Writing from Beyond

I was commenting recently about the newest Robert B. Parker western novel, Blue-Eyed Devil. I mentioned that I liked his westerns. I noticed that there seemed to be even more white space on the pages and shorter chapters, which doesn't bother me as much in a western as it does in a suspense novel. The person I spoke with said I shouldn't expect too many more since Parker passed away earlier this year.

My first thought was I wonder how many books he has left. Some authors seem to keep writing from beyond the grave for years or decades. V. C. Andrews still has new books coming out every year even though she died in 1986. Others sometimes pass on their series to a protege, like Lawrence Sanders did, giving his McNeil series to Vincent Lardo.

As far as classics go, one of my favorite Hemingway novels was Islands in the Stream, published posthumously. Many wonder if J. D. Salinger who also passed this year has another book or two waiting to go.

There have been rumors Steig Larsson of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fame who died in 2004 has a 4th book waiting to go but legal battles over his estate have kept it from the public. I guess we will just have to wait and see.