Review of "In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of An American Hero," edited by Otto Penzler

 Review of

In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of An American Hero, edited by Otto Penzler, ISBN 9781935618577

Five out of five stars

A literary analysis of a great character

 I am generally very reluctant to read literary commentary/criticism, for I tend to dislike having people tell me what books and characters are about. As a very experienced reviewer, I prefer making my own decisions regarding the underlying fundamentals of stories and characters.

 However, in this case I am very happy that I went against that general principle. The Roberrt B. Parker character is the second best character in detective fiction, trailing only Sherlock Holmes. The mystery writers that dissect and interpret the Spenser character do so in a manner that contains the right number of plaudits along with some dissection/criticism.

 With few exceptions, the commentators do not plunge deep into the more formal literary criticism, they write as fans of Parker and the Spenser universe he created. They also note how Spenser and the supporting characters have evolved over time. Specifically, how the characters of Hawk and Susan complement Spenser and his traits. Every fan of Spenser should read this book.

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