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Spenser #47
Robert B. Parker's Angel Eyes
In the latest thriller featuring the legendary Boston PI, Spenser heads to the City of Angels to meet old friends and new enemies in a baffling missing person case that might shake Tinseltown to its core.
Gabby Leggett left her Boston family with dreams of making it big as a model/actress in Hollywood. Two years later, she disappears from her apartment. Her family, former boyfriend, friends--and the police--have no idea where she is and no leads. Leggett's mother hires Spenser to find her, with help of his former apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, now an L.A. private eye.
Spenser barely has time to unpack before the trail leads to a powerful movie studio boss, the Armenian mob, and a shadowy empowerment group some say might be a dangerous cult.
It's soon clear that Spenser and Sixkill may be outgunned this time, and series favorites Chollo and Bobby Horse ride to the rescue to provide backup. From the mansions of Beverly Hills to the lawless streets of a small California town, Spenser will need to watch his step. In Hollywood, all that glitters isn't gold. And not all those who wander are lost.
Gabby Leggett left her Boston family with dreams of making it big as a model/actress in Hollywood. Two years later, she disappears from her apartment. Her family, former boyfriend, friends--and the police--have no idea where she is and no leads. Leggett's mother hires Spenser to find her, with help of his former apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, now an L.A. private eye.
Spenser barely has time to unpack before the trail leads to a powerful movie studio boss, the Armenian mob, and a shadowy empowerment group some say might be a dangerous cult.
It's soon clear that Spenser and Sixkill may be outgunned this time, and series favorites Chollo and Bobby Horse ride to the rescue to provide backup. From the mansions of Beverly Hills to the lawless streets of a small California town, Spenser will need to watch his step. In Hollywood, all that glitters isn't gold. And not all those who wander are lost.
421 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2019
1467 people are currently reading
2170 people want to read
About the author
Ace Atkins
71 books1,558 followersAce Atkins is the author of twenty-eight books, including eleven Quinn Colson novels, the first two of which, The Ranger and The Lost Ones, were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel (he has a third Edgar nomination for his short story "Last Fair Deal Gone Down"). He is the author of nine New York Times-bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. Before turning to fiction, he was a correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times and a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, and he played defensive end for Auburn University football.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 381 reviews
November 20, 2019
Spenser goes Hollywood, and I’m not talking about that upcoming Netflix movie.
A young woman originally from Boston has gone missing after moving to Los Angeles, and her mother has hired Spenser to find her so he heads west. Tracking down the young lady puts Spenser at odds with a powerful Hollywood producer, a self-help group that seems more like a cult, and a dangerous Aremenian gang.
Fortunately, despite being far from home Spenser has plenty of friends around to help out like his former protege Z. Sixkill who has started his own private detective business. There’s also Spenser’s thug buddies Chollo and Bobby Horse that work for the local crime boss who Spenser is on good terms with thanks to their previous encounters. LAPD Captain Sameulson is still around although he’s less thrilled to see Spenser back in town causing trouble again.
Ace Atkins has become one of the those writers that I file under R for Reliable at this point. For several years now he’s been producing both Spenser and Quinn Colson books like clockwork, and every time I start one of his I know that I’m in for a good time. For both these series he’s also been walking the tricky tightrope that balance familiarity with mixing things up so that neither start to seem formulaic or stale.
This is a prime example of that with Atkins again drawing on the long history of Spenser as written by the late Robert B. Parker so that it still seems like the same character, but then using that as a jumping off point to move in new directions. This isn’t the first time Spenser has gone out to LA so he’s dealing with a bunch of familiar characters and situations, but this never feels like we’re just going over the same old ground. Atkins also has a knack for putting a slightly different spin on some of these old supporting characters so that they seem to have more going on than just being props in Spenser’s world. For example, I loved how Samuelson, who has plenty of reasons to dread seeing the detective come to town, gets thoroughly pissed off when he once again finds himself knee-deep in a Spenser related mess.
There’s also a nice ripped-from-the-headlines vibe to this story although it doesn’t go in the direction that I initially thought it would. I also appreciate how Atkins has managed to update Spenser by using more tech and things like social media while still keeping his old school nature. There’s also a fun tip of the cap to another crime series when Spenser briefly crosses paths with another fictional detective. Long time fans also know that LA is the spot of one of Spenser’s biggest regrets, and there’s a nicely done acknowledgement of that, too. Another sly Easter egg appeared to be a reference to the upcoming movie.
Through it all we’ve got all the staples of a good Spenser story. Funny banter, good action, descriptions of food guaranteed to make you hungry, and a twisty mystery that Spenser unravels by being a pain in the ass to anyone he comes across who is standing in the way.
A young woman originally from Boston has gone missing after moving to Los Angeles, and her mother has hired Spenser to find her so he heads west. Tracking down the young lady puts Spenser at odds with a powerful Hollywood producer, a self-help group that seems more like a cult, and a dangerous Aremenian gang.
Fortunately, despite being far from home Spenser has plenty of friends around to help out like his former protege Z. Sixkill who has started his own private detective business. There’s also Spenser’s thug buddies Chollo and Bobby Horse that work for the local crime boss who Spenser is on good terms with thanks to their previous encounters. LAPD Captain Sameulson is still around although he’s less thrilled to see Spenser back in town causing trouble again.
Ace Atkins has become one of the those writers that I file under R for Reliable at this point. For several years now he’s been producing both Spenser and Quinn Colson books like clockwork, and every time I start one of his I know that I’m in for a good time. For both these series he’s also been walking the tricky tightrope that balance familiarity with mixing things up so that neither start to seem formulaic or stale.
This is a prime example of that with Atkins again drawing on the long history of Spenser as written by the late Robert B. Parker so that it still seems like the same character, but then using that as a jumping off point to move in new directions. This isn’t the first time Spenser has gone out to LA so he’s dealing with a bunch of familiar characters and situations, but this never feels like we’re just going over the same old ground. Atkins also has a knack for putting a slightly different spin on some of these old supporting characters so that they seem to have more going on than just being props in Spenser’s world. For example, I loved how Samuelson, who has plenty of reasons to dread seeing the detective come to town, gets thoroughly pissed off when he once again finds himself knee-deep in a Spenser related mess.
There’s also a nice ripped-from-the-headlines vibe to this story although it doesn’t go in the direction that I initially thought it would. I also appreciate how Atkins has managed to update Spenser by using more tech and things like social media while still keeping his old school nature. There’s also a fun tip of the cap to another crime series when Spenser briefly crosses paths with another fictional detective. Long time fans also know that LA is the spot of one of Spenser’s biggest regrets, and there’s a nicely done acknowledgement of that, too. Another sly Easter egg appeared to be a reference to the upcoming movie.
Through it all we’ve got all the staples of a good Spenser story. Funny banter, good action, descriptions of food guaranteed to make you hungry, and a twisty mystery that Spenser unravels by being a pain in the ass to anyone he comes across who is standing in the way.
January 30, 2020
The only reason I bothered was the overrated review rating. Ace Atkins is no Robert B Parker and I won't bother with another lousy story. 0 of 10 stars
November 25, 2019
"And what are we?" -- Zebulon 'Z' Sixkill, novice private investigator
"Reputable thugs with good teeth, trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys and the cops." -- Spenser, seasoned private investigator
The venerable Boston P.I. known by a single name heads west to Hollywood on a missing persons case involving Gaby, a wannabe model / actress turned ubiquitous social media influencer. Capably assisting him (since long-time sidekick Hawk is again absent from the proceedings) is protege 'Z,' the Native-American former college football star who has now set up his own investigations office in L.A. Of course with this being set in la-la land the duo encounter the requisite shady supporting character types - a sleazy movie producer who ignores the #MeToo movement, a self-help / quasi-religious leader reminiscent of L. Ron Hubbard, a violent Armenian organized crime boss, the usual henchmen / hired goons, and other show biz industry types - between dodging the usual barrage of bullets and saving the ****ing day. Author Atkins now has eight books under his belt for this long-running series, and creator Robert B. Parker can rest in peace as Spenser is certainly in good hands.
