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Wilderness
Aaron Newman, a respected writer, witnesses how a woman is shot and killed in bright daylight, and goes to the police. He can identify the perpetrator as Adolph Karl, a brutal gangster against who the police have never found any proof. A few hours later Newman arrives at his home and finds his wife Janet tied up in the bedroom: an unmistakable threat. Newman withdraws his statement, but realizes that, even if he keeps silent, he is a constant danger to Adolph Karl. So he decides to act: together with his wife and Chris Hood, a war veteran, he plans a murderous chase in the wilderness of North America...
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
133 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
489 books2,293 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
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.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
June 2, 2019
This is a story of revenge and the quest for justice
It's a stand alone novel, the first novel by Mr Parker that does not involve his famous characters Spenser, Jesse Stone or Sunny Randall.
This plot evokes the stories of Elmore Leonard in that it is a story of ordinary people trying to extricate themselves from extraordinary situations involving criminals (another coincidence is that Mr Parker also started out writing westerns, just like Leonard)
The idea of justice forms the core of the book. When a couple are threatened with death to keep from testifying, and with that threat hanging over their heads indefinitely, and the cops can't help you, well then you gotta do what you gotta do. It also entails people looking for inner strength, as husband and wife pit themselves against hardened bad guys in the depths of a forest in Maine
At times the writing is weak, and the dialogue can get pretty amateurish, especially between husband and wife, where the word f**k is used rather awkwardly. I'm not sensitive to profanity if it is used believably in the right context, but in these cases it just didn't fit.
So while I liked the plot, the writing often faltered.
It's a stand alone novel, the first novel by Mr Parker that does not involve his famous characters Spenser, Jesse Stone or Sunny Randall.
This plot evokes the stories of Elmore Leonard in that it is a story of ordinary people trying to extricate themselves from extraordinary situations involving criminals (another coincidence is that Mr Parker also started out writing westerns, just like Leonard)
The idea of justice forms the core of the book. When a couple are threatened with death to keep from testifying, and with that threat hanging over their heads indefinitely, and the cops can't help you, well then you gotta do what you gotta do. It also entails people looking for inner strength, as husband and wife pit themselves against hardened bad guys in the depths of a forest in Maine
At times the writing is weak, and the dialogue can get pretty amateurish, especially between husband and wife, where the word f**k is used rather awkwardly. I'm not sensitive to profanity if it is used believably in the right context, but in these cases it just didn't fit.
So while I liked the plot, the writing often faltered.
October 2, 2020
Parker is one of the greatest ever. This standalone was similar to all of his work and I really liked it. It could have been a Spenser book, just change the characters a bit but it wasn’t and that somehow made it better.
October 12, 2013
If this had been my first exposure to Robert B. Parker's work I would not have read another of his offerings. The plot is amateurish, naive & simplistic, the characters elicit no empathy nor are they even likeable. They react in ways that are improbable from a socio-psychological point of view. If I had a wife who acted the way this woman did, I'd gift wrap her and sent her to the bad guys with a note suggesting they finish the job.
In real life a Ruger Blackhawk, a bulky, difficult to conceal copy of an old coyboy's gun, would be the least likely choice for a professional killer. They are not particularly accurate and are single action - they need to be manually re-cocked for each shot. Robert Parker has never been realistic with regard to weapons and their usage and it remains true in this effort. He has a bad guy not being aware that a 1911 Colt Auto was out of ammunition and "clicking" the trigger trying to fire another round. The pistol, like most semi-autos, will stop firing with the slide locked open after firing the last round in its magazine. Impossible not to know it was empty, and impossible to "click" it.
In real life the Police would not rely merely on one witness - once aware of the crime they would look for other ways to support a charge. In real life a killer facing a death sentence would not assault and threaten the wife of a witness, they would eliminate the witness.
None of it is plausible. Heroes who cry a lot and are married to cold, self-centred bitches don't hold much appeal.
In real life a Ruger Blackhawk, a bulky, difficult to conceal copy of an old coyboy's gun, would be the least likely choice for a professional killer. They are not particularly accurate and are single action - they need to be manually re-cocked for each shot. Robert Parker has never been realistic with regard to weapons and their usage and it remains true in this effort. He has a bad guy not being aware that a 1911 Colt Auto was out of ammunition and "clicking" the trigger trying to fire another round. The pistol, like most semi-autos, will stop firing with the slide locked open after firing the last round in its magazine. Impossible not to know it was empty, and impossible to "click" it.
In real life the Police would not rely merely on one witness - once aware of the crime they would look for other ways to support a charge. In real life a killer facing a death sentence would not assault and threaten the wife of a witness, they would eliminate the witness.
