Robert B Parker's Little White Lies by Ace Atkins

Robert B. Parker was renowned for his Spenser novels, featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye, which earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. He also launched two other bestselling series featuring, respectively, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone and Boston private detective Sunny Randall. In addition, he authored four Westerns. Bob's bestselling Western novel Appaloosa was made into a major motion picture by New Line, starred Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and was a box office hit in 2008. Long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, he was named Grand Master of the Edgar Awards in 2002 by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Ace Atkins is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist as well as an author and was selected by the estate of Robert B. Parker in 2011 to continue his legacy and to take over writing the Spenser series.

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Visit aceatkins.com  or noexitpress.co.uk
Buy Little White Lies

About Little White Lies
Boston PI Spenser and right hand Hawk follow a con man's trail of smoke and mirrors in the latest entry of the iconic crime series.
Connie Kelly thought she'd found her perfect man on an online dating site. He was silver-haired and handsome, with a mysterious background working for the C.I.A. She fell so hard for M. Brooks Welles that she wrote him a check for almost three hundred thousand dollars, hoping for a big return on her investment. But within weeks, both Welles and her money are gone. Her therapist, Dr. Susan Silverman, hands her Spenser's card.

A self-proclaimed military hotshot, Welles had been a frequent guest on national news shows speaking with authority about politics and world events. But when he disappears, he leaves not only a jilted lover but a growing list of angry investors, duped cops, and a team of paramilitary contractors looking for revenge.

Enter Spenser, who quickly discovers that everything about Welles is phony. His name, his resume, and his client list are nothing but an elaborate fraud. But uncovering the truth won't be easy, as he'll have to keep the mystery man alive long enough to get back his client's money. As the trail winds from Boston to backroads Georgia, Spenser will need help from trusted allies Hawk and Teddy Sapp to make sure Welles's next con is his last.

Review
I think it is fair to say that Ace Atkins has been writing the Spencer series for such a long time, that although each book still gives a nod in the direction of Parker, and who could miss the mention on the books, that Atkins has well and truly made this character his.

In this 45th book Spencer is asked by his girlfriend to look into the disappearance of a boyfriend of a patient. Both he and a large amount of her money has vanished into thin air. Spencer is doing it as a favour, so is understandably annoyed when the person he is helping not only gets in the way, but is also determined to support her thief of a boyfriend.

Welles is an experienced con-man, and the reason he is so successful is the way he uses his charm, faith and talent at blagging to convince his victims. Even indisputable evidence doesn't keep him from trying his spiel out on any potential fly, who might veer near his web.

The character of Welles represents the modern day criminal, the type willing to use the vulnerabilities of his victims against them. A criminal so convincing that even when the crime can be proven the victims are still unwilling to place any blame on the perpetrator. Spencer finds himself caught up in this insidious crime, despite being asked to take a step back. Isn't he always asked to back off?

Ace Atkins was selected by Robert B. Parker's estate to carry on his Spencer series, and he does do both the author and the series justice. He captures the essence of Raymond Chandler's and Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled school of detective fiction. Spenser is Sam Spade sans the 1930s feel of the dashingly smart and casual, but still as tough as old boots detective.

Buy Little White Lies at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins

Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins

Robert B. Parker was renowned for his Spenser novels, featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye, which earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. He also launched two other bestselling series featuring, respectively, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone and Boston private detective Sunny Randall.

In addition, he authored four Westerns. Bob's bestselling Western novel Appaloosa was made into a major motion picture by New Line, starred Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and was a box office hit in 2008. Long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, he was named Grand Master of the Edgar Awards in 2002 by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Ace Atkins is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist as well as an author and was selected by the estate of Robert B. Parker in 2011 to continue his legacy and to take over writing the Spenser series.

Follow @aceatkins and  @noexitpress
Visit aceatkins.com  or noexitpress.co.uk
Buy Slow Burn

About Slow Burn
The fire at a boarded-up Catholic church raged hot and fast, lighting up Boston’s South End and killing three firefighters who were trapped in the inferno. A year later, as the city prepares to honor their sacrifice, there are still no answers about how the deadly fire started. Most at the department believe it was just a simple accident: faulty wiring in a century-old building. But Boston firefighter Jack McGee, who lost his best friend in the blaze, suspects arson.

McGee is convinced department investigators aren’t sufficiently connected to the city’s lowlifes to get a handle on who's behind the blaze—so he takes the case to Spenser. Spenser quickly learns not only that McGee might be right, but that the fire might be linked to a rash of new arsons, spreading through the city, burning faster and hotter every night. Spenser follows the trail of fires to Boston’s underworld, bringing him, his trusted ally Hawk, and his apprentice Sixkill toe-to-toe with a dangerous new enemy who wants Spenser dead, and doesn’t play by the city’s old rules. Spenser has to find the firebug before he kills again – and stay alive himself.

Review 
Boston firefighter McGee has a lot of unanswered questions about a deadly fire that claimed the lives of fellow firefighters. One year on and there is still no definitive proof of the cause, and the general assumption is a tragic accident turned deadly.

If there is one thing the police and fire department dislike intensely then it's people questioning their authority or the way their colleagues do their job. Poking around in old cases and possibly pointing fingers of blame in specific directions. It's no surprise that Spenser and his trusted companions ruffle quite a few feathers.

When all the rumours and evidence start to point in the direction of an intentional series of fires everyone starts to wonder whether it is a team of firebugs or one perpetrator? Are they targeting firefighters and what is exactly is their end-goal? Or is it just some fire deviant who gets off on the flames and the attention the chaos draws to the scene of the crime.

Ace Atkins does an excellent job of living up to the legacy and style of Robert.B. Parker. It certainly does give off an aura of old style detective a la Raymond Chandler, who is considered to be the founder of the so called hard-boiled school of detective fiction. It is brash, uses minimal world-building and focuses on the characters and their interactions.

It is also more of a Sam Spade kind of approach, where the men are men and the women are supposed to stand around and look good. Luckily it doesn't get too chauvinistic, but the way the men interact with and speak about each other lacks a certain sensitivity or modern finesse. Typical of the Hammett and Chandler kind of read, it brings back a certain sense of nostalgia.

Buy Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies