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Book Description

Spenser is a wisecracking former boxer turned private investigator and he is just settling into his new office when enters Harv Shepard, a beleaguered businessman who is looking for someone to help locate his runaway wife. So begins Promised Land, the fourth novel by Robert Parker, that follows the exploits of his cerebral but tough character, detective Spenser. Why Harv Shepard's wife abandoned her family and exactly where she has gone comprise only half the intrigue in this story, though Spenser soon discovers that Harv is a man in deep trouble, involved with a crooked loan shark and tangled in an ailing business venture.

The real reason we keep turning the pages of Promised Land is because of the compelling figure cut by detective Spenser. The way in which he gets the information he gets about the case from police detectives, bartenders, and local thugs—Spenser’s unique bracing blend of irony and sincerity that almost never encourages the people he encounters to really like him--is as interesting as the information he gets.

Spenser is clever, often hilarious and his quips have something more than self-amusement as their end. Beneath the air of insouciant detachment and irony is a quixotic concern, as witnessed by his often self-sacrificing actions. The people Spenser meets often made predictable mistakes, falling into the same traps he has seen countless others fall into, and out of which they are mistakenly sure they can get out. Although he is weary of watching this pageant of human weakness and failure time and again, Spenser cannot help but become emotionally entangled in his cases, no matter how numbingly predictable they may be.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert B. Parker was one of contemporary fiction's most popular and respected detective writers. Best known for his portrayal of the tough but erudite investigator Spenser, Parker wrote over twenty-five novels over the course of his career, which began in 1973. Parker's acclaim and his thorough background in classic detective literature helped earn him the somewhat unusual commission of completing a Philip Marlowe novel that the great Raymond Chandler had left unfinished.

Promised Land and the other Spenser novels spawned the movie Spenser: For Hire and a string of made-for-TV movies.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

From classic book to classic film, RosettaBooks has gathered some of most memorable books into film available. The selection is broad ranging and far reaching, with books from classic genre to cult classic to science fiction and horror and a blend of the two creating whole new genres like Richard Matheson's The Shrinking Man. Classic works from Vonnegut, one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, meet with E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. Whether the work is centered in the here and now, in the past, or in some distant and almost unimaginable future, each work is lasting and memorable and award-winning.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } Spenser is a wisecracking former boxer turned private investigator and he is just settling into his new office when enters Harv Shepard, a beleaguered businessman who is looking for someone to help locate his runaway wife. So begins Promised Land, the fourth novel by Robert Parker, that follows the exploits of his cerebral but tough character, detective Spenser. Why Harv Shepard's wife abandoned her family and exactly where she has gone comprise only half the intrigue in this story, though Spenser soon discovers that Harv is a man in deep trouble, involved with a crooked loan shark and tangled in an ailing business venture.

The real reason we keep turning the pages of Promised Land is because of the compelling figure cut by detective Spenser. The way in which he gets the information he gets about the case from police detectives, bartenders, and local thugs—Spenser’s unique bracing blend of irony and sincerity that almost never encourages the people he encounters to really like him--is as interesting as the information he gets.

Spenser is clever, often hilarious and his quips have something more than self-amusement as their end. Beneath the air of insouciant detachment and irony is a quixotic concern, as witnessed by his often self-sacrificing actions. The people Spenser meets often made predictable mistakes, falling into the same traps he has seen countless others fall into, and out of which they are mistakenly sure they can get out. Although he is weary of watching this pageant of human weakness and failure time and again, Spenser cannot help but become emotionally entangled in his cases, no matter how numbingly predictable they may be.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert B. Parker was one of contemporary fiction's most popular and respected detective writers. Best known for his portrayal of the tough but erudite investigator Spenser, Parker wrote over twenty-five novels over the course of his career, which began in 1973. Parker's acclaim and his thorough background in classic detective literature helped earn him the somewhat unusual commission of completing a Philip Marlowe novel that the great Raymond Chandler had left unfinished.

Promised Land and the other Spenser novels spawned the movie Spenser: For Hire and a string of made-for-TV movies.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

From classic book to classic film, RosettaBooks has gathered some of most memorable books into film available. The selection is broad ranging and far reaching, with books from classic genre to cult classic to science fiction and horror and a blend of the two creating whole new genres like Richard Matheson's The Shrinking Man. Classic works from Vonnegut, one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, meet with E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. Whether the work is centered in the here and now, in the past, or in some distant and almost unimaginable future, each work is lasting and memorable and award-winning.

