Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies

Susan Silverman refers a patient to Spenser to see if he can find the con man who bilked her out of $300,000.00 and disappeared. Trouble is, the woman seems to continue seeing the guy behind Spenser's back, and his cons are much bigger and more dangerous than just getting vulnerable women to invest in real estate schemes. Spenser has to call in the ATF, Hawk, Rachel Wallace and Tedy Sapp to help clear the decks. There are lots and lots of references to the Parker canon in this one, but at the same time Atkins continues to make Spenser his own in ways that breathe new life into the aging series. It's not Parker anymore, but it's still Spenser. Best lines, between Spenser and Tedy: "I could use a little backup," I said. "While I sleuth." show more "To be your white Hawk?" he said. "No," I said. "To be my gay, white Hawk. With cooler hair." "Hawk doesn't have hair." "True," I said. "Just don't tell him."....After a few moments of introspection, he nodded "You're in?" I said. "Let me talk to the hubby," he said. "And grab my guns."
Taking off a half-star because something about the epilogue-ish last chapter puzzled me, made me go back and re-read a couple sections, and still didn't quite make sense. show less

Too bad Ace Atkins is going to quit writing the Spenser series. He is the only one of the authors that took over Robert B Parker's series that could actually write like Parker. This book was a perfect example. A good plot that is up to date on current events, witty dialogue, Hawk, and minimal Susan Silverman.

I have over a dozen Robert B. Parker books, yet this is the first one in his series that I've read. I have read Ace Atkins books before that he has written not as Robert B. Parker. I loved the Ace Atkins books and yes, I loved the Robert B. Parker book. I can tell there is a different style of writing.

I really like this Spenser character. What a smarta$$ he is. I like that, reminds me of myself. In this particular book, his client has met a man online and she has given him $360,000. Now that man has left and she wants her $$ back. Spenser soon finds out, she really doesn't care about the $$, she wants the man back. Spenser is determined though, his client is paying for the $$, she's getting the $$. There are several shady characters show more involved in this mystery and I certainly would not turn my back on them. Getting through the muck of all this and discovering just who this online man really is made for great reading.

I enjoyed this book immensely and was thoroughly entertained. I will certainly be looking forward to reading more in this series. Now, I am going to have to get out my own Robert B. Parker books and see how the real man holds up to his replacement. HA!!

Huge thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review. show less

Ace Atkins is a top notch writer and usually I can't tell his writing from Robert B. Parker's. However "Little White Lies" just wasn't up to standards. One main problem was Spenser's sparkling wit lost its sparkle. It was written in the words, but the words didn't seem to have much of a heart behind them. The other main flaw was the ending, some things got tidied up without any explanation. Oh Well, at least it was a fast read.

Robert B. Parker's LITTLE WHITE LIES by Ace Atkins is another thrilling addition to a wonderful mystery series. For faithful readers of the Spenser novels this is a welcome addition to the adventures of our detective, Hawk, Susan and a few others. For new comers, please do yourself a favor, set this book to the side and go back and read Spenser from the beginning. There are a lot of books, but each is a little masterpiece and collected they are the Crown Jewels.
Spenser, in so many ways, isn't a complicated man at all. He keeps to his word. He wants to do what is right. He is good to his friends and bad to his enemies.
And he doesn't like liars.
So when Susan sends one of her clients to Spenser, he listens. The woman was taken in by a show more con man, gave him $240,000, and he disappeared, breaking her heart. All she wants is the money and a chance to give him what is coming.
Being a Spenser book means things get complicated before they even more complicated. Fortunately, Mr. Atkins is a deft hand with the material, this being his sixth outing carrying on the late Mr. Parker's work. And Mr. Atkins proves yet again he was a suitable selection to carry on this series.
I hope to see many more Spenser novels in the future. show less

In this outing, Spenser’s client, Connie Kelly, has been conned out of almost three hundred thousand dollars and Spenser’s out to track down the smooth-talking con man who took advantage of the woman. But it’s soon apparent that everything about the man is a fraud and Spenser finds himself investigating the con artist and, at the same time, trying to keep Connie from falling back into the tangled web the elusive M. Brooks Welles continues to spin.

Strong, sharp characters, Bob, a twisty plot, and clever, shady goings-on all serve to ramp up the tension, continue to build the suspense, and keep those pages turning. Readers will find much to appreciate in this latest Spenser outing.

Highly recommended.

Ace Atkins continues to deliver good Spenser novels. I will say this was my least favorite of his. It was a little light on plot and heavy on Spenser and Hawk. This is a good fun summer formula but it a little worrisome since his first few Spenser books were so amazing because the plot was amazing with it. Here is hoping this is not a trend.