None of it is plausible. Heroes who cry a lot and are married to cold, self-centred bitches don't hold much appeal.
July 6, 2018
4.5 stars (I'm very stingy with 5 star ratings)
But WOW! What a change from the Spenser, Randall and other series he's written. This was written in 1976 from what the hardcover says. An independent stand alone novel unlike any of Parker's that I've ever read. BIG on suspense and totally un-put-downable, right from the get-go. This is a violent mystery/thriller, but not gory. It is also a study in human characteristics and relationships. The main couple Aaron and Janet Newman actually have a strange relationship as a back story. He's a writer, she's an accomplished business woman.
Aaron runs to keep in shape and one morning on his run he witnesses a murder and identifies the killer to the police. When he gets home he finds his naked wife tied up, her lower belly cut superficially with the killers initials, and she’s madder than blazes that he wasn't home sooner to untie her. She's not scared, she's mad, and an enigma to the reader through out the novel. What a strange woman. From that point on their lives take a drastic turn in the road, and it takes a journey through The Wilderness to find resolution. A truly riveting dilemma. Loved it!
But WOW! What a change from the Spenser, Randall and other series he's written. This was written in 1976 from what the hardcover says. An independent stand alone novel unlike any of Parker's that I've ever read. BIG on suspense and totally un-put-downable, right from the get-go. This is a violent mystery/thriller, but not gory. It is also a study in human characteristics and relationships. The main couple Aaron and Janet Newman actually have a strange relationship as a back story. He's a writer, she's an accomplished business woman.
Aaron runs to keep in shape and one morning on his run he witnesses a murder and identifies the killer to the police. When he gets home he finds his naked wife tied up, her lower belly cut superficially with the killers initials, and she’s madder than blazes that he wasn't home sooner to untie her. She's not scared, she's mad, and an enigma to the reader through out the novel. What a strange woman. From that point on their lives take a drastic turn in the road, and it takes a journey through The Wilderness to find resolution. A truly riveting dilemma. Loved it!
January 9, 2021
My favorite books by Robert B. Parker are his westerns about Hitch and Cole. I've read a couple of his Spenser novels and liked them OK but haven't felt an urge to read more. I found this one, which is a standalone, and thought I'd give it a try. It's a contemporary (to 1979 when it was written) thriller. It starts out like gangbusters. A writer is jogging when he witnesses a murder. He reports it to the police, who recognize that the killer is a local crime boss character. The writer, Aaron Newman, plans to testify but when he arrives home he discovers that someone with the police must have blabbed and he is left a dire warning. I won't go into any detail because of spoilers. The rest of the book involves Newman and his wife dealing with the consequences.
Like I say, the book had a tremendous start but it didn't maintain that as well as I would have liked. There was plenty of tension and quite a lot of action at the end, which were good. However, I didn't connect well with the characters. Neither Newman nor his wife were likable, although one did have some sympathy for them. A third character, a family friend, was more likable at first but then became less so over time. There was a bit of an arc for both Newman and his wife and one did feel there was some growth, but I still didn't care that much for them at the end.
Like I say, the book had a tremendous start but it didn't maintain that as well as I would have liked. There was plenty of tension and quite a lot of action at the end, which were good. However, I didn't connect well with the characters. Neither Newman nor his wife were likable, although one did have some sympathy for them. A third character, a family friend, was more likable at first but then became less so over time. There was a bit of an arc for both Newman and his wife and one did feel there was some growth, but I still didn't care that much for them at the end.
August 11, 2020
Ordinary people react to extraordinary circumstances!
February 24, 2012
I ordered this by accident, thinking it was an early Spencer. Sadly, it wasn't. I'm not quite sure what it was - some kind of thriller, Lord-of-The-Flies type story about man's descent into violence (man witnesses murder, man's wife is threatened by mobster, man, wife and psycho friend decide to take matters into their own hands and plot revenge)...
Quite apart from the basic story line, there is some random psychological stuff going on, exploring the relationship between the man and his wife, the psycho friend, relationships between men and women, control issues, etc. I really should go and read up on Parker, to see if he was trained in psychology in some way, because these things tend to creep up in his novels.
Long story short, I read this expecting Spencer, it wasn't Spencer, I didn't really enjoy it. It was like eating grits for the first time - I thought they'd be sweet, took a mouthful, and actually they were salty - almost an out of body experience. Not that salty is necessarily bad, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.
Quite apart from the basic story line, there is some random psychological stuff going on, exploring the relationship between the man and his wife, the psycho friend, relationships between men and women, control issues, etc. I really should go and read up on Parker, to see if he was trained in psychology in some way, because these things tend to creep up in his novels.
