Parker's detective novels generally follow in the tradition of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels, particularly in their emphasis on the anatomy of society's corruption and in their concern with testing the nearly incorruptible conscience of the detective-hero. Parker, in fact, has written a couple of passable Marlowe novels, one completing an unfinished Chandler manuscript. Of Chandler's novels, however, The Long Goodbye (1984) deals with an atmosphere which was predominantly intellectual, and for the most part, Chandler's tales do not deal with conflicts generated by universities.

Although other private-investigator novels have occasionally examined the flaws of intellectuals and university people, the university scene is not the usual setting for such detective tales. Two notable examples of private-eye novels using the campus as a background for much of their drama are a pair of memorable Lew Archer novels by Ross MacDonald (Kenneth Millar), The Chill (1964) and Black Money (1966). Explorations...