I cried reading this. My best friend was a Spenser fan and she would have loved it. I enjoyed exploring Boston one day looking at Spenser's haunts. So, its not just another tribute book. Ace Atkins leads off the memories and analysis with his usual aplomb. Many other authors pay tribute with awe. Thanks Otto Pensler. So worth buying, reading, and keeping.

A bit repetitive at times but given the multi-author nature of the work I suppose that's to be expected. A nice little companion piece to Parker's work. Also good to see his lesser-known, but still excellent, Westerns getting some love.

I figured a book of essays from mystery writers about Spenser could consist of repeated analysis of why Susan sucks so much, but they took the high road and covered other subjects, too.As a long time Spenser fan and fairly vocal critic of Robert B. Parker in his later years, I got a lot out of this. I tend to get wrapped up in the negative, (I know you’re shocked.) so it was good to read writers like Lawrence Block, Loren Estleman, Ace Atkins, Dennis Lehane and others explain just how groundbrea...

Otto Penzler and a slew of writers give their thoughts on Robert B. Parker and his ground-breaking detective, Spenser.I grabbed this off of Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!Penzler and the gang (Ace AtkinsLawrence Block, Reed Farrel Coleman, Max Allan Collins, Matthew Clemens, Brendan DuBois, Loren D. Estleman, Lyndsay Faye, Ed Gorman, Parnell Hall, Jeremiah Healy, Dennis Lehane, Gary Phillips, and S.J. Rozan) tell stories about Robert B. Parker's and/or Spenser's influence on them and crime fict...

When Robert B. Parker died in 2010, I was greatly affected. It felt like I was losing a friend because reading his novels were like reading personal letters twice a year. Invariably, I would begin one of his novels (usually a Spenser novel) in the evening with the intention of reading a few chapters, only to finish the entire book as dawn approached the next day (the only way to enjoy a sleepless night). This book is a great collection of essays on the late author that includes personal recollec...

With the death of Robert B. Parker in 2010, fans of crime fiction lost one of the genre's most prolific writers. While Parker wrote a variety of books, including a handful of westerns, and crime series featuring two other protagonists, he will be best remembered for his most enduring and appealing character, Boston P.I., Spenser. Over the course of forty novels, Spenser would become one of the most popular private investigators ever conceived.In this book, Otto Penzler has gathered together essa...

Really 3.5 starsRobert B. Parker and his Spenser series were and are a huge influence on my own work, so when I stumbled across this book on Amazon I had to give it a read. I had hoped for some insights on Parker's success and/or Spenser's character, but as well-written as In Pursuit was it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. In Pursuit is 95% effusive praise for Parker's work, but for once I did not mind that. Parker earned every accolade he ever received and then some; when he start...

I was quite a fan of the Spenser series and was sad when Parker passed. I don't usually do the reboots. I was interested to read this set of essays. It covered a lot of territory. Ace Atkins talked about why he does the sequels; another author discussed the importance of tone; a couple of essays discussed Spenser's love of food. I'm familiar with Boston, so the essay on Parker's sense of place was enjoyable. I loved the essay on the TV series, because I thought Robert Urich and Avery Brooks were...

I don't remember the first Spenser book I read, but it was an early one, probably Mortal Stakes. I really enjoyed it, went back and picked up the rest of the books I didn't have and I now have all 40 of the books on my shelves. Over the years I've been know to go back and reread the series from start to finish, not a hard job since the books are quite short and easily read in a sitting. I've read the other series as well, and particularly liked his western series. I understood the lineage of Spe...

Too many of my good friends contributed to In Pursuit of Spenser, a collection of essays about Robert B. Parker and his writing, for me to be unbiased or, conversely, too critical in my review. The line-up of authors that editor Otto Penzler assembled for the book includes Loren D. Estleman, Parnell Hall, Brendan DuBois, Gary Phillips, Lawrence Block, Dennis Lehane, Max Allan Collins, SJ Rozan, Jeremiah Healy, Ed Gorman, Reed Farrel Coleman, and Spenser's new author, Ace Atkins.I'll just say tha...

Loved this book. It was great to see the influence Robert Parker and his characters had on other mystery writers. The writers, give inside to the characters from the books, and even delve into the TV series. The series is what made me read Parker's books, seeing Robert Urich & Avery Brooks as Spenser and Hawk, helped make the characters more alive for me. It let me hear Parker's words in recognizable voices. The authors who contributed to this book gave me back the excitement I felt when I first...

As with all books of essays, it is uneven. That said, a collection of essays provides something for everyone. I was particularly fond of the essays by Gary Phillips (his is on Hawk) and S. J. Rozan (on Susan Silverman, for whom I never particularly cared, an affliction I share with many). The Spenser profile at the end was written by Parker himself, and in it, a reader can see the both efficiency and depth of the man's dialogue. He was a master, and Spenser is a great character.

I've been a fan of Parker/Spenser from the early books, less so later, though my interest was restored with the Jesse Stone books. This collection of remembrances and analysis is very well done, if not overly critical of Parker. The breadth of contributors is impressive, and their insights are deep and thoughtful.

These authors reminded me what I loved about Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Hawk and Susan (yes, I also found Susan annoying at times). It was lovely to read about books I also loved by authors who loved them, too--and the reviews and excerpts make me want to reread Parker. I didn't know he had a Ph.D. in English and taught at the college level before he succeeded as a writer. I admire him for never forgetting what a privilege it was to be a popular writer. It was a privilege for me to enter his...

This collection of essays in honour of Robert B Parker starts with a bang: Ace Atkins and Dennis Lehane blow the covers off with personal reminiscences about Parker that were funny, touching, revelatory and, by themselves, worth the cost of the book. Atkins talks about how the Spenser series influenced him as he grew to be a man. Lehane shared a very funny story about a football game he once watched with Parker. Both men write with energy and honesty and I felt that they paid grand tribute to Pa...