By Ace Atkins
Putnam
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780399170843, $26.95, www.amazon.com
Atkins took over the series of Parker Spenser books with ‘Lullaby” showing that he was a very good choice to continue the novels but “Kickback” is the best and closest to Parker that Atkins has done so far. Spenser, Hawk, and Susan are back in a very fast paced story that shows the dangers the internet can cause to a person. A seventeen year old boy posts a tweet that lands him in prison. Spenser is hired by the boy’s mother to find out why her son has been punished so severely. Spenser finds there is a crooked cop, judge and other public officials in the small town the boy resides in. The story races along with snappy dialogue, interesting characters, and many twists and turns that include a road trip for Spenser and Hawk to Tampa Florida that make “Kickback” one of the best of the many Spenser titles.
