Sixkill (Spenser) Paperback – April 3, 2012

Sixkill is the last of an era for me. I've been reading Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels for over thirty years. Truth be told, I've grown up on them and selected what I thought were the wisest and best parts to mold myself into the kind of man I wanted to be, then taught them to my children.Not only that, but Parker's spare, lean writing was also one of the models I went to time and again as I struggled to build my writing career. Suffice to say that Parker, at least the literary side of him that I feel I best know, shaped me as a person and as a writer. That idea gave me something to aspire to and emulate.Strangely enough, the idea of a proper role model is the crux of Parker's latest novel. Zebulon Sixkill is a malformed individual and wannabe tough guy. He's a bodyguard to Jumbo Nelson, a comedic Hollywood success story who is an absolute waste as a person. Jumbo embodies nearly all of the Seven Deadly Sins in his corpulent person and triggers a gag factor in me on nearly every page he's on stage.I wasn't sure what to think of young Z at first. I thought he might be a younger, deadlier version of Spenser, but when their first physical encounter is a one-side debacle, I quickly revised that.Spenser, as per the formula which became predictable toward the end of Parker's career - though not without its rewards, was alternately hired and fired by Jumbo. Spenser was brought to the case by his good friend Marty Quirk, a high ranking homicide detective with the Boston Police Department.The investigation into the sad death - and possible murder - of the young girl takes a backseat to all the criminal ties to Jumbo Nelson, but Parker doesn't just sweep that bit of violence under the nearest rug. In fact, the author uses the girl's death as a reason to flip over a lot of ugly rocks before he's done.The best part of the novel, though, is where Spenser is working with Z, helping him become the man he was destined to be. In some ways, the book reminds me a lot of Early Autumn, one of the best books in the series. In that book, Spenser spends time with young Paul Giacomin, teaching him how to be a man. This book shows Spenser coaching Z on becoming a tough guy, the kind of man who stands up in the face of danger and accepts all the hardships that follow.Sadly, we all have to wonder what Parker would have done with Z if he'd gotten the chance to continue writing. However, maybe there are some notes lingering that will bring Z back into the fold. It would have been interesting to see Z's take on Hawk.I know another writer is attached to the series and I haven't made my peace with that. Spenser and Parker were inextricable. You can't have one without the other. But whatever the other writer may or may not do with Spenser and Z, the result will not be what Parker would have done.

Spenser series in Japanese started in 1976, three years after the original. During 35 years, Sixkill appeared in 2011, all of 39 episodes were translated into Japanese and Spenser has taken Japanese readers with him. What Spenser appeals to us is his ability of finding out serious backgrounds written invisibly on apparent common affairs and his never changing stance of doing only what he likes, only what he thinks right.This episode also reflects social conditions like money-laundering by film making. Parker, as usually, filled another story of becoming a tough guy into the main thread, which makes this story much more attractive. Zebulon Pike is not popular among Japanese. I learned he discovered Pike's Peak. Vibraphonist Dave Pike recorded Pike's Peak with Bill Evans for Epic label in 1961. Zebulon Pike never came to mind while listening the record.Zebulon Sixkill was struck with awe by encountering Spenser and had finally found someone he could emulate. He saw a similar beacon in Spenser with his grandfather Bob, always the same he did, had rules of his own. You can't teach someone to be a tough guy. He has to be tough on his own. When Zebulon learns what Spenser knows, and behaves as he behaves, then it allows him to slough off the costume. He's beginning to talk like Spenser. Keeping warm eye on Zebulon, Spenser tries to turn him into a man who can resolve it himself. He might saw something for the most likely successor to him, a different endowment with Paul Giacomin.

SIXKILL is the last book by the Dean of Crime Fiction, Robert B. Parker. I've been reading Parker since the early 80's and have enjoyed every Spenser novel he's ever written and have counted the days until the next one would come out.SIXKILL was not a disappointment. I read it twice. Parker proved that he was still the Dean, without question. The story moved along nicely and 'Z' in an interesting character. I would have loved to see him develope, but it wasn't meant to be.Spenser is hired when an actor named 'Jumbo' is accused to killing a girl. I won't tell you much more because there is already so much information on the other reviews that it would be redundant. I will say that Parker keep the story flowing with a mix of solving the case and giving insight into 'Z' that makes the character really come to life the way only Paker could.The only thing I have to say I missed was Hawk. Unfortunately he was not in the final Spenser novel. That would have been great.This is a must own for any fan of Robert B. Parker or Spenser.The Dean of Crime Fiction will be greatly missed.Ronald S. Barriosauthor of the Rey mystery novels

I was thrilled and also saddened to receive SIX KILL. I knew that it would be Parker's last Spenser novel. I have read everyone of this series and collected all of his other books as well. This last Spenser novel did not dissappoint. It was full of the his quick witt and dry humor as always. Spenser takes a case of a over pampered movie star who has been accused of rape and killing a young women. His old friend, in the Boston PD, has asked him too look into the case. He is not sure if they have the right suspect. As Spenser looks into the matter, he runs into Native American Zebulon Sixkill, who is the stars bodyguard. Sixkill, however, is not prepared to be anyones bodyguard as Spenser quickly demonstrates. Later Spenser becomes a mentor to Sixkill. They team up togeather to find who has killed the girl. The story was two fold, on one side the relationship with Sixkill and secondly the murder they work as a team to solve. It was fast paced and I was sad to finish it. I will surely miss Robert Parker.

