The Robert B Parker Showcase

Today I am taking part in a rather special Blog Tour, where I get to share THREE amazing books with you all.

Fool’s Paradise

When an unknown man is found murdered in Paradise, Jesse Stone will have his hands full
finding out who he was – and what he was seeking.
When a body is discovered at the lake in Paradise, Police Chief Jesse Stone is surprised to find he
recognizes the murder victim – the man had been at the same AA meeting as Jesse the evening before.
But otherwise, Jesse has no clue as to the man’s identity. He isn’t a local, nor does he have ID on him, nor does any neighboring state have a reported missing person matching the man’s description.

Their single lead is from a taxi company that recalls dropping off the mysterious stranger outside the gate at the mansion of one of the wealthiest families in town…
Meanwhile, after Jesse survives a hail of gunfire on his home, he wonders if it could be related to the mysterious murder.

When both Molly Crane and Suitcase Simpson also become targets, it’s clear
someone has an axe to grind against the entire Paradise Police Department.

My Thoughts

In Fool’s Paradise we meet Police Chief Jesse Stone. When a body is found in the lake in Paradise, Jesse is called to investigate. However, when he arrives at the scene, he is shocked to discover that he has met the victim before at an AA meeting they had both attended.

With little else to go with, Jesse finds the only lead they have been presented with is from a local taxi firm who recalls dropping this man off outside of a mansion that houses one of the wealthiest families in the town.

Things quickly take a drastic turn, when Jesse finds his home being targeted, and when other officers also become targets, it is clear that whoever is behind this awful murder has a serious vendetta against the entire police department in Paradise.

This book reeled me in from the very start. The storyline is chilling and addictive, making it hard to put down at the best of times. As the story progresses, the suspense levels reach dizzying heights, and have you well and truly on the edge of your seat as you await the conclusion of this tragic case. With fascinating, well fleshed out characters and twists you simply don’t anticipate, this is a fantastic read.

Grudge Match

Robert B. Parker’s beloved PI Sunny Randall returns on a case that blurs the line between friend
and foe… and if Sunny can’t tell the difference, the consequences may be deadly.

When Sunny’s long-time gangster associate Tony Marcus comes to her for help, Sunny is surprised –
after all, she double-crossed him on a recent deal, and their relationship is on shakier ground than ever.

But the way Tony figures it, Sunny owes him, and she is willing to consider his case if it will clear the
slate.

Tony’s trusted girlfriend and business partner has vanished, appearing to have left in a hurry, and he
has no idea why. He just wants to talk to her, he says.

While Sunny isn’t willing to trust his good intentions, the missing woman intrigues her – against all odds, she’s risen to a position of power in Tony’s criminal enterprise. Sunny can’t help but admire her and, if this woman’s in a jam, she would like to help.

But when a witness is murdered hours after speaking to Sunny, it’s clear there’s more at stake than just Tony’s love life.

Someone – maybe even Tony himself – doesn’t want this woman on the loose…and will
go to any lengths to make sure she stays silent.

My Thoughts

When Sunny is approached by her long time gangster associate who is in need of her help, Sunny is certainly surprised. After all, it wasn’t all that long ago that she had double crossed him on a deal and had made their relationship more fragile than ever.

With Tony believing that Sunny owes him for the betrayal, Sunny finds herself swaying towards his offer, wanting nothing more than to wipe the slate clean between them. Tony informs her that his girlfriend has vanished, and it seems she has made a rather hasty exit as she has left all of her belongings behind. Although Tony insists he simply wishes to talk things through with her, Sunny isn’t so sure.

