Robert B. Parker's Broken Trust
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- Create Date：2023-12-20 07:21:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mike Lupica
- ISBN：0593629949
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Summary
Spenser investigates the past secrets of an elusive tech billionaire in this latest installment of Robert B。 Parker’s beloved series， and the first written by celebrated writer Mike Lupica。
The beautiful wife of one of the world’s richest men comes to Spenser hoping that he can find out what skeletons lurk in her husband’s closet。 Though he is a generous philanthropist and loving family man， she is concerned—he has recently become secretive， bordering on paranoid， and she wants Spenser to find out why。 As Spenser digs into the billionaire’s past， he realizes that the man may have done terrible things on his rise to the top—but he also may have had good reason to。
What Spenser discovers will cause him to question his own views on morality—and place him in grave danger。
The beautiful wife of one of the world’s richest men comes to Spenser hoping that he can find out what skeletons lurk in her husband’s closet。 Though he is a generous philanthropist and loving family man， she is concerned—he has recently become secretive， bordering on paranoid， and she wants Spenser to find out why。 As Spenser digs into the billionaire’s past， he realizes that the man may have done terrible things on his rise to the top—but he also may have had good reason to。
What Spenser discovers will cause him to question his own views on morality—and place him in grave danger。
Reviews
Rebecca
，
3。5 stars， I think it’s about time for Spenser to retire， although I’ll always read a new book in the series
Debra B
，
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars。I love the Spenser books and would normally give it a solid 4 or 5 star rating， just on Joe Montanga's narration alone， but this is the first in the series written by Mike Lupica and I didn't feel his writing was on par with that of Robert B。 Parker or Ace Atkins who took over after Parker's death。 Still， it was a solid entry into the Spenser universe。 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars。I love the Spenser books and would normally give it a solid 4 or 5 star rating， just on Joe Montanga's narration alone， but this is the first in the series written by Mike Lupica and I didn't feel his writing was on par with that of Robert B。 Parker or Ace Atkins who took over after Parker's death。 Still， it was a solid entry into the Spenser universe。 。。。more
TL Thomas
，
I have read all of the Spenser books， and while I have my favorites， I still enjoy every read。 This new author did a solid job of keeping it consistent but also a little fresh。 It's hard with a character this aged to sort of hide how we've messed with the years passing， but if you can suspend disbelief a bit， you can skirt past that for a fun read with "old friend" characters。 I have read all of the Spenser books， and while I have my favorites， I still enjoy every read。 This new author did a solid job of keeping it consistent but also a little fresh。 It's hard with a character this aged to sort of hide how we've messed with the years passing， but if you can suspend disbelief a bit， you can skirt past that for a fun read with "old friend" characters。 。。。more
Nola
，
I ❤️ Spenser！ Always have （be a fool not to）。 I’d have given this 5 stars， but there was a bit too much Susan。
Mark Bernhard
，
Not a bad read but I was constantly reminded that this wasn't Parker。 Good plot， but too much exposition。 I miss the Aces。 Not a bad read but I was constantly reminded that this wasn't Parker。 Good plot， but too much exposition。 I miss the Aces。 。。。more
R L HERSKOWITZ
，
Spenser is back with a few of his friends。 This story is more serious than usual， but still fun。 I love Spenser 😊。See other reviews for more information。I recommend this novel！
John Owen
，
This book would mostly please readers who have read most of the other Spenser books。 There is a bit about Boston， and I am from that city so it's fun reading about places you have been。 Lupica is the third person to write these books。 Parker， of course， invented the characters。 I liked the couple that Ace Atkins wrote。 I think he might have been better than Parker。 Lupica did a good job on this story。The plot and dialog are formulaic， but for fans of the Spenser books， that's ok。 It's a cozy rea This book would mostly please readers who have read most of the other Spenser books。 There is a bit about Boston， and I am from that city so it's fun reading about places you have been。 Lupica is the third person to write these books。 Parker， of course， invented the characters。 I liked the couple that Ace Atkins wrote。 I think he might have been better than Parker。 Lupica did a good job on this story。The plot and dialog are formulaic， but for fans of the Spenser books， that's ok。 It's a cozy read and fun to see the slight spin Lupica puts on the story。 。。。more
