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Spenser novels: Robert B Parker

Oberon

New Member
Not that quantity is a measure of quality, but Parker has a lot of Spenser novels out there and they are of such consistent quality that you have to admire them for that if nothing else. The humor is handled well and the mysteries are quite good. Spenser has a solid supporting cast and crackling good dialogue. I've reread most of them and find them very comfortable commuter fare.

What say you?
 
Spenser

I truly enjoy the Spensers. Some are, of course, better than others. My personal favorite is Double Deuce. My son's favorite is Potshot. I think he does some things exceptionally well. First, his supporting characters are rich and well-developed. Second, he shows an ongoing relationship between two complicated people in a way few writers manage. Some of the books everything is fine between Spenser and Susan. In others there's realistic tension.

I also think it's interesting how Spenser is, slowly, aging. He's not the fastest kid on the block any more. Still one of the toughest -- but he's coming up against some aging issues.
 
I have read a lot of the Spenser novels also. My sister sent me one as a Christmas gift and that began my reading his novels. However, although I like Spenser, I particularly like Hawk. He has a reassuring quality along with the threatening attitude.
 
ctadams said:
I also think it's interesting how Spenser is, slowly, aging. He's not the fastest kid on the block any more. Still one of the toughest -- but he's coming up against some aging issues.
Great point. By acknowledging that he's slowing down, he often uses cunning where he used to tough it through. He also calls in reinforcements more quickly than he used to.

Hawk is a great character but I'm glad Parker has resisted using him alone in a book or tried to spin him off.

I think my favorite is still Early Autumn , the one where he makes a difference in the life of Paul Giacomin, who has become a recurring character over the years.
 
I enjoy Parker's other series books more. His 'Jesse Stone' and 'Sunny Randall' books are very habit forming. They both involve law inforcement and issues of relationships with former spouses.

J.K.
 
Re-opening the thread?

I've had a definite resurgence of addiction to Robert Parker's novels. The Jesse Stone series is also quite interesting, while the Sunny Randal series is somewhat less successful, in my opinion. Still, Parker shows a genius for developing interesting characters with distinctive, humanizing characteristics and always complex relationships with the opposite sex. Recently, I've taken to acquiring large numbers of his Spenser novels and am starting to read them in as close to chronological order as my collection allows. It's quite interesting to see the differences in the character development and relationships of Spenser, Hawk and Susan. In his earlier books, Hawk is a lot less sympathetic character--he's openly described as a "leg-breaker, an enforcer, someone who injures or kills people for money." In his later novels, Hawk's behavior is glossed over a good deal more. There are a number of novels that Parker has written apart from his character-series. One, the name of which escapes me now, was quite remarkable. It portrays three generations of Irish men and their relationships with their women and their humanity. Quite remarkable. I passed in on to a good friend who is Boston-Irish on both sides and he said he almost read it without putting it down. Parker is quite the talented author, whatever he puts his hand to.
 
I really didn't get into the other series by Parker as much as Spenser. I think Hawk has changed as well as Parker's presentation of him. I think being around Spenser and Susan has given him more of a sense of "family" than he used to have and that, in some ways, has made him grow up, but without giving up his edge. Just an opinion.

There is a site called "Eye On Books" that has audiofiles of interviews of authors (including Parker). If you're interested, you should check it out.
 
Thanks, C.T., for the referral to "Eyes on Books." It was interesting to hear Robert Parker's voice and the way he handled the interview. I was reminded that I had an opportunity to go hear him speak at the University of Hartford a few months ago but my motivation just didn't quite seem to reach the threshold needed to go out on a "school night." I guess there is a little parochialism in my taste for Parker's books, since they're usually set in Eastern and often Western Massachusetts, not far from where I live (in CT).

As for Hawk's development, what you say may be true--he's mellowed somewhat, due to his being included as "family" by Spenser and Susan. On the other hand, I've been more inclined to attribute his becoming milder and less sinister in manner to the deepening and mellowing of Parker himself as he ages.

