The most personal and revealing Spenser thriller of all, Pastime is an electrifying masterpiece of crime fiction - a startling game of memory, desire and danger that forces Spenser to face his own past. Ten years ago, he saved a teenage boy from a father's rage. Now on the brink of manhood, when Paul Giacomin seeks answers to his mother's sudden disappearance. Spenser is the only man he can turn to.

'Witty, wonderful fun' Cosmopolitan

Paul's missing mother Patty has become involved with the mob - and disappeared under mysterious circumstances. But what starts as a routine search has unusual consequences, for if he is to find Patty in time, Spenser must delve into his own past, and search his own soul.

'In a wise and witty tour-de-force, Robert B. Parker brings back the unforgettable characters of his classic Early Autumn, one of the Boston PI's most personal, resonant cases' Kirkus

Robert B. Parker is widely recognised as the dean of American crime fiction. His bestselling novels featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private eye Spenser earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Parker attended Colby College in Maine, served with the Army in Korea, and then completed a Ph.D. in English at Boston University. He and his wife Joan founded Pearl Productions; the independent film company was named after their short-haired pointer, Pearl, who also features in many of Parker's novels. Parker's fictional Spenser inspired the TV series Spenser: For Hire as well as several movies. The Mystery Writers of America named Parker a Grand Master, following in the footsteps of his heroes Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. Parker died in 2010, at the age of 77.