blogis librorum. A blog about books. Rare books.

Dick Francis, the former jockey turned best selling thriller writer, has died. He was 89. He passed away at his Caribbean home in Grand Cayman, according to a short statement released through his publicist.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Robert B. Parker, the blunt and beloved crime novelist who helped revive the hard-boiled genre and branded a tough guy of his own through his "Spenser" series, has died. He was 77.

An ambulance was sent to Parker's home in Cambridge on Monday morning for reports of a sudden death, said Alexa Manocchio, spokeswoman for the Cambridge police department.