Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American
crime writer. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the
private detective Spenser.
ABC television network developed the
television series based on the character in the mid-1980s; a
series of TV movies based on the character were also produced. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the
Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited by critics and bestselling authors such as
Robert Crais,
Harlan Coben and
Dennis Lehane as not only influencing their own work but reviving and changing the detective genre. Parker also wrote 2 other series based on an individual character. He wrote 9 novels based on the character Jesse Stone and 6 novels based on the character Sunny Randall.