Taming a Sea-Horse [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert B. Parker (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 1987

In his latest highly acclaimed Spenser novel, Robert B. Parker takes readers into the murky big-city underground where Spenser undertakes an intense search for a beautiful, missing prostitute, and finds himself traveling amidst the sleaze of Times Square where sex is a commodity, and young girls are the currency. This phenomenal bestseller, with a million-copy paperback first printing is supported by national TV advertising and a 6-month backlist reissue program. HC:Delacorte.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The TV series Spenser: For Hire is adding to the fame of Parker's Boston private eye, star of 12 book thrillers. The witty, tough, idealistic Spenser recounts his latest exploits in this 13th tale, starting when he meets April Kyle again. The young prostitute settled in a safe New York City bordello at the end of the novel Ceremony, April leaves to hook for Rambeaux. She refuses to believe the man who "loves her" is a pimp supported by sad girls Spenser finds walking the streets. One of these victims and Rambeaux himself are murdered. At the same time, April vanishes, involving the detective in a search that takes him to Maine (where the dead girl was first sold), to St. Thomas and finally to a playboy-type mansion in Boston. Spenser's lover Susan and their intrepid friend Hawke team up against a virtual army of hitmen ordered to protect the profits from prostitution, among other lucrative operations run by mobsters through hirelings fronting for them in legal enterprises. The suspense never slackens in the swift, eventful novel until its surprisingly touching close. Mystery Guild main selection; Literary Guild alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

5 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dell (May 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440188415
• ISBN-13: 978-0440188414
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#20 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#36 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#37 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#58 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#75 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#20 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#36 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#37 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#58 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#75 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Once again April Kyle complicates live for Spenser February 17, 2001

By Lawrance M. Bernabo HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

"Taming a Sea-Horse" finds Spenser returning to simpler pursuits after the imitation James Bond heights of our hero's previous story, "A Catskill Eagle." Susan Silverman is back in Spenser's life with minimal mention of the hell she put him through in the last couple of books when she was off in California. But they are very happy together, although they now find very little time to do any real cooking. The problem this time around is an old one revisited: April Kyle, the teenage prostitute Spenser saved in "Ceremony" has left the call girl service of Patricia Utley and has started turning tricks for Robert Rambeaux, the man she supposedly loves. Spenser does a little investigating but before he gets too deep into the matter April disappears, Rambeaux is beaten up by somebody other than Spenser, and one of the hookers our hero intereviewed is murdered. Once again, there is much more to the case than meets the eye.

This is an intimate Spenser novel, which was certainly a wise move on Robert B. Parker's part after the epic scale of its predecessor. At the end of "Ceremony," Spencer and Susan were planning on taking April to meet Mrs. Utley because they could not come up with a better solution and we could only guess at what would become of the young girl. Now the gap of the last four years has been filed in and our hero has another chance to help the young girl, whom I suspect might be on her way to being the surrogate daughter in Spenser's growing symbolic family unit. While "Taming a Sea-Horse" might seem to cover some of the ground Robert B. Parker has covered before, there is always some sort of twist, and it is not understatement to say that this time around the story ends not with a bang, but with a whimper.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In the Arms of the Angels. This old, cold motel room... February 13, 2007

By Linda G. Shelnutt VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm ashamed to admit this about my reading weakness. I did overcome it, given full use of the gift of Parker's skill as an author. The confession:

The first few paragraphs of TAMING A SEA-HORSE worked more as the wrong end of a magnet than a draw into the story. My immediate, automatic response was I didn't want to immerse my emotions again into the heartbreaking, depressing world of Patricia Utley and April Kyle.

And then the save:

Reading into the story a couple pages, I was hooked into Spenser's world and cares. I wanted to know why April had gone to the different call agency, and how Spenser might convince her to return to Utley's more realistic, kinder "retirement program." And, the conversation with Utley was engrossing, about the various angles of Call Girls' dreams, the sour and the creme.

