regrets' bit. "
— Hudson, 10/6/2013 -
" My first in the Spencer series, and while it was a solid book, there wasn't much of a mystery here. I've heard this isn't a "typical" Spencer novel, and the writing was good enough that I want more, but I really expected some sort of mystery or revelation at the end. "
— Solitairerose, 9/2/2013 -
" This is an annual read for this time of year. In the midst of the selfishness and greed and violence Spenser encounters -- and is part of -- in Early Autumn, it's Spring. I absolutely love how hopeful this book is. "
— Marianne, 8/27/2012 -
" This is probably my favourite Spenser novel. "
— Ben, 8/4/2012 -
" My favorite of all the Spencer books. "
— Scott, 8/3/2012 -
" Not my favorite of the series but still an entertaining read. "
— Timothy, 7/23/2012 -
" I loved this book, my favorite so far in this series, can't wait to read the next one! "
— Marianne, 7/10/2012 -
" This is one of my favorite novels. After reading it, I wanted to write like Parker. I find are right nothing like Parker. I write like myself. I like that a lot. "
— JoAnn, 12/26/2011 -
" I really liked this one because of the bond Spencer develops with the kid. Also there wasn't much sleuthing and fistacuffs or shooting. "
— Kaby, 12/1/2011 -
" Early Autumn by Robert Parker (1992) "
— Julie, 11/10/2011 -
" Very Good; Continuing character: Spenser; hired to find a boy taken by his father, he finds himself taking in the boy who is being used as ammunition between two parents; by blackmailing the two parents and teaching the boy ways of the world "
— Joe, 9/25/2011 -
" Very, very different but still Spenser. "
— Mailmanr5, 8/4/2011 -
" Great book. Spenser rocks. Love the character development. "
— Marianne, 5/20/2011 -
" Student assignment that turned me to having to go back and read the Spenser novels <br/> "
— Mary, 5/7/2011 -
" Not a typical Spenser novel. The Susan in these earlier books is not the same in the later ones. "
— Jane, 4/12/2011 -
" Very, very different but still Spenser. "
— Mailmanr5, 3/15/2011 -
" This book is tied with "Small Vices" for one of my favorite Spenser books. I love the introduction of Paul Giacomin and the overall story. Another book that I reread with frequency. "
— Erika, 3/2/2011 -
" Exactly what you'd expect it to be. Sample dialogue: <br/>Muscle #2: What do you want?<br/>Spenser: Witty Repartee.<br/>Muscle #2: Kiss off.<br/>Spenser: Looks like I came to the right place. "
— Tex, 2/25/2011 -
" 101 out of 100 for 2010<br/><br/>The Spenser novel in which he and Susan "get" Paul Giancomin. Good read. "
— Chuck, 12/31/2010 -
" Parker's early books are so much better than his later ones. "
— Mary, 12/3/2010 -
" Good. The Spencer series was a great run for RBP (may he rest in peace). I do enjoy rereading them all. "
— Ruth, 11/16/2010 -
" One of his best! A coming of age story. "
— Dan, 10/26/2010 -
" The book where "Spenser takes that boy to Maine and teaches him what he knows" (to quote my mom) which is cooking, fighting and building. It was pretty cool to read about the boy going from a passive wimp to a more confident adolescent. "
— Allison, 10/25/2010 -
" Spenser takes a neglected teen boy in and helps him gain confidence and turn his life around. <br/>Not really a mystery but a good story anyway. "
— Deborah, 10/10/2010 -
" First, let it be said that Robert B. Parker is one of my favorite mystery writers. This book has all the usual characters, but a plot that is a bit different. It's one of my favorite Spenser books. "
— Blaire, 8/18/2010 -
" I am crazy about the Spenser character. This book was differentfrom most. It was a Parker book written in 1981. Spenser is hired by a mother to get her son back from the father. There is a twist and Spenser keeps the boy. "
— Betty, 4/8/2010
About Robert B. Parker
Robert 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.
About Michael Prichard
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.