A lot of Spenser fans have been asking me lately if Zebulon Sixkill — the Cree Indian badass we met in RPB’s last completed work — would ever show up again. For anyone who read the novel, they know Bob left us with another great ally in the Spenser universe and a tough who had just started as Spenser’s apprentice. I’ve been digging into a bit more background for Z. Sixkill has a strong role in the 41st Spenser — in production now — and that had me touching base with his reservation in Montana and perhaps learning more about his formation. As luck had it, a buddy of mine recently commented one of the last great Native American football players was Sonny Sixkilller — a Cherokee who played for University of Washington in the early 1970s. As Bob Parker was a great aficionado of American sports, the connection makes absolutely sense. Whether the connection was conscious or unconscious, only Bob knew for sure.