Robert B. Parker RIP

[bionicbob]

The master of hard boiled detective fiction died Monday of a reported heart attack. He was 77 years young.

He created SPENSER, JESSE STONE and SUNNY RANDALL.
He had written over 50 novels, including several westerns.

He was one of the great ones and will be missed.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Really a shame. One of my favorite authors.

 

[A beaker full of death]

He was a great student of the pulps, and a scholar of the genre. He will be missed.

 

[gh4chiefs]

Dammit,

I just started reading his works, primarily the Virgil Cole novels (Appaloosa Trilogy) and I really enjoyed them.

RIP Mr. Parker. Condolances to his family.

 

[RandyS]

Damn. Sad news. I love his Spenser novels. Thankfully though I haven't read them all so I can still enjoy more.

 

[Top41]

That's very sad. I've only read one of his novels, but he was a big name in the genre. RIP.

 

[cardinal biggles]

I didn't realize until reading his obit that the Spenser novels pretty much singlehandedly resurrected the hardboiled detective genre back in the 1970s.

Bad Business (2004) contained one of the clearest explanations of what the whole Enron scandal was about (of course, told through a fictional company Spenser's case was tied to). That's what I liked best about Parker's novels — they were fun and smart at the same time.

 

[sidious618]

I was sorry to hear this. Being a bit of a mystery/thriller novel fan it's a blow to lose one of the big ones.

 

[Australis]

Sad. Never read much of his stuff, but as a Raymond Chandler fan I liked hte novel they 'co-wrote', 'Poodle Springs'.

 

[gh4chiefs]

This inspired me to purchase Gunman's Rhapsody which I'm now reading on my Kindle. I love Westerns. Does anyone know if he has written any other Westerns other than GR and the Appaloosa trilogy?

 

[RJDiogenes]

Aw, this is sad. I read a bunch of his Spenser novels years ago and loved them. They were great mysteries, and I loved the local color.

RIP, Mr Parker.

 

[cardinal biggles]

This inspired me to purchase Gunman's Rhapsody which I'm now reading on my Kindle. I love Westerns. Does anyone know if he has written any other Westerns other than GR and the Appaloosa trilogy?

There's supposed to be another western out this year, though the obituaries didn't make it clear whether it was a fourth book in the Appaloosa series. Parker had submitted several completed manuscripts to his publisher before his death, so we'll still be seeing new books from him for the next year or so.

 

[bionicbob]

There's supposed to be another western out this year, though the obituaries didn't make it clear whether it was a fourth book in the Appaloosa series. Parker had submitted several completed manuscripts to his publisher before his death, so we'll still be seeing new books from him for the next year or so.

He was an incredibly prolific writer. According to his bio, he would write 10 pages a day, no outline and no revisions. What he wrote is what he published!

I know there are a couple more JESSE STONE tv movies starring TOM SELLECK forthcoming. If you have never watched them, I can not recommend them highly enough. They are incredible character pieces.

Last summer, Parker wrote in his blog TNT was interested in a new SPENSER tv series, but I have heard nothing new since. And I have no idea whatever happened to the SUNNY RANDALL/HELEN HUNT project.

But the wonderfull thing is we will always have his prose. With over 50 novels to his credit, there will never be a shortage of Robert B. Parker to inspire and enjoy.

 

[cardinal biggles]

^I was kind of disappointed that he stopped writing the Sunny Randall books in 2007; Spenser is my favorite of Parker's characters, but I like Sunny better than Jesse Stone.

 

[gh4chiefs]

This inspired me to purchase Gunman's Rhapsody which I'm now reading on my Kindle. I love Westerns. Does anyone know if he has written any other Westerns other than GR and the Appaloosa trilogy?

There's supposed to be another western out this year, though the obituaries didn't make it clear whether it was a fourth book in the Appaloosa series. Parker had submitted several completed manuscripts to his publisher before his death, so we'll still be seeing new books from him for the next year or so.

Well I'll be eagerly awaiting that, whatever it may turn out to be. I'm enjoying Gunman's Rhapsody, however it's the story of the "gunfight at the OK corral," so I basically know what's going to happen with the story (everytime Wyatt Earp speaks in this book I hear Kevin Costner's voice). Still a good read though.