# Robert B. Parker

Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works include the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. In the mid-1980s, based on the character of detective Spencer, ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire. A series of TV movies was also produced based on the same character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors, including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen. The Jesse Stone books were adapted into a series of TV films starring Tom Selleck.
Following Parker's death, the Spenser books were written by Ace Atkins (2012-2022) and Mike Lupica (2023-present); Jesse Stone by Michael Brandman (2011-2013), Reed Farrel Coleman (2014-2019) and Lupica (2020-2022); Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch by Robert Knott; and Sunny Randall by Lupica (2018-2020) and Alison Gaylin (2023).

## Early life and education

Parker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1956, Parker married Joan H. Parker, whom he claimed to have met as a toddler at a birthday party. They spent their childhoods in the same neighborhood.
After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, Parker served as a soldier in the US Army Infantry in Korea. In 1957, he earned his master's degree in English literature from Boston University and then worked in advertising and technical writing until 1962. Parker received a PhD in English literature from Boston University in 1971. His dissertation, titled "The Violent Hero, Wilderness Heritage, and Urban Reality," discussed the exploits of fictional private-eye heroes created by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross Macdonald.

## Career

Parker wrote his first novel in 1971 while teaching at Northeastern University. He became a full professor in 1976, and turned to full-time writing in 1979, with five Spenser novels to his credit.
Parker's popular Spenser novels are known for his characters of varied races and religions. According to critic Christina Nunez, Parker's "inclusion of [characters of] other races and sexual persuasions" lends his writings a "more modern feel". For example, the Spenser series characters include Hawk and Chollo, African American and Mexican American, respectively, as well as Spenser's Jewish girlfriend, Susan, various Russians, Ukrainians, Chinese, a gay cop, Lee Farrell, and even a gay mob boss, Gino Fish. The homosexuality of both his sons gave his writing "[a] sensibility," Ms. Nunez feels, "[which] strengthens Parker's sensibility [toward gays]." In 1985, Spenser was made into a successful television series, Spenser for Hire, which starred Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, and Barbara Stock.
In 1994, Parker collaborated with Japanese photographer Kasho Kumagai on Spenser's Boston, a coffee-table book that explores the city through Spenser's eyes via high quality, four-color photos. In addition to Parker's introduction, excerpts from several of the Spenser novels were included.
Parker created female detective Sunny Randall at the request of actress Helen Hunt, who wanted him to write a part for her to play. He wrote the first book, and the film version was planned for 2000, but never materialized. His publisher liked the character, though, and asked him to continue with the series.
Another figure created by Parker was Jesse Stone, a troubled former LAPD detective, who starts a new career as a police chief in a small New England town. Between 1997 and 2010, he wrote nine novels featuring Jesse Stone, all of which have been adapted as a series of TV movies by CBS starring Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone.
Aside from crime writing, Parker also produced several Western novels, including Appaloosa, and children's books. Like Parker's Spenser series, his Westerns have received critical attention. Chris Dacus, who has written on other authors including Cormac McCarthy, has written of the intellectual depth and importance of Parker's Westerns in The Stoic Western Hero: Robert B. Parker's Westerns.
Parker and his wife created an independent film company called Pearl Productions, based in Boston. It was named after their German Shorthaired Pointer, Pearl.

## Personal life

Parker and his wife, Joan, had two sons, David and Daniel. Originally, the character of Spenser was to have been called "David", but Parker did not want to appear to favor one of his sons over the other, so Parker omitted Spenser's first name entirely, and it was never revealed.
Parker and his wife separated at one point, but then came to an unusual arrangement. They lived in a three-story Victorian house just outside of Harvard Square; she lived on one floor and he on another, and they shared the middle floor. This living arrangement is mirrored in Spenser's private life: his girlfriend, Susan, had an aversion to marriage and living together full-time. Living separately suited them both, although they were fully committed to each other. Explaining the arrangement in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Parker said, "I want to make love to my wife for the rest of my life, but I never want to sleep with her again."
He had a great fondness for dogs, including German Shorthair Pointers. Dogs were included in his Spenser stories, aging along with the character and appearing in the ongoing series of novels. The dogs were always named Pearl.
Parker's favorite books were The Bear, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Maltese Falcon, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Dubliners, The Big Sleep, U.S.A. trilogy, and The Ambassadors.