I was also caught by Spenser's description of compulsions and controls (successes and failures) of his rampant appetites, in this case for martinis over lunch, through lunch, concluding with a healthy cherry cheesecake wallow.

Of course Spenser's first conversation with April over a noon lunch, which was breakfast for her, was full of reader bait, as was his first exchange with April's high-brow musician pimp. With Spenser's satiric takes on the seedy sides of NYC ambiance swirled into the mix, I willingly gave up any resistance to sinking into the unique plot mix in book # 13 in the series. Given the sensitive ending (and the increasingly engrossing ride to it, youthful shrugs included) I'm really glad that resistance would have been futile here.

Susan and Hawk didn't show up until about half through the plot, but their scenes were prime, especially if a reader has come upon them in sequence, through the storms of the previous novels. A special playful newness to Susan and Spenser's relationship had emerged, and I could feel the subtle pride and quiet warmth in Hawk, which had expanded due to the intense intimacy of soul ripping situations through which they had passed in absolute commitment to each other, in previous novels.

Due to the delay of entrance of Susan and Hawk, though, readers were again allowed the ambiance of the private eye walking alone, for another while. Instead of reeking of loneliness, though, this time disgust and frustration fumed in the solitary detective who realistically makes very little progress in his games, enduring endless hours and hour-packed days of tedious observation, and expensive exploration into seeming dead ends. Parker does Spenser's boredom shuffle to perfection.

The plot heat-up (from the appealing gumshoe dragging) was gradual in a satisfying way (with literary style and bits of great humor), and effective in easing me into reading a few hours in the middle of the night... thinking I would just read long enough to get sleepy and fall back asleep. Sure. Finished the book first, then went back to sleep, after another 30 minutes tumbling the story around in my mind, feeling a healing contentment about what Spenser accomplished in this one, even if it was just a novel.

I was haunted by knowing, first hand from my experiences in police work, about the young girls who would never have a Spenser to save them. Some of them would have someone; some of them would somehow save themselves.

Linda Shelnutt

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Even Hawk cannot bring back the Spenser wit January 30, 2006

By Charles Ashbacher HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

In this story, Spenser is once again on a noble mission and people are killed, but unlike other Spenser stories, the plot didn't grab me. Furthermore, the dialog lacked the wittiness found in the other Spenser stories. He was much more subdued, almost fatalistic. Even the scenes with Hawk lacked the dynamic and witty dialog that makes their relationship so unique.

April Kyle, the teenage prostitute Spenser saved in "Ceremony", has left the high-class brothel run by Patricia Utley and is now on the street for a man named Robert, who is a student at Juilliard. Spenser easily tracks her down and she tells him that her and Robert are in love and she is hooking in order to put him through school. Spenser investigates and learns that Robert is in love with many different girls and is in fact the pimp for a collection of hookers. Spenser spends some professional (his) time with Ginger Bucky, another girl in Robert's stable. He finally breaks into her hardened heart to learn that her father repeatedly raped her before he sold her to a brothel.

When April disappears and Ginger is murdered, Spenser investigates the seedy world of prostitution, where girls are sold and there are various levels of the trade. Along the way, Spenser makes a trip to Lindell, Maine to have a chat with Ginger's father and to prove to him that he is not the toughest man in Lindell. Other people are killed as Spenser follows the trail of Ginger in the hope that it will lead him to April. Eventually it does, as Spenser makes a deal with the head of a major prostitution ring to get her back.

Throughout the story, Spenser has his ego reinforced by Susan Silverman, as he questions what he is doing and his attempts to right some of the wrongs of the world. There is no great climactic ending, his meeting with the prostitution lord is little more than a swap of one person for another and a decision by Spenser to largely ignore Ginger's death. The book ends with April back in Spenser's arms and they start making simple plans as to what they will do next. Unlike other Spenser books, this one is dark and unsatisfying. The dialog and story line are weak, as they drag you from one slightly interesting situation to another.