A Savage Place

Last updated
A Savage Place
A Savage Place cover.jpg
First edition
Author Robert B. Parker
LanguageEnglish
Series Spenser
Genre Detective fiction
Publisher Delacorte Press
Publication date
1981
Publication placeUnited States
Pages186
ISBN 0-385-28951-0
Preceded by Early Autumn (Robert B. Parker novel)  
Followed by Ceremony (Robert B. Parker novel)  

A Savage Place is a detective fiction novel by American writer Robert B. Parker, the 8th book in the Spenser series.

Contents

The title is from the Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan". The book's epigraph is an excerpt from the poem, from "And there were gardens" to "A savage place! as holy and enchanted / As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted / By woman wailing for her demon lover!"

The story follows 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, who acts as a bodyguard for television reporter Candy Sloan in Los Angeles as she investigates a corrupt movie studio. They travel to various locations around the city and Spenser makes repeated reference to forgotten Hollywood figures such as Dale Evans, Mala Powers, Tom Conway, Nina Foch, and Rudd Weatherwax to Sloan's incomprehension. They sleep together once, but not later, because Spenser felt the first time was not a betrayal of his love Susan Silverman but the later times would be. Near the end of the novel, Sloan is shot and killed, a death that haunts Spenser in later novels. Spenser holds her killers hostage and forces an on-camera confession from the businessman involved. The Los Angeles police detective Spenser meets during Sloan's investigation and death, Mark Samuelson, is sympathetic to Spenser's actions and helps him leave for Boston without arrest. Samuelson becomes a recurring character in later novels.

Recurring characters

Related Research Articles

Spenser is a fictional private investigator created by the American mystery writer Robert B. Parker. He acts as the protagonist of a series of detective novels written by Parker and later continued by Ace Atkins and Mike Lupica. His first appearance was in the 1973 novel The Godwulf Manuscript. He is also featured in the 1980s television series Spenser: For Hire and a related series of TV movies based on the novels. In March 2020 he was featured in the Netflix thriller film Spenser Confidential.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert B. Parker</span> American crime writer (1932–2010)

Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.

<i>Crimson Joy</i> 1988 novel by Robert B. Parker

Crimson Joy is the 15th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker.

<i>Paper Doll</i> (novel) 1993 novel by Robert B. Parker

Paper Doll is the 20th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. The story follows the Boston-based PI Spenser as he tries to solve the apparently random killing of the well-regarded wife of a local businessman.

<i>The Godwulf Manuscript</i> 1973 crime novel by Robert B. Parker

The Godwulf Manuscript is the debut crime novel by American writer Robert B. Parker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God Save the Child</span>

God Save The Child is the second book in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series and first published in 1974. In this tale, Spenser is hired to find Kevin Bartlett, a missing 15-year-old boy, by the child's parents. This novel introduces the detective's longtime love interest, Susan Silverman, and his friend Lieutenant Healy.

<i>Small Vices</i> 1997 novel by Robert B. Parker

Small Vices is the 24th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker.

<i>Hundred-Dollar Baby</i> 2006 novel by Robert B. Parker

Hundred-Dollar Baby is the 34th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. The story follows Boston-based PI Spenser as he tries to help an old runaway prostitute he helped several years earlier, April Kyle.

<i>Potshot</i> (novel) 2001 novel by Robert B. Parker

Potshot is the 28th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. The story follows the fictional Boston-based PI Spenser as he tries to identify the killer of a widow's husband. As is often the case, Spenser's probing uncovers much more than just a simple—or single—murder.

<i>Bad Business</i> (novel) 2004 novel by Robert B. Parker

Bad Business is a detective novel by Robert B. Parker first published in 2004. It features Parker's most famous creation, Boston-based private investigator Spenser, and is the 31st novel in the series. In this novel, Spenser is hired by a wealthy woman to gather evidence on her husband's infidelity. Soon, due to Spenser's investigation, homicides start occurring.

<i>The Judas Goat</i> 1978 novel by Robert B. Parker

The Judas Goat is the fifth Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker, first published in 1978.

<i>Chasing the Bear</i> 2009 novel by Robert B. Parker

Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel is a 2009 novel by Robert B. Parker. Though set in present day, it is a prequel to Parker's venerable Spenser series of novels. Unlike the rest of the Spenser series, Chasing the Bear is a young adult novel and not strictly detective fiction.

<i>A Catskill Eagle</i> 1985 novel by Robert B. Parker

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.

<i>Double Deuce</i> 1992 novel by Robert B. Parker

Double Deuce is a 1992 novel by American writer Robert B. Parker, the 19th book featuring the private investigator Spenser. The story follows Boston-based Spenser as he and his friend Hawk butt heads against a street gang while attempting to unravel the murder of a teenage mother and her young daughter.

<i>Pastime</i> (novel) 1991 novel by Robert B. Parker

Pastime is the 18th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. The story follows Boston-based PI Spenser as he attempts to find a man's missing mother.

<i>Thin Air</i> (Parker novel) 1995 novel by Robert B. Parker

Thin Air is the 22nd Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. The story follows Boston-based PI Spenser as he searches for the wife of his longtime associate, Sgt. Frank Belson of the Boston Police Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Widening Gyre (novel)</span>

The Widening Gyre is a 1983 novel by Robert B. Parker, featuring his private detective character Spenser. The title comes from the first line of W. B. Yeats poem "The Second Coming".

<i>Lullaby</i> (Atkins novel) 2012 novel by Ace Atkins

Lullaby is the 41st novel featuring Robert B. Parker's fictional detective Spenser. It is the first official Spenser novel not written by Parker, but by Ace Atkins. Atkins was asked to write the novel after Parker's death in 2010.

<i>Taming a Sea-Horse</i> 1986 novel by Robert B. Parker

Taming a Sea-Horse is the 13th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker.

References

  1. Robert B. Parker, A Savage Place, Dell Books, 1987, page 91: "The time, not the person. It was in Korea. He was just a shape on a night patrol".