Never cared much for the works of Robert B. Parker. Read some years ago and found his stories somewhere between interesting and ordinary. But he died and, because he had become so popular, I decided to take another look. I picked up a western, APPALOOSA, and an eastern, NIGHT AND DAY, and found myself unable to put them down. Among other things, I was tantalized by the snappy dialogue and pleased by his elimination of stuff not essential to the telling of his story. At times I wanted more—more description, more characterization--, but if lean writing is what you’re looking for, he gives it to you in spades. He cares about his characters enough to make you want to see what becomes of them. And without that, no stories are worth reading. In his own way he was a master story teller, and you can run right through the writing without noticing the words. We lost a great entertainer. I’m glad I took a second look.