One other great moment was a brief uncredited but unmistakable cameo by Joe Pike, the soldier of fortune / mercenary 'wingman' of author Robert Crais' L.A.-based private eye Elvis Cole. (Author Atkins also gives thanks to Crais in the post script acknowledgements section for helping him with the geography, etc. of SoCal.) Should Spenser and Cole - my two favorite of the current fictional literary detectives - ever get thrown together to work on a case my mind would probably explode!
"Reputable thugs with good teeth, trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys and the cops." -- Spenser, seasoned private investigator
The venerable Boston P.I. known by a single name heads west to Hollywood on a missing persons case involving Gaby, a wannabe model / actress turned ubiquitous social media influencer. Capably assisting him (since long-time sidekick Hawk is again absent from the proceedings) is protege 'Z,' the Native-American former college football star who has now set up his own investigations office in L.A. Of course with this being set in la-la land the duo encounter the requisite shady supporting character types - a sleazy movie producer who ignores the #MeToo movement, a self-help / quasi-religious leader reminiscent of L. Ron Hubbard, a violent Armenian organized crime boss, the usual henchmen / hired goons, and other show biz industry types - between dodging the usual barrage of bullets and saving the ****ing day. Author Atkins now has eight books under his belt for this long-running series, and creator Robert B. Parker can rest in peace as Spenser is certainly in good hands.
One other great moment was a brief uncredited but unmistakable cameo by Joe Pike, the soldier of fortune / mercenary 'wingman' of author Robert Crais' L.A.-based private eye Elvis Cole. (Author Atkins also gives thanks to Crais in the post script acknowledgements section for helping him with the geography, etc. of SoCal.) Should Spenser and Cole - my two favorite of the current fictional literary detectives - ever get thrown together to work on a case my mind would probably explode!
November 2, 2019
When it comes to carrying on the legend of the late Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Ace Atkins hit the ground running from the git-go; almost always, I'm impressed with the similarities to the originals and always look forward to the latest installment. In this one, I'd say he's hit it out of the park in that regard.
Here, Spenser goes Hollywood, hired by a friend of his main squeeze, psychologist Susan Silverman, to find her missing daughter. Far from his familiar Boston haunts, Spenser hooks up with former apprentice Zebulon Sixkill, who headed about as far west from Massachusetts as he could to ply the trade he learned from the master.
The girl, Gabrielle Leggett, hasn't spoken with her mother in 10 days, and a search of her trashed apartment raises suspicions of foul play. Spenser and "Z" learn that Gabby had been dating a high-powered movie mogul, who in turn may have ties to a local Armenian mob and/or a shady self-help group with which Gabby has become enamored (willingly or not, that is the question).
None of this bodes well, of course, but despite threats of fates worse than death if they continue to investigate, the coastal private-eye pair keep on digging (with a little help from Chollo, another old friend. There are ups and downs, ins and outs, but in the end, they manage to get to the bottom of things as usual. I was especially happy to see more of Susan, who surprisingly gets personally involved in the investigation. Conspicuous by his absence once again is Spenser's loyal sidekick Hawk - perhaps my only disappointment because I love the guy. That said, he's the only character from Parker's books whose personality and dialogue Atkins never quite nailed down, IMHO, so maybe that's a good thing.
Bottom line? Well-written, intriguing story that serves the series well - so Spenser fans, don't skip this one. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review an advance copy.
Here, Spenser goes Hollywood, hired by a friend of his main squeeze, psychologist Susan Silverman, to find her missing daughter. Far from his familiar Boston haunts, Spenser hooks up with former apprentice Zebulon Sixkill, who headed about as far west from Massachusetts as he could to ply the trade he learned from the master.
The girl, Gabrielle Leggett, hasn't spoken with her mother in 10 days, and a search of her trashed apartment raises suspicions of foul play. Spenser and "Z" learn that Gabby had been dating a high-powered movie mogul, who in turn may have ties to a local Armenian mob and/or a shady self-help group with which Gabby has become enamored (willingly or not, that is the question).
None of this bodes well, of course, but despite threats of fates worse than death if they continue to investigate, the coastal private-eye pair keep on digging (with a little help from Chollo, another old friend. There are ups and downs, ins and outs, but in the end, they manage to get to the bottom of things as usual. I was especially happy to see more of Susan, who surprisingly gets personally involved in the investigation. Conspicuous by his absence once again is Spenser's loyal sidekick Hawk - perhaps my only disappointment because I love the guy. That said, he's the only character from Parker's books whose personality and dialogue Atkins never quite nailed down, IMHO, so maybe that's a good thing.
Bottom line? Well-written, intriguing story that serves the series well - so Spenser fans, don't skip this one. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review an advance copy.
January 4, 2020
I have been reading Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” mystery series since the mid-1980’s when my English professor introduced the first book in the series “The Godwulf Manuscript” to me and invited me to write a paper comparing and contrasting Spenser with some classic character that I can no longer remember.
However, Spenser was a character that I never forgot. I grew to love him and his outstanding cohorts over the years and looked forward every spring to a new outing with my private investigator hero. There were mostly good or excellent books and some less than good books, but I pretty much enjoyed every adventure with good ole Spenser, his notorious partner Hawk, and his numero uno woman, the one and only, Susan. Parker’s ability to deliver justice through Spenser’s indelible personal moral code throughout the greater Boston area was never going to be matched. It was classic all-time mystery writing.
However, when Robert B. Parker passed away in January, 2010, of a sudden heart attack, I felt true loss on a deep personal level. I had truly lost one of my important heroes. Spenser was part of my family. He had become part of my own personal code and stubborn ethical values. When I found out Parker’s estate had selected Ace Atkins to continue writing the Spenser novels, I wondered if someone else could truly capture the magical lyrical quality of my hero. Well, eight books into this transition, I have been happily surprised and more than pleased with the outcome. To be honest, I am pretty dang thrilled to say the least!
I am not sure where I stand in the pendulum of public opinion, but in my eyes, Ace Atkins has done a splendid job of capturing the spirit of Spenser and the rest of the supporting cast. The challenge of taking on such an established series had to be more than daunting. Spenser’s world was unique, tightly defined, and had an already rich and fulfilled history when Ace was handed the reins. My feeling is that Ace has consistently captured the rhythm and magic that made Spenser the highest level of standard in the mystery genre and continues to do so in this outing.
When the book begins, Spenser has been hired by a Boston family to find their daughter, Gabby Leggett, who has suddenly disappeared from her apartment in Los Angeles. Gabby arrived there two years ago with dreams of becoming a successful model and actress in Hollywood. She has some success, but now has gone missing.
Spenser flies to LA and is joined by his previous trainee, Zebulon Sixkill, who is now working there as a private investigator. As the investigation begins, Spenser runs into several roadblocks. No one, including her former boyfriend and agent, agents, and the police gave no clues or ideas where she may be or what could have happened to her. Finally, an old connection of Spenser’s in the LAPD from prior West Coast cases, gives him a clue, connecting Gabby to one of the most powerful studio bosses.
It doesn’t take long before Spenser finds himself upsetting the wrong people and before he knows it both a private empowerment group known to be cultish and a dangerous Armenian mob is trying to scare him off or kill him, whichever is easier. Before he knows it, Spenser is forced to ask for help from his previous comrades, shooters Chollo and Bobby Horse to help provide safety and backup as he faces an ultimate shootout showdown in a small lawless town in Southern California.
In my humble opinion, Atkin’s has strengthened his ability to capture Parker’s unique voice to the point where his storytelling flow is natural and smooth. Atkin’s artistic canvas has become his own, exploring new plotline developments while also re-exploring previous characters with confidence and authenticity.
