A Catskill Eagle
![]() First edition | |
Author | Robert B. Parker |
---|---|
Language | English |
Series | Spenser |
Genre | Detective fiction |
Publisher | Delacorte Press/Dell |
Publication date | May 1, 1985 |
Media type | Hardcover, paperback |
Pages | 311, 384 |
ISBN | 0-385-29385-2 |
OCLC | 11574237 |
813/.54 19 | |
LC Class | PS3566.A686 C3 1985 |
Preceded by | Valediction |
Followed by | Taming a Sea Horse |
A Catskill Eagle is the 12th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker, first published in 1985. The title comes from a quote from Herman Melville.
Plot[]
Spenser, a private investigator in Boston. Spenser, who served as an infantryman in the 1st Infantry Division during the Korean War[1] and as a former State trooper, receives a letter from his lover, Susan Silverman, who has relocated to the West Coast. His friend and associate, Hawk, is in jail and she needs help.
Storyline summary[]
Susan Silverman, in an effort to discover her own identity, has moved to the West Coast. There she engages a relationship with a wealthy heir, Russell Costigan. The story begins with her letter.
Spenser flies to San Francisco, California after making preparations to break Hawk, who served in the French Foreign Legion and in combat operations overseas[2] and is a "Gun for Hire", out of jail using a gun hidden in the bottom of a fake leg cast. Spenser and Hawk then have to deal with a man rich enough to do anything he wants, legal or not. Spenser and Hawk follow Russell's trail across the country in an attempt to locate Susan and reunite her with Spenser. The book climaxes with a deadly encounter deep in an underground shelter between Spenser and the Costigans.
Characters[]
Several characters from previous books make an appearance in A Catskill Eagle.
- Spenser: Boston private investigator
- Hawk
- Susan Silverman
- Russell Costigan
- Jerry Costigan
- Grace Costigan
- Henry Cimoli
- Paul Giacomin (first seen in "Early Autumn")
- Rachel Wallace (from "Looking for Rachel Wallace")
- Lt. Martin Quirk, Boston PD
- Sgt. Frank Belson, Boston PD
- Hugh Dixon, a wealthy previous client (from The Judas Goat)
References[]
- ^ Robert B. Parker, A Catskill Eagle, Dell Books, 1986, page 129: "I had shipped to Korea out of Fort Lewis some time back and I remembered how often it rained in Washington".
- ^ Robert B. Parker, A Catskill Eagle, Dell Books, 1986, page 210: "Did a little Foreign Legion".
- 1985 American novels
- Spenser (novel series)
- Novels set in San Francisco
- 1980s mystery novel stubs