I lost a dear friend today, even though he and I never met.

Anyone who loves to read will know what I mean when I tell you I was saddened by the death of author Robert B. Parker in Boston at age 77. First off, I had no idea he was that old. I discovered Parker's books 35 years ago when I read his first Spenser novel; little did I know the writer was already 42.

[caption id="attachment_243" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="Robert B. Parker"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/s-ROBERT-B-PARKER-large.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-243" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/s-ROBERT-B-PARKER-large.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="190" /></a>[/caption]

I bought the first couple of Spenser novels through a membership in the Mystery Guild, and I purchased the next five or six when they came out in paperback form.

Eventually, though, Spenser and his adventures meant so much to me that I couldn't wait for the paperback editions. I started buying them in hardback and I never stopped. I read the last one, "The Professional," only a few months ago.

I've read most of his other novels, although his other two detective series, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall, weren't as compelling to me.

What I'll always remember about Parker was that he was a true romantic. His novel "Hope and Glory," which was not a detective novel but a story of a young man defined by love, is one that has stayed with me.

Spenser (we never did learn his first name) was a detective in the tradition of Philip Marlowe, tough on the surface but with a big heart underneath. He respected the law, but was willing to break it for what he often considered a greater justice, and he was honest to a fault. The novels were the basis of a television series -- "Spenser for Hire" -- that lasted three seasons in the '80s, but Robert Urich was never Spenser to me. I seem to recall reading an interview once in which Parker compared Spenser to Robert Mitchum, but that might just be my faulty memory.

I could go into a lot more detail, but I won't.

I'll just say that there are a handful of authors whose work I eagerly await, and Parker was pretty close to the top of that list.

My life will be a little less enjoyable without any more Spenser novels to read.

Well done, Dr. Parker. May you rest in peace.