Coincidentally, since my last posting, perhaps you've seen the made-for-TV movie starring and executive produced by Tom Selleck on Sunday evening, the 20th? It was, I thought, a pretty darn good translation of his Jesse Stone novel, _Stone Cold_, to the small screen. While, at first view, I definitely didn't think Tom Selleck fit the image of Jesse Stone in the book (my sense was Jesse's in his early 40's or so and Selleck is 60 and looks it), I did think that the older Selleck's style slipped very convincingly into the world-weariness and big city cop in a small town savvy of Stone's character.
I saw an interview earlier today on the 'net somewhere in which Selleck indicated he hoped something would develop from the movie, but he sounded like there were no definite offers yet. It sure had the ring of a pilot program.
 
Since the topic tele-adaptation has been broached, I have to say that I found the first season of "Spenser for Hire" as good as TV has done in getting the book onscreen without a lot of compromise. The casting was brilliant, particularly Avery Brooks as Hawk. I had not seen Robert Urich in his previous TV role, so maybe I didn't have that "it's the same guy from Vegas" prejudice, but I have always known what these two looked like since that show aired.

I love the fact that every Spenser book has been dedicated to Parker's wife, Joan.
 
Thanks, C.T., for the referral to "Eyes on Books." It was interesting to hear Robert Parker's voice and the way he handled the interview. I was reminded that I had an opportunity to go hear him speak at the University of Hartford a few months ago but my motivation just didn't quite seem to reach the threshold needed to go out on a "school night." I guess there is a little parochialism in my taste for Parker's books, since they're usually set in Eastern and often Western Massachusetts, not far from where I live (in CT).

As for Hawk's development, what you say may be true--he's mellowed somewhat, due to his being included as "family" by Spenser and Susan. On the other hand, I've been more inclined to attribute his becoming milder and less sinister in manner to the deepening and mellowing of Parker himself as he ages.

Coincidentally, since my last posting, perhaps you've seen the made-for-TV movie starring and executive produced by Tom Selleck on Sunday evening, the 20th? It was, I thought, a pretty darn good translation of his Jesse Stone novel, _Stone Cold_, to the small screen. While, at first view, I definitely didn't think Tom Selleck fit the image of Jesse Stone in the book (my sense was Jesse's in his early 40's or so and Selleck is 60 and looks it), I did think that the older Selleck's style slipped very convincingly into the world-weariness and big city cop in a small town savvy of Stone's character.
I saw an interview earlier today on the 'net somewhere in which Selleck indicated he hoped something would develop from the movie, but he sounded like there were no definite offers yet. It sure had the ring of a pilot program.


I believe Jesse was supposed to be around 34-35 in the first book, probably late 30's by the time of Stone Cold, so Tom Selleck is too old. I re-read the series after seeing the movie (the few minutes I could stomach) and even after seeing him in the role I still don't picture him as Jesse. He is supposed to be really young for a police chief. The look is wrong. I just didn't get.

Oberon I'm with you, Early Autumn is also my favorite.
 
Of the earlier books in the series, I loved "A Catskill Eagle" and "Looking For Rachel Wallace"

"Cold Service" and "Hundred Dollar Baby" were good of the more recent books.

But I have to say that I enjoy reading all of his Spenser novels.
 
I believe Jesse was supposed to be around 34-35 in the first book, probably late 30's by the time of Stone Cold, so Tom Selleck is too old. I re-read the series after seeing the movie (the few minutes I could stomach) and even after seeing him in the role I still don't picture him as Jesse. He is supposed to be really young for a police chief. The look is wrong. I just didn't get.

I already saw a couple of the Jesse Stone movies before I started reading the books, so by the time I got into the series I already had a picture of Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone in my mind. I agree, Selleck doesn't look much like Jesse, but I do think he does a good job of capturing Jesse's personality in the movies. I guess I'm a fool for Jesse because he's such a good guy and very kind even though he has a bit of a rough edge. (I guess that's why he's such a ladies' man;) )

My only gripe with the movies are that they never the same as the books, some of them have different endings and plotlines altogether. Sea Change is probably the worst of the movies, but it has been my favorite Jesse Stone book so far. The two are nothing the same...
 
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