The Robert B. Parker Companion [Paperback]

Dean James (Author), Elizabeth Foxwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2005

Finally, here is the complete guide to Robert B. Parker's novels from Spenser to Jesse Stone to Sunny Randall, plot summaries, cast of characters, Boston locations and maps, and more.

Even before he was named Grand Master for Lifetime Achievement by the Mystery Writers of America, Edgar® Award-winning Robert B. Parker had assumed the mantle of dean of American crime fiction. "Taking his place beside Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross MacDonald" (Boston Globe), he transcended the crime genre. As one of the most prolific writers in the world, he reinvented crime writing.

Now his millions of fans can discover everything about Robert B. Parker and his books:

- Comprehensive biography of Robert B. Parker
- Inside the Spenser novels
- All about the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall novels
- Parker's stand-alone fiction
- Complete cast of characters
- Spenser on film
- Robert B. Parker's Boston: locales, crime scenes, and maps
- Memorable quotes
- Inclusive bibliography
- Plus, an exclusive and insightful new interview with Robert B. Parker

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dean James is the Agatha Award-winning author of several works of mystery nonfiction as well as two mystery series.

Elizabeth Foxwell has edited and co-edited numerous mystery anthologies, including The Serial Novel and The Sunken Sailor, and has contributed her own short stories to anthologies as well.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425205541
• ISBN-13: 978-0425205549
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Totally disappointing-I want my money back on this one, December 21, 2005

By 

S. Firtch (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Robert B. Parker Companion (Paperback)

I love Robert B. Parker's books, and was looking forward to this "complete guide"--the contents sounded great. What a disappointment it turned out to be! The "comprehensive biography" of Parker is only 2 pages long. That's not my idea of comprehensive. The "exclusive and insightful" interview is only 5 pages long--and not very insightful. The "cast of characters" is just a 116 page list of names. Here are 2 examples "Walker, Judy.(Potshot) Ex-wife of Dean Walker"; and "Fenton.(Perchance to Dream) A Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander." I didn't find it interesting or useful. The whole book is only 206 pages. In my opinion, the 116 pages wasted on the list would have been better used for detailed information on the main characters (Spenser, Hawk, Sunny, Jesse, etc). Another 31 pages are taken up with an alphabetcal list of places where things have occurred. For example,"Bow Lake, The Site of Evan Malone's cabin in Back Story." The plot summaries are not as informative as those you can get for free here on Amazon. The 2 page summary of "Spenser on film" was very superficial. Where are the titles, air dates, cast lists, etc??? Not here. I did like the 5 pages of quotes--but that's about it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Agree with First Reviewer -- Disappointing, February 23, 2007

By 

Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Robert B. Parker Companion (Paperback)

Before you buy this Robert B. Parker Companion, my advice is to go into your local bookstore and find a copy on the shelf. Skim through the book and see if it's worth paying full price for.

This rather slim volume simply isn't worth the money, in my opinion. The biography/interview with Parker is brief (you can read the whole thing in less than a few minutes) and far inferior to what you can find on the internet for free. The outlines of the books and characters are pretty skimpy and uninteresting. If you're a hard-core fan, this book may be worth purchasing, but I think for the rest of us, it's just not a good investment. Again, there are fan websites that provide a lot of this information at no cost.

I'm a big fan of Robert B. Parker, but I was disappointed by this book, which looked like a rush job. Parker deserves a better book that surveys his body of work.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Robert B. Parker Companion, May 14, 2009

By 

Benjamin W. Hartley (Jaffrey, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Robert B. Parker Companion (Paperback)

The somewhat sloppy copy editing gives me pause, as well. Here's an example, on pg 69 we find: "Cooper, Bob. (Bad Business) The CEO of Kinergy..." Then, on pg 70 an entry reads: "Cooper, Wilma. (Bad Business) Wife of Ben Cooper..."

Trivial error? Sure... Ben, Bob, what difference does it make? But what other trivial errors are in the book that I didn't catch? Then too, it occurs to me that for the U$14 cover price, I shouldn't have to do Berkeley Publishing's job for them.

And don't you dare call me "Bob!"