Paul Sand
，
According to Amazon， this is #51 in "Robert B。 Parker's" Spenser series。 And they helpfully tell me I can buy "All 40 remaining for you in this series" for a mere $331。20！ No thanks， Jeff; I bought many of those before there even was an Amazon。 And you don't seem to remember all the hardcovers I bought from you。 Anyway: Mike Lupica takes over from Ace Atkins as the chronicler of our favorite Boston private eye。 And things start out pretty normal: the "wife of the sixth-richest man in America"， According to Amazon， this is #51 in "Robert B。 Parker's" Spenser series。 And they helpfully tell me I can buy "All 40 remaining for you in this series" for a mere $331。20！ No thanks， Jeff; I bought many of those before there even was an Amazon。 And you don't seem to remember all the hardcovers I bought from you。 Anyway: Mike Lupica takes over from Ace Atkins as the chronicler of our favorite Boston private eye。 And things start out pretty normal: the "wife of the sixth-richest man in America"， Laura Crain， shows up at his office door， recommended by Susan Silverman （who just happens to be Laura's good friend）。 Laura's husband， Andrew， has been acting erratically of late， and she'd like to know why， before he ruins his own life， their marriage and the company。 And then after a bizarre episode at a fancy restaurant， Andrew goes missing on page 53。 And then （finally， on page 93） a body shows up。 I think I've mentioned in the past that a disquieting number of people that hire Spenser wind up being sorry they did so。 That tradition continues。 So， how does Lupica do？ Not bad。 Although Lupica's a well-known sports journalist， Spenser's sports musings here are confined to the Red Sox， their dismal season， and the loss of Mookie Betts。 The Spenserian wisecrack amps are turned up to 11 or so， and they're pretty good。 Maybe there's a little too much about food， drink， restaurants， sex， exercise， and Boston geography。 Hawk plays a major role， and there are cameos from Zebulon Sixkill， Tony Marcus， Vinnie Morris， Quirk， Belson， and more。 As usual， Spenser's method is to go around bothering people until someone tries to kill him。 But （truth be told） he does do some actual detective work to eventually discover the truth。 。。。more
Polly
，
I liked this book with Mr。 Lupica writing。 My only "complaint" is that the nicknames Susan gave Spencer seemed "young" with knowing how old they are。I had an idea who did it， but wasn't sure til the end。 Good job。 I liked this book with Mr。 Lupica writing。 My only "complaint" is that the nicknames Susan gave Spencer seemed "young" with knowing how old they are。I had an idea who did it， but wasn't sure til the end。 Good job。 。。。more
Campbell
，
For me， the plotting and overall story mechanics were better than those of Ace Atkins but the characterization and auctorial voice not quite as good。 A solid 3 stars though and I look forward to more installments by Mr Lupica once he finds the right timbre。
Thomas
，
Lupica captures Parker's writing style！ Lupica captures Parker's writing style！ 。。。more
Susie James
，
I've dug up several of the older "real" Spenser novel recently， surely do miss Parker。 Yet， I'll have to agree Mike Lupica did a creditable job with "Broken Trust"。 A little "twist" at the end。 I've dug up several of the older "real" Spenser novel recently， surely do miss Parker。 Yet， I'll have to agree Mike Lupica did a creditable job with "Broken Trust"。 A little "twist" at the end。 。。。more
Darlis Turner
，
Good book
Owen Johnson
，
In Good HandsThe Spenser series remains in good hands as Mike Lupica has done a masterful job with Broken Trust。 It was great to have all the gang back together and even managed to bring in Sunny Randall， Sixkill， and Mattie。 Lupica has a great feel for the correct pace of a Spenser novel and like Parker does an excellent job of making the city of Boston an integral part of the story。 Looking forward to future adventures。 Thumbs way up！！！
Patrick Geraghty
，
