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Robert B. Parker

velocipede2288

velocipede2288

New Member
Just finished a fine detective novel. Robert B. Parker's, School Days. Spencer, the P.I. is very much like Phillip Marlow. A terrific read. I shall be looking out for "Spencer" thrillers again.
Two other Parker books I can recommend are, Poodle Springs and Perchance to Dream. Once again keeping up the Chandler traditon.
Has anyone read Robert B. Parker's novels? If so, any recommendations?
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I used to enjoy Parker mysteries when I was a kid, but I have since worked 15 years as private investigator and 25 years as state investigator in New York, and no longer am able to read them. In actuality Spenser would not have his license for a week, and would most likely be in jail. In 15 years as P.I. I never had one fight, although I had many working for the state, and never shot anyone. I drew my gun out on only one occasion. First of all, unlike with police detectives, no one has to tell a P.I. anything. Spenser is always going around threatening people or punching them out to get information. The first time he did this the police would be arresting him and pulling his license. However, despite these complaints, I did actually enjoy Poodle Springs and Perchance to Dream, as I have always been a Raymond Chandler fan.
 
I get your point Chiangmaifalcon, knowing too much about a thing,can spoil the fiction.
But I read just for the delight of believing that such guys as Spencer, Phillip Marlow, Sam Spade, Mike Hammer, are just possible...although I know in reality, that 'ain't so. Fiction is for fun. :)
 
Yes what you say is true. Just yesterday I was reading a very suspenseful book by Brad Meltzer and am halfway through the book. Then he writes that bad guy took his 9mm Sig revolver and cocked it and slipped it into holster. There is no such thing as a 9mm Sig revolver, and even if there were no one would carry a cocked revolver. I put the book down and doubt I will finish it now. I don't now why as it is not really relevant to the story. Same thing happens when people are always taking the safeties off revolvers in these stories, despite the fact they do not have safeties. I wonder if people who read books about other topics besides firearms are upset with inaccuracies in the story.
However as far as none of these private eye stories being real, this is not completely true. Years ago, when I was working as PI in NY city, I lived next door to a very well known mystery novelist, though I did not know who he was. We frequented the same bar across the street and I used to hang out there and tell stories about work. A few years later I was looking for a detective novel and read the book jacket of this novel. The story sounded just like a case I actually worked on. I bought the book and it was the same case, with even the same locations. However, it was greatly embellished to make it more exciting, and there was romantic and sexual escapades which the detective in the novel experienced which, I am sorry to say, did not happen to me. When I checked out the author, I found it was the guy who lived next door to me. I believe he got the idea for the story from the case I told him about and jazzed it up. it even was made into a very terrible movie which not only was unlike my experience but was not even recognizable as the same story in novel. Years later I met up with author again and he signed book for me, but would not admit I gave him idea for story. Probably worried I would sue him or something. Actually I wouldn't, and was actually sort of flattered he wrote the story.
Here is an ironic thing about this. Detective in story was in AA, however at the time the real case happened I was drinking quite a lot, as was the author. Years after the book came out, I did actually end up in AA. Maybe the author is clairvoyant.
 
Hi Chiangmaifalcon.

That was very interesting to read. Thanks for the info'.
That is the trouble with being an expert at anything though, it spoils it for you as fiction.
I sure get your point though. As I am in Britain, I know next to nothing about guns, so wouldn't have been put off by the sequence you described.
But I agree. Some authers don't go to enough trouble to get the facts right.
I remember reading a Sherlock Holmes story. The Speckled Band. In it a snake was trained to come to the sound of a whistle. I have bred snakes for years and know that snakes are deaf. Also he fed it on milk. It wouldn't have lated long like that. so it spoiled the story.
You seem to have led a very interesting life. But it could spoil detective novels for you.:)
As a non expert, I like to imagine that all private eyes and cops are like Columbo, or Sam Spade, although I know of course that they're not.
As someone once said about western films. If the West wasn't like this, it should have been. Same with cops and robbers. :)
 
Eldog here is a clue. Star of movie's brother and father both movie actors, and there is a number in title of book and movie. Velocipede I think you are pretty interesting yourself if you raise snakes. I live in Thailand and have seen many snakes but to be honest I would never have guts to raise them and basically try to stay away from them as much as possible.
 