### Awards

Parker received three nominations and two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He received the first award, the "Best Novel Award" in 1977, for the fourth novel in the Spenser series, Promised Land. In 1983, he received the Maltese Falcon Award, Japan, for Early Autumn. In 1990, he shared, with wife Joan, a nomination for "Best Television Episode" for the TV series B.L. Stryker, but the award went to David J. Burke and Alfonse Ruggiero Jr. for Wiseguy.
In 2002, he received the Grand Master Award Edgar for his collective oeuvre.
Parker received the 2002 Joseph E. Connor Memorial Award from the Phi Alpha Tau Fraternity at Emerson College. He was inducted into the fraternity as an honorary brother in spring 2003.
In 2008, he was awarded the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award.

## Death

Parker was 77 when he died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 18, 2010; discovered at his desk by his wife Joan, he had been working on a novel.
Joan Parker, the inspiration for the Susan Silverman character in the Spenser series, died June 12, 2013.
Later written by Ace Atkins, the Spenser series continued following Parker's death. The Boston Globe wrote that while some people might have "viewed the move as unseemly, those people didn't know Robert B. Parker, a man who, when asked how his books would be viewed in 50 years, replied: 'Don't know, don't care.' He was proud of his work, but he mainly saw writing as a means of providing a comfortable life for his family."

## Works
### Novels

| Title | Year | ISBN | Series | Notes |
| The Godwulf Manuscript | 1973 | 0-395-18011-2 | Spenser 01 | |
| God Save the Child | 1974 | 0-395-19955-7 | Spenser 02 | |
| Mortal Stakes | 1975 | 0-395-21969-8 | Spenser 03 | |
| Promised Land | 1976 | 0-395-24771-3 | Spenser 04 | Edgar Award, Best Novel |
| The Judas Goat | 1978 | 0-395-26682-3 | Spenser 05 | |
| Wilderness | 1979 | 0-385-29108-6 | | |
| Looking for Rachel Wallace | 1980 | 0-385-28558-2 | Spenser 06 | |
| Early Autumn | 1980 | 0-385-28242-7 | Spenser 07 | 1983 Maltese Falcon Award |
| A Savage Place | 1981 | 0-385-28951-0 | Spenser 08 | |
| Ceremony | 1982 | 0-385-28127-7 | Spenser 09 | |
| The Widening Gyre | 1983 | 0-385-29220-1 | Spenser 10 | |
| Love and Glory | 1983 | 0-385-29261-9 | | Set at Taft University |
| Valediction | 1984 | 0-385-29330-5 | Spenser 11 | |
| A Catskill Eagle | 1985 | 0-385-29385-2 | Spenser 12 | |
| Taming a Sea-Horse | 1986 | 0-385-29461-1 | Spenser 13 | |
| Pale Kings and Princes | 1987 | 0-385-29538-3 | Spenser 14 | |
| Crimson Joy | 1988 | 0-385-29668-1 | Spenser 15 | |
| Playmates | 1989 | 0-399-13463-8 | Spenser 16 | Set at Taft University |
| Poodle Springs | 1989 | 0-399-13482-4 | Philip Marlowe 1 | Completing the 1958 Raymond Chandler novel - The first four chapters are written by Raymond Chandler |
| Stardust | 1990 | 0-399-13537-5 | Spenser 17 | |
| Pastime | 1991 | 0-399-13630-4 | Spenser 18 | |
| Perchance to Dream | 1991 | 0-399-13580-4 | Philip Marlowe 2 | Sequel to The Big Sleep |
| Double Deuce | 1992 | 0-399-13754-8 | Spenser 19 | |
| Paper Doll | 1993 | 0-399-13818-8 | Spenser 20 | |
| Walking Shadow | 1994 | 0-399-13961-3 | Spenser 21 | |
| All Our Yesterdays | 1994 | 0-385-30437-4 | | |
| Thin Air | 1995 | 0-399-14063-8 | Spenser 22 | |
| Chance | 1996 | 0-399-14688-1 | Spenser 23 | |
| Small Vices | 1997 | 0-399-14547-8 | Spenser 24 | |
| Night Passage | 1997 | 0-399-14304-1 | Jesse Stone 1 | |
| Trouble in Paradise | 1998 | 0-399-14433-1 | Jesse Stone 2 | |
| Sudden Mischief | 1998 | 0-399-14696-2 | Spenser 25 | |
| Hush Money | 1999 | 0-399-14458-7 | Spenser 26 | |
| Family Honor | 1999 | 0-399-14566-4 | Sunny Randall 1 | |
| Perish Twice | 2000 | 0-399-14668-7 | Sunny Randall 2 | |
| Hugger Mugger | 2000 | 0-399-14587-7 | Spenser 27 | |
| Gunman's Rhapsody | 2001 | 0-399-14762-4 | | Wyatt Earp in 1879 |
| Death in Paradise | 2001 | 0-399-14779-9 | Jesse Stone 3 | |
| Potshot | 2001 | 0-399-14710-1 | Spenser 28 | |
| Widow's Walk | 2002 | 0-399-14845-0 | Spenser 29 | |
| Shrink Rap | 2002 | 0-399-14930-9 | Sunny Randall 3 | |
| Back Story | 2003 | 0-399-14977-5 | Spenser 30 | Includes Jesse Stone |
| Stone Cold | 2003 | 0-399-15087-0 | Jesse Stone 4 | |
| Bad Business | 2004 | 0-399-15145-1 | Spenser 31 | |
| Melancholy Baby | 2004 | 0-399-15218-0 | Sunny Randall 4 | |
| Double Play | 2004 | 0-399-15188-5 | | |
| Cold Service | 2005 | 0-399-15240-7 | Spenser 32 | |
| Appaloosa | 2005 | 0-399-15277-6 | Cole & Hitch 1 | |
| School Days | 2005 | 0-399-15323-3 | Spenser 33 | |
| Hundred-Dollar Baby | 2006 | 0-399-15376-4 | Spenser 34 | Also published as Dream Girl |
| Sea Change | 2006 | 0-399-15267-9 | Jesse Stone 5 | |
| Blue Screen | 2006 | 0-399-15351-9 | Sunny Randall 5 | Includes Jesse Stone |
| High Profile | 2007 | 0-399-15404-3 | Jesse Stone 6 | Includes Sunny Randall |
| Spare Change | 2007 | 0-399-15425-6 | Sunny Randall 6 | |
| Now and Then | 2007 | 0-399-15441-8 | Spenser 35 | |
| Edenville Owls | 2007 | 0-399-24656-8 | | |
| Stranger In Paradise | 2008 | 0-399-15460-4 | Jesse Stone 7 | |
| The Boxer and the Spy | 2008 | 0-399-24775-0 | | |
| Rough Weather | 2008 | 0-399-15519-8 | Spenser 36 | |
| Resolution | 2008 | 0-399-15504-X | Cole & Hitch 2 | |
| Brimstone | 2009 | 0-399-15571-6 | Cole & Hitch 3 | |
| Chasing the Bear | 2009 | 0-399-24776-9 | Spenser 37 (prequel) | "Young Spenser" |
| Night and Day | 2009 | 0-399-15541-4 | Jesse Stone 8 | Includes Sunny Randall |
| The Professional | 2009 | 0-399-15594-5 | Spenser 38 | |
| Split Image | 2010 | 0-399-15623-2 | Jesse Stone 9 | Published posthumously, includes Sunny Randall |
| Blue-Eyed Devil | 2010 | 0-399-15648-8 | Cole & Hitch 4 | Published posthumously |
| Painted Ladies | 2010 | 0-399-15685-2 | Spenser 39 | Published posthumously |
| Sixkill | 2011 | 0-399-15726-3 | Spenser 40 | Published posthumously |
| Silent Night | 2013 | 0-425-27161-7 | Spenser 41 | Unfinished, completed by literary agent Helen Brann |

