ROBERT PARKER

ROBERT B. PARKER

The New Century Writer Awards® Grand Master Honoree for 1999

Bob in his kitchen. Yes, Bob loves to cook when not writing!

Robert B. Parker has assumed the mantle of the dean of American crime fiction. His novels featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser have earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim, typified by R.W.B. Lewis's comment, "We are witnessing one of the great series in the history of American detective story" (The New York Times Book Review). G.P. Putman's Sons release his latest novel, HUSH MONEY on March 8, 1999 ($22.95 in hardcover).

HUSH MONEY marks the 25th anniversary of Parker's classic Spenser character. The author's other works include the classic POODLE SPRINGS, a novel completed from an unfinished manuscript begun by the late Raymond Chandler. Parker went on to write PERCHANCE TO DREAM, the sequel to Raymond Chandler's THE BIG SLEEP. Ironically, Parker wrote about Chandler in a chapter of his doctoral thesis about the evolution of the American Hero, beginning with the colonial period and ending with the twentieth century mystery writers.

As fate would have it, Parker has become one of the best of them. "Robert B. Parker has taken his place beside Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross MacDonald" (The Boston Globe).

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Parker attended Colby College in Maine, served with the Army in Korea, and then completed a Ph.D. in English at Boston University. He married his wife Joan in 1956; they raised two sons, David and Daniel. Together the Parker's founded Pearl Productions, a Boston-based independent film company named after their short-haired pointer, Pearl, who has also been featured in Parker's last few novels.

Parker began writing his Spenser novels in 1971 while teaching at Boston's Northeastern University. Little did he suspect then that his witty, literate prose and psychological insights would make him keeper-of-the-flame of America's rich tradition of detective fiction. Parker's fictional Spenser inspired the ABC-TV series Spenser: For Hire starring Robert Urich.

With Spenser bestsellers like CHANCE, THIN AIR and last year's SUDDEN MISCHIEF, Robert B. Parker has maintained his spot at the apex. HUSH MONEY demonstrates, yet again, that Parker is here to stay.

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