The Links Page |
Last updated 08 January 2004 by Bob Ames
To go back to the Main Page, click here.
Thrilling Detective, a good source for information on detective fiction. It's the best general interest site I have found. Note: if you have him bookmarked this is his new address.
http://www.thrillingdetective.com
And a sub page of the above dealing with our favorite author
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/spenser.html
The Spensarium. Dodd Vickers hosts a web site dedicated to Parker's works similar to this one. He has the advantage of closer ties to the author and info on upcoming novels.
Here is a few mailing list you might be interested in joining. You can check in at your leisure or have a transcript of the messages sent to you by E-mail.
The Spensarium http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spenser
Dodd Vickers created this as part of his above mentioned web site.
Spenser's Sneakers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spensneak
A group created by Gerald So. It deals not only with a critical look at the Spenser series but with other authors who are covering the same ground. I'll explain the joke implied by the title for a nominal fee.
Crime Seen http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crimeseen
Another group created by Gerald, dealing with movie and TV detectives. It's worth looking into just because the name is such a great pun.
DetecToday http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detectoday
Not a Spenser board but a fantastic site for talking with fellow mystery readers. I seem to be shamelessly shilling for the moderator but he is a wizard at keeping the discussions interesting.
You can learn more about Gerald's boards at Meet the Moderator.
The multi-talented Gerald So was kind enough to promote this site back when no one knew it existed and I was still lurking on the Spensarium list, where he was then the guru-in-residence. His fascinating home page is at
He finds congruity with Odo on DS9. I relate more to Lt. Barclay on ST:TNG.
Jack O'Toole, a contributor to this site, has a web magazine called The Mystery Fan. Good content and an exceptional list of links.
Kevin Glover has a Spenser page with pictures of all the book covers and links for each one to Amazon.com. See http://www.kpatrickglover.com/parker.html
Amazon.com had an interview with RBP on the release of Hush Money.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/feature/4841/102-7325448-3003207
Lisa Shea put together a very insightful, conversational style commentary on the series. I found it fascinating.
http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/spenser.html
Bruce Clark also has an interesting site. He sent me a newspaper article which shows that Dr. Parker based quite a bit of the stories on the relationships within his own family. Go to Background Info for the transcript.
I was thinking about putting together biographies of the characters in the novels, but he beat me to it. Please visit him at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/5473
The current publisher, Penguin Putnam, has a page on RBP at
http://www.penguinputnam.com/robertparker/index.htm
There is also a piece on the award-winning author at
http://www.newcenturywriter.org/robertparker.htm
The A&E channel has made some of the books into cable TV movies. So far Small Vices, Thin Air and Walking Shadow have been made. You can purchase copies of the first two at http://www.aande.com
There is an internet Q&A session with RBP: http://www.aande.com/scenes/vices/parker.html
Would you like to tell Dr. Parker how much you enjoy his stories? Letters can be sent by way of the publisher:
Robert B. Parker
c/o G. P. Putnam's Sons Publicity
375 Hudson Street
New York NY 10014
I came across a very interesting store, Spenser's Mystery Bookshop. They are not connected with Dr. Parker in any way, but when you open a mystery bookstore in Boston how much classier is it to name it after out favorite sleuth? Click on the images below to visit them.
Spenser's Mystery Bookshop
223 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 262-0880
www.spensersmysterybooks.com
BTW it's pretty much the only place to buy The Spenser Companion by Dennis Tallett. The book is similar to this site, but with better research. It lacks the puckish sense of humor I try to infuse these pages with, but is that entirely a bad thing? Buy a copy, you'll love it.
Parker has mentioned jazz singer Carol Sloane in three novels (Ceremony ch. 19, Hush Money ch. 28, and Potshot ch. 35.) As Hawk humorously understates it: "She can sing for a white broad." Boy, can she ever. Check out her homepage at www.carolsloane.com
"My name is Rob Holden, and I am the Managing Partner of ReadersRoom.com (www.readersroom.com). We are a site devoted to mystery, suspense, thriller fiction, and true crime. Twice a month (on the 1st and 15th) we run "chats" with authors who work in those genres. Some of the folks we've chatted with include David Baldacci, Clive Cussler, Janet Evanovich, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Sandra Brown, Ed McBain/Evan Hunter (who currently does a monthly feature for us called Murder with McBain) and Carol Higgins Clark. Some of our upcoming chats (already booked) include Sara Paretsky, Stephen Coonts, Nelson DeMille, Stephen White, Stuart Kaminsky, Stuart Woods, Nevada Barr, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver and Tom Clancy."
Mark Bernard had the Spenser novels in mind when he wrote "Spitfire Blues - A Tom Greer Mystery." You can find out more at www.spitfireblues.com
I would love to hear from anyone who has a link to share. In the past I found pages listing the plots of the TV series and movies but they seem to have disappeared.
Or you might have a web site for mystery or detective fiction. Tell me about it and you may appear here.
