I said in an earlier post that being introduced to Robert B Parker was something of an epiphany for me in my journey through the world of detective fiction and, from that, I have gone on to read almost every book which has been written about his principal three characters, Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall and, in addition, the four which are available on Kindle featuring the itinerant Western lawmen, Everett Cole and Virgil Hitch. Since Parker’s death, other authors have taken on the mantle in each case and I have read these on publication, all of which, I suppose, makes me nothing short of a ‘Parker addict’! So, since I enjoy them so much, I have to assume that they will appeal to others who are fans of the detective fiction genre and I am going to devote this post to Parker’s principal characters and their associates whether they be other detectives, crooks, thugs, gangsters or a mixture of all of these!
First of all, though, it is worth just reflecting on what especially appeals to me about the books and it fits pretty well with what I say about most of my favourite authors – it’s all about the characters! Now, that’s a little unfair because the plots in Parker’s books are fine but they aren’t what pulls me towards the books. In fact, I think I probably have to say that the plots can be quite predictable and pretty much forgettable once the book is finished. What is great about them is that they are full of interesting and idiosyncratic characters and the dialogue between them all is sharp, incisive, witty and smart. The stories are simple but the interaction and dialogue is brilliant and I think it is worth having a quick look at each of the main protagonists in an effort to introduce you to the books, if I can.
Let’s begin with Spenser and there must be at least forty books featuring him, and possibly more. I think I’ve read them all but I live in the hope that I’ll come across one I haven’t seen. I occasionally think of just reading them again and many of them are sitting on my Kindle. However, my experience tends to be that, even if I start to re-read a book that I know I enjoyed, while, in the early stages, I can’t necessarily remember much about it, gradually I start to recall it and I have to give up. As I’ve said already, the good thing is that other authors, in the case of Spenser, Ace Atkins, have picked up the baton and are doing a pretty good job of replicating Parker’s style. I think he would be quite proud of their efforts.
So, Spenser is based in Boston and he is a former soldier, cop and boxer who was brought up by his father and his uncles with a good, clear appreciation of the difference between right and wrong. He is now a private detective. Although we are never given any detail of formal education other than to say he left his father and uncles to go to college in Boston, he is clearly intelligent and well-read as well as being sharp and witty. This is all helped by the fact that his partner, the psychotherapist Susan Silverman, is a Harvard PhD, a fact which we are often reminded of! Spenser is regularly faced with tricky cases to solve but, fortunately, he is given ready assistance in these by his close associates, Hawk and Sixkill (both very interesting and enigmatic characters), cops Quirk, Belson and Farrell, with whom he has strong relationships, and a variety of crooks/gangsters such as Vinny Morris, Gino Fish, Tony Marcus, Chollo and many more. All these characters are interesting and idiosyncratic in their own ways and Parker was able to manipulate them and ensure that their presence made relatively predictable and forgettable plots compulsive reading. As I have already said, Ace Atkins has done a terrific job in keeping the Spenser books going after Parker’s sad death and, just before I finish this piece, I think it’s worth mentioning one small reference in his most recent Spenser which epitomises his style and class for me. It appears in ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ and there is some dialogue between Spenser and another character. The latter makes a reference to the actor Mark Wahlberg’s most recent film to which Spenser replies ‘I hope it’s better than his last one’. Mark Wahlberg played Spenser in his last film! Maybe it’s just my sense of humour but I thought it was such a clever and amusing touch and, of course, I was pleased that I had spotted it! What it comes down to is, if you like detective fiction at all and you haven’t tried Spenser, you must do so and soon!
Jesse Stone is also an extremely likeable character although he was played by Tom Selleck in a series of feature length TV programmes based on the books. He was never Tom Selleck for me in a million years not least because he would never have had a moustache! Despite this, the films are watchable and enjoyable but not in the same league as reading the books. A former homicide detective in LA and a top baseball player until his career-ending injury, he was sacked due to alcoholism and, as he tried to recover, he managed to get a job as police chief in a small town called Paradise in the suburbs of Boston. It is suggested in the books that he and Spenser know each other and there is occasional involvement in cases but, other than that, they operate separately from each other.
He is clearly a top cop and like Spenser, he has a number of associates amongst other police and crooks (in some cases the same names appear as do in the Spenser stories). However, he works closely with his colleagues in Paradise, notably Molly, his assistant and his top patrolman, Suitcase Simpson. As with Spenser, the stories and plots are not earth-shattering and he usually wins but the characters and the interaction between them is superb and highly recommended. Reed Farrel Coleman has taken on Parker’s mantle with the Jesse Stone series and he is doing a terrific job, certainly as well as Ace Atkins is doing with Spenser. I have also tried some of his other books and I like them, in particular, the Moe Prager series. Not quite as enjoyable for me as Jesse Stone but pretty good and recommended none the less. The third principal Robert B Parker character is another Boston private eye, Sunny Randall. Once again, there is some intermingling of characters across the three series and there are relationships with the police and with the ‘mob’ and a combination of decent enough plots and great characterisation. I’ll leave Sunny and Hitch and Cole for another time and just finish by saying, once again, that I can’t recommend Parker and his characters highly enough. Let me know how you get on with them or, if you’re already a reader, what you think of them. For me, Robert B Parker is the absolute best of the bunch and all fans of the detective fiction genre owe an enormous debt to him, not just for his characters and all the books he and the other authors I have mentioned have written but also for all the other writers who have been influenced by him.