Sixkill

Published: 2011

Sixkill is the 40th and final Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker before his death in 2010. Spenser, a Boston private investigator, is hired to investigate the case of Jumbo Nelson, a famous actor accused of rape and murder. As Spenser and his team dig into the case, they uncover a web of lies, violence, and betrayal surrounding the victim and his inner circle. The novel features the signature Spenser blend of hardboiled detective work, moral conviction, and gritty urban atmosphere. The title refers to the case's central figure, a former football player and bodyguard named Zebulon Sixkill, whose involvement in the case becomes increasingly dangerous. Sixkill is a tense, character-driven crime thriller that concludes one of the most enduring series in modern crime fiction.

Prose complexity: 3/10

Dark Tense Gritty

Morally Grey Multiple POVs

Crime Hardboiled Noir

Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker (1932–2010) was an American crime novelist best known for creating Spenser, the wisecracking Boston private investigator at the center of 40 novels beginning with The Godwulf Manuscript (1974). He also created the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall detective series and, starting with Appaloosa, a series of Westerns featuring Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. He served in the US Army in Korea and earned a PhD in English from Boston University, and in 2002 the Mystery Writers of America n...