Long story short, I read this expecting Spencer, it wasn't Spencer, I didn't really enjoy it. It was like eating grits for the first time - I thought they'd be sweet, took a mouthful, and actually they were salty - almost an out of body experience. Not that salty is necessarily bad, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.
September 13, 2015
Poorly written, all characters are unlikeable. Waste of good reading time.
July 9, 2021
Awful. Had to look at cover to make sure it was actually RBP.
October 7, 2022
eponymous sentence:
p127: There was wind, more than had blown since they went into the wilderness.
cement:
p49: There was a two-car garage and in the cement driveway that connected it to the street was parked a dark blue Lincoln with an orange vinyl top.
p93: He tried to ram Hood against the cement stairs to the porch door but he couldn't and they both fell and rolled, locked in each other's embrace, fifteen feet down the driveway.
?:
p160: He was almost entirely inside himself as they paddled it out onto the still surface of the lake and headed straight across toward the cabin.
Hell of a story.
"Family that kills together stays together." Indeed.
Stephen King came to mind.
p127: There was wind, more than had blown since they went into the wilderness.
cement:
p49: There was a two-car garage and in the cement driveway that connected it to the street was parked a dark blue Lincoln with an orange vinyl top.
p93: He tried to ram Hood against the cement stairs to the porch door but he couldn't and they both fell and rolled, locked in each other's embrace, fifteen feet down the driveway.
?:
p160: He was almost entirely inside himself as they paddled it out onto the still surface of the lake and headed straight across toward the cabin.
Hell of a story.
"Family that kills together stays together." Indeed.
Stephen King came to mind.
July 12, 2022
Ehhhhh. I love Parker's Spenser series so much that I decided to try out some of the non-Spenser stuff. I feel very mixed about this. Essentially a straightforward crime drama with a multitude of characters spiraling closer and closer to confrontation. Despite what I felt was a decently strong start, eventually this reached a point where I realized that stories like this really breathe or don't based on the characters, and ... I just didn't give a damn about anybody. So ... *shrug* I read about 66% then abandoned ship, the sunk fallacy telling me otherwise be damned!
March 16, 2016
Aaron Newman is a successful novelist who, on an early morning jog, happens to witness a murder. When he identifies the suspect, Adolph Karl, to police, he goes home feeling like he’s done his duty. Except Karl’s thugs have already got there first, stripping his wife Janet naked and tying her to the bed, with instructions that he must recant his evidence or worse will happen. Humiliated and cowed, Newman does as he’s told but then he, Janet and their neighbour Chris Hood decide the only way to really be free of Karl is to kill him.
I like Robert B. Parker a lot but this is the first non-Spenser novel of his I’ve read and if I’d started here I’m not sure what I’d have done. Newman isn’t a likeable character, for the most part and his marriage with Janet is perhaps best described as dysfunctional - she likes to control her environment, he loves her more than she loves him and they clearly wind each other up. Worse, since their love life is in tatters, when he sees her tied up, rape crosses his mind - which is very unpleasant and even if it was a product of its time (this was published in 1979) it’s very jarring. The rest of the characters are as well sketched as all Parker’s tend to be, from the thwarted man of action Hood to the distinctive and quite scary Karl whilst the best ones, ironically enough, are a very much in love assassin called Steiger and his wife of twenty years Angie. The locations are well used - Newman lives in Boston and eventually trails Karl to his weekend cabin in the backwoods of Maine - and Parker is at home as much as in sleazy city sidestreets as he is in the middle of a forest.
Perhaps because he couldn’t get away with it in his Spenser novels, Parker seems to revel in his opportunities for swearing and explicit sex here and also ups the ante with the violence, though he uses it superbly - when people get killed, that’s it, there’s no extended death scene, the plug just gets pulled, which is as refreshing as it is unpleasant.
If I didn’t know Parker from the Spenser novels, I’d probably have enjoyed this more but Newman remains unlikeable for a long time and his transition from a gym-loving writer to a cold-blooded killer is quick (though not as brisk as Janet’s transformation). There’s also a lot made about him being 46 and not over the hill, which is around about the age Parker was when he wrote this.
Well written and briskly paced, this isn’t a bad novel at all (taking all of the above into account) and I’d recommend it.
