Robert B. Parker Books In Order

Publication Order of Spenser Books

Publication Order of Jesse Stone Books

Publication Order of Sunny Randall Books

Publication Order of Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Philip Marlowe Books

Publication Order of Young Spenser Books

Publication Order of Mysterious Profiles Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Robert B. Parker:

There is a place where crime creates an excitement and fascination; only in books or the movies. The reason this is true is because one is able to be part of the crime and not really be there. It is the unfolding of stunt after stunt in the mind as the crime story brings events and characters into life. Such novels, depicting finesse in creation of almost real events and characters can only be attributed to prolific authors.

Robert B. Parker is accurately within this league of authors and his works are almost purely detective and western fiction. However, he has also written children’s books. He also has non-fiction writings to his name and some of his books have been adapted into television series, most notably the Spenser series.

Biography of Mr. Parker

Parker was born in the American town of Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 17, 1932. He also went by the nickname Ace. He was quite the scholar and began his academic journey at Colby College in Waterville, Maine where he earned himself a Bachelor of Arts degree. Thereafter, he joined the army and had the experience of being a Korean war veteran. Soon after completion of his service in the US Army, Robert B. Parker went back to school.

He joined Boston University to pursue a Master’s degree in English literature which he completed in 1957. Henceforth until 1962, he worked writing advertising and technical content. Choosing to further his education again, he set out for a doctorate degree still at Boston University. In 1971 he was awarded with a PhD in his earlier course, English literature. He scaled the heights to become a full professor in 1976.

He got into teaching at The Northeastern University and at times he would also teach at Boston University. Amidst the academic progress, Parker got married to Joan Hall in August 1956. Coincidentally, the two had spent most of their childhood within the same neighborhood and Parker would make claims of having interacted with Joan as a toddler while at a childhood birthday party. Parker and his wife had two sons, David and Daniel.

Interestingly, Parker had a special liking for dogs such that most of his novels always featured them alongside the story characters. He began his writing career in 1971 and continued until his demise in 2010. Having lived for seventy seven years, he succumbed to a heart attack while working on a novel at his desk in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Literary works of Robert B. Parker

An established don in the field of English literature, Parker was in his element when he wrote his first novel in 1971. He has been credited as having revamped the genre of detective writing by his formidable stories. To that effect he received a number of awards and commendations; Two Edgar Awards courtesy of Mystery Writer’s of America, The Grand Master Award and The Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award. Parker’s most popular novels are those featuring Spenser, a private detective.

This series saw his works being taken up by ABC television for adaptation into a TV series. Moreover, a number of movies on the same character were also developed. He was able to collaborate with several other authors and his wife in producing Western novels and non-fiction writings respectively. In 1994 he reached an agreement with a Japanese photographer to use one of Parker’s famous character, Spenser in the creation of a photo-based coffee table book about the city of Boston.

Some of the novels under Parker’s name include the following;- The Godwulf Manuscript Promised Land A Savage Place Valediction Poodle Springs All Our Yesterdays Sudden Mischief Family Honor Shrink Rap Appaloosa Sixkill Robert B. Parker’s works cannot be listed without mentioning the Spencer series. Others include Sunny Randall series, Jesse Stone series and Cole & Hitch series. The Godwulf manuscript is the first book in the Spencer series.

It wit-fully introduces Spenser who happens to be a private detective based in Boston. Spenser gets hired by the president of a certain university. His task is to recover a stolen medieval manuscript whose historical importance far outweighs its value in terms of money. He is tipped to investigate a certain Student group which falls high on the suspect list. Spencer interviews the group’s secretary, Terry Orchard and her boyfriend Dennis Powell.

What ensues immediately, is the murder of Dennis using Terry’s gun thus implicating her as the murderer. This situation convinces Spenser that Terry is actually innocent of stealing the prized manuscript. As he continues investigations, he is led to an English professor, Hayden, who is allegedly a member of the radical student group. Hayden denies having any links with the group and the University fires Spencer for having interviewed staff against the campus authority’s advice.