These novels are always a joy to read。 They are like visiting with old friends。 With this book， Mike Lupica takes over from Ace Atkins who took over from creator Robert Parker who passed away a number of years ago。 Mr。 Lupica gets off to a great start with a story that could come straight from today's headlines。 （No Spoilers Here！） I imagine that as he settles in， things will only get better。 These novels are always a joy to read。 They are like visiting with old friends。 With this book， Mike Lupica takes over from Ace Atkins who took over from creator Robert Parker who passed away a number of years ago。 Mr。 Lupica gets off to a great start with a story that could come straight from today's headlines。 （No Spoilers Here！） I imagine that as he settles in， things will only get better。 。。。more
Scott
，
The Who’s classic rock song declares the line “Meet the new boss， Same as the old boss。”That feels pretty apropos in relation to the handoff of the “Spenser” legacy from Ace Atkins to Mike Lupica。 This is more than the passing of a proverbial torch。 The legacy of Spenser is the gold standard。 The holy grail。 The big Kahuna。 Spenser has become the classic PI that all other modern day fictional mystery detectives owe a serious debt of gratitude for his influence on the genre。 Taking on responsibil The Who’s classic rock song declares the line “Meet the new boss， Same as the old boss。”That feels pretty apropos in relation to the handoff of the “Spenser” legacy from Ace Atkins to Mike Lupica。 This is more than the passing of a proverbial torch。 The legacy of Spenser is the gold standard。 The holy grail。 The big Kahuna。 Spenser has become the classic PI that all other modern day fictional mystery detectives owe a serious debt of gratitude for his influence on the genre。 Taking on responsibility for Spenser is an incredible endeavor， made even harder by the quality and success that Atkins brought in reenergizing Spenser and his historic city of Boston。The good news is that Lupica is up to the challenge。 At least he’s warming up to it。 In some ways， he’s similar to Atkins， and in some ways he definitely his own boss。 But I don’t say this to compare them against each other。 They are masters in their own rights in the shared universe of Robert B。 Parker’s Spenser。 I love them both。After finishing his run of writing the Sunny Randall and Jessie Stone novels， Lupica’s first Spenser novel is this year’s “Broken Trust。” It starts with the wife of the sixth richest man in America walking into Spenser’s office and asking him to find out what’s driving her husband crazy。 Andrew Crain is a brilliant scientist who discovered a way to make lithium in a cheap and effective manner。 He and his business partner， Ethan Lowe， have turned their company， Lith Inc， into a great success and are looking at a potential merger that will take them even farther towards world domination。 However， Andrew has become standoffish， brooding， secretive， and prone to disappearing for hours or days at a time。 Spenser’s first time meeting him even includes an almost act of violence when Andrew witnesses another man threatening his female date， and then he vanishes… As expected， Spenser’s investigation involves corporate politics， dangerous relationships， hidden secrets， threats on his life， and unexpected murder。 All of the typical elements of a Spenser novel and more are here， including our hero putting himself in mortal danger to keep a promise that no one or anything will keep him from fulfilling。 And by his side is his better half， Susan， and his warrior brother， the invincible Hawk， to aid him when he needs it most。 There were several things to like with Lupica’s first outing as the writer responsible for Spenser’s continuing legacy。 Although it felt like he was trying too hard at times and there were a couple of moments that didn’t work or were too over the top， I personally felt like he captured the magic and essence of our hero and his world most of the time。 Like Atkins before him， Lupica knows Spenser’s world。 He’s lived in since he began reading Spenser’s books back in his early years and grew to be close friends with Robert B。 Parker and his family。 He is a true insider， in many ways。 Lupica knows the characters intimately。 He knows the city of Boston and its history。 More importantly he knows Spenser inside and out， his character， what drives him to be the Knight Errant， and his personal relationships with Susan and Hawk。 He’s certainly got their mannerisms， style， communications down。 The conversations and banter were really enjoyable and flowed well most of the time。 There are some excellent exchanges in this one， not just with Suan and Hawk， but the individual moments with Quirk and Tony Marcus really shined。 My only nitpick was hearing Spenser call Susan “Suze” in the early chapters almost made cringe。 It just seemed so out of character， but maybe that’s just me。