DOUBLE PLAY by Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker is the author who hooked me on reading for pleasure. I discovered his Spenser books in the summer of 1993, having completed my freshman year in college, including my first psychology course. I most admired how Parker's writing was simultaneously deep and entertaining. I would come to expect (and not get) the same lucid prose from every author I read.

I also call Parker on his flaws. He has rehashed plots and themes so often in his career I doubt he knows he's doing it anymore. Every book of his has some blurb hailing it as startlingly fresh, a crowning achievement. Don't believe the hype.

That said, about once every three books, Parker can be seen actually trying. His attempts aren't smooth, as his writing routine itself is to produce ten pages a day, five days a week, and he hasn't written a book more than 300 pages in years, but fans take nuance where they can get it.

While some critics were quick to label DOUBLE PLAY's Joseph Burke a renamed Spenser, he is not. Burke is a much harder, unfeeling man with almost no reason to live. He finds some reason in the person of Lauren Roach, herself a very damaged woman. In bodyguarding Jackie Robinson during his first season in the majors, Burke comes to reclaim his personal dignity. A worthwhile read.