One of those particular strengths is finding ways to include different characters from Spenser’s rich history and pulling them back into the new stories. In this book, he uses Zebulon Sixkill (who first appeared in “Sixkill”), Spenser’s previous mentee, and now a working private investigator in Los Angeles to serve as Spenser’s investigative partner in this outing. In addition, since Spenser is working outside of his Boston hometown, Atkins brings back our beloved shooter, Chollo, and muscle, Bobby Horse (both first appeared in “Stardust)” and serve as Spenser’s additional protection in place of the beloved Hawk, as well as crime boss, Victor del Rio (also first appeared in “Stardust”), and Captain Samuelson (who first appeared way back in “A Savage Place”). Over the last several books, Atkins has really expanded the use of the secondary characters in Spenser’s world to strengthen and add depth to the plotlines, and it has done a great job of it.
After reading eight of the Atkins Spenser novels, I want to be absolutely clear. For me, Robert B. Parker is the king. He created Spenser and all that goes with him from Hawk to Susan to the secondary characters, nuances of each of the four seasons, particular types of foods, and locations in the greater Boston area. I will always bow down to him. But thanks to Atkin’s ability to capture the spirit of Spenser, I get to continue being a fanboy. I don’t have to say goodbye to a character that I love like family. Every year or so I can still look forward to a new outing with my private investigator hero, Spenser and his comrades, which I lovingly refer to as Spenser 2.0.
Thank you, Robert. Thank you, Ace. And thank you, Joan, for letting Spenser live on in this fan’s heart. It means the world to me to get to revisit my heartfelt friend and personal hero each year.
However, Spenser was a character that I never forgot. I grew to love him and his outstanding cohorts over the years and looked forward every spring to a new outing with my private investigator hero. There were mostly good or excellent books and some less than good books, but I pretty much enjoyed every adventure with good ole Spenser, his notorious partner Hawk, and his numero uno woman, the one and only, Susan. Parker’s ability to deliver justice through Spenser’s indelible personal moral code throughout the greater Boston area was never going to be matched. It was classic all-time mystery writing.
However, when Robert B. Parker passed away in January, 2010, of a sudden heart attack, I felt true loss on a deep personal level. I had truly lost one of my important heroes. Spenser was part of my family. He had become part of my own personal code and stubborn ethical values. When I found out Parker’s estate had selected Ace Atkins to continue writing the Spenser novels, I wondered if someone else could truly capture the magical lyrical quality of my hero. Well, eight books into this transition, I have been happily surprised and more than pleased with the outcome. To be honest, I am pretty dang thrilled to say the least!
I am not sure where I stand in the pendulum of public opinion, but in my eyes, Ace Atkins has done a splendid job of capturing the spirit of Spenser and the rest of the supporting cast. The challenge of taking on such an established series had to be more than daunting. Spenser’s world was unique, tightly defined, and had an already rich and fulfilled history when Ace was handed the reins. My feeling is that Ace has consistently captured the rhythm and magic that made Spenser the highest level of standard in the mystery genre and continues to do so in this outing.
When the book begins, Spenser has been hired by a Boston family to find their daughter, Gabby Leggett, who has suddenly disappeared from her apartment in Los Angeles. Gabby arrived there two years ago with dreams of becoming a successful model and actress in Hollywood. She has some success, but now has gone missing.
Spenser flies to LA and is joined by his previous trainee, Zebulon Sixkill, who is now working there as a private investigator. As the investigation begins, Spenser runs into several roadblocks. No one, including her former boyfriend and agent, agents, and the police gave no clues or ideas where she may be or what could have happened to her. Finally, an old connection of Spenser’s in the LAPD from prior West Coast cases, gives him a clue, connecting Gabby to one of the most powerful studio bosses.
It doesn’t take long before Spenser finds himself upsetting the wrong people and before he knows it both a private empowerment group known to be cultish and a dangerous Armenian mob is trying to scare him off or kill him, whichever is easier. Before he knows it, Spenser is forced to ask for help from his previous comrades, shooters Chollo and Bobby Horse to help provide safety and backup as he faces an ultimate shootout showdown in a small lawless town in Southern California.
In my humble opinion, Atkin’s has strengthened his ability to capture Parker’s unique voice to the point where his storytelling flow is natural and smooth. Atkin’s artistic canvas has become his own, exploring new plotline developments while also re-exploring previous characters with confidence and authenticity.
One of those particular strengths is finding ways to include different characters from Spenser’s rich history and pulling them back into the new stories. In this book, he uses Zebulon Sixkill (who first appeared in “Sixkill”), Spenser’s previous mentee, and now a working private investigator in Los Angeles to serve as Spenser’s investigative partner in this outing. In addition, since Spenser is working outside of his Boston hometown, Atkins brings back our beloved shooter, Chollo, and muscle, Bobby Horse (both first appeared in “Stardust)” and serve as Spenser’s additional protection in place of the beloved Hawk, as well as crime boss, Victor del Rio (also first appeared in “Stardust”), and Captain Samuelson (who first appeared way back in “A Savage Place”). Over the last several books, Atkins has really expanded the use of the secondary characters in Spenser’s world to strengthen and add depth to the plotlines, and it has done a great job of it.
After reading eight of the Atkins Spenser novels, I want to be absolutely clear. For me, Robert B. Parker is the king. He created Spenser and all that goes with him from Hawk to Susan to the secondary characters, nuances of each of the four seasons, particular types of foods, and locations in the greater Boston area. I will always bow down to him. But thanks to Atkin’s ability to capture the spirit of Spenser, I get to continue being a fanboy. I don’t have to say goodbye to a character that I love like family. Every year or so I can still look forward to a new outing with my private investigator hero, Spenser and his comrades, which I lovingly refer to as Spenser 2.0.
Thank you, Robert. Thank you, Ace. And thank you, Joan, for letting Spenser live on in this fan’s heart. It means the world to me to get to revisit my heartfelt friend and personal hero each year.
July 16, 2024
Spenser heads out west to L.A. in search of a missing young lady. Hollyweird is about to get big dose of bloody Boston justice. Sixkill and Chollo are fantastic characters to ply off Spenser’s wit and humor, hopefully we see more of both in future stories.
December 7, 2019
#48 in the Spenser series (#8 written by Ace Atkins, after 39 written by Robert B. Parker and 1 competed by Parker's agent Helen Brann after his death). This 2019 series entry by author Ace Atkins is a mixed bag. On the plus side, Spenser visits Los Angeles and rekindles acquaintances with ex-protégé Zebulon Sixkill and well as LAPD Captain Samuelson, crime boss Victor Del Rio, and gunmen Chollo and Bobby Horse. Susan Silverman makes a Pleasant appearance. On the minus side, Spenser's early conversations with Sixkill lack his patented witty patter and the much vaunted Armenian gangsters in their Furlong stronghold don't amount to much. Spenser spends a lot of time running around but the opposition doesn't pose much of a problem. A nice touch was the homage to Robert Crais' character Joe Pike on page 149. A pleasurable read especially for series fans.
Spenser takes off from his native Boston to Hollywood, in search of 23-year-old Gabby Leggett, an aspiring actress whose mother grew concerned after not hearing from her in ten days. Spenser is aided by old friend and colleague Zebulon "Z" Sixkill, who's filling in for Hawk as Spenser's partner and muscle. The pair pursue obvious leads from Gabby's personal life, including questioning her former boyfriend and current agent, Eric Collinson, who's less than cooperative and denies having any knowledge of her whereabouts. Her latest lover, Jimmy Yamashiro, the president and CEO of a major movie studio, won't disclose Gabby's current location, but reveals that she's been trying to blackmail him. Before long, Spenser and Z are menaced by the requisite gun-toting thugs, and Spenser must call in another old ally for help.
Spenser takes off from his native Boston to Hollywood, in search of 23-year-old Gabby Leggett, an aspiring actress whose mother grew concerned after not hearing from her in ten days. Spenser is aided by old friend and colleague Zebulon "Z" Sixkill, who's filling in for Hawk as Spenser's partner and muscle. The pair pursue obvious leads from Gabby's personal life, including questioning her former boyfriend and current agent, Eric Collinson, who's less than cooperative and denies having any knowledge of her whereabouts. Her latest lover, Jimmy Yamashiro, the president and CEO of a major movie studio, won't disclose Gabby's current location, but reveals that she's been trying to blackmail him. Before long, Spenser and Z are menaced by the requisite gun-toting thugs, and Spenser must call in another old ally for help.
