When the show is over, I return to the zabuton and read the final chapters of a book that has had the ride of an Oldsmobile. I can’t say my socks were knocked off by the novel’s plot, but Melancholy Baby has helped me get through this my first full day in the can.

“And for that, I am grateful, Mr. Robert B. Parker,” I say to the black and white photo of the author on the back. “Thank you.”