Chiangmaifalcon & Velocipede2288 You have both mentioned incidents which occur in books, tv and movies which annoy the heck out of me. Guns which have no safeties or no external safeties appear often in books. The good guy fixing to go after the bad guy racks a round into his gun, which would mean he walks around all the time without a loaded weapon, often after already having used the gun. And the heroines kicking butt one minute and the next minute are quivering weak kneed and give in to the bad guy without a fight.
Anybody with a high school education should know snakes are reptiles and don't feed on milk (but I forgive ACD as I like his Sherlock Holmes) Emperor scorpions used as deadly instruments of death when they are not as well as tarantulas. Give me a break!
MacGiver drove me nuts. He'd be in a bad dangerous situation take a gun away from a baddie and discard it. Yeah right. But I endure.
BTW, these are not hard facts to find the correct answer.
As far as cops and PI's doing things which would get them fired, sued and imprisoned, I like a little fantasy now and then. I just look at these story devices as things one wishes he could do but can't. Kind of like getting DNA results back in minutes vs days or weeks.
This topic just hit a spot with me. So the next time a safety is flicked off on a Glock, I silently will scream and go on.
 
Yes it also bugs me(no pun intended) when they kill people with these non-venomous creatures. Like in the movie Dr. NO when bad guys put the tatantula in James Bond's bed. Same thing with martial arts. People in many novels are constantly killing people by driving their nose into their brain. This is a common belief but physically impossible. Another show that I actually like very much but still bothers me is CSI. Crime scene unit cops work on crime scenes, and forensic investigators work in the crime lab. But these guys do everything. They go on raids and interview suspects. Ridiculous! Then they have the captain doing all the field work. The captain rarely leaves the precinct in reality. That is why they have detectives. Still I do love the shows for reason you stated. it is like a fantasy. Except CSI: Miami. I cannot stand to watch that Caruso guy.
 
Amen on Caruso. I like the Las Vegas CSI and even the New York version notwithstanding the defects you mentioned but watch Miami CSI no way. Don't care for Caruso or the show. When I first saw it and saw them driving a Hummer I almost fell out of the chair laughing. And the scenes purportedly in the Everglades. Couldn't stand it. Saw a clip recently and they had a scene in which a bear attacks and it was a brown bear. Get real. Do some research.
Glad I'm not the only one this stuff bothers.
 
I never saw the hummer but I would have had same reaction. Last 2 episodes I watched, which were quite a while ago, were really bad. In one, there was a SWAT raid and Caruso the crime scene cop was the first guy through the door. I am sure SWAT guys everywhere got a big kick out of that one. The other episode there was a plane crash, in the Everglades I believe, and Caruso was first on the scene, even before EMTs or fire department. What I really can't stand is when he takes off his sunglasses and comes on like a tough guy.
 
Chiangmaifalcon and Contrarytwo. you are both on the same wave length as myself. It's like in Western films when they disarm someone and then throw away the weapons. Or they run out of amo' so throw away the gun???? Guns cost money and you can always get more bullets.
But we are getting off the point. I still like Robert Barker's Spencer. I can suspend disbelief for a while. Just like watching a magician. You know it isn't real but can still enjoy it.
I have kept scorpions and tarantulas too. Take a look at my web site.
Enjoyed getting this converstation going.
 
It is a good thread and allowed me to join in voicing some objections I have with modern writers and media. I like Parker's books about Spencer and many more. But Spencer and other characters I like are likeable. MacGiver was likeable but Caruso in CIS Miami isn't likeable. For that matter Brennan in "Bones" isn't likeable either but the character in Kathy Reichs books is down to earth. My wish is a little more care would be taken by authors on simple things like how guns work, how cops really do building entrys, and what animals live where and which ones will hurt you and which ones are harmless. (Well none are harmless as anything with teeth, bill or claw has the potential to inflict injury.)
And I too, thank you for starting this thread.
 
chiangmaifalcon said:
Eldog here is a clue. Star of movie's brother and father both movie actors, and there is a number in title of book and movie.
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I was leaning towards one of the Sheen clan and checked IMDB but didn't find anything that might be the one. Am I barking up the wrong tree?
 