January 14, 2021
4 Stars
Reading a Spenser (that's Spenser with an 's') novel is like sitting around with old friends. You know you'll get a good dose of wise-cracking humor mixed in with some good old-fashioned crime sleuthing. While there is no Hawk, we are treated to a reappearance of Zebulon Sixkill as well as a Susan Silverman cameo and a few references to Pearl. The mystery involves Spenser flying out to L.A. to find the daughter of a friend of Susan Silverman (hence the addition of Sixkill). We get a big dose of a sleazy ex-boyfriend, a slimy movie producer, a charasmatic "spiritual" leader with a healthy dose of Ukranian thugs and blackmail thrown in for good measure. All-in-all, a good "comfort" read. Ace Atkins has done an excellent job keeping this series current while remaining true to the original.
Reading a Spenser (that's Spenser with an 's') novel is like sitting around with old friends. You know you'll get a good dose of wise-cracking humor mixed in with some good old-fashioned crime sleuthing. While there is no Hawk, we are treated to a reappearance of Zebulon Sixkill as well as a Susan Silverman cameo and a few references to Pearl. The mystery involves Spenser flying out to L.A. to find the daughter of a friend of Susan Silverman (hence the addition of Sixkill). We get a big dose of a sleazy ex-boyfriend, a slimy movie producer, a charasmatic "spiritual" leader with a healthy dose of Ukranian thugs and blackmail thrown in for good measure. All-in-all, a good "comfort" read. Ace Atkins has done an excellent job keeping this series current while remaining true to the original.
November 27, 2019
It's Spenser. Those who know, know that's enough.
December 15, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.
ROBERT B. PARKER’S ANGEL EYES by Ace Atkins is the 47th book in the Spenser Series that author Atkins has carried on since the passing of Robert B. Parker, original author and creator of the series.
Spenser once again is requested to take on a case by Susan, his longtime companion and the love of his life, in a case involving a missing young actress whose disappearance seems to be under suspicious circumstances, along with the possibility that her disappearance could possibly mean that she has met with foul play.
Gabby Leggett is the young actress who left the Boston area to seek fame & fortune in Los Angeles, and when her disappearance is prolonged, her mother hires Spenser to locate her and see her return to Boston if possible.
Spenser goes off to L.A. and begins this investigation in the same manner he usually does, which is to poke his nose in where it doesn’t belong and stir things up to produce results, meanwhile causing irritation and frustration for those he confronts with his lack of fear and resistance to intimidation.
Investigation reveals a cult-like group could be involved in the disappearance of the missing Gabby, and Spenser makes it clear that he won’t stop harassing the charismatic leader or others in the group until he gets the answers about the whereabouts of the young missing actress and who is responsible for her disappearance.
Classic Spenser novel where author Ace Atkins once again successfully captures the best qualities of Spenser that were present in the better books written in the series by Robert B. Parker.
Several characters from previous books are involved in this one, most prominent is Zebulon Sixkill, Spenser’s protégé currently working as a private detective in the L.A. area.
Solid action takes place once the investigation gives Spenser focus on where to target his efforts, and once again he places himself and Zeke in harm’s way to solve the case, resulting in another chapter in the maturing of Spenser, and the fact that in spite of aging, his tough smart-guy approach still produces results, and proves that getting older hasn’t taken away his ability to get results in the cases he takes on.
4 stars.
ROBERT B. PARKER’S ANGEL EYES by Ace Atkins is the 47th book in the Spenser Series that author Atkins has carried on since the passing of Robert B. Parker, original author and creator of the series.
Spenser once again is requested to take on a case by Susan, his longtime companion and the love of his life, in a case involving a missing young actress whose disappearance seems to be under suspicious circumstances, along with the possibility that her disappearance could possibly mean that she has met with foul play.
Gabby Leggett is the young actress who left the Boston area to seek fame & fortune in Los Angeles, and when her disappearance is prolonged, her mother hires Spenser to locate her and see her return to Boston if possible.
Spenser goes off to L.A. and begins this investigation in the same manner he usually does, which is to poke his nose in where it doesn’t belong and stir things up to produce results, meanwhile causing irritation and frustration for those he confronts with his lack of fear and resistance to intimidation.
Investigation reveals a cult-like group could be involved in the disappearance of the missing Gabby, and Spenser makes it clear that he won’t stop harassing the charismatic leader or others in the group until he gets the answers about the whereabouts of the young missing actress and who is responsible for her disappearance.
Classic Spenser novel where author Ace Atkins once again successfully captures the best qualities of Spenser that were present in the better books written in the series by Robert B. Parker.
Several characters from previous books are involved in this one, most prominent is Zebulon Sixkill, Spenser’s protégé currently working as a private detective in the L.A. area.
Solid action takes place once the investigation gives Spenser focus on where to target his efforts, and once again he places himself and Zeke in harm’s way to solve the case, resulting in another chapter in the maturing of Spenser, and the fact that in spite of aging, his tough smart-guy approach still produces results, and proves that getting older hasn’t taken away his ability to get results in the cases he takes on.
4 stars.
August 17, 2020
I can't believe this series is in its 47th book. All in all, it has been a very good series. Some of the books have been great, some so-so. But the characters and their story lines have remained true and have continued to grow.
Ace Atkins has done a superior job with the franchise. He has continued the Spenser legacy abd written story arks worthy of Parker.
But this is not his best work.
Part of it is Spenser is best in Boston. Spenser is Boston.
But the Spenser who is looking for a missing young woman in LA is not at his best. He's more wise-cracking than wise and a lot of it just falls flat.
There's an attempt to have protégé Zebulon Sixkill move into the Hawk role this time around. But we all know no one can move into the Hawk role. The lack of his counter dialog may be what makes this one fall a bit short.
If you love Spenser, you have to read the book. But be prepared for it to be a bit lackluster.
Ace Atkins has done a superior job with the franchise. He has continued the Spenser legacy abd written story arks worthy of Parker.
But this is not his best work.
Part of it is Spenser is best in Boston. Spenser is Boston.
But the Spenser who is looking for a missing young woman in LA is not at his best. He's more wise-cracking than wise and a lot of it just falls flat.
There's an attempt to have protégé Zebulon Sixkill move into the Hawk role this time around. But we all know no one can move into the Hawk role. The lack of his counter dialog may be what makes this one fall a bit short.
If you love Spenser, you have to read the book. But be prepared for it to be a bit lackluster.
May 15, 2020
Ace Atkins has done a great job of carrying the late Robert B Parker's Spenser series forward, and Angel Eyes was another satisfying entry in that series. Random thoughts: this novel features Zebulon Sixkill-of all the ensemble of characters featured in the Spenser novels Sixkill is probably my least favorite. I have tried to like him but it just doesn't seem to take. Can we please bring Hawk back? This book takes Spenser to Hollywood which is a far cry from Boston and I love fish out of water stories. I could probably do without the standard riff of California being a shallow place that "changes people" because this has been done to death. Even though we have to do without Hawk (again) we do get a nice but ultra brief cameo from another author's character who also hangs his hat in LA. I won't spill the beans and it will be easy to miss if you don't pay close attention. Susan Silverman really makes herself useful here and I loved that. Overall this is a good book despite my minor quibbles. Four stars.
November 17, 2023
This is another enjoyable installment by legacy author Ace Atkins to the late Robert Parker’s long-standing Spenser series.
Although Hawk was noticeably absent, a host of memorable characters like Chollo, former apprentice Zebulon Sixkill and Bobby Horse came out to play, Susan Silverman played a larger role, and Ace threw in a few nods to Pearl the Wonder dog.
