Robert B. Parker, RIP

[GARussell]

Robert B. Parker, the author of the Spenser mysteries, has died. A few years before the television series I got into him and read the first 10 or so novels of the series. I found that each one was not quite as good as the one before. Still, I have fond memories.

I once read a funny thing about him. Although he dedicated each of his books to his wife, she lived in a separate apartment in their home with its own entrance.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/

Edited January 20, 2010 by GARussell

[DukeCity]

I was saddened to hear this yesterday. I didn't get into Parker and the Spenser novels until about ten or twelve years ago, but since then I think I've read them all. Fun diversions. It was interesting to move my way backwards in the line of books. The first ones I read were from the '90s, then I stumbled on a stack of the first several from the '70s at a church book sale. I think I got 'em for 25 cents each. Spenser of the 1970's was a friskier dude. Nailing chicks right and left (including doing a 40-something mom, and then the 20-something daughter later the same day!), and punching more guys out "just because".

As the series progressed, there were fewer encounters in the bedroom, and more detailed cooking scenes in the kitchen.

RIP and thanks for the stories!

[paul secor]

Read many of the Spenser novels into the 90's, but dropped off after that. They were good semi-hardboiled entertainment.

Once saw Mr. Parker and his wife at a NYC dance recital in the mid-80's. His son was one of the dancers. In one of Mr. Parker's novels from that time, Spenser takes an aimless young man who decides he wants to become a dancer under his wing. At the time, it seemed that some of that plot came from life.

RIP, Mr. Parker.

Not to minimize what's happened in Haiti, but it seems like there has been an inordinate number of deaths reported here over the past week or so.

[BruceH]

I read 4 or 5 of the Spenser novels in the 80's. At the place where I was working a bunch of co-workers were passing the paperbacks around, so I got to read the first 3 or 4 for free. But then I happened to read a much later one, #10 or more, and it didn't seem as good. Part of the kick to them was the Boston locations, as that's where I was living at the time.