Book excerpt: For six decades, writer and editor Robert A. Parker has followed up each book he reads, mainly novels, with an evaluation of that book. His comments are informed by an independent critical view that balances a moral and literary sensibility. In this second of six volumes, the authors covered range from Henri Daniel-Rops to Jose Maria Gironalla. They include Don DeLillo, Peter Dexter, E. L. Doctorow, Umberto Eco, Shusaku Endo, Louise Erdrich, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Fowles, E. M. Forster, Carlos Fuentes, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as well as a few mystery authors and historians. The commentaries are listed alphabetically by author, and the books by the date of publication for each author. The writers here represent a broad range of writing styles, cultural influences, and moral philosophies. And all are rated on their literary achievement, the effectiveness of plot, character, and setting, plus their recognition of the moral, ethical, and spiritual values of mankind.