This series brings back great memories of sneaking in a couple of chapters before work, during a lunch break in my car, or pouring through the pages while the weekend flew by. It’s not a deep thought series, you can put it down and come back without missing a beat.
Spenser shows his wit often, displays a newfound confidence in “being the best”, which I’m still getting used to, and of course cooks like he knows how to cook. This is a carryover from Parker and is my favorite attribute because it speaks to so much more than typical character attributes.
Although Hawk was noticeably absent, a host of memorable characters like Chollo, former apprentice Zebulon Sixkill and Bobby Horse came out to play, Susan Silverman played a larger role, and Ace threw in a few nods to Pearl the Wonder dog.
This series brings back great memories of sneaking in a couple of chapters before work, during a lunch break in my car, or pouring through the pages while the weekend flew by. It’s not a deep thought series, you can put it down and come back without missing a beat.
Spenser shows his wit often, displays a newfound confidence in “being the best”, which I’m still getting used to, and of course cooks like he knows how to cook. This is a carryover from Parker and is my favorite attribute because it speaks to so much more than typical character attributes.
November 25, 2019
ANGEL EYES is the 48th(!) novel featuring Spenser, who still remains mystery fiction’s most confident and self-satisfied private investigator. And yes, we are glad for it. Though Spenser and his supporting characters have outlived Robert B. Parker, their creator, the torch has been carried for almost a decade by the stalwart Ace Atkins in what has been, for all intents and purposes, a flawless passing of the franchise. To say that Atkins has “copied” Parker’s style in the series would not be accurate. Instead, he has managed to capture the spirit of the characters and continues to convey it, as Parker did, through sparkling dialogue interspersed with action.
In this latest installment, Atkins takes Spenser out of his familiar Boston environs for a return visit to Los Angeles, a locale that was first featured in Parker’s A SAVAGE PLACE. The change of scenery gives Spenser the opportunity to work with his apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, who has set up his own private investigation agency on the West Coast. Spenser’s purpose for being there is to locate Gabby Leggett, a young woman from Boston who moved to Hollywood a couple of years ago and has been missing for two weeks. He is doing so at the behest of Gabby’s mother, who is a friend of Susan Silverman, his longtime significant other and confidante.
In fairly short order, Spenser discovers that the Gabby who has been living in Hollywood is far different from the woman who said goodbye to Boston. Somehow she has become involved on a number of levels with a self-help guru who is a charlatan at best and a possible murderer at worst. An Armenian crime lord also has worked his way into the mix, warning Spenser and Sixkill off of locating Gabby, who, as it turns out, does not seem to feel that she needs to be rescued. Consequently, Spenser is somewhat limited in what he is able to do from a legal standpoint, a problem with which he is not entirely unfamiliar.
Meanwhile, the Armenian connection is becoming more forceful in opposing Spenser and Sixkill in their efforts to interject themselves in Gabby’s situation. It is not long before the bodies start piling up. Spenser turns to associates old and new for help, and as a result, veteran readers of this long-running series will encounter characters they have not seen in quite a while. He also will receive some unexpected, though not altogether surprising, assistance from a familiar source at about the book’s halfway point. As the novel violently winds down, we see that not every story has a happy, or even totally fulfilled, conclusion.
Atkins stepped into Parker’s shoes in 2012 and has proceeded with nary a stumble since then. As good as Atkins has been (and continues to be) with his own projects, I am surprised at how solid the fit has been. However, with ANGEL EYES, Atkins brings his take on the iconic Spenser and those in his orbit to an entirely new level. It’s terrific storytelling, and you should be reading it whether or not you are a fan of Parker, Spenser and Atkins.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
In this latest installment, Atkins takes Spenser out of his familiar Boston environs for a return visit to Los Angeles, a locale that was first featured in Parker’s A SAVAGE PLACE. The change of scenery gives Spenser the opportunity to work with his apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, who has set up his own private investigation agency on the West Coast. Spenser’s purpose for being there is to locate Gabby Leggett, a young woman from Boston who moved to Hollywood a couple of years ago and has been missing for two weeks. He is doing so at the behest of Gabby’s mother, who is a friend of Susan Silverman, his longtime significant other and confidante.
In fairly short order, Spenser discovers that the Gabby who has been living in Hollywood is far different from the woman who said goodbye to Boston. Somehow she has become involved on a number of levels with a self-help guru who is a charlatan at best and a possible murderer at worst. An Armenian crime lord also has worked his way into the mix, warning Spenser and Sixkill off of locating Gabby, who, as it turns out, does not seem to feel that she needs to be rescued. Consequently, Spenser is somewhat limited in what he is able to do from a legal standpoint, a problem with which he is not entirely unfamiliar.
Meanwhile, the Armenian connection is becoming more forceful in opposing Spenser and Sixkill in their efforts to interject themselves in Gabby’s situation. It is not long before the bodies start piling up. Spenser turns to associates old and new for help, and as a result, veteran readers of this long-running series will encounter characters they have not seen in quite a while. He also will receive some unexpected, though not altogether surprising, assistance from a familiar source at about the book’s halfway point. As the novel violently winds down, we see that not every story has a happy, or even totally fulfilled, conclusion.
Atkins stepped into Parker’s shoes in 2012 and has proceeded with nary a stumble since then. As good as Atkins has been (and continues to be) with his own projects, I am surprised at how solid the fit has been. However, with ANGEL EYES, Atkins brings his take on the iconic Spenser and those in his orbit to an entirely new level. It’s terrific storytelling, and you should be reading it whether or not you are a fan of Parker, Spenser and Atkins.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
January 17, 2020
Just throwing this out there - I think Ace Atkins brings a fresh, contemporary perspective to a group of characters who are a little long in the tooth (listening to 50s music all the time, etc) and were being written as ageless 40 somethings- who's tastes were rather elderly. I like old music but I'm weird,and I don't recognize some of the musicians they talk about. There are those who like it for a minute and then they move on.
That said, Angel Eyes was well written, the storyline kept trotting along at a solid pace, and one thing I appreciate about Atkin's writing Spenser, is pace. Old Spenser could stall out and be hard to get through. Atkins keeps him at a jog. Not a run, but a nice, quiet jog. Good story with alot of forward movement and some inadvertent plugging for Instagram.
That said, Angel Eyes was well written, the storyline kept trotting along at a solid pace, and one thing I appreciate about Atkin's writing Spenser, is pace. Old Spenser could stall out and be hard to get through. Atkins keeps him at a jog. Not a run, but a nice, quiet jog. Good story with alot of forward movement and some inadvertent plugging for Instagram.
July 14, 2021
3 Stars. There's something missing. Much of "Angel Eyes" is top notch - as I've come to expect, especially the latter half, but other sections appear mailed-in, lackluster. As if Spenser took the red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles and failed to catch 40 winks before going to work. He sleep walks. These novels frequently parallel issues of the day, and the #MeToo movement comes in for attention. A young woman with dreams of stardom, Gabby Leggett, left Boston two years ago for L.A., but she's gone off the radar. Her mother can't reach her and hires Boston's finest to travel to the west coast. Quickly he contacts his young protégé, Zebulon Sixkill. It's not long before they uncover the presence of Jimmy Yamashiro, a "900 pound gorilla" of a movie producer. Abuse them and lose them is his reputation. With Chollo's help, he's there too, they begin to see that the trail to finding the young Hollywood want-to-be may not be through Yamashiro, or an Armenian gang of thugs, but through a strange cult, Helios, and mystery man Joseph Haldorn. It's a women's empowerment group, but with ponzi and other criminal overtones. Worth it but not great. (July 2021)
December 14, 2023
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
This is a kindle e-book novel from my local library by Ace Atkins book 47 in the series.
Spenser travels to Low Angeles to find a missing daughter of the woman 🚺 who hired him in Boston. He meets up with a fellow detective that Spenser and Hawk trained in Boston. Spenser and the detective get into a gun 🔫 fight while working on the investigation. A man 🚹 is murdered. They find the daughter and she is a mess. Susan true to help her but she goes missing again. Another man is murdered. Spenser and Sixkill continue the investigation to the conclusion.
