Robert B. Parker

Yesterday, we lost one of the pillars of detective fiction, Robert B. Parker. I posted my thoughts on his passing on Make Mine Mystery and don't have much to add to what I said there. One of the points I made, however, is that Parker blew life into a fading genre with his Spenser series. Spenser is a tough guy, romantic who is in a long-term, committed relationship with Susan Silverman. This was an innovation in the genre, and even though many readers hate Susan, and even though their relationship is sometimes overly cute, it changed detective fiction forever. No longer are detectives loners, unable to commit to anyone, hopping from bed to bed with a succession of empty-headed women. Now we find them in complex relationships with strong intelligent men and women.

Spenser met Susan in 1974's God Save the Child. It probably didn't seem like much at the time, but 36 years later, the romance is still strong.

Here is the scene that started it all.

"Why don't you take off your coat?" she said.
"Well, it's supposed to make me look taller," I said.
"Sitting down?"
"No, I guess not," I said and stood up and took it off.
"I don't think you need to look taller, Mr. Spenser," she said. When she smiled, the color of her face seemed to heighten. "How tall are you?"
"Six one," I said.
"Really? That's surprising. I must admit you don't look that tall."
"Even with the raincoat?" I said.
"Even with that," she said. "You're so wide. Do you work with weights?"
"Yeah, some. How could you tell? Your husband lift?"
"Ex-husband," she said. "Yes, he played tackle for Harvard and stayed with the weights afterward."

God Save the Child. Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker was a master of stories that are always readable and entertaining. He died at his desk. We'll miss him.