The manuscript is returned soon after but Spencer is bent on proving Terry’s innocence in the murder of Dennis. Suspense and intrigue builds as Spencer involves a local crime guru, Joe Broz in his quest for justice. What follows is a series of events highlighted by more murders, exchange of gun-fire and unraveling of the true killer who happens to be Hayden in collaboration with Broz. God Save the Child is the sequel to Godwulf Manuscript.

n this novel Spencer continues in his detective exploits. He is hired again, brought to task in finding a fifteen year old boy, Kevin who has gone missing. A ransom note appearing later answers the question whether Kevin had simply run away or had been abducted. Following death threats over the phone to Kevin’s mother and the murder of the family lawyer, the events confirm an intricately arranged crime taking place.

Spencer’s investigations lead him to Vic Harroway, a body-builder whom Kevin idolizes. Kevin believes that Vic is superhuman and refuses to leave his side until Spencer beats the sense out of Vic to prove Kevin wrong. Spencer stumbles upon a collaboration between Vic, Kevin’s family physician, Dr. Croft, and the police in charge of the local jail, Chief Trask. Their plot involves making money together through drug peddling and prostitution. As Spencer seeks to bring truth to light, Vic is caught and put behind bars, Dr.Croft is murdered by Chief Trask and Spencer threatens to tell on Trask.

10 Responses to “Robert B. Parker”

1. Larry Schiedel: 7 months ago

   MY ABSOLUTLY FAVORITE WRITER. I HAVE ALL OF HIS BOOKS AND ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN A NEW BOOK IS TO BE RELEASED. MOST OF HIS BOOKS I HAVE RE READ SEVERAL TIMES. ALL OF THE NEW WRITERS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED SINCE 2010 DO AN EXCELLANT JOB OF CARRYING ON IN THE PARKER TRADITION.

   Reply
2. Brenda Toney: 1 year ago

   I absolutely love anything written by Robert B. Parker. I have almost every book he has written. I only need 16 more to complete my collection.

   Reply
3. Debbie M McCabe: 1 year ago

   I have read every Robert B. Parker books and wish to thank all the talented writers that are keeping his stories alive and well

   Reply
4. Pat: 2 years ago

   Parker was prescient about current trends in American society: women using guns to equalize their smaller/weaker physicality (Sunny Randall), psychology and obsession (Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, Spenser), urban crime and gangs, university elitism and wokeness (Spenser, decades before wokeness), family and child-rearing.

   Reply
5. Jeanette Johnson: 2 years ago

   I just finished reading the Virgil and Everett series. Is there another book to explain what happens to them. I read Gunmans Rhapsody and noticed Virgil is a Earp but I’d like to know what happens to Everett.

   Thanks

   Reply
   • Keith Karwacki: 2 years ago

     Virgil Earp was a real life lawman. Virgil Earp was a brother of Wyatt Earp. Virgil Cole is a fictional character.

     Reply
6. Marina Vaizey: 3 years ago

   Ive read all the Connolly! and always like books alas rather than programmes….and have so many wonderful authors to read although there are even more that aren’t so good. Have you tried John D Macdonald, Daniel Silva? this website so useful and helpful….

   Reply
   • K B Peterson: 12 months ago

     John D MacDonald books are great. I love his writing style. I felt sad when I finished the Lonely Silver Rain, but I own them all so will have to start again.
     Another great author is Neville Shute.

     Reply
     • Jane: 8 months ago

       I agree with you completely.
       John D. MacDonald also one of our favorites, and our dad knew him.
       The stories we kids used to hear them telling each other were wonderful.
       And also Nevil Shute. I have every book he wrote also, as my uncle had some connection to him, ww 1 and Australia, from what I remember long ago.
       This website is what we used daily to look up authors.

       Reply
7. Marina Vaizey: 4 years ago

   Robert B Parker’s Spenser series is a marvel; wisecracking entertaining but unnderneath a lot of serious stuff. Double Deuce is an amazing take on youth gangs; racism and snobbery are underlying themes.

   Reply