I liked the appearances and references to other characters from Spenser’s universe， like Vinnie， Sunny Randall， Richie Burke， Belson， Farell， Maddie， and Sixkill to name a few。 That was a nice touch。 I also liked the descriptions and history of Boston sprinkled throughout the book。 There was many of them。 Maybe a bit less might have been better， but I was okay with the city as being an integral character in the story。 It is a big part of Spenser’s universe。The overall plot was fairly interesting and developed okay， maybe a bit slow in some ways， and of course a few twists added in which usually involved murder。 Figuring out the mystery elements have not typically been that hard to figure out as most Spenser books are not known for their intricate and complex plotting。 They have been about the characters， their relationships， and challenges fought through together and alone。I will also say that there were some repeated plot points。 How many times is Spenser going to get shot at and the shooter miss？ It’s going to be time to find another way to have him survive an attack and shooting attempt。 With over fifty books in the series， it’s going to be harder to find creative ways to get him through those moments。 I recognize that will be a challenge and I wish Lupica luck with it。 Also， Lupica had more plotlines than Spenser novels usually have， and attempted to intertwine them together and keep the reader guessing。 However， for me， it made the ending a bit convoluted and dragged out。 Not enough to take away from my overall impression， but enough to note it。 I leave it to you to decide for yourself how you feel about it。Overall， Lupica did a good job of taking the handoff from Atkins and taking his own lap carrying the torch。 As I stated， he knows the characters， their history， the setting， and the heart of the Errant Knight， Spenser。 He speaks the Spenser language， understands what drives Spenser， and the all-star cast that surrounds him and makes him better。Mr。 Lupica – please keep moving our detective hero and his partners forward in new and engaging ways。 I need having him and them in my life each year。 。。。more
Herzog
，
The mantle has been passed again， this time from Ace Atkins to Mike Lupica with salutory results。 Lupica stays quite true to Parker's original。 There are lots of Susan and Parker with appearances by Belson， Quirk， Vinnie， TBop， Sixkill and other Parker originals。 The storyline is interesting and contemporary。 The dialogue doesn't equal Parker， but it's not bad。 Happy to see this series continue。 The mantle has been passed again， this time from Ace Atkins to Mike Lupica with salutory results。 Lupica stays quite true to Parker's original。 There are lots of Susan and Parker with appearances by Belson， Quirk， Vinnie， TBop， Sixkill and other Parker originals。 The storyline is interesting and contemporary。 The dialogue doesn't equal Parker， but it's not bad。 Happy to see this series continue。 。。。more
Gary Evins
，
I think Mike Lupica has RBP/Spenser down。 The irreverent dialog is classic RBP。 Thought this one ran a little long。
James P。
，
This Is Not Robert Parker’s Broken TrustI have been a Spenser fan since the beginning of the series。 Since Robert Parker’s death， there has been an effort to continue the Spenser franchise with other writers。 Mike Lupica， some of whose other writing I have enjoyed， is the latest to try his hand with Spenser。Mr。 Lupica tries。 Hawk plays a prominent role。 Although his speech patterns are over the top。 Quirk and Belson， older （as is Spenser） reappear in supporting roles。 Zebulon Six Kill briefly jo This Is Not Robert Parker’s Broken TrustI have been a Spenser fan since the beginning of the series。 Since Robert Parker’s death， there has been an effort to continue the Spenser franchise with other writers。 Mike Lupica， some of whose other writing I have enjoyed， is the latest to try his hand with Spenser。Mr。 Lupica tries。 Hawk plays a prominent role。 Although his speech patterns are over the top。 Quirk and Belson， older （as is Spenser） reappear in supporting roles。 Zebulon Six Kill briefly joins the chase。 And， of course， Susan Silverman， Spenser’s indispensable significant other is by his side。 Add Vinnie Morris， Ty Bop， and a few other friendly gangbangers and it’s clear Mr。 Lupica has done some homework。 Unfortunately， that is the best thing I can say about this book。 The plot involves machinations inside the executive suite of a very successful privately held research company started by a college student genius who fortunately has a buddy who knows business。 Really knows business。 Fast forward a decade or so。 The founder/genius is acting erratically immediately before a planned merger that will make him and his company extraordinarily wealthy （as opposed to just fabulously wealthy）。 