An Essay by Jill Edmondson "A dirty book is rarely dusty." -- unknown SEX! Now that I have your attention, let's start off with a couple of disconnects. First, the claim that "sex sells." Next is the recognition that in crime fiction readers can find detailed, graphic, visceral descriptions of death and dying, but not … Continue reading Sex… and Crime Fiction
Tag: Spenser
Arlo, Janis & Spenser
Plugs for Hire Department It's no secret that Robert B. Parker (or at least his Boston private eye Spenser, had a thing for Jimmy Johnson's Arlo and Janis comic strip. He mentioned the strip frequently in his books, perhaps most notably in Back Story (2003). Even Parker's successor, Ace Atkins, has Spenser still reading the … Continue reading Arlo, Janis & Spenser
Now I know why they called it “Spenser Confidential”
They didn't want the word to get out... Mark Wahlberg would make a great Spenser. Maybe he should play him sometime. Because anyone who's ever read any of Parker's novels (or those by his successor Ace Atkins) knows that whoever the hell Wahlberg was playing in Netflix's 2020 TV flick Spenser Confidential, it wasn't Spenser. Or … Continue reading Now I know why they called it “Spenser Confidential”
The Beers of Spenser
The Beerhunter? For a while there, it really seemed like Robert B. Parker's Spenser had a quest. No, not some knightly search for some old cup that's been kicking around for a couple of millennium, or something so shop-worn as a lady fair or even honesty, beauty or true love. Nope, Spenser's quest was for... … Continue reading The Beers of Spenser
Sunny Randall
Created by Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) "Being a detective is mostly about not knowing, and asking and looking until you do know, at least something." -- Sunny explains her M.O. in Melancholy Baby In the fall of 1999 Spenser creator Robert B. Parker's unleashed a new South Boston private eye upon the world: SONYA JOAN … Continue reading Sunny Randall