Robert B. Parker's Kickback

By: Ace Atkins, Robert B. Parker - creator

Narrated by: Joe Mantegna

P. I. Spenser, knight-errant of the Back Bay, returns in this stellar addition to the iconic New York Times best-selling series from author Ace Atkins.

What started out as a joke landed 17-year-old Dillon Yates in a lockdown juvenile facility in Boston Harbor. When he set up a prank Twitter account for his vice principal, he never dreamed he could be brought up on criminal charges, but that's exactly what happened.

This is Blackburn, Massachusetts, where zero tolerance for minors is a way of life.

Leading the movement is tough-as-nails Judge Joe Scali, who gives speeches about getting tough on today's wild youth. But Dillon's mother, who knows other Blackburn kids who are doing hard time for minor infractions, isn't buying Scali's line. She hires Spenser to find the truth behind the draconian sentencing.

From the Harbor Islands to a gated Florida community, Spenser and trusted ally Hawk follow a trail through the Boston underworld with links to a shadowy corporation that runs New England's private prisons. They eventually uncover a culture of corruption and cover-ups in the old mill town, where hundreds of kids are sent off to for-profit juvie jails.

©2015 Ace Atkins (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“It’s great to see Spenser tackle a social evil with its roots in real life.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“A topical plot line propels bestseller Atkins’s engrossing fourth Spenser novel... Once again, Atkins has done a splendid job of capturing the voice of the late Robert B. Parker.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Atkins does a wonderful job with the characters created by Parker. To loyalists it may be heresy, but a case can be made for the Atkins novels being better than some of the last Spenser mysteries penned by Parker. A top-notch thriller.”(Booklist)

damn kids always in trouble... or are they

another fine Spenser novel. This time he's helping kids.. and there's plenty of action and his classic humor. great book.

Island of corruption

What did you love best about Robert B. Parker's Kickback?

This is my first novel - I enjoyed Ace Atkins other novels. I liked Spencer's character and down to earth investigations. Supporting characters flowed nicely in this novel. We have the corruption of the politicians, mob, the juvenile prisoners, along with the media, Spencer, and other's working to right the wrong. Mini stories tied in nicely...

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

if possible, I would have listened straight through. Liked how Hawk came into story line.

Have you listened to any of Joe Mantegna’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time for this narrator. He did a nice job.

Any additional comments?

My opinion, if this is your first Spencer novel, try it, you will not be disappointed. I recommend the other Ace Atkins novels.

Atkins channels Parker

One of the best Spenser novels, Ace Atkins does a great job writing in the style of Robert Parker.

Great work

Would you consider the audio edition of Robert B. Parker's Kickback to be better than the print version?

Not sure

What was one of the most memorable moments of Robert B. Parker's Kickback?

Getting the kid at the end

What does Joe Mantegna bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr Mantegna was the reason I continued to listen to this series. He brought this series to life for me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

very much so

very entertaining

Would you listen to Robert B. Parker's Kickback again? Why?

yes always. I enjoy the characters in the Spencer novels.

What did you like best about this story?

It sounds just like RObert B Parker

Have you listened to any of Joe Mantegna’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

all of them in the Spencer series.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Love Joe Mantegna

Enjoyed listening to this book, big fan of this series. Would recommend to anyone who likes Robert B Parker

Love this

Love the fact that Atkins has Parker's unique voice and style. Love, love, love Joe Mantegna's performance! Great story! Hope to hear more in the future!

Another great one for Spenser

I really enjoyed this Spenser novel. You can barely tell the difference between Parker and Atkins. I love the way that Spenser's character has developed over the years. I can't wait for the next chapter.

Time to Let Spenser Go?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was good enough to listen to... but only just.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I thought Ace Atkins was doing a credible job in the first couple Spensers, and I was missing Robert B. Parker. This one was the first effort by Atkins where I just didn't buy it as a Spenser story. He still does a pretty fair job of doing Spenser's "witty" conversations and the general writing style is still very close to RBP, but this particular story line was just not believable and rather uninteresting.

Have you listened to any of Joe Mantegna’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have gotten used to Joe Mantegna as a Spenser narrator, but Michael Pritchard was always a little better. Mantegna does a good job, although his female voices can be a bit annoying sometimes... but I'd guess that is a difficult task for many readers of the gender opposite the characters they are portraying.

Was Robert B. Parker's Kickback worth the listening time?

Marginally worth it. The best part was Spenser's humor which is still pretty true to form although this time it may have been a bit over-done.

Any additional comments?

I may cautiously try another Spenser. If the story line isn't better next time I think I'll let old Spenser ride off into the sunset.... sometimes you just gotta let it go.

Good enough

Parker at his best will always be unique, but Ace Atkins at his best is a lot of fun. I'm glad he' s keeping the characters alive for us. A fun book.