So Long, Mr. Parker

As if things couldn't get worse, last Monday, my favorite contemporary author, Robert B. Parker, passed away at age 77.

For those of you out of the loop, Mr. Parker was the creator of the detective character, Spenser, the hero of 37 mystery novels. He was also the creator of the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall mystery series, as well as a score of other books, but to me the Spenser novels were really special.

Spenser was a tough-as-nails private eye, with a soft side, who was committed to righting wrongs and discovering the truth- even if it meant bending the  rules. The series was set in Boston, so people like me from the area on our trips to the city could picture Spenser just around the corner. If not him, then his faithful other, Susan Silverman, or his pal, the bad-boy gunman Hawk.

Mr. Parker is gone now, so we won't be seeing anymore of Spenser, Hawk or Susan. Fortunately though, his books are still available for those of you who have not discovered the joys of them yet. If you have never read a Robert B. Parker book, go to your local library, or to Amazon, or wherever you get books from, and get his first Spenser novel: The Godwulf Manuscript. Then go on from there. You can thank me later.

I met Mr. Parker once, at a book signing, and he was as charming, funny and as cynical as I had always hoped he would be.

I realize that this post doesn't have the high rate of hilarity that regular readers have come to expect from this blog. I'm sorry, but I really feel like I lost a bunch of friends.

So goodnight Spenser, Susan, Hawk, Pearl, Lt. Quirk, Belson, Vinnie, Jesse, Suit, Sunny, Spike, et all. I fear we will never see your like again.

Rest in peace, Robert B. Parker.