I would recommend this series and various authors to readers of romantic family and friends relationships adventure mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒😡😮🏡
This is a kindle e-book novel from my local library by Ace Atkins book 47 in the series.
Spenser travels to Low Angeles to find a missing daughter of the woman 🚺 who hired him in Boston. He meets up with a fellow detective that Spenser and Hawk trained in Boston. Spenser and the detective get into a gun 🔫 fight while working on the investigation. A man 🚹 is murdered. They find the daughter and she is a mess. Susan true to help her but she goes missing again. Another man is murdered. Spenser and Sixkill continue the investigation to the conclusion.
I would recommend this series and various authors to readers of romantic family and friends relationships adventure mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒😡😮🏡
January 6, 2020
4.5 stars. Spenser leaves Boston for a case in Hollywood with his protegee Zebulon Sixkill (Z). Gabby Leggett's mother takes yoga with Spenser's significant other Susan so he's hired to find the missing daughter. Gabby came out to California a couple of years ago to find fame and fortune on the big screen. Now she has disappeared. Spenser learns she's been seeing a major studio boss. Soon after, he and Z are attacked by Armenian gangbangers. Trust Spenser to find gangsters. And he may have discovered a cult. All in a day's work.
After 47 books, I still love this series. Still seems fresh. Spenser's sarcasm always brings a smile to my face. He never changes. He's always a white knight. Got to see old favorites Z, Chollo, and Bobby Horse. I love books by Ace Atkins, including his own hit series about Quinn Colson. My only question about this story -- where is Hawk?
After 47 books, I still love this series. Still seems fresh. Spenser's sarcasm always brings a smile to my face. He never changes. He's always a white knight. Got to see old favorites Z, Chollo, and Bobby Horse. I love books by Ace Atkins, including his own hit series about Quinn Colson. My only question about this story -- where is Hawk?
February 26, 2025
Spenser in LA. Trying to find a girl that doesn’t want to be found. Gabby was the sort of character where you thought some people don’t deserve to be saved.
Sixkill is in this one along with Chollo and Bobby Horse. There was even a Joe Pike sighting in Runyon Canyon. That was a highlight a Crais character in a Spenser universe.
Susan even comes out to LA. Who can pass up Musso and Franks???
Good story line but you really are not a fan of the “victim” in this one. Gabby was definitely not worth the trouble.
Sixkill is in this one along with Chollo and Bobby Horse. There was even a Joe Pike sighting in Runyon Canyon. That was a highlight a Crais character in a Spenser universe.
Susan even comes out to LA. Who can pass up Musso and Franks???
Good story line but you really are not a fan of the “victim” in this one. Gabby was definitely not worth the trouble.
November 25, 2019
Robert B. Parker ended up with four series before his death in 2010. The Spenser series, Sunny Randall series, Jess Stone Series, and the Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch series. All of the series were continued after his death, though it took a while for the first non-Parker written Sunny Randall book to appear, and there’s still only one of them out there. I’ve only continued two of the series as I felt that the Stone/Randall had a perfect ending in the last Parker book he wrote in both series (that specific book had both characters in it). I note all of this because I do not really wish to dive into doing a review for this specific book. Heh, mmphs. That, and I suppose I wanted to mention, at some point, that I’ve never been able to read any of the ‘continuing authors’ non-Parker books, though I’ve tried once or thrice with the author of this book here.
Right, so, this book here. Spenser finds himself in California, Los Angeles to be specific, chasing after a missing woman who may or may not want to be found (it’s vaguely complicated). I’ve a vague feeling I’ve already read this book in the Spenser series, not this specific book, but the plot. I do know I’ve read the real-life version of this book. On April 20, 2018, Allison Mack was arrested in connection with NXIVM, which was an organization for women to strengthen women, an executive MBA type situation. At the head of this pro-women organization was . . . a man. Named Keith Raniere. Part of the organization of the cult-like entity involved having the members create blackmail like photos/films, for reasons I do not recall now (I mean what excuse they used to get the women to agree to doing them); and they branded the women. You know what Spenser finds in California? That organization, but going by ‘Helios’. The only real difference between the organization in the Spenser book and the real life one is that the ‘second in command’ in the fictional organization was a woman in her late 70s, or possible 80s (okay, she was supposed to be nearish Spenser’s age, Spenser was about 30-something in a book (he was with the police, then some type of police position with the DA then became a PI, and he graduated college so . . . I was thinking of him as 30 in the first book, but he might have been older (or younger); that was 46 years ago. 30 + 46 = 76; I think both characters are supposed to be somewhere in their sixties in this book, though). While the second in command in the real organization was Allison Mack, who was 36 when she was arrested (I might be mistaken as to Allison’s position, but the news seemed to like putting her in that position).
So, that’s basically what this book is about. Spenser bumping into the NXIVM organization in the form of Helios, and attempting to rescue one of the people who is a member of Helios.
Two of the LA based people (depending on who the heck this policeman might actually be that Spenser interacts with, might raise this to three of the LA based people) who have appeared in former Spenser books make appearances here and help Spenser. Hawk is mentioned but not seen. Susan is heard (on the phone) and then seen.
This Spenser book was interesting enough, but not the best Atkins book I’ve read, nor the best Spenser book I’ve read.
Rating: 3.35
November 25 2019
Right, so, this book here. Spenser finds himself in California, Los Angeles to be specific, chasing after a missing woman who may or may not want to be found (it’s vaguely complicated). I’ve a vague feeling I’ve already read this book in the Spenser series, not this specific book, but the plot. I do know I’ve read the real-life version of this book. On April 20, 2018, Allison Mack was arrested in connection with NXIVM, which was an organization for women to strengthen women, an executive MBA type situation. At the head of this pro-women organization was . . . a man. Named Keith Raniere. Part of the organization of the cult-like entity involved having the members create blackmail like photos/films, for reasons I do not recall now (I mean what excuse they used to get the women to agree to doing them); and they branded the women. You know what Spenser finds in California? That organization, but going by ‘Helios’. The only real difference between the organization in the Spenser book and the real life one is that the ‘second in command’ in the fictional organization was a woman in her late 70s, or possible 80s (okay, she was supposed to be nearish Spenser’s age, Spenser was about 30-something in a book (he was with the police, then some type of police position with the DA then became a PI, and he graduated college so . . . I was thinking of him as 30 in the first book, but he might have been older (or younger); that was 46 years ago. 30 + 46 = 76; I think both characters are supposed to be somewhere in their sixties in this book, though). While the second in command in the real organization was Allison Mack, who was 36 when she was arrested (I might be mistaken as to Allison’s position, but the news seemed to like putting her in that position).
So, that’s basically what this book is about. Spenser bumping into the NXIVM organization in the form of Helios, and attempting to rescue one of the people who is a member of Helios.
Two of the LA based people (depending on who the heck this policeman might actually be that Spenser interacts with, might raise this to three of the LA based people) who have appeared in former Spenser books make appearances here and help Spenser. Hawk is mentioned but not seen. Susan is heard (on the phone) and then seen.
This Spenser book was interesting enough, but not the best Atkins book I’ve read, nor the best Spenser book I’ve read.
Rating: 3.35
November 25 2019
January 3, 2020
Spencer goes to Hollywood to find a client's daughter. A bright, beautiful girl while she was in Boston, her life in California drew her into a cult and further estranged her from her mother. Spencer is assisted by the California branch of his protégés. Is the girl held against her will, or has she become a willing victim?
Ace Atkins gets the details right, down to the descriptions of Spenser’s wardrobe, cooking prowess, and true-blue loyalty to Susan. He doesn’t match Parker's ability to keep the story the focus.
Ace Atkins gets the details right, down to the descriptions of Spenser’s wardrobe, cooking prowess, and true-blue loyalty to Susan. He doesn’t match Parker's ability to keep the story the focus.
