Angel Eyes by Ace Atkins
Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

In the latest thriller featuring the legendary Boston PI, Spenser heads to the City of Angels to meet old friends and new enemies in a baffling missing person case that might shake Tinseltown to its core.

Gabby Leggett left her Boston family with dreams of making it big as a model/actress in Hollywood. Two years later, she disappears from her apartment. Her family, former boyfriend, friends–and the police–have no idea where she is and no leads. Leggett’s mother hires Spenser to find her, with help of his former apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, now an L.A. private eye.

Spenser barely has time to unpack before the trail leads to a powerful movie studio boss, the Armenian mob, and a shadowy empowerment group some say might be a dangerous cult.

It’s soon clear that Spenser and Sixkill may be outgunned this time, and series favorites Chollo and Bobby Horse ride to the rescue to provide backup. From the mansions of Beverly Hills to the lawless streets of a small California town, Spenser will need to watch his step. In Hollywood, all that glitters isn’t gold. And not all those who wander are lost.

Spenser finds himself back in LA once again with friends and a growing list of enemies as he searches for a young actress – the missing daughter of his client. What at first seems to be a straightforward case quickly becomes embroiled in the powerful politics of the movie world as well as nefarious gangsters. But Spenser is never one to back down from a fight and he’s determined to find what happened to the young lady, no matter the cost.

I’ve been a fan of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series for a number of years. While a few of his very early works haven’t aged too well with modern times, the main thrust of any Spenser novel – an independent and hard-boiled detective who wants the truth and isn’t going to let those bigger or meaner than him bully or push him around – never really gets old. Some of the more recent stories have been a bit hit and miss with me – but I personally really enjoyed this story. In many ways it could have been written ten – or maybe even twenty – years ago. Readers who prefer the older style of Spenser and his stories should find this a really strong and enjoyable hark back to his roots. I was also impressed Atkins managed to keep much of the old Spenser preset and relatable while still keeping the story itself quite modern – with snippets of the “Me Too” movement, modern technology and plenty of other timely aspects to the plot.

Readers who haven’t been introduced to this series should be able to pick up this book and enjoy it for a straight-forward, hard-boiled and slightly gritty mystery story. I admit a lot of the secondary characters were far, far richer to me because I know their backstory and history with Spenser and how all those threads weave together, but I don’t feel this is strictly necessary to enjoy the book. It’s probably the difference between a good meal and a great one though – readers who have no previous knowledge of Spenser or his world and friends can pick this up and enjoy a good story. Readers who know the secondary characters and how everything fits together can expect a great story.

American, modern and a dry sort of wit, this is a great mystery book which I really enjoyed. I’ll definitely be picking up the next in this series.