When fourteen-year-old Mattie Sullivan asks Spenser to look into her mother’s murder, he’s not completely convinced by her claim that the police investigation four years ago was botched. Mattie is gruff, street-smart, and wise beyond her years, left to care for her younger siblings and an alcoholic grandmother in a dilapidated apartment in South Boston. But her need for closure and her determination to make things right hit Spenser where he lives—they’re the very characteristics he abides by. Mattie believes the man convicted of the crime is innocent, and points Spenser to the Southie toughs she saw carrying her mother away hours before her murder. Neither the Boston PD nor the neighborhood thugs are keen on his dredging up the past, but as Spenser becomes more involved in the case, he starts to realize that Mattie may be on to something. He will need Hawk’s help to find peace for Mattie—a job that’s more dangerous than Spenser ever thought.
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"I miss Robert Parker terribly, but Atkins does a great job with keeping Spencer alive and well! I truly enjoyed Lullaby. If anything, Ace Atkins added more "meat" to the bare bones that Parker created with his detective novels. In Lullaby Mattie, a tough-talking 14-year-old girl from the South Boston projects, comes to Spencer for help in finding the person who really killed her mother. Spencer takes the girl's case for the price of a box of doughnuts, and it leads him back to some old enemies from his past. He and his pal Hawk slowly unwind the the story of Mattie's mother and her demise, and the reader stays up late trying to read on further to figure things out. Spencer's beloved Susan is his complete opposite but their relationship supplies strength for each other."
— Susan (4 out of 5 stars)
" Ace Atkins does a great job in a tough situation. He tells a terrific story and really nails the "voices" of the various regulars! Very pleased! "
— Cathy, 2/8/2014" Not bad. Some of the dialogue was off, especially for Hawk, but not too jarring. Ace ain't from Boston, and it shows a bit. But it's great to have Hawk and Spenser back again, and I look forward to the next installment. "
— Annie, 2/6/2014" Easy read by classic Robert B Parker even if it wasn't written by him. Enjoyed it. "
— Kevin, 2/4/2014" Spencer lives on! Robert B Parker's series continues thanks to Ace Atkins. Updated humor and spot on characters. "
— Kelly, 2/2/2014" It only makes me miss Parker the more. It's like reading Spenser, but there is some life spark missing that makes him live on the page. I read these post-mortem books because I miss Parker. "
— False, 1/24/2014" I've never read any of Parker's books, but I remember the tv show Spenser For Hire, and I remember the Hawk character. I pictured those two actors as I read this, and it helped me develop the characters in my mind. It was a great book, very fast paced and kept my attention. I'm interested in the rest of the Spenser series, happy to have found a new series to dive into! "
— Erin, 1/19/2014" An intriguing well done story about a 14 year old girl named Mattie Sullivan. She is seeking proper justice for her murdered mother and a sorry excuse for a father, who she believes in innocent of her mother's murder. She "hires' Spencer a P.I.. In the novel we meet an assortment of classic bad guys, a good well told plot, good verbal banter between characters like his associate Hawk and some tender moments with his love Susan. "Lullaby" is a lively and interesting book. I enjoyed it. "
— Keith, 1/19/2014" Atkins does a decent job of carrying on with Spenser. "
— Sue, 1/15/2014" Ace Atkins has succeeded in continuing the Spenser adventures created by Robert Parker. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not feel it changed in character from Robert Parker's stories. "
— Cindy, 1/10/2014" Ace did a fantastic job of capturing Robert B. Parker's book, and the story was probably better than many of Parker's novels of the last few years. Enjoyed it very much, hope that Ace gets a chance to write more in the series. "
— Bart229, 1/1/2014" The new guy does a pretty good job with his debut novel. "
— Yosef, 12/26/2013" He did a good job of recreating Parker's style. Now I should read some of his own work and see if he has a style of his own. Fun quick read. "
— Batesharbuck, 12/11/2013" Enjoyed this book very much. Read in 2 days. "
— Dan, 12/6/2013" Mr. Atkins maintained Robert B. Parker's Spenser character admirably. I will continue to read the Spenser series. "
— Ladonna, 11/10/2013" He's not Robert B. Parker, but he's as close as Parker was when he finished Raymond Chandler's "Poodle Springs." "
— Joseph, 10/11/2013" Great to see Spenser resurrected, and reunited with Susan. "
— Dina, 7/6/2013" I hate to say it but this was the best Spenser book in years. I was starting to lose interest towards the end of Parker's series. Very enjoyable, although I still think there was too much Susan. A tiny bit too much of the little girl also. "
— C.S., 7/4/2013" Just when you thought you've read enough about Spenser....still enjoying after many many years. "
— Lynn, 5/22/2013" I liked the plot; it's interesting and face-paced with good characters. However, I found the quip a minute writing style massively irritating. "
— Elizabetmarshall, 4/13/2013" I always loved Robert Parker's books - quick reads, humorous, and page-turners. I will miss him greatly, but have to say this was still a great Spenser read. "
— Jamie, 3/26/2013" Yay Spenser. Meh Ace Atkins. "
— Tree, 3/11/2013" Since Robert B. Parker is no longer with us Ace is the next best way to get your Spenser "fix". I look for the next that Ace writes. "
— Paul, 2/28/2013" Ace akins did a real good job with 'Spencer' Good writing and funny in parts. "
— Diana, 2/27/2013" Atkins does a creditable job of channelling Parker, but when Hawk observes of two local thugs, "If those boys any dummer, someone have to water em," we'll, that sounds like something Atkins picked up in Oxford MS, not a line you'd hear in Southie. "
— Geoffrey, 11/24/2012" A strong addition to the Spenser series. "
— Beth, 8/17/2012Ace Atkins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Quinn Colson novels, the first two of which—The Ranger and The Lost Ones—were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In addition, he is the author of several New York Times bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series. Before turning to fiction, he was a correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times, a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, and, in college, played defensive end for the undefeated Auburn University football team, for which he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Joe Mantegna is a versatile, seasoned actor on both stage and screen. He first garnered national prominence for his work with writer-director David Mamet, earning a Tony Award for Glengarry Glen Ross in 1983. His name has become synonymous with Robert B. Parker’s Spenser since he has narrated the entire series.