April 21, 2023
One of the better attempts by Ace Atkins to emulate the great Robert B Parker. Or maybe it was the Southern California locale that gave it a little more oomph than usual. This author has no originality, he just takes news stories and incorporates them into a Spenser episode. I’m glad that after Book # 49 he is kaput.
Twice he uses the expression “saddle up to the bar”, now how would you do that? The word is sidle!!
Twice he uses the expression “saddle up to the bar”, now how would you do that? The word is sidle!!
December 29, 2019
Ace Atkins has done a great job keeping this series going. In this one, Spenser goes to Hollywood and has to deal with a cult. A quick read, the only problem is the all too quick ending. Now if we could only get someone to resurrect the Jesse Stone series.
November 27, 2019
Another good entry in this series. Atkins breathed new life into this character a while back and with this one he changes the setting from Boston to LA. The change is ok but it lacks the atmosphere of Spenser's Boston. Also, what has happened to Hawk? We get a lot of Sixkill and Susan again but no Hawk? This is a very quick read but entertaining. Perfect for a long weekend or a holiday break.
August 15, 2021
Spenser solves the Dain Curse. This is my first low rating of a Spenser book. Having read them all, some are better than others and of course the Parker ones are better than the Atkins ones but all have at least garnered a three. Sadly not this one. Points taken for unoriginality and "phoning it in". This is akin to a television series doing a Christmas episode where they reenact Dickens' A Christmas Carol and have the TV characters play parts in that story. It's lazy, unoriginal and borderline plagiarism.
While it was nice to see Z again I don't think Atkins has a feel for this character or what Parker intended for him. As for Susan Silverman, I'm really getting tired of her, and in this book she seemed shoehorned in and added absolutely nothing to the story. She seems to have slowly become just a story filler and a nag serving no purpose other than making an obligatory appearance.
To top it all off this book took one one my favorite authors (Dashiell Hammett) and favorite literary characters (the Continental Op) and really did them a disservice. It's true Parker was influenced by the "pulps" , but Spenser is more akin to Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe than the "Op".
Suffice it to say I just didn't like it. One hopes that the Parker estate takes a little more interest in the properties. Robert Knott's last "Virgil and Hitch" story was extremely disappointing and now this "Spenser" waste. I wonder what the future holds?
While it was nice to see Z again I don't think Atkins has a feel for this character or what Parker intended for him. As for Susan Silverman, I'm really getting tired of her, and in this book she seemed shoehorned in and added absolutely nothing to the story. She seems to have slowly become just a story filler and a nag serving no purpose other than making an obligatory appearance.
To top it all off this book took one one my favorite authors (Dashiell Hammett) and favorite literary characters (the Continental Op) and really did them a disservice. It's true Parker was influenced by the "pulps" , but Spenser is more akin to Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe than the "Op".
Suffice it to say I just didn't like it. One hopes that the Parker estate takes a little more interest in the properties. Robert Knott's last "Virgil and Hitch" story was extremely disappointing and now this "Spenser" waste. I wonder what the future holds?
March 16, 2020
"It looks like coffee, it smells like coffee, and it tastes like coffee, but it just doesn't have the authority, " was my late father's verdict on Sanka decaffeinated coffee. So too with Ace Atkins' attempts to reincarnate the late Robert B. Parker's iconic Boston private eye Spenser and his associates, Susan Silverman, Hawk, and Pearl the Wonder Dog.
After Parker's death in 2010, his widow and sons decided to continue the Spenser stories stories that had entertained so many of us for some 40 titles. After an extensive search, Ace Atkins was chosen to continue the series under the editorship of Parker's old editor. Similar arrangements were made with other writers to continue Parker's Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, and his western heroes Cole and Hitch. To their credit the fact that these are post mortem "Parkers" is acknowledged in the titles as in "Robert Parker's Angel Eyes by Ace Atkins."
Judging from the blurbs, many readers apparently enjoy them, just as some people apparently liked Sanka. However, while this reconstruction may read like Parker in some respects, in others I feel it is like a parody of the familiar Spenser dialog. As my Dad would say, " It just did not have the authority." So I bailed after 131 pages.
After Parker's death in 2010, his widow and sons decided to continue the Spenser stories stories that had entertained so many of us for some 40 titles. After an extensive search, Ace Atkins was chosen to continue the series under the editorship of Parker's old editor. Similar arrangements were made with other writers to continue Parker's Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, and his western heroes Cole and Hitch. To their credit the fact that these are post mortem "Parkers" is acknowledged in the titles as in "Robert Parker's Angel Eyes by Ace Atkins."
Judging from the blurbs, many readers apparently enjoy them, just as some people apparently liked Sanka. However, while this reconstruction may read like Parker in some respects, in others I feel it is like a parody of the familiar Spenser dialog. As my Dad would say, " It just did not have the authority." So I bailed after 131 pages.
November 26, 2019
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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The day that Hawk, Chollo (and a few others) stop trying to convince Spenser to just kill the bad guy and be done with it—or the day that he listens to them—is the day we'll all know the series has run its course. Which will hopefully be around the time my future grandchildren start reading the series.
But far before we get to that point, we should probably start at the beginning.
A friend of Susan's is worried about her daughter, who lives in L.A. and has gone missing. She's beside herself, so Spenser flies out to find her with Zebulon Sixkill's help. The book opens with Spenser and Z being let into Gabby's apartment by her ex-boyfriend and still-agent, Eric Collinson. Collinson is typically the kind of twerp that Spenser would enjoy messing with, but he's on his best behavior (probably to keep Collinson talking).
Collinson keeps insisting there's nothing to worry about, that Gabby's probably just off on a quick Mexican vacation or something. Still, he surreptitiously leaves her laptop behind for Spenser to "find." Between what Z's tech-wizard friend finds on the laptop, what Z and Spenser get from the LAPD (in the person of our old acquaintance Samuelson) and Gabby friends/former boss, there are two avenues of investigation for them to dive into. A powerful studio executive and a multi-level personal development group that's somewhere in-between Scientology and NXIVM (far closer to the latter). But before they can dig too far into things, some heavies representing a third party show up and the lead starts flying.
And I ate it all up.
It's dangerous enough that Z isn't enough to help Spenser out. Chollo (now a small-businessman), Bobby Horse and Mr. del Rio put in appearances and render assistance in varying amounts.
I could easily keep going along these lines for 6-10 more paragraphs, but I'd better show some restraint and leave things there and move onto other parts of the book.
In addition to the hunt for Gabby, we get a little bit of Spenser's jaded view of the entertainment industry (largely in the same vein as we saw in A Savage Place and Stardust, just up-to-date); a lot of references to movies and stars that are so irrelevant to contemporary Hollywood that most of the characters don't get them; and a very jaded (but likely accurate) look at "The Industry" post-#MeToo.
Also, we get a hint or two at what Z's been up to since he left Boston and Atkins has completely left the possibility open for someone to start a Sixkill series, already populated with a cast of characters to carry a book or two. I'm ready to buy at least 5 of them in hardcover right now.
The last little things that I'll mention are that we get a nice update on Mattie Sullivan, but we need to see more of her soon. Plus, there's a cameo that filled my heart with joy here—that's all I'm going to say about it.
Atkins is in fine form, which comes as no surprise to anyone. I didn't spend too much time comparing him to Parker as I read it, but you can't help but do it. It's a fast, breezy style, but there are depths to be plumbed (unlike several of Parker's latter Spensers). It's just a pleasure to bask in the language, dialogue, and characters.
At this point, when it comes to an Atkins Spenser novel, it's really just a question of how much I'm going to like it, it'd be impossible (I wager) for him to deliver something that I won't like. I liked this one plenty. A fine story, a setting the character hasn't been in for a while, a chance to catch up with old friends . . . Angel Eyes is as satisfying as you could ask for. Could you start with it? Sure. You wouldn't get all of the references, but none of them would impact your appreciation of the story. The only danger in starting with Angel Eyes is that you'd probably feel compelled to go back and read the previous 46. Which actually sounds like a lot of fun to me.
