The late, impressively prolific crime novelist Robert B. Parker’s best-known literary creation was Spenser, a wise-ass Boston detective with a soft spot for Jazz, doughnuts, beer and dogs. Determined to see the iconic character continue following Parker’s death in 2010, the author’s widow decided to hand off the series to another writer. Enter Ace Atkins, himself an author of more than a dozen crime novels.
Atkins’ second Spenser novel, the just-published Wonderland, is again set in Boston, where secret plans to turn an old dog track into a fancy casino lead to all kinds of backroom shenanigans. “For the most part, I’ve been overwhelmed and appreciative of how many people like the new books and are so thankful that Spenser continues,” Atkins says in the publicity materials for Wonderland. “That’s a tribute more to RBP and his beloved characters than anything.”
Atkins discusses Wonderland 7 p.m. Thursday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Free. 2692 Madison Road, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood, 513-396-8960, josephbeth.com.
