Fifty Years of Spenser

© by Gerald So | 5:30 AM

2023 is the fiftieth anniversary of fictional Boston private eye Spenser's debut in THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT. Earlier this week the website CrimeReads marked the occasion with an essay by L. Wayne Hicks including quotes from Parker's late widow Joan, his older son David, SPENSER: FOR HIRE screenwriter John Wilder, and continuation authors Ace Atkins and Mike Lupica.

A Spenser reader since 1993, I started an online discussion of Parker's works and legacy in 2001 and moderated it until 2018. The perks have included writing a tribute to Parker for a 2007 lifetime achievement award, interviewing Ace Atkins two days after his 2011 announcement as continuation author, and advance-reviewing the Spenser sequels. Here's my look at how Spenser has weathered the years.

While THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT is our first glance at Spenser, the additions of psychiatrist Susan Silverman in book two and legbreaker Hawk in book four help reveal him as he endures and elevate the series like Avery Brooks elevates SPENSER: FOR HIRE.

Books two through ten test Spenser and Susan's love to a breakup that lasts through book twelve. The romantic tension a meaningful part of the series to that point, I miss it in the rest of Parker's entries. In his later years, the characters become settled and ageless, the books virtually standalone. This lets me down as a longtime fan, but lets new readers start with any book, lets Spenser live anytime.

I covered Ace Atkins' continuation run here and elsewhere at the time. Summing it up, I admire that he didn't pick the characters up in the infinite episodic state Parker left them. Instead, his sequel to Parker's final Spenser read more like Parker in his prime. Atkins didn't ride Parker's coattails. He established his own credibility and made a case for Spenser's relevance with every book.

Mike Lupica steps into Spenser this November with ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST. Before the promotion, he ably emulated Parker in four Sunny Randall and three Jesse Stone sequels. His writing in Spenser's voice, though, is less flowing than Parker's or Atkins'. His Spenser is also quick to explain poetic remarks. These changes lessen my enjoyment, but they may make Spenser more accessible to people not as steeped in poetry. That might boost sales and create demand for further Spenser.

Similarly, Netflix's 2020 picture SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL didn't aim to please Spenser readers; it aimed to draw Mark Wahlberg fans. Maybe they'd read Spenser from there, maybe not. How many more books, TV shows, movies can there be? The market will decide.