I think I've said it before, but Mike Lupica really delivers in the same way that Parker did. His writing is closer to Parker's than any other who has attempted to pick up his characters, with the possible exception of Ace Atkins. This is another great read, perfect for the Spenser fan, with momentary flashes to long-time characters from past novels. I appreciate that Lupica is also allowing Spenser to begin to show some age. (After all, Spenser should be in his 90s at this point.)

Great book! This new author for this series uses his depth of knowledge of sports to add new and interesting dialogue. I heard this author speak at a book signing and he told us he was picked to write this series and continuation of this series. All of the usual characters are seen in this book and their knowledge helps the story along. Highly recommend!

great continuation of the series! i look forward to more from this author

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

Reading BROKEN TRUST makes me feel like I am visiting old friends. Spenser, Susan, and Hawk are all there, as is Pearl the Wonder Dog. What fun. Having read over twenty books written by Robert B. Parker, I am confident in stating that Lupica does a great job taking on Parker’s style. The characters’ voices ring true to me, and the familiar “he said, she said” dialogue tags are a happy reminder of the earlier Spenser novels. The plot is set in Boston and easy to follow. I hope Mike Lupica continues the Spenser series. My thanks go to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review the e-arc of BROKEN TRUST.

I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this excellent Spencer novel from Netgalley, author Mike Lupica, and publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. Number 50 in the Spencer and Hawk series, this is the first I have read by Mike Lupica, and I enjoyed it, as I did those written by Ace Atkins. I am glad these characters, such an important part of our fantasy world, are still with us, though we have lost Robert B.

I am always ready for another Robert B. Parker story and Mike Lupica does a fine job of bringing the pages to life. All the foibles that make Spencer memorable are there in full color, The mystery though simple is a bit disguised, and the good guys as always must win in the end.

No one who’s read more than a couple of his books would mistake this for Robert Parker’s writing. It’s at best ‘Parker-ish.’ This author unfortunately felt a need to be cruder. Crasser. More sarcastic. More sexist. More racist. And generally more overt and obvious, with none of the down-played, low-key—and far more effective—finesse of the original.
I almost gave up a few pages in: the obnoxious name-dropping that fills the first few pages is overdone, obnoxious, clumsy, and unnecessary. Maybe it’s a desperate and misguided attempt to underline the fact that the setting and characters have time-traveled forward into the present? In any case, I found it off-putting, but powered through in hopes the book would get better.
And it did. After grudgingly making the shift to this version (vision?) of the characters, I enjoyed seeing them again. (Almost) like a Parker novel, the story, once it finally found itself, moved forward quickly. The mystery was believable and well-developed, although it drags a bit—there’s an unlikely complication—shortly before the resolution.
Reading this book is like overhearing someone you don’t know, tell a story about people you do. I didn’t believe everything the author said, but I understood what was going on. And even though the view was a bit murky, it was still nice catching up on some of the new adventures these old friends had been having.

For me, this book was good, not great. Very wordy, unnecessarily descriptives. Plot was fine, easy to read, just not for me.

I enjoyed this entry in the Spenser series very much. Some of the previous non-Parker books in the series have just tried too hard to make Spenser sound like a stand up comedian - they just tried too hard, and it didn't help the books.

This one however, perhaps because of a different author, avoided that trap. Spenser still like to wisecrack, but it wasn't overdone. Both Susan and Hawk played a big role in this book, and that's very much a plus! The story was a bit more omplex and that made it more interesting as well. We still had bad guys and violence, but I didn't think it was overdone.

An enjoyable read!

Spenser is one of the great mystery series offered and though the post-Parker novels continue to make me wish that publishers would allow the series to end, I still cannot help myself from picking up a another.

This entry, written by Mike Lupica, offers what fans of the series enjoy. The private eye, the lady of his life, Susan, and of course his trusty brother from another mother, Hawk.

This time there is a technical wizard (think Steve Jobs) whose wife hires Spenser to look into her husband’s background, as something is not right. As always in these novels, more mysteries unravel before any solutions are found.

What I like, is what I previously referred to, is the cast of characters (and many others from previous novels in the Spenser world who make their appearances). Though author, Lupica, keeps the feel of the series while keeping it in current times. Refreshing is the the banter between Hawk and Spenser is still there, but toned down away from the “shuck and jive” back and forth which is now uncomfortable to read.

If I have anything negative it is a comment that could also be applied to Parker’s later original novels. Though some of the characters change the basic plots often feel repetitive. Still, some time with Spenser and company is time well spent in reading. I believe that this entry best serves the fan who has read some of the original novels. However, if this is the first, the reader will hopefully go back for more.

Lupica does his work well, and with Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust makes me willing to read another if the series continues.

While I prefer another author who has taken up the mantle of writing the Spenser novels after Robert B. Parker's passing; this was a pretty good effort. I enjoyed Lupica's Boston through Spenser's eyes. I did feel that there was too much emphasis on things overtly sexual. Spenser has always had an active and romantic life with his long time girlfriend Elizabeth, but in this book it felt a little forced, I'm not opposed to a "man's man," and Spenser is definitely one, however in most of the other novels he isn't jumping into bed with Elizabeth at every turn. He is also really observant of younger women, not in an offensive way but it felt artificial, not quite the way Parker wrote him. Still a good mystery with some fun twists and including the whole gang new and old characters.

Lupica has really hit the nail on the head with this terrific addition to the Spencer series. With Broken Trust, he had really completed the transition from picking up the series (mid-book) to becoming the author. While the 4-5 books prior to this had me wavering if I wanted to continue reading the series, Broken Trust has convinced me to continue. Spencer has really matured along with the times while still retaining (with few excuses) the Spencer humor and philosophy.

