title: In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero
author:  Otto Penzler 
description: <div>&#147;A close and revealing examination of Robert B. Parker&#151;the author, the man, and the husband&#151;brought to life by the observations and insights of fellow authors who knew him and his work. Extraordinary!&#8221;<BR>&#151;<B>Joan Parker</B><BR><BR>"Robert B. Parker, the man widely credited with reviving the hardboiled PI genre, gets the respect he amply deserves in this anthology. Editor Penzler . . . provides a thoughtful introduction that sets the stage for insights into a wide range of topics, including the role of food in the Spenser books, TV adaptations, and the series' Boston setting. Every piece is worthwhile."<BR>&#151;<I>Publishers Weekly</I><BR><BR>"The fourteen essays here examine Spenser&#8217;s place in the literary genre and anatomize the aims, techniques, and achievements of his creator . . . Included, too, are commentaries on Spenser&#8217;s accepting&#151;but never self-abasing&#151;attitudes toward race and sexuality."<BR>&#151;<I>ForeWord Reviews</I><BR><BR>"A festschrift in honor of the iconic Parker, who died in 2010 . . . the collection delves into all things Spenser and Parker, with side trips for Parker's westerns and Jesse Stone series. Susan Silverman, Hawk and Boston also get their due."<BR>&#151;Shelf-Awareness.com<BR><BR>"A baker&#8217;s dozen of crime and mystery writers&#151;including Loren D. Estleman, Lyndsay Faye, Gary Phillips, Max Allan Collins and S.J. Rozan&#151;who look back on the author&#8217;s award-winning body of work, his Boston milieu, his continuing players and any influences his fiction had on their own."<BR>&#151;<I>Kirkus Reviews</I><BR><BR>&#147;<I>In Pursuit of Spenser</I> is written by fans of Robert Parker for fans of Robert Parker. It&#8217;s a fun read that brings back wonderful memories of the man who created Spenser and so many other characters.</I>"<BR>&#151;ReviewJournal.com<BR></div>
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  # **PRAISE FOR**  
   **ROBERT B. PARKER**  
   **and THE SPENSER NOVELS**
  
  
  
  
  
  “One of the great series in the history of the American detective story!”
  
  
  — _The New York Times_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “[Spenser is] the sassiest, funniest, most-enjoyable-to-read-about private eye
  around today.”
  
  
  — _The Cincinnati Post_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Spenser novels are addictive.”
  
  
  — _The Denver Post_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Robert B. Parker has taken his place beside Dashiell Hammett, Raymond
  Chandler, and Ross Macdonald.”
  
  
  — _The Boston Globe_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Spenser probably had more to do with changing the private eye from a coffin-
  chaser to a full-bodied human being than any other detective hero.”
  
  
  — _Chicago Sun-Times_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Parker is now the best writer of this kind of fiction in business today.”
  
  
  — _The New Republic_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “The toughest, funniest, wisest private eye in the field these days.”
  
  
  — _The Houston Post_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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