It was not just that Ross Macdonald taught us how to write; he did something much more, he taught us how to read, and how to think about life, and maybe, in some small, but mattering way, how to live.

Burke and Alfonse Ruggiero Jr. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. In addition to Parker's introduction excerpts from several of the Spenser novels were included.

Robert Brown Parker (September 17 1932 – January 18 2010) was an American crime writer. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also produced.