I like Robert B. Parker a lot but this is the first non-Spenser novel of his I’ve read and if I’d started here I’m not sure what I’d have done. Newman isn’t a likeable character, for the most part and his marriage with Janet is perhaps best described as dysfunctional - she likes to control her environment, he loves her more than she loves him and they clearly wind each other up. Worse, since their love life is in tatters, when he sees her tied up, rape crosses his mind - which is very unpleasant and even if it was a product of its time (this was published in 1979) it’s very jarring. The rest of the characters are as well sketched as all Parker’s tend to be, from the thwarted man of action Hood to the distinctive and quite scary Karl whilst the best ones, ironically enough, are a very much in love assassin called Steiger and his wife of twenty years Angie. The locations are well used - Newman lives in Boston and eventually trails Karl to his weekend cabin in the backwoods of Maine - and Parker is at home as much as in sleazy city sidestreets as he is in the middle of a forest.
Perhaps because he couldn’t get away with it in his Spenser novels, Parker seems to revel in his opportunities for swearing and explicit sex here and also ups the ante with the violence, though he uses it superbly - when people get killed, that’s it, there’s no extended death scene, the plug just gets pulled, which is as refreshing as it is unpleasant.
If I didn’t know Parker from the Spenser novels, I’d probably have enjoyed this more but Newman remains unlikeable for a long time and his transition from a gym-loving writer to a cold-blooded killer is quick (though not as brisk as Janet’s transformation). There’s also a lot made about him being 46 and not over the hill, which is around about the age Parker was when he wrote this.
Well written and briskly paced, this isn’t a bad novel at all (taking all of the above into account) and I’d recommend it.
August 28, 2014
I'm a little surprised that this book is so highly rated on Goodreads. This was my least favorite JBP book that I've read. It was written in the 1970's, and that ethos is throughout the book. Almost all of the characters are jerks. There's no one you really pull for. The main character is a 40-something-year-old author who thought about raping his wife when he walks in and finds her bound and gagged. Ohhhh-kay. And his wife can do nothing but belittle him and basically spit on him. When they are intimidated by thugs, the local police call him a big wimp because he's scared about the thought of them raping and killing his wife. Nice. And there's this whole fixation with male bodies throughout. Muscles are minutely described through the whole thing. Not to mention their sex life that is basically about her unspoken history of sexual trauma. There are definitely some cool moments as they chase the bad guys down in the woods. And the dialogue is crisp. But the only people that are bounded in reality are the killer for hire and his wife. And he's gutted for being a good husband.
March 22, 2012
Reviewing The Robert B. Parker Companion, I realized that I had read this book a few years ago. The description (there is a short synopsis of every book written by Parker) not the title reminded me that I had read it.
This was before mine(and Jeff's) effort to read the entire Spenser series so Robert B. Parker just didn't click with me at the time. If I remember right, my favortie bookseller, Vanessa, suggested it knowing I love mysteries. Just see how you like his writing, I'm sure she said.
What a great book it was...and worthy of a re-read anytime.
Knowing so much more about Parker and particularly the Spenser series, I can't compare it with anything I've read of Parker recently, but the plot of the book was outstanding with great solid character descriptions. It just enticed me with every page I turned and recall reading it quickly because I had a difficult time putting it down.
This was before mine(and Jeff's) effort to read the entire Spenser series so Robert B. Parker just didn't click with me at the time. If I remember right, my favortie bookseller, Vanessa, suggested it knowing I love mysteries. Just see how you like his writing, I'm sure she said.
What a great book it was...and worthy of a re-read anytime.
Knowing so much more about Parker and particularly the Spenser series, I can't compare it with anything I've read of Parker recently, but the plot of the book was outstanding with great solid character descriptions. It just enticed me with every page I turned and recall reading it quickly because I had a difficult time putting it down.
March 2, 2014
Very disappointing from one of my top five favorite authors. I am soooo glad this wasn't the first Robert B Parker book I'd ever read, because I'd never read another after this one. It was terrible & I'm a big RBP fan.
The plot was improbable. In less than 24 hours plans were hatched to kill the murderer & his accomplices & a next-door neighbor agreed immediately to the plan for vigilantism. There were ZERO likable or sympathetic characters, including the 'protagonists' who were all abrasive & hostile. I half agree with one reviewer who criticized Janet's attitude toward her husband. Well, he was no better. They emotionally abused one another. My sister & brother-in-law used to treat each other like that & I never liked being around the two of them together. Toward the end, I thought the 'hero' might be killed, & found myself not even caring. Also lacking was the usual RBP wit & humor which is a big reason I like his books so much.
The plot was improbable. In less than 24 hours plans were hatched to kill the murderer & his accomplices & a next-door neighbor agreed immediately to the plan for vigilantism. There were ZERO likable or sympathetic characters, including the 'protagonists' who were all abrasive & hostile. I half agree with one reviewer who criticized Janet's attitude toward her husband. Well, he was no better. They emotionally abused one another. My sister & brother-in-law used to treat each other like that & I never liked being around the two of them together. Toward the end, I thought the 'hero' might be killed, & found myself not even caring. Also lacking was the usual RBP wit & humor which is a big reason I like his books so much.