In Robert B. Parker's Broken Trust by Mike Lupica, Spenser investigates the past secrets of an elusive tech billionaire. I've read a lot of the Spenser books, and Mike Lupica does an excellent job of capturing Spenser's fun humor and the interactions between the returning characters.

The book has great characters, an interesting mystery that held my attention, and good plot twists to keep me guessing.

I would recommend this series. You can also read this book as a standalone.

#RobertBParkersBrokenTrust #NetGalley @PutnamBooks

I didn't think anyone could write the Robert Parker books about my favorite detective, Spenser, and his sidekick, Hawk, but Ace Atkins did a great job. Now we have Mike Lupica, and he, too, has been able to follow the Spenser character and code of ethics. When Spenser is hired by the wife of a corporate billionaire to find out why her husband is acting strangely, he finds himself in a world of greed, misogyny, corporate mergers, and paper trails (or maybe cloud trails in this case.) Multiple deaths follow, and Spenser must chase down the evildoers even though his client is deceased. Of course he must.

I loved the usual group of characters: Susan, Hawk, Pearl, Belson, Quirk, Cimoli, and the Vinnies. As always, Spenser and Susan have dates at expensive restaurants with menu descriptions abounding, and the detective and Hawk have their usual banter, although, sadly it isn't quite as extensive as Parker's discussions. Even the political incorrectness is back, with references to the pandemic and what has been happening in politics. Love Spenser and Hawk's politically incorrect dialogue. The other character, the city of Boston and its neighborhoods, is also in prime time in this book. Love Spenser's descriptions of the surroundings.

I've read all the Spenser novels, and I highly recommend new arrival Mike Lupica as the writer who keeps this series going. Thanks to him, Putnam, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest appraisal.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me this opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I've read the Spencer books for years, and am always leery when a beloved author dies and someone else takes over the writing of their books. In this case, I think Mike Lupica has captured the tone and writing of Robert Parker. Spencer was Spencer; Hawk was Hawk, and Susan most definitely was Susan. Perhaps some readers can tell the difference; for me, the writing style was the same.

The mystery seems at firstto be cut and dried...mega rich billionaire whose company is undergoing a merger starts acting strangely. Wife hires Spencer to figure out why. And then, the bodies start dropping. Someone takes exception to Spencer investigating. And then, the story really kicks off. No spoiler here, but the who and why was interesting and the storyline wrapped up well. It kept my attention and was a pleasure to read. Just the right mix of intrigue and humor.

If you are/were a fan of the Spencer books, you will enjoy this installment. Highly recommended.

Another great Spencer installment...so glad this series lives on! A relevant setting in the lithium ion battery world during an acquisition. As the bodies start piling up, Spencer doubles down to solve this one. Lots of Susan Silverman and Hawk and a whole crew of both lovable and unlikeable characters.

Robert B. Parker's estate did well by entrusting the Spenser Legacy to Mike Lupica. He channels the late author's tone to perfection.
This installment finds the usual cast of characters - Spenser, his paramour Susan, best friend/part-time partner Hawk. Cameo appearances by Belson, Henry Cimoli, Tony Marcus, Ty-Bop, and Zebulon Sixkill among others.
Susan's friend is the wife of a tech billionaire and hires Spenser to find out why he has been acting distracted and secretive - besides the fact his company is in the middle of merger talks. He starts by interviewing the assistant (and HER assistant), the partner, and the corporate attorney.
Then, the wife is found dead. Then, the assistant's assistant a few days later. Murder or suicide? Are the deaths connected? undoubtedly. but how?
The billionaire disappears only to resurface days later, the partner & corporate attorney are not forthcoming, and someone is highly discouraging Spenser from continuing to investigate.
It all comes together with a little digging, threatening, and Spenser sticking his nose in where it is not wanted (as usual).
The one thing that irked me was the author referred to Boomsauce IPA beer several times. In fact, I went back to check - in 5 separate chapters/instances. It felt like he was receiving a stipend from the brewer for product placement.
All in all, a satisfying installment into the Spenser universe.
Thank you to Putnam & net galley for an advance reading copy. This book will be released on 11/28/23.

It's been a while since I read a Robert Parker Spenser series book. I think I quit reading them when Robert Parker quit writing them. So often, those who attempt to mimic the voice of a beloved former author can't. They may be excellent in their own right, but they can't reproduce the nuances that make a particular character unforgettable. The new writer for Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot comes to mind, as does Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee stories. They're good-not-great and in the end, disappointed me. Not because they aren't good stories, but because they aren't the original author.

Ace Atkins, the prior author who tried to carry on the Spenser series, is a good example. He did well (wrote eleven books in the series), but he wasn't Parker so I didn't read more than one (not sure I finished that one).

Mike Lupica who took over for Atkins is the exception. In Broken Trust (G.P. Putnam 2023), #51 in the Spenser series, Lupica captured Spenser's quit wit, close relationship with Hawk, love of dogs and his girlfriend, sense of justice despite carrying a gun, and so much more. I opened the book ready to be disappointed. By Page 3, I was addicted. Highly recommended to all those readers who miss the Spenser character like 'a front tooth'.

So I looked it up, and this is book number 50 in the Spenser series. 50?!! I think I've read them all, starting back in 1984. It's like putting on an old sweater: it just fits you right. I have to commend Mike Lupica - I think he's done an admirable job with both of Parkers' series. Spenser and Jesse Stone are two of my all-time-favorite literary characters. If you like old Spenser, you'll like this.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First Spencer book since Robert Parkers Death. Doesn't disappoint . May have to start the series back up again.
Thanks NetGalley for advance copy.

I couldn't even get past the first few pages...the amount of filth & language was too much.

It does not make a book fun to read when you add in all the superfluous, unnecessary nonsense. It merely makes it harder to find the plot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.