His college sweetheart/almost lost love spouse knows Susan Silverman， shares her concerns， and is referred to our hero。 And we are off。 There is some violence， although the fight scenes just seemed off to me。 We encounter domestic violence， of course fraud， and a couple of nasty bad guys， one of whom is， for some reason， British。 There are some twists and turns， two homicides in which the Boston Police defer to Spenser and Hawk。 This is where Quirk and Belson make their cameos。 Eventually， Spenser gets to the bottom of things as he usually does by barging ahead and breaking things。The problem is that everything just seems off。 Spenser’s ruminations are neither clever nor humorous。 His wisecracks the same。 His irreverent disrespect， the same。 The dialogue， the same。 Everything is just off。 And， therefore， to me， a series long devotee， the book just doesn’t work at all。 Everything that made the Spenser series a standout is just not there。 Robert Parker was a superb writer。 I understand the desire to continue the series。 But…。why not just remarket the Parker novels。 Now， in addition to being very well written private eye novels， they are classics of the genre and period pieces。 I’ll give Mr。 Lupica kudos for trying。 But， I think they should just stop before they completely destroy what was a stand out body of easy to read， highly enjoyable P。I。 Novels。 And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with quitting with a winner（s）。 And there is everything right about highly enjoyable， escapist crime fiction。 。。。more
Kent Larsson
，
as always A page turner。 The relationships， the dialogue， the history （ if you’ve read them all） makes you want more。 Keep them coming。
Colleen
，
Robert B。 Parker's Broken Trust is the 50th book in the Spenser series。 It was my first one to read in the series。 I didn't feel as if I was missing a lot of back story， so this can be a stand-alone read。 But this is an established series and deserves to be read in its entirety。Spenser's gets a call to speak with Laura Crain， the wife of the world's sixth richest man which also happens to be an acquaintance of Spenser's longtime partner， psychologist Susan Silverman。 Laura would like Spenser to Robert B。 Parker's Broken Trust is the 50th book in the Spenser series。 It was my first one to read in the series。 I didn't feel as if I was missing a lot of back story， so this can be a stand-alone read。 But this is an established series and deserves to be read in its entirety。Spenser's gets a call to speak with Laura Crain， the wife of the world's sixth richest man which also happens to be an acquaintance of Spenser's longtime partner， psychologist Susan Silverman。 Laura would like Spenser to find out what it is going on with her husband。 The marriage is fine， but he is acting different and needs Spenser to help her。 Andrew's partner， Ethan Lowe， at their company is working on a merger。 Everything Spenser hears in his investigation has him going in many directions and no solid clues， until Laura is murdered as well as another employee's death which is made to look like suicide。There are many characters in this story。 There is also a lot of quick-witted bantering going on as well that moves the story along。 Most of the investigation goes nowhere which has Spenser circling back to what they know as opposed to what they don't which gives them a bigger picture to look at。 I thought that this was a great story and was well written。 The characters have great depth and are people you might want to have as friends。 This felt more of an intellectual story since we are following Spenser around as he is thinking out loud to us。 I highly recommend this book。 I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Dwight Simmons
，
I like how Lupica kept the writing style the same and spiced in some characters from the Parker Boston multiverse！ Outstanding addition， looking forward to more！
Liz
，
Love me some Spenser and friends。
Lou Chodosh
，
