Good evening.

It i so great to be with you again.

Thanks for allowing me into your home or wherever or however you're watching PBS Kansas tonight.

And as always, thanks for your support of seriously good TV.

Tonight I want to discus one of my most favorite authors, a writer whose wor I really appreciate and enjoy.

Robert B Parker.

It is now time to go inside the cover.

Robert B Parker was born on September 17th, 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

He died on January 18, 2010, at the age of 77.

Parker was primarily a writer of fiction within the mystery detective genre.

Parker received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America including the Best Novel award in 1977 for the fourth novel in the Spenser series, Promised Land.

Parker wrote his first novel in 1971 while teaching at Northeastern University.

Parker's most famous works include the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser.

You may recall the TV series based on his character Spenser For Hire.

Starring Robert Urich.

Parker also has other detective mystery series.

He created the female detective Sunny Randall at the request of Helen Hunt, who wanted hi to write a part for her to play.

Another figure created by Parker is Jesse Stone, a troubled former LAPD detective who starts a new career as a police chief in a small New England town.

The Stone novels were also adopted as a TV series.

This one starring Tom Selleck.

Parker died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Cambridge.

He was discovered by his wife at his desk where he had been working on a novel.

After Parker died, his family, together with his publishers, chose to continue the Spenser series with Ace Atkins writing from 2012 to 2022 and Mike Lupica from 2023 on.

I have read 13 of the Spensers written by Parker, eight by Atkins and one by Lupica.

Of course I want to read them all eventually, and then I may turn to Stone and Randall characters, along with some of his other body of works.

Spenser is a fascinating character.

He's laconic, tough, strong, witty, driven, brave, honest, and he follows his own code of professional ethics and personal conduct.

Spenser is quite comfortable in the kitchen.

He likes baseball, including the Boston Red Sox, and he enjoys an adult beverage now and then.

He adores, respects and loves Susan Silverman, the Harvard Ph.D.

psychologist.

Parker gives Spencer an amazing group of clients, associates in law enforcement, and he is acquainted with many folks from the seamier side of the city.

Spenser knows Boston.

He also has friends like Hawk, the taciturn, intelligent, fearless, and rathe mysterious African-American man of some size and strength who often works with Spenser on a professional basis.

Here, think of Walter Mosley's Raymond Mouse Alexander and C.J.

Box's Nate Romanowski.

Hawk and Spenser, both boxers, use the private boxing gym at Henry's Harbor Health Club to stay in condition and fighting trim.

Last, but not least, I really appreciate and enjoy the dialog that Parker provides.

The conversations are unique, funny, often illuminating, and always realistic.

That's our show.

I have tonight featured the author Robert B Parker.

I love his work and his Spenser character, and I think you will as well.

Good night and keep reading.