This is good detective work Eldog as the number is 8. Have you ever read the book or seen the movie? I personally love the book, and even though it bears no resemblance to case I was involved in, the book is much more exciting than the real case, which would have been about 4 pages long if anyone bothered to write it. I hate the movie because it is filmed in California, and it is clearly a NY city story.
I am currently reading this John Connolly story, The Unquiet, and I have some reservations about this plot also as the detective hero, Charlie Parker, is, as in many of these PI novels, very obnoxious and threatening when he interviews people. As a PI, you are not a cop, just a citizen, and people would just tell you to get lost if you talked to them like this. The only way to interview people is to be nice and make them want to talk to you. However, being nice is not as entertaining as the wisecracks and sarcasm that fictional detectives use.
Velocipede, tarantulas creep me out even more than snakes, though they are not dangerous. I used to have an actual phobia about them, though living in Thailand has forcced me to deal with it. I live in an area where there are scorpions, king cobras, kraits and Russell vipers. I try to stay clear of them, though I had a run in with a viper who tried to bite my wife. You have my utmost respect. I will check out your website.
 
chiangmaifalcon said:
This is good detective work Eldog as the number is 8. Have you ever read the book or seen the movie?
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No but upon seeing your recommendation jumped straight onto my library's website. Sadly this title is not available. I would ask for other recommendations of books by this author but that would give away the mystery to others...
 
velocipede2288 said:
Chiangmaifalcon and Contrarytwo. you are both on the same wave length as myself. It's like in Western films when they disarm someone and then throw away the weapons. Or they run out of amo' so throw away the gun???? Guns cost money and you can always get more bullets.
But we are getting off the point. I still like Robert Barker's Spencer. I can suspend disbelief for a while. Just like watching a magician. You know it isn't real but can still enjoy it.
I have kept scorpions and tarantulas too. Take a look at my web site.
Enjoyed getting this converstation going.
Click to expand...

Glad you liked the thread, and has got people talking. Keep it coming.
 
Yes I also enjoy talking about detective stuff, both real and fictional, and have done little of this since moving to Thailand. Thai people are not big readers in general, and their tv crime shows and movies are for the most part, ridiculous but hilarious. Their are some very good mystery novels about Thailand, by the way, but many of them not available in the west. Their are a series of novels written by Christopher G. Moore about a Bangkok PI from US named Vincent Calvino which I think would appeal to anyone who likes Sencer novels.
As for the other novels by the author in question, I have read every single one about the same detective and I think they are all great. The same author also writes a series about a burglar who solves crimes which are very funny and which I also enjoy.
Actually, I met up with the author many years later at book signing and told him I believed I gave him the idea for the novel in question. He would not admit to this, but did sign a copy of his latest book for me. Without using any names, he wrote "To _ _,
who walks the same streets as _ _,good luck, one day at a time." This book was one of my prized possessions. However, my ex-girlfriend got angry at me and burned it in a bonfire, along with everything else I owned. To be honest, I probably deserved this, but I still hated losing the book.
 
chiangmaifalcon said:
Actually, I met up with the author many years later at book signing and told him I believed I gave him the idea for the novel in question. He would not admit to this, but did sign a copy of his latest book for me. Without using any names, he wrote "To _ _,
who walks the same streets as _ _,good luck, one day at a time." This book was one of my prized possessions. However, my ex-girlfriend got angry at me and burned it in a bonfire, along with everything else I owned. To be honest, I probably deserved this, but I still hated losing the book.
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Now, if that isn't a book, I don't know what is. :D

p.s. I like all of that author's work, that I've read so far.
 
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