But curiosity surrounding this woman who has managed to climb the ladder within the dangerous business has Sunny agreeing to take on the case, for the sole purpose of helping the woman, and getting to the bottom of whatever has caused her to flee. When a witness is brutally murdered several hours after speaking with Sunny, it becomes clear that there is far more at stake than a broken relationship, and Sunny is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Another utterly captivating read. Sunny Randall is a fierce, strong willed character who certainly doesn’t back down from a challenge, something that I found really inspiring. The twisted web of deceit within this book had me reading long in to the night as I needed to know the outcome to this intricate case. With so much drama and tension laced throughout this book, It is one of those page turning stories you find yourself telling everyone about.

Someone To Watch Over Me

In the latest Spenser thriller, the legendary Boston PI and his young protégé Mattie Sullivan take on a billionaire money manager running a network of underaged girls for his rich and powerful clients.

Ten years ago, Spenser helped a teenage girl named Mattie Sullivan find her mother’s killer and take down an infamous Southie crime boss. Now Mattie – a college student with a side job working for the tough but tender private eye – dreams of being an investigator herself.

Her first big case involves a fifteen-year-old girl assaulted by a much older man at one of Boston’s most prestigious private clubs. The girl, Chloe Turner, only wants the safe return of her laptop and backpack. But like her mentor and boss, Mattie has a knack for asking the right questions of the wrong people.
Soon Spenser and Mattie find ties between the exploitation of dozens of other girls from working class families to an eccentric billionaire and his sadistic henchwoman with a mansion on Commonwealth Avenue.

The mystery man’s wealth, power and connections extend well beyond Massachusetts – maybe even beyond the United States. Spenser and trusted ally Hawk must again watch out for Mattie as she unravels a massive sex trafficking ring that will take them from Boston to Boca Raton to the Bahamas, crossing paths with local toughs, a highly-trained security company, and an old enemy of Spenser – the Gray Man – for a final epic showdown.

My Thoughts

Someone to Watch Over Me is a truly unforgettable read. I loved immersing myself in to the Spenser series once again, and following the legendary PI Spenser and Mattie Sullivan, his young protégé as they take on one of their biggest cases yet.

This time they find themselves looking in to a billionaire money-manager, who is running a large circle of young, underage girls for his wealthy friends and clients. This evokes some unwanted memories from Mattie, who had once found herself in dissimilar situation. Her first big case involves a fifteen year old girl who has been sexually assaulted by a man much older than herself. The girls only request is to retrieve her laptop that she left behind in her haste to get away from this man.

As Spenser and Mattie begin asking questions, and looking deeper in to this case, what they find is even worse than they had imagined. They soon fund themselves unearthing a wide scale exploitation of young, vulnerable girls that spans far wider than Boston. But they are not going to leave these young girls to suffer anymore, and make it their own personal mission to put an end to this dreadful ring. As they delve deeper, enemies from Spenser’s past creep out of the woodwork, and we face the biggest of showdowns we have ever seen before.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. It was incredible and had me hooked to the very end. Both Spenser and Mattie are characters that really nestle their way in to your heart, and as you learn more about them with each passing chapter, it is impossible to not feel a connection with them and their lives. The storyline itself was gritty and dark, with scenes that really did make my stomach roll as i imagined the horrors playing out before me. Another utterly unforgettable read that I will be recommending highly to others.

About the Author

Ace Atkins worked as a crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune
before he published his first novel, Crossroad Blues at the age of 30. While at the
Tribune, Atkins earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for a feature series based on his
investigation into a forgotten murder of the 1950s. The story became the core of his
critically acclaimed novel, White Shadow, a style that was compared to that of Dennis
Lehane and George Pelecanos. In 2011, Atkins was selected by the estate of Robert
B. Parker to take over writing the Spenser series of novels. Wonderland (now a major
Netflix film titled Spenser Confidential) was his first Spenser novel published by No
Exit Press in 2014. Atkins currently lives on a farm outside Oxford, Mississippi with
his family.

Mike Lupica is a prominent sports journalist and New York Times-bestselling
author of more than forty works of fiction and non-fiction. A longtime friend to
Robert B. Parker, he was selected by the Parker estate to continue the Sunny
Randall series