Over the years (specifically 2012-2022) I read all ten of Ace Atkins' Spenser novels, the continuing adventures of the late Robert B. Parker's wisecracking detective. I thought Atkins did a decent job of continuing Spenser's character, and that of the supporting cast. But the word "formulaic" appeared in my reports on the last two books, and (uh oh) the word "lazy" appeared in the last one. Hard words for me to type for a beloved series.
But Atkins continued writing his own stuff too, and I thought I would give this one a try. Guess what, it's really good, not formulaic at all, a compelling plot, memorable well-drawn characters, full of wit and violence.
It's set mostly in Memphis, where Addison McKellar's husband, Dean, seems to have vanished, leaving her to manage her life and their two kids on her own. Worse, Dean has always managed the household money, and (like Dean) it seems to have run out. She goes to his workplace, and … whoa, the people there have never heard of Dean or his business. She's dissatisfied with the response of the Memphis PD, so she hires PI Porter Hayes. And he quickly finds there's some really sneaky stuff going on with Dean.
It kind of sounds like one of those Lifetime movies, right? But I thought it was pretty good anyway.
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