Did anyone else know that Robert Parker died in January? I can't believe that I didn't know that! I found out tonight, reading the article in the New York Times about his widow, Joan Parker. I feel extraordinarily sad about this. Almost as sad as I felt when Tony Hillerman died. The two authors reminded me of each other in so many ways. They were both incredibly prolific, they wrote with such a strong sense of place, and of course their protagonists were one-of-a-kind creations.
Say what you will about Parker's repetitiveness and the formulaic feel of his books in the last ten years; I agree, but I still had my name on the hold list for every new Spenser book. Yes, I got tired of he and Susan having the same conversation about how perfect they were for each other, but there was still enough magic left to draw me in every time.
And speaking of magic, I could read Parker's first four Spenser books over and over again, and probably love them more each time. So funny, and sweet, and tough and thrilling. Spenser's relationships with Hawk, Susan, Detective Belson...all complex, complicated, interesting and real.
I've read all of them (but I didn't like the Jesse Stone or Sunny Randall series, and gave up on both after one or two books) and now I feel like I need to read them again. Sounds like a good summer project! Anyone else out there a Spenser fan?
Comments