Appie Knoll is the kind of suburb where kids grow up right. But something is wrong. Fourteen-year-old Kevin Bartlett disappears. Everyone thinks he's run away -- until the comic strip ransom note arrives.

It doesn't take Spenser long to get the picture -- an affluent family seething with rage, a desperate boy making strange friends...friends like Vic Harroway, body builder. Mr. Muscle is Spenser's only lead and he isn't talking...except with his fists. But when push comes to shove, when a boy's life is on the line, Spenser can speak that language too.

"Spenser is everyman's fantasy: social critic, gourmet cook, physically fit, sculptor, and of course, unabashed participant in a non-destructive sexual relationship. Parker has taken his place beside Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald." (The Boston Globe)

巴特里家的一个孩子神密失踪了。这不是一个普通的儿童失踪案。失踪儿童的母亲打来的电话将大侦探斯宾塞引入史密斯园。这里究竟发生了什么？他去失踪孩子的学校调查，在那里结识了迷人的苏珊？司薇嫚女士。

从埃瑟克斯郡地检处的调查组组长席立那里得到了一封勒索函。赎金五万美元，如果不交出来家长将再也见不到自己的孩子。家长按照指定地点如期赴约，而罪犯却轻而易举地将装钱的包从母亲的手中抢走，并消失得踪影全无。难道是内部的人走漏了风声？接着，怪事接连出现。就在家庭宴会即将开始之前，巴特里家的律师鄂尔?马吉尔死在客厅里。斯宾塞凭借自己的机智查出杀害律师的真凶，却又发现失踪的儿童与凶手在一起。父母找到孩子之后欣喜若狂，而孩子却不肯与他们相认，宁愿与那个杀人犯为伍。凶手被捕之后尚未接受审判就被人杀害。难道他背后还隐藏着更加阴险的家伙？

Robert B. Parker began writing in 1971 while teaching at Boston's Northeastern University. Now as the author of nearly 50 books, he is acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America (2002). His novels featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser have earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. The Spenser character inspired the television series Spenser: For Hire and a number of made-for-television films. He and his wife, Joan, live in the Boston area.

罗伯特·帕克长期以来，一直担任美国侦探小说协会主席。他的小说塑造了一个家喻户晓、令人难忘的中心形象——波士顿的私家侦探斯宾塞。斯宾塞有着绝世的智慧，却又不乏油滑习气。《纽约时报》书评说：“我们有幸见证了美国侦探小说史上最伟大的系列之一的诞生!” 帕克的其他作品包括1989年经典的《Poodle Springs》。这是帕克为美国历史上最著名的文学家、侦探小说巨匠雷蒙德·钱德勒晚期一部未竟手稿续写的优秀作品。该作品1998年被搬上银幕。作为钱德勒的真正传人，1994年，帕克还创作了《长眠不醒》(曾被好莱坞多次改编成电影，竟每成经典。此书已由群众出版社出版)的续篇《Perchance to Dream》。