#### Series continuations

After Parker died, his family, together with Parker's publishers, chose to continue the Jesse Stone, Spenser, and Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series.
Ace Atkins was selected to continue the Spenser novels. The book Parker was working on at the time of his death was completed by his literary agent Helen Bran.
Eleven Jesse Stone novels have been published since Parker's death. The first three were by Parker's longtime friend and collaborator, Michael Brandman, and the next six by Reed Farrel Coleman. Mike Lupica wrote the 10th in 2020 and eleventh in 2021.
Parker's Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series was continued by actor and screenwriter Robert Knott.
The Sunny Randall series continued with Blood Feud (November 27, 2018) and Grudge Match (May 4, 2020). The books were written by Parker's friend, sports journalist Mike Lupica. The eleventh book in the Sunny Randall series, 'Bad Influence', was written by Alison Gaylin and published in 2023.

### Nonfiction

* Sports Illustrated Training with Weights (with John R. Marsh) (1974) ISBN 1-56800-032-4
* Three Weeks in Spring (with Joan H. Parker) (1982) ISBN 0-395-26282-8
* A Year At The Races (with Joan H. Parker) (1990) ISBN 0-670-82678-2
* Spenser's Boston (with Kasho Kumagai) (1994) ISBN 978-1883402501

### Short fiction

"Surrogate"' (1991)" A short story published in the crime anthology New Crimes 3 ISBN 0-88184-737-2