Since the pandemic started, I have read all the Spenser novels Mr. Parker wrote, as well as his Jesse Stone books. I have enjoyed them all. I missed Hawk the last couple of books, Z was a nice introduction. Not sure if I will continue with the series because they are not written by Parker. Thank you sir, will recommend your Spenser series to everyone.

great

Parker ist nichts für Leute, die das Genre nicht mögen "american hard boiled". Für diejenigen aber, die das schätzen ist er der Ausweg, wenn man Hammet, Chandler und Co. durch hat, bei allen Schwächen, die durchaus drin sind.

C'est très bon ; du Parker typique. Drôle, bien écrit et surprenant. Une lecture rapide et simple. L'évocation de La ville de Boston est excellente.

I started reading Robert Parker for some rec. reading at night before going to bed - I like it better than watching TV, not as noisy. I was doing the Jack Reacher (Lee Child) novels and when I'd read all 19 thought I'd give Parker's Spensers a go. They are all very entertaining, funnier than Reacher, though I still like him too.There was one Spenser I didn't like, the one with John McEnroe and Kim Clijsters (?) in it playing tennis - was it Silent Night? I found out later it was ghost-written after he died midway through it apparently. Thankfully Amazon cheerfully refunded my $3.80 (Aus) when I complained to them. Amazon's customer service is a total revelation.Anyway - back to the book. It's not a 5, but a very enjoyable 4. I like Z (Zee, not Zed as we say in Aus :) - Zee the Cree, "Buffalo Girls won't you come out tonight...." And I like all the cops in it, and the crims. All of his characters really.I'm looking forward to reading more before he meets Susan. She's great but the relentless monogamy starts to get just a bit too virtuous after a while. Maybe Ace whats-his-name could have them split up for a few episodes. Make Susan a bit less perfect, break Spenser's heart, so he has sex with Rita (Yes! I'm sure I'm not the only one waiting for that to happen). Or Susan could die. An older, embittered, not so domesticated Spenser, with just Pearl to go home to at night.Which reminds me, I'm hoping Pearl's tail hasn't been docked. Or if it has, maybe Susan could allude to that, while she's still with us, as a bad thing, not to be encouraged in dog-breeders.

"Sixkill" is a final treat for fans of Robert B Parker and of the Spenser series in particular. It is Parker's fourth book to be published posthumously and while his literary estate has reportedly decided to engage other writers to continue the Spenser and Jesse Stone series, this is definitely the last from the master's pen.When I was a child, my father recounted the same bedtime story to me every night. Despite its predictability, I looked forward to its every word. There was something magically pleasurable and deeply comforting in its familiarity. So too it has become with Parker's books. The plots, the characters and the dialogue are all utterly predictable but yet they are a pleasure to read, comforting too. "Sixkill" conforms to this pattern. As usual, Spenser gets fired by his intolerable client (in this book, a horribly obese but popular movie star) early in the case but decides to investigate anyway. The case involves the death of a college age girl with a dysfunctional family background. Spenser's probing comes close to exposing the secrets of evil men. They decide to eliminate him. They fail. Many of the usual characters make their bow: Lieutenant Quirk, Rita Fiore, Henry Cimino, Tony Marcus and various hit-men from earlier books. Spenser has the usual self-definitional dialogue with Susan, who, despite her doctorate in psychology from Harvard (how do you know someone went to Harvard? They tell you) pretends not to have figured out the Big Man - but we know by now that this is merely part of their courtship dance. Hawk is not present; he is still off on some hazardous mission in the Former Soviet Union - or East Bumf*** as Quirk prefers to put it.Spenser is a marvellous creation, a modern knight. This is hardly a coincidence. Early in his career, Parker was a professor of literature specializing in classic detective fiction. As he signals in this book with his references to "Le Morte d'Arthur," he very much sees the Chandlerian detective as the modern equivalent of the mediaeval knight. The Detective is defined by what he does and acts according to a code of chivalry that is his very essence. It is impossible to conceive of him doing anything else or behaving outside the code.Throughout his work, Parker explores his idea of the Detective by introducing types of Spenser, other warriors who are similarly self defined but who follow a variant of the code. Hawk is an example. In this book we have Z. Sixkill. Z is a failed college football player and - following an encounter with Spenser - a failed bodyguard. As with many of Parker's characters he comes from a minority: he is a Cree Indian. Spenser sees, according to Susan, something of his younger self in the depressed brave and adopts him, teaching him to get fit, to box and to shoot, and to think, to interpret the code and to talk like, well, Spenser. Perhaps had Parker lived he would have created a series for Z.Spenser's closing line in "Sixkill" is "I got into my car and drove west." Into the sunset. We shall miss him.