April 21, 2020
Hideous writing. Hideous plot. Hard to believe Parker wrote something this lame. The characters are unbelievable and unlikable. The dialog is stilted. The character motivations ridiculous. Parker probably died of embarrassment when he found out it was being re-released. I'm glad this isn't the first Parker I ever read. If it was I never would have gone on to read another.
July 13, 2015
Hated it.
Tried reading it, but could not get into it. Did not like any of the characters, plot, writing.
I love Robert Parker so this is heresy - this is the worst Parker book ever. In fact out of all the Parker books (all characters) the is the only one I did not like.
Don't waste your time on this one.
Tried reading it, but could not get into it. Did not like any of the characters, plot, writing.
I love Robert Parker so this is heresy - this is the worst Parker book ever. In fact out of all the Parker books (all characters) the is the only one I did not like.
Don't waste your time on this one.
January 28, 2017
Fabulous
Parker was a particular kind of genius. His Spencer books are priceless. Aaron Newman, the lead character in Wilderness, is me. The danger and adventure and romance are so well written.
I am sorry that I have no more Parker books to read.
I hope his widow, Joan, whom I have never met, is doing well
Parker was a particular kind of genius. His Spencer books are priceless. Aaron Newman, the lead character in Wilderness, is me. The danger and adventure and romance are so well written.
I am sorry that I have no more Parker books to read.
I hope his widow, Joan, whom I have never met, is doing well
August 8, 2022
One of my all-time favorite reads.
Set in Lynnfield, MA to boot ... which in other Parker fiction novels turns into Smithfield.
A tale of a man doing what he must to survive and protect what's his.
Set in Lynnfield, MA to boot ... which in other Parker fiction novels turns into Smithfield.
A tale of a man doing what he must to survive and protect what's his.
September 6, 2012
last 50 pages are the meat!
July 9, 2017
Unusual Parker novel
Another excellent read from Robert Parker. Couldn't put it down. Very different from his Spencer series, or the Jesse Stone series.
Another excellent read from Robert Parker. Couldn't put it down. Very different from his Spencer series, or the Jesse Stone series.
August 9, 2018
I like Parker. But I got one third thru this and hated the characters. If there's nothing and no one to root for I give it up.
July 8, 2021
This is a very strange book with a strange plot and bizarre dialogues. Unbelievable story with unlikeable and silly characters. It’s a DNF for me.
August 3, 2023
I didnt enjoy this book because none of the characters were likeable, their relationships with each other were weird and all the conversations they had felt so emotionless even tho sensitive topics were brought up. As a woman I‘ve never had conversations like this before and it is not at all the way i would talk in the situations that the characters went trough. None of the relationships made sense. I was rooting for no one and understood no one’s motivation behind their actions neither.
March 5, 2022
Different than what I was expecting. Somewhat of a survival novel. A well written story that was a quick and easy read. The writing style seems different than what I am used to as a Parker fan, but it works. I am not sure right off how early of a work this was, but seems pretty raw for a typical Parker novel.
September 28, 2017
As with all Mr. Parkers's books, Wilderness is a good story well told, with a trace of humour. And empathy. His character portrayals are believable; people we'd like to meet.
In Wilderness, the author poses the thought-provoking question: what we would do in the protagonists' shoes?
In Wilderness, the author poses the thought-provoking question: what we would do in the protagonists' shoes?
July 6, 2018
Justice is Served
Nice plot! Interesting characters. The wilderness setting
added added suspense and interest. Also, the leading
characters were able to resolve their their issues in a believable
manner.
Nice plot! Interesting characters. The wilderness setting
added added suspense and interest. Also, the leading
characters were able to resolve their their issues in a believable
manner.
June 17, 2019
Great read for mystery lovers everywhere! It's a quick, easy book mostly because of the riveting storyline. You can't stop reading!
Love anything by Robert Parker! His mysteries grab you on page 1 & keep you completely engaged in the storyline until the very last page!
Love anything by Robert Parker! His mysteries grab you on page 1 & keep you completely engaged in the storyline until the very last page!
May 15, 2020
My first Robert B. Parker title. Not bad, but quite dated at this point. It was hard to connect to in spots, especially with some of the lingo and descriptions of settings, etc. I might try the first Spenser title now that it's a major movie available on Netflix.
July 12, 2021
Solid investigative story. Leaves me interested in more Robert B. Parker but not necessarily a book I would recommend to everyone. It is interesting to note, this was his first book with a new protagonist after his first five were all about the same person.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews