Spenser

Wonderland

WonderlandWonderland marks the second Spenser novel written by Ace Atkins following the death of the character’s creator Robert B. Parker. I enjoyed Lullaby, Atkins first foray into the Boston private detective’s universe, and with Wonderland Atkins feels even more at home. The second time around Atkins chooses to give minimal time to the two most complicated relationships in Spenser’s life by not including Hawk at all and having Susan Silverman be out of town for most of the novel. The choice works well, allowing the author to spend more time on our leading man and his relationship with Zebulon Sixkill, a character introduced in Parker’s last Spenser novel.

The adventure begins, as many of these novels often do, with Spenser doing a relatively simple favor for an old friend that soon becomes far more complicated. When Henry Cimoli approaches him about a pair of toughs trying to force Henry and his neighbors out of their condos, Spenser and his new apprentice begin an investigation that will involve gambling, a land grab, an abandoned dog track, billions of dollars, and murder.

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Lullaby

spenser-lullabyWriter Ace Atkins delivers the first novel of the Spenser series to be published by anyone other than the character’s creator Robert B. Parker. Lullaby is akin to listening to a really good tribute band who play all the same notes and manage to recapture most, although certainly not all, of the magic they themselves obviously love.

The novel begins when Boston P.I. is hired by 14 year-old Mattie Sullivan who four years after the death of her mother still believes the police locked up the wrong man for the crime. Immediately taking a shine to the tough young woman, Spenser accepts the case which will entangle him with an ongoing investigation by the FBI, an old enemy, and all the usual kinds of trouble.

Atkins gets the feel of the basic relationships of the Spenser universe mostly right, including Spenser and Hawk’s bullshitting, and Spenser’s spirited relationships with Susan Silverman, Rita Fiore, and Martin Quirk. Atkins also brings back Frank Belson, Vinny Morris, and baddies Joe and Gerry Broz in order to make longtime fans of the series feel more at home.

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Sixkill

sixkillI’ve been reading Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels since I was in junior high. And I’m more than a little sad this is the last one I’ll ever read. Although Ace Atkins has been hired by Parker’s estate to continue the saga of these characters I’ve come to know and love over the years, this was the last original Spenser novel completed before the writer’s death in 2010.

I was first introduced to the character of Spenser through the three seasons of Spenser: For Hire on ABC during the mid-to-late 80’s. The show starred Robert Urich as the former boxer turned Boston private detective with a smart aleck wit and a code of ethics all his own.

A couple of years later my father introduced me to the novels the show was based on, and I was immediately hooked. Today my collection of Parker’s books takes more than one full shelf of a bookcase.

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