Three years ago, 2007, I read Robert Crais‘ The Watchman, featuring Elvis Cole sidekick Joe Pike. Up to then, my experience with the character Elvis Cole or writer Crais had been relatively recent and limited to a handful of books. Just enough background to know that Joe Pike was Cole’s partner. A silent partner who did the job that was necessary and had no qualms about taking it to the limit.

I like Elvis Cole, a quick lipped sharp as a tack detective, but until The Watchman I had little feeling for Joe Pike, the enforcer, the muscle. That book would change that, jumping Pike to being one of my favorite fictional tough guys.

When I found out a few months ago that a new Joe Pike novel was coming out – I couldn’t wait to get The First Rule.

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It’s very rare that I read a book in one day. As much as I like to read, I just can’t block out that much time in a day to read. 50 pages is a good day for me. There are always exceptions.

My Amazon order arrived at my office just before lunch. It contained Mike Oliveri’s The Pack: Winter Kill and I stuck it in my pocket on the way out the door. Eating alone that day, I sidled down at my favorite cafe, Capital Roasters, with a hot Cuban, unsweet Ice Tea and the book.

Munching away at the delectable pulled pork and ham sandwich, I bit into the first chapter of The Pack: Winter Kill. By the time I had finished my sandwich and started in on chips, I had devoured 40 pages. I finished it up that evening in 15 and 30 minute bites. Consumed and Satisfied.

The Pack: Winter Kill is a page turner with fast action, succinct dialogue and short chapters. Mike Oliveri races you through the book and you clamber to turn the pages fast enough.

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It was a bit of a shock this morning when I learned (via Sarah Weinman’s blog) that Robert B. Parker, writer of the popular Spenser and Jesse Stone series, had died.

As a reader I discovered Parker in the mid-eighties while in high school in large part to to the television series “Spenser for Hire” starring the late Robert Urich. I blame that series for the love of Spenser and Robert Urich, more so the latter. I enjoyed and read these books into my college years. Somewhere along the way I stopped, no real reason that I can think of. I guess we just grew apart.

Then television brought us together again. This time with Jesse Stone as played by Tom Selleck, who I also enjoy. I’m giving away too many man crushes for this post, but then again Parker wrote tough, albeit imperfect, heroes that you couldn’t help but admire or in some fantasy emulate.

So sitting on my reading stack are several Jesse Stone novels I bought last year, that I had given to my grandfather, 94 years young, to read. He enjoyed them and sadly there will only be one more book hand off to him later this year.

I read that Mr. Parker died at his desk which, as a writer, I find a wonderful ending.