Robert B. Parker's Lullaby

I held off reviewing this last year so I could think about it some – I was afraid I'd be too influenced by the newness of Atkins' take on Spenser, or maybe just a reflex fanboy reaction. So I read it again this weekend in preparation for [b:Robert B. Parker's Wonderland 16158516 Robert B. Parker's Wonderland Ace Atkins http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356078294s/16158516.jpg 21998932], and am so glad I did. Atkin's has captured the essence of Parker's word – he's not quite as good as classic Spenser ([b:Valediction 69622 Valediction (Spenser, #11) Robert B. Parker http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347734020s/69622.jpg 2047407] and before), better than most of what followed [b:Small Vices 620 Small Vices (Spenser, #24) Robert B. Parker http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314475461s/620.jpg 67479] – he's the next-best thing to having the man himself. The plot is a bit more intricate, the descriptions are fuller – the font is smaller! – which definitely makes it meatier than Parker's later work.You can tell Atkins is a fan, and there's a hint of fanfic about this – Atkins gets to play with characters he's been reading for years. And who could blame him? Especially as well as he does it.So glad that Atkins has picked up this mantle, hope he carries it for a good long while.