To the editor:
You recently featured a short biography of Robert B. Parker of Cambridge upon the event of his recent death.
As noted, he was a crime novelist with some 50 books to his credit. And there is no doubt that he was an avid chow hound. He once had one of his characters, out of necessity, eat a huge dripping sandwich over the kitchen sink.
He was also not at all bashful when it came to voicing his opinion of actual local establishments. As the story noted, Rosalie's in Marblehead was, in his opinion, the best restaurant in the Boston area. What the article did not mention was Parker's choice of the best restaurant in the world.
In his 2003 book, "Back Story," his character says this: "I took Paul to dinner in the world's greatest restaurant, which is, of course, the Agawam Diner in Rowley ... We got a nice booth with a view of the traffic light at the Route 133 intersection."
In the book, "Rough Weather," published in 2008, Parker has a character say, "We were at the counter of the Agawam Diner, the world's leading restaurant, having a late breakfast."
In other books, Mr. Parker has shown further interest concerning people and places within Essex County. He has mentioned Farnam's restaurant, which is close by the tide water in Essex.
Rantoul Street in Beverly is included in another book. One of his characters drove up to Grant Circle in Gloucester in still another writing.
There are many thanks throughout the land given to this author for untold hours of engrossing recreational reading.
If Mr. Parker were here to continue his habit of including local scenes, future books might have mentioned the million-year-old, million-ton rock atop the hill off Route 128 called Agassiz Rock; the site of the 1775 Naval engagement between the colonial navy and the British — Independence Park in Beverly; the eagles flying over the Chain Bridge in Newburyport; or walking the sand dunes at Crane Beach in Ipswich.
Or how about Chebacco Lake in Hamilton, site of the first flight of a powered aircraft in Massachusetts 100 years ago; or Plum Island Airport, the oldest continuously operated airport in the U.S.?
He might have written, too, of attending the Essex County Fair at Topsfield.
My wife and I often enjoy a lunch at the Agawam Diner. The cashier/proprietor, Andy Galanis, is a character in his own right.
For example, a customer might exclaim, "That was great chow, Andy."
His reply: "What did you do, bring your own lunch?"
S. Hardy Prince
Beverly
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