Robert B. Parker got his PhD at BU, then was an English professor at Northeastern, I believe until the second Spenser book was successful, then move on to just writing.

The funny part about the Spenser TV series was him finding a parking place in front of each and every Boston location he had to visit. Sometimes the writers/producers would make odd mistakes, cops searching the junkyards in Revere or something, when there are no junkyards in Revere.