I hemmed and hawed over the stars on this one. If I had a 4 1/4 graphic, I probably would've employed it. My initial impulse was 4 Stars, but when I stop and think about: there was one page where I laughed out loud (at least a chuckle) multiple times (I really want to talk about it in detail, but don't want to ruin anything); the way Atkins pulled in every L.A. reference possible (plus some other Spenser-canon references) without making it feel like checking off a list; and the feeling of dread and worry Atkins was able to elicit (which really doesn't happen all that often in long-running series)...I've gotta give it that extra bump (and now that I've actually written that list, I'm thinking of bumping it up another).
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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In the passing light, I noticed the welts on her wrists, chapped and bloody.
She'd been tied up for a long time.
Chollo noticed them, too.
"Should we kill him?" he said.
"Too easy."
"You will never change, amigo," he said. When will you learn? Some people live without rules. And sometimes killing a bad man is the only way."
"I have other ideas for [him]."
Chollo nodded. "And I am listening"
The day that Hawk, Chollo (and a few others) stop trying to convince Spenser to just kill the bad guy and be done with it—or the day that he listens to them—is the day we'll all know the series has run its course. Which will hopefully be around the time my future grandchildren start reading the series.
But far before we get to that point, we should probably start at the beginning.
A friend of Susan's is worried about her daughter, who lives in L.A. and has gone missing. She's beside herself, so Spenser flies out to find her with Zebulon Sixkill's help. The book opens with Spenser and Z being let into Gabby's apartment by her ex-boyfriend and still-agent, Eric Collinson. Collinson is typically the kind of twerp that Spenser would enjoy messing with, but he's on his best behavior (probably to keep Collinson talking).
Collinson keeps insisting there's nothing to worry about, that Gabby's probably just off on a quick Mexican vacation or something. Still, he surreptitiously leaves her laptop behind for Spenser to "find." Between what Z's tech-wizard friend finds on the laptop, what Z and Spenser get from the LAPD (in the person of our old acquaintance Samuelson) and Gabby friends/former boss, there are two avenues of investigation for them to dive into. A powerful studio executive and a multi-level personal development group that's somewhere in-between Scientology and NXIVM (far closer to the latter). But before they can dig too far into things, some heavies representing a third party show up and the lead starts flying.
And I ate it all up.
It's dangerous enough that Z isn't enough to help Spenser out. Chollo (now a small-businessman), Bobby Horse and Mr. del Rio put in appearances and render assistance in varying amounts.
I could easily keep going along these lines for 6-10 more paragraphs, but I'd better show some restraint and leave things there and move onto other parts of the book.
In addition to the hunt for Gabby, we get a little bit of Spenser's jaded view of the entertainment industry (largely in the same vein as we saw in A Savage Place and Stardust, just up-to-date); a lot of references to movies and stars that are so irrelevant to contemporary Hollywood that most of the characters don't get them; and a very jaded (but likely accurate) look at "The Industry" post-#MeToo.
Also, we get a hint or two at what Z's been up to since he left Boston and Atkins has completely left the possibility open for someone to start a Sixkill series, already populated with a cast of characters to carry a book or two. I'm ready to buy at least 5 of them in hardcover right now.
The last little things that I'll mention are that we get a nice update on Mattie Sullivan, but we need to see more of her soon. Plus, there's a cameo that filled my heart with joy here—that's all I'm going to say about it.
Atkins is in fine form, which comes as no surprise to anyone. I didn't spend too much time comparing him to Parker as I read it, but you can't help but do it. It's a fast, breezy style, but there are depths to be plumbed (unlike several of Parker's latter Spensers). It's just a pleasure to bask in the language, dialogue, and characters.
At this point, when it comes to an Atkins Spenser novel, it's really just a question of how much I'm going to like it, it'd be impossible (I wager) for him to deliver something that I won't like. I liked this one plenty. A fine story, a setting the character hasn't been in for a while, a chance to catch up with old friends . . . Angel Eyes is as satisfying as you could ask for. Could you start with it? Sure. You wouldn't get all of the references, but none of them would impact your appreciation of the story. The only danger in starting with Angel Eyes is that you'd probably feel compelled to go back and read the previous 46. Which actually sounds like a lot of fun to me.
I hemmed and hawed over the stars on this one. If I had a 4 1/4 graphic, I probably would've employed it. My initial impulse was 4 Stars, but when I stop and think about: there was one page where I laughed out loud (at least a chuckle) multiple times (I really want to talk about it in detail, but don't want to ruin anything); the way Atkins pulled in every L.A. reference possible (plus some other Spenser-canon references) without making it feel like checking off a list; and the feeling of dread and worry Atkins was able to elicit (which really doesn't happen all that often in long-running series)...I've gotta give it that extra bump (and now that I've actually written that list, I'm thinking of bumping it up another).
December 25, 2021
Usually I devour any Robert B. Parker novel, but somehow this one left me flat. I loved the usual cast of characters (Spenser, Sixkill, Chollo, etc.) but the plot had more violence than substance. It just didn't satisfy like I had hoped.
January 23, 2020
Angel Eyes sends us to California, to Zebulon Sixkill. Spenser is there to track down the daughter of a client of Susan's. His search eventually brings him to an organization that is is not called but is clearly veiled for NXIVM. It is set up exactly like NXIVM complete with branding the woman in the inner circle. What made this book work was the relationship work with Sixkill, a couple of shooters from the old days, Susan Silverman, all of whom were out in Cali. (FYI, the Goodreads description of the book is completely inaccurate.) Sixkill has come into his out. He is a younger a Spenser, brash, not as literate, but with a strong code of right and wrong that he credits to Spenser. The older shooters, from the old days, they also have a code, as do their bosses. They know to whom they own favors and when Spenser comes calling, they have no problem when he calls in his markers. This story also references a very early book in the series when Spenser made a mistake that cost the life of his client. Ace Atkins continues to do a wonderful job with this series.
January 25, 2020
Ace Atkins’ 8th book in the late Robert B Parker’s classic PI detective Spenser series proves diverting with “Angel Eyes.”
Leaving his home turf in Boston, Spenser flies to the City of Angels to help find a missing girl. Gabby Leggett moved from Boston to Los Angeles with aspirations of becoming a model and actress.
But something went terribly wrong, and Gabby got lost in the dangerous, hypnotizing world of Hollywood. Two years after moving to California, Gabby disappears from her apartment, leaving her family and boyfriend and the police with no leads to her whereabouts.
Gabby’s mother hires Spenser to fly to the West Coast to find her. Through the dark underbelly of the treacherous city, Spenser eventually learns that Gabby is alive, but in life-and-death peril. Wading through savage streets and the cutthroat personalities of show business, interviewing a movie producer, Armenian mobsters, and a dangerous group who are said to be part of a cult, Spenser finds himself in deep, dark waters, fighting for his life and the people he loves.
Fast paced, steadfast and chock full of zany one liners, “Angel Eyes” is an excellent entry in the ongoing Spenser canon. The franchise is in good hands with Atkins; Robert B Parker would be proud.
Leaving his home turf in Boston, Spenser flies to the City of Angels to help find a missing girl. Gabby Leggett moved from Boston to Los Angeles with aspirations of becoming a model and actress.
But something went terribly wrong, and Gabby got lost in the dangerous, hypnotizing world of Hollywood. Two years after moving to California, Gabby disappears from her apartment, leaving her family and boyfriend and the police with no leads to her whereabouts.
Gabby’s mother hires Spenser to fly to the West Coast to find her. Through the dark underbelly of the treacherous city, Spenser eventually learns that Gabby is alive, but in life-and-death peril. Wading through savage streets and the cutthroat personalities of show business, interviewing a movie producer, Armenian mobsters, and a dangerous group who are said to be part of a cult, Spenser finds himself in deep, dark waters, fighting for his life and the people he loves.
Fast paced, steadfast and chock full of zany one liners, “Angel Eyes” is an excellent entry in the ongoing Spenser canon. The franchise is in good hands with Atkins; Robert B Parker would be proud.
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