Browse books in this series
Pale Kings and Princes

About the Book

“Ebullient entertainment.”—Time

A hotshot reporter is dead. He'd gone to take a look-see at “Miami North”—little Wheaton, Massachusetts—the biggest cocaine distribution center above the Mason-Dixon line.

Did the kid die for getting too close to the truth . . . or to a sweet lady with a jealous husband?

Spenser will stop at nothing to find out.

Praise for Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels

“Like Philip Marlowe, Spenser is a man of honor in a dishonorable world. When he says he will do something, it is done. The dialogues zings, and there is plenty of action . . . but it is the moral element that sets them above most detective fiction.”—Newsweek

“Crackling dialogue, plenty of action and expert writing . . . Unexpectedly literate—[Spenser is] in many respects the very exemplar of the species.”—The New York Times

“They just don’t make private eyes tougher or funnier.”—People

“Parker has a recorder’s ear for dialogue, an agile wit . . . and, strangely enough, a soupçon of compassion hidden under that sardonic, flip exterior.”—Los Angeles Times

“A deft storyteller, a master of pace.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Spenser probably had more to do with changing the private eye from a coffin-chaser to a full-bodied human being than any other detective hero.”—The Chicago Sun-Times

“[Spenser is] tough, intelligent, wisecracking, principled, and brave.”—The New Yorker

Get the book Buy or listen
Links open a search for this book at the selected store. Availability may vary.
Spenser

The series

Full series details →
#1 · 1973The Godwulf Manuscript #2 · 1974God Save the Child #3 · 1975Mortal Stakes #4 · 1976Promised Land #5 · 1978The Judas Goat #6 · 1980Looking for Rachel Wallace #7 · 1981Early Autumn #8 · 1981A Savage Place #9 · 1982Ceremony #10 · 1983The Widening Gyre #11 · 1984Valediction #12 · 1985A Catskill Eagle #13 · 1986Taming a Seahorse #14 · 1987Pale Kings and Princes #15 · 1988Crimson Joy #16 · 1989Playmates #17 · 1990Stardust #18 · 1991Pastime #19 · 1992Double Deuce #20 · 1993Paper Doll #21 · 1994Walking Shadow #22 · 1995Thin Air #23 · 1996Chance #24 · 1997Small Vices #25 · 1998Sudden Mischief #26 · 1999Hush Money #27 · 2000Hugger Mugger #28 · 2001Potshot #29 · 2002Widow's Walk #30 · 2003Back Story #31 · 2004Bad Business #32 · 2005Cold Service #33 · 2006School Days #34 · 2006Hundred-Dollar Baby #35 · 2007Now and Then #36 · 2008Rough Weather #37 · 2009The Professional #38 · 2010Painted Ladies #39 · 2011Sixkill #40 · 2012Robert B. Parker's Lullaby #41 · 2013Robert B. Parker's Wonderland #41.5 · 2014Silent Night #42 · 2014Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot #43 · 2015Robert B. Parker's Kickback #44 · 2016Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn #45 · 2017Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies #46 · 2019Robert B. Parker's Old Black Magic #47 · 2019Robert B. Parker's Angel Eyes #48 · 2021Robert B. Parker's Someone to Watch Over Me #49 · 2022Robert B. Parker's Bye Bye Baby #50 · 2023Robert B. Parker's Broken Trust #51 · 2024Robert B. Parker's Hot Property #52 · 2025Robert B. Parker's Showdown #53 · 2026Robert B. Parker's Framed
Risingshadow

Readers Also Enjoyed

Meet the author

Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker's résumé is familiar to most of his readers. Born and raised in Massachusetts, graduated from Colby College in Maine, married Joan Hall, had two sons, earned his Ph.D. at Boston University, taught at Northeastern University, and wrote nearly seventy books. There are other factoids about him that are…

Explore the author