Always have been a big fan of this series ， but this one not too good。 I gave it a three probably out of nostalgia。 Lupica basically makes Spenser and hawk into alcoholics; functioning ， but almost never without a drink。 And could maybe Spenser and Susan get out of the bedroom ？ Really， maybe the author has interesting fantasies。 And do they have to eat at every top end restaurant in Boston ？ Is Lupuca just trying to convey that he is aware of these places， or that he eats at them？ And thanks to Always have been a big fan of this series ， but this one not too good。 I gave it a three probably out of nostalgia。 Lupica basically makes Spenser and hawk into alcoholics; functioning ， but almost never without a drink。 And could maybe Spenser and Susan get out of the bedroom ？ Really， maybe the author has interesting fantasies。 And do they have to eat at every top end restaurant in Boston ？ Is Lupuca just trying to convey that he is aware of these places， or that he eats at them？ And thanks to author for giving props to Cornell West， a bigot if there ever was one。 Can’t see Susan Silverman agreeing with Cornell West’s view of the world！ And why would hawk or Spenser think West is ok？ Aren’t the suppose to be enlightened guys against racism and hatred？ For me， time to give up on the series。 。。。more
Linda Cook
，
Great read。 Mike Lupica has the voice， banter and laconic attitude down pat。 An enjoyable book but surely Spenser is getting a little old for all these shenanigans。 Maybe he should get another apprentice like Sixkill and persuade him to stay in Boston。 Justice in the end was served， if only a little delayed。 Awaiting the next Robert Parker novel， no matter the iteration。
Rick
，
The latest installment in the Spenser series is a terrific addition。 All the usual characters Spenser， Hawk， Susan， Pearl， Quick， and Belson]， a very good plot， and a good surprise at the end。 Thank you to Mike Lupica for carrying on the tradition。
Kodakjack
，
Do all detectives need to be wiseguys？ It gets a little old after a while， but then again， Spenser is an established character and that’s just how it is。 It’s a very twisted novel of murder and suspense， but it isn’t anything great。 “It has a nice beat， but I just can’t dance to it”。
Mackenzie - PhDiva Books
，
I’m no stranger to jumping into a series on the newest book just to see if I like it。 With Robert B。 Parker’s Broken Trust， this was a particularly interesting book to jump in on （it is number 50 in the Spenser series originally by Robert B。 Parker and now penned by different authors） because it is also the first penned by author Mike Lupica。Robert B。 Parker’s Spenser series began in 1973 and has gone on to include not only 50 books， but tv series and tv movie adaptations。 It’s a series I knew o I’m no stranger to jumping into a series on the newest book just to see if I like it。 With Robert B。 Parker’s Broken Trust， this was a particularly interesting book to jump in on （it is number 50 in the Spenser series originally by Robert B。 Parker and now penned by different authors） because it is also the first penned by author Mike Lupica。Robert B。 Parker’s Spenser series began in 1973 and has gone on to include not only 50 books， but tv series and tv movie adaptations。 It’s a series I knew of but hadn’t ever read before， but when the audiobook for Broken Trust became available， I thought the premise sounded good and decided to give it a try。Spenser is an ex-boxer， an ex-cop， and a current private investigator who lives in Boston。 In Broken Trust， Spenser is enlisted to help a woman named Laura Crain， who is the wife of the 6th wealthiest man in the United States and a friend of his girlfriend （though it is never explicitly stated their relationship is defined this way， but I’m inferring） Susan Silverman’s。 Laura says her husband Andrew has been acting strangely and neither Laura nor Andrew’s business partner Ethan Lowe know why。 Andrew and Ethan’s company is on the verge of completing a merger with a Canadian company that will make them even more successful and wealthy。The investigation is difficult from the start， both because the mission is somewhat vague and because everyone Spenser tries to speak with including Andrew Crain is being tightlipped。 It appears that Andrew is paranoid， having outbursts that are uncharacteristic， and is being somewhat volatile。 Not long after， Laura is found strangled in Brookline Park and Andrew fires Spenser （whom he never actually hired）。 Spenser feels obligated to continue his investigation anyways， because he feels he owes it to Laura。I mentioned that it was important that not only was I new to the series， but Lupica is new to writing it。 It was clear that he knew the series well， and I felt like he leaned into every trope and characteristic unique to the series in one book to showcase his familiarity with the series。 I find this is common when writers take over a beloved series—they need to build their credibility with the long-time fans and one of the most important ways of doing this is showing that they understand the characters。Even as a new reader to the series， it was clear that Lupica was filing his credentials by building out the characters。 For instance， the banter between Spenser and his girlfriend Susan， their frequent lovemaking， his comments on her bright intellect and lack of cooking skills—this all felt intentional to the point of bluntness。 