Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust, the 50th edition in the venerable Spenser series, entertains and provides everything long-time fans love and expect – intriguing characters, a difficult case to solve, humor, danger, love and copious amounts of Hawk. Mike Lupica has seamlessly picked up the torch to this iconic series from Ace Atkins and run with it, keeping Spenser’s dogged investigations, sarcastic wisecracks and tough-but-virtuous personality in our lives.
The wife of the sixth richest man in America hires Spenser to find out what’s driving her genius husband’s suddenly erratic behavior that is putting his tech company’s merger at risk. As Spenser investigates, a few key players wind up dead and he finds himself in harm’s way – as usual – which makes the case personal. However, the more he digs, the more dead ends he runs into. But with Hawk and Susan at his side, he won’t quit until he finds the truth. And it only takes one lead to break things wide open, unearthing secrets that have been dead and buried for years.
Anytime there’s an author transition in a beloved long-running series, there’s a risk that the books just won’t be the same or that it’ll take several books to hit the right notes. But that’s not the case here. Mike Lupica does a fantastic job in Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust to capture the essence of Spenser and Hawk, nail the right level of sarcasm in the dialogue, find the balance between safety and danger during the investigation, and grasp the core tenants of the love between Spenser and Susan. Add in a modern story mixed with the old school nature of the main characters and the result is a novel that delivers on all fronts. An excellent read for fans old and new.
No series in print is as important to me as the Spenser series. I started reading it as a teenager and have finished all 50 books. Every time a new one comes out, it’s like old friends are back for a visit and we pick up as if no time has elapsed at all. I’m forever grateful to Ace Atkins for continuing the series after Robert B. Parker’s passing and now I’m thrilled to see Mike Lupica taking it forward. The future is bright and I’m excited to see where storylines go from here.
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