Craig Zablo

I was shocked to read the news this morning that Robert B. Parker had passed away yesterday.  Although Parker was 77, his death was unexpected.  He seemed to be in good health and as prolific as ever, writing as many as three books a year.  The cause of death has been determined to have been a heart attack.  Parker died at his desk working on his next novel.

My grandfather was a prolific reader and I can remember the evening that he told me about this new author, Robert B. Parker, and this wise-cracking detective that Parker had created.  Grandpa thought that I’d enjoy the novel and passed me The Godwulf Manuscript.  I was hooked.  And I wasn’t the only one.  Parker’s detective, Spenser, would return in 36 other novels as well as a television series and made for tv movies.  Parker is said to have influenced a new generation of writers.  Perhaps best-selling novelist Harlon Coben said it best: “When it comes to detective novels, 90 percent of us admit he’s an influence, and the rest of us lie about it.”

Parker eventually branched out to write other series characters [Jessie Stone – a small town sheriff; Sunny Randall – a female detective; a Western trilogy featuring a couple of gunfighters that many called wild west versions of Spenser and Hawk] as well as some stand alone novels.  But it was always the new Spenser novel that I wanted to read as soon as it became available.   I’ve written many times on my blog that each new Spenser novel is like meeting up with an old friend.  I’m going to miss meeting up with Spenser.

I already miss Robert B. Parker.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and fans.