It was clear these are based on long-running themes of her character in the series。 I would say the same regarding the relationship between Spenser and Hawk， and the way they interact with one another。 This was overdone to an extent that I could tell this was an important relationship for longtime fans。While this was helpful since I was also new to the series， I hope that if Lupica continues to write the Spenser books， he doesn’t feel the need to continue to put so much effort into this。 The problem for me was that as a new reader， these almost felt like caricatures that flattened out side characters。 Perhaps there is nothing left to explore， but I wanted to see more of Susan and Spenser’s relationship outside of him just poking fun at her cooking and making constant sexually charged banter。 Susan is a Harvard-trained psychologist， and I wanted to see her be explored as an intellectual and accomplished woman。All of that aside， the mystery itself was simple （at first）， but engaging。 From the first meeting with Laura and Spenser， I was intrigued by what was going on。 The Crains （Andrew and Laura） were interesting characters for the book。 Going in knowing they are some of the wealthiest in the country and that Laura is exceptionally beautiful， the reader would expect that Andrew is cheating， doing something underhanded， or will be a largely unlikable and ruthless character。 However， Andrew and Laura have a very loving marriage from what Spenser can see。 Susan’s friendship with them lends credibility to that。 In addition， Crain’s desire to move forward with the merger isn’t merely to increase his personal wealth。 The Crains are depicted as highly philanthropic。 Andrew’s behavior veers more towards paranoia than it does underhandedness。 This makes it all the more interesting that he pushes Spenser away。 Is he worried that Spenser will uncover something he doesn’t want known， or can he not trust anyone including his own wife？While I can’t be certain， it seems that several characters from the series were brought in for small （or sometimes larger） roles in this mystery。 I liked that Lupica made an effort to give some context to who they were （this is how I was able to infer they had been in prior books）， because it would be insurmountable to start at book 1。 I like being able to join a series later and choose to go back to prior works if I’m interested （in this case， I am）。Hawk was definitely my favorite supporting character， and the one that interested me the most。 He had a unique voice and perspective as a character that narrator Joe Montagne brought to life in the audiobook。 I can’t speak to the authenticity of their relationship and Hawk as a character relative to prior books， but as a new reader he was the welcome investigative partner that was needed。 The case itself has more layers than are apparent at first， and Spenser has to go to great lengths to put the pieces together。 The ending was satisfying for me。 I liked this book overall， though I do think this was a more challenging series than normal to jump into because the characters are so well-fleshed out from prior books， a new author coming in will hesitate to develop or change them in any substantial way。 I suspect that as Lupica continues the series， this will become less of an issue。 。。。more
JaTara
，
This was difficult to wade through。 It didn’t feel like Spencer to me。
JoAnn Wells
，
Still great reading after all these years。 I enjoy Spencer and Hawk and Susan。 Love the Boston field guide as you read through the story。 Not a fan of Spencer’s constant sarcasm anymore。 Seems mostly childish at this age but I guess it’s a trademark for his character that seems to remain。 What I do enjoy is his tenacity to get to the truth no matter what。 He does keep digging long after most would give up and of course always finds the truth。 Spencer should be elderly by now but the likeness to Still great reading after all these years。 I enjoy Spencer and Hawk and Susan。 Love the Boston field guide as you read through the story。 Not a fan of Spencer’s constant sarcasm anymore。 Seems mostly childish at this age but I guess it’s a trademark for his character that seems to remain。 What I do enjoy is his tenacity to get to the truth no matter what。 He does keep digging long after most would give up and of course always finds the truth。 Spencer should be elderly by now but the likeness to the old gumshoe detectives and the tough guy persona just keeps us coming back。 。。。more
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robert b. parker's broken trust