VJ Books Presents Author Robert B. Parker!
 Robert B. Parker (September 17, 1932 - January 18, 2010) was the author of seventy books, including the legendary Spenser detective series, the novels featuring Police Chief Jesse Stone, and the acclaimed Virgil Cole -Everett Hitch westerns, as well as the Sunny Randall novels. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award and long considered the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, he died in January 2010.
Parker was born and raised in Massachusetts, graduated from Colby College in Maine, married Joan Hall, had two sons, earned his Ph.D. at Boston University, and taught at Northeastern University..
Parker's talent for rhythm was first put to work when the U.S. Army sent him to Korea as a Morse code radio operator. He always wanted to be a writer, but he needed a steady income to support his young wife and, later, his sons. Bob was hired as a technical writer first for Raytheon and then for Curtiss-Wright, which soon laid him off. He next worked as editor of a magazine for Prudential insurance agents and freelanced as a partner in Parker/Farman, the "world's smallest advertising agency."
Unable to take any more of corporate America, and with no interest in advertising, Bob returned to school. The plan was to earn a doctorate, get a job teaching, and have the time to start writing seriously. While going to school, he held down as many as five college teaching jobs at once, often took care of his sons, and did odd jobs for a consulting company. Fortunately for the family, Joan had a job in education that paid well.
The plan worked, and as a teacher at Northeastern University, Bob found the time to write. He was one of four authors of an anthology textbook, The Personal Response to Literature, published in 1971. Two years later, the first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript, appeared.
Parker's bestselling Western novel, Appaloosa, was made into a major motion picture by New Line, starred Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and was a box office hit in 2008. Long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, he was named Grand Master of the Edgar Awards in 2002 by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.
With the blessing of Parker's family, the Spenser and Stone series will continue; with Ace Atkins carrying the Spenser series, and Michael Brandman and Reed Farrel Coleman carrying the Jesse Stone series, and Robert Knott carrying the Coleman and Hitch series.
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Robert B. Parker Bibliography
Spenser Series
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Godwulf Manuscript - 1974
- God Save the Child - 1974
- Mortal Stakes - 1975
- Promised Land - 1976
- The Judas Goat - 1983
- Looking for Rachel Wallace - 1980
- Early Autumn - 1980
- A Savage Place - 1982
- Ceremony - 1982
- The Widening Gyre - 1983
- Valediction - 1987
- A Catskill Eagle - 1985
- Taming a Seahorse - 1986
- Pale Kings and Princes - 1987
- Crimson Joy - 1988
- Playmates - 1989
- Stardust - 1992
- Pastime - 1991
- Double Deuce - 1992
- Paper Doll - 1994
- Walking Shadow - 1994
- Thin Air - 1995
- Chance - 1996
- Small Vices - 1997
- Sudden Mischief - 1998
- Hush Money - 2000
- Hugger Mugger - 2000
- Potshot - 2001
- Widow’s Walk - 2001
- Back Story - 2003
- Bad Business - 2004
- Cold Service - 2005
- School Days - 2005
- Hundred-Dollar Baby - 2006
- Now and Then - 2007
- Rough Weather - 2008
- The Professional - 2009
- Painted Ladies - 2010
- Sixkill - 2011
- Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby (by Ace Atkins) - 2012
- Robert B. Parker’s Silent Night (by Helen Brann) - 2013
- Robert B. Parker's Wonderland (by Ace Atkins) - 2014
- Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot (by Ace Atkins) - 2014
- Robert B. Parker's Kickback (by Ace Atkins) - 2015
- Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies (by Ace Atkins) - May 2017
Jesse Stone Series
- Night Passage - 1997
- Trouble in Paradise - 2000
- Death in Paradise - 2001
- Stone Cold - 2003
- Sea Change - 2006
- High Profile - 2007
- Stranger in Paradise - 2008
- Night and Day - 2009
- Split Image - 2010
- Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues (by Michael Brandman) - 2011
- Robert B. Parker’s Fool Me Twice (by Michael Brandman) - 2012
- Robert B. Parker’s Damned If You Do (by Michael Brandman) - 2013
- Robert B. Parker’s Blind Spot (by Reed Farrel Coleman) - 2014
- Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay (by Reed Farrel Coleman) - 2016
- Robert B. Parker's The Hangman's Stone (by Reed Farrel Coleman) - September 2017
Sunny Randall Series
- Family Honor - 1999
- Perish Twice - 2000
- Shrink Rap - 2002
- Melancholy Baby - 2004
- Blue Screen - 2006
- Spare Change - 2007
Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch Series
- Appaloosa - 2005
- Resolution - 2007
- Brimstone - 2008
- Blue-Eyed Devil - 2009
- Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse (by Robert Knott) - 2013
- Robert B. Parker's Bull River (by Robert Knott) - 2014
- Robert B. Parker's The Bridge (by Robert Knott) - 2014
- Robert B. Parker's Blackjack (by Robert Knott) - 2016
- Robert B. Parker's Revelation (Robert Knott) - 2017
Young Adult
- Edenville Owls - 2007
- The Boxer and the Spy - 2008
- Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel - 2009
Other Novels
- Wilderness - 1979
- Love and Glory - 1983
- Poodle Springs (with Raymond Chandler) - 1985
- Double Play - 2005
- Perchance to Dream - 1991
- All Our Yesterdays - 1994
- Gunman’s Rhapsody - 2001
Robert B. Parker Awards
- Promised Land (1976) - Edgar Award for Best Novel
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