Ceremony [Import] [Hardcover]

Robert B. Parker (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus Books (June 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086188230X
• ISBN-13: 978-0861882304
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) has long been acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction. His novel featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim, typified by R.W.B. Lewis' comment, "We are witnessing one of the great series in the history of the American detective story" (The New York Times Book Review). In June and October of 2005, Parker had national bestsellers with APPALOOSA and SCHOOL DAYS, and continued his winning streak in February of 2006 with his latest Jesse Stone novel, SEA CHANGE.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Parker attended Colby College in Maine, served with the Army in Korea, and then completed a Ph.D. in English at Boston University. He married his wife Joan in 1956; they raised two sons, David and Daniel. Together the Parkers founded Pearl Productions, a Boston-based independent film company named after their short-haired pointer, Pearl, who has also been featured in many of Parker's novels.

Parker began writing his Spenser novels in 1971 while teaching at Boston's Northeastern University. Little did he suspect then that his witty, literate prose and psychological insights would make him keeper-of-the-flame of America's rich tradition of detective fiction. Parker's fictional Spenser inspired the ABC-TV series Spenser: For Hire. In February 2005, CBS-TV broadcast its highly-rated adaptation of the Jesse Stone novel Stone Cold, which featured Tom Selleck in the lead role as Parker's small-town police chief. The second CBS movie, Night Passage, also scored high ratings, and the third, Death in Paradise, aired on April 30, 2006.

Parker was named Grand Master of the 2002 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Parker died on January 19, 2010, at the age of 77.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moral dilemma for Spenser, August 14, 2001

By 

Larry Eischen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ceremony (Spenser Novels (Dell)) (Mass Market Paperback)

There is no murder in this entry in the long running Spenser series. The missing person is found before the book is half over. What gives the book it's central focus is Spenser's moral problem-what do you do with a teenage hooker who doesn't want to leave her current 'job'? He passes up the chance to bust a big-time pimp preferring to concentrate on a prostitution ring with its roots in the Boston school system. He rescues the girl from a kinky brothel where insubordinate hookers are sent as punishment only to have her break away and rejoin the the man who recruited her. Along with Hawk, Spenser engages in one of the most astounding fistfights of his career at the headquarters of the ring and manages to rescue the girl again. At the end, Spenser and Susan are forced to face the problem of what to do with the girl. Their options shake Susan to her core and make for an interesting argument on what is good for the girl vs what is legal. This stands head and shoulders above the usual Spenser parade of wisecracks. Along with "Mortal Stakes", this is one of Parker's best.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now this is more like it!, July 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ceremony (Spenser Novels (Dell)) (Mass Market Paperback)

I recently finished Spenser's latest, WIDOW'S WALK, and really didn't like it one bit. Thank goodness for CEREMONY, which reminded me of everything I love about the series. The story was complex and meaningful -- student April Kyle has a terrible homelife and turns to hooking. What is worse, what's more damaging to her still evolving psyche? Susan is serious and struggling with real issues. Hawk is a loyal, supportive presence. No extraneous subplots, no strained wise cracking. Just good storytelling. Highly recommended.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ceremony (Spenser Novels (Dell)) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read many of Mr. Parkers books on Spenser and find them very hard to put down. I enjoyed the television series, also and enjoy the relationship between Hawk, Spenser and Susan. I would like to get a list of his older books, which I don't have.