Product Details

File Size: 374 KB
Print Length: 228 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0440171970
Publisher: RosettaBooks (July 1, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B003XVYL9E
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Enabled

Lending: Enabled
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,925 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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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.

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3.9 out of 5 stars

(70)

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“ Good cast of characters. ” Lynda E. Smith | 9 reviewers made a similar statement

“ Robert Parker packed a lot into this fourth book of the Spenser series. ” Sarah Stegall | 7 reviewers made a similar statement

“ Don't buy this book in the Kindle format! ” James | 4 reviewers made a similar statement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 80 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Early yet timeless Spenser November 19, 2000

By Eric M. Schmidt

Format:Mass Market Paperback

If you aren't familiar with the Spenser series, this is the fourth book. Not that you have to read them in any particular order--but it is interesting to follow the development of the series chronologically. In this tale, Spenser ends up involved in finding a runaway wife--and bailing out her husband from his own mess too. This being an earlier Spenser book gives us a glimpse at how Spenser's relationship with Susan Silverman evolves and a foreshadowing of events to come in the relationship's future. Most notable is the introduction of Hawk to the series (not necessarily as an ally!). Parker's excellent characterization of Spenser through the character's musings, witty remarks, and ethical action are as strong in this novel as any of the other Spenser books I've read thus far. The plot itself has an entertaining build up and even better conclusion--I'd definitely recommend Promised Land to anyone curious about the series.

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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fixed October 2, 2010

By Clair

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are not familiar with this story by Robert B. Parker buy the actual book and not this kindle version. It reads like a combination pdf document and screen play. No dialogue designation at all. No 'Spenser said...' or 'Hawk replied' anywhere. To determine who said what one has to go back and find the quotation marks. Very disruptive to the flow of the story! The entire copy is left justified, really ruins an excellent Spenser novel.

The book has been fixed now and a new copy was provided, thanks.

3 Comments |

59 of 64 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but don't get it on your Kindle October 17, 2008

By H. Evans

I have read many books on my Kindle and have been pleased with the rendering of all of them, except for this one. I'm not sure how this book was transcribed to the Kindle, but the transcription is awful. Page after page of spelling errors, well, the words are real, but not the correct word. It passed the spell-check, but the sentence is nonsense. From the context you can generally figure out what word was intended, but it happens so often that it really detracts from the book. Read the book? Absolutely - it's a four star book, but get it in paperback.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Winner

Parker is awesome and I can't get enough reading of his Spenser books. I am getting close to having read all of the Spencer series. Too bad! I might try Jesse Stone after this.

Published 9 days ago by Doris Cook

4.0 out of 5 stars Ripped from the 1970s headlines

Boston private investigator Spenser is hired by a seemingly successful contractor to find his wife, who has disappeared. Read more

Published 27 days ago by Nina M. Osier

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid 4

Great dialogue but maybe a little ......... self-indulgent? I liked it enough to read another in the series though. Nicely observed

Published 28 days ago by Mark Herbertt

5.0 out of 5 stars As described. Thanks.

Book as described. Delivered promptly. Pleased with purchase. In excellent shape. Thanks for offering on Amazon.Com. Hope to deal again soon.

Published 1 month ago by Walter Hebert

3.0 out of 5 stars A good story, but not exciting.

A good easy the follow story, but it did not hold my interest very well. I expected more from the plot. Read more

Published 2 months ago by James A Hoida

3.0 out of 5 stars A good fast fun read

I've read many of the Spenser series and enjoy them. This was the beginning of the character and he, Hawk and Susan were quite a bit different than what they evolved to. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Nick

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD SPENSER MYSTERY!!

This is a good spenser mystery. This storyline introduces Hawk into Spensers life....so one has to read it to follow Hawk through the other mysteries.

Published 2 months ago by KC

4.0 out of 5 stars Even When It's Old, It Doesn't Get Old

Spenser novels are great. They're easy to read, the dialog snaps like a towel, and the characters are memorable. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Robert

3.0 out of 5 stars Promised Land

Good book. It was predictable as usual but not as much action this go round. I like Parker's modern day version of the honorable cowboys such as the Sacketts.

Published 3 months ago by Tee G

4.0 out of 5 stars Early Days Parker

Parker progressed substantially as he perfected his technique.

Not quite as droll as later works but he already showed his ability to beat up on people. Read more

Published 3 months ago by reo

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Promised Land (RosettaBooks into Film) [Kindle Edition]

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