Book Review: Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust | Mike Lupica | Spenser #50

I’m no stranger to jumping into a series on the newest book just to see if I like it. With Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust, this was a particularly interesting book to jump in on (it is number 50 in the Spenser series originally by Robert B. Parker and now penned by different authors) because it is also the first penned by author Mike Lupica.

Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series began in 1973 and has gone on to include not only 50 books, but tv series and tv movie adaptations. It’s a series I knew of but hadn’t ever read before, but when the audiobook for Broken Trust became available, I thought the premise sounded good and decided to give it a try.

Spenser is an ex-boxer, an ex-cop, and a current private investigator who lives in Boston. In Broken Trust, Spenser is enlisted to help a woman named Laura Crain, who is the wife of the 6^th wealthiest man in the United States and a friend of his girlfriend (though it is never explicitly stated their relationship is defined this way, but I’m inferring) Susan Silverman’s. Laura says her husband Andrew has been acting strangely and neither Laura nor Andrew’s business partner Ethan Lowe know why. Andrew and Ethan’s company is on the verge of completing a merger with a Canadian company that will make them even more successful and wealthy.

The investigation is difficult from the start, both because the mission is somewhat vague and because everyone Spenser tries to speak with including Andrew Crain is being tightlipped. It appears that Andrew is paranoid, having outbursts that are uncharacteristic, and is being somewhat volatile. Not long after, Laura is found strangled in Brookline Park and Andrew fires Spenser (whom he never actually hired). Spenser feels obligated to continue his investigation anyways, because he feels he owes it to Laura.

I mentioned that it was important that not only was I new to the series, but Lupica is new to writing it. It was clear that he knew the series well, and I felt like he leaned into every trope and characteristic unique to the series in one book to showcase his familiarity with the series. I find this is common when writers take over a beloved series—they need to build their credibility with the long-time fans and one of the most important ways of doing this is showing that they understand the characters.

Even as a new reader to the series, it was clear that Lupica was filing his credentials by building out the characters. For instance, the banter between Spenser and his girlfriend Susan, their frequent lovemaking, his comments on her bright intellect and lack of cooking skills—this all felt intentional to the point of bluntness. It was clear these are based on long-running themes of her character in the series. I would say the same regarding the relationship between Spenser and Hawk, and the way they interact with one another. This was overdone to an extent that I could tell this was an important relationship for longtime fans.

While this was helpful since I was also new to the series, I hope that if Lupica continues to write the Spenser books, he doesn’t feel the need to continue to put so much effort into this. The problem for me was that as a new reader, these almost felt like caricatures that flattened out side characters. Perhaps there is nothing left to explore, but I wanted to see more of Susan and Spenser’s relationship outside of him just poking fun at her cooking and making constant sexually charged banter. Susan is a Harvard-trained psychologist, and I wanted to see her be explored as an intellectual and accomplished woman.

All of that aside, the mystery itself was simple (at first), but engaging. From the first meeting with Laura and Spenser, I was intrigued by what was going on. The Crains (Andrew and Laura) were interesting characters for the book. Going in knowing they are some of the wealthiest in the country and that Laura is exceptionally beautiful, the reader would expect that Andrew is cheating, doing something underhanded, or will be a largely unlikable and ruthless character.

However, Andrew and Laura have a very loving marriage from what Spenser can see. Susan’s friendship with them lends credibility to that. In addition, Crain’s desire to move forward with the merger isn’t merely to increase his personal wealth. The Crains are depicted as highly philanthropic. Andrew’s behavior veers more towards paranoia than it does underhandedness. This makes it all the more interesting that he pushes Spenser away. Is he worried that Spenser will uncover something he doesn’t want known, or can he not trust anyone including his own wife?

While I can’t be certain, it seems that several characters from the series were brought in for small (or sometimes larger) roles in this mystery. I liked that Lupica made an effort to give some context to who they were (this is how I was able to infer they had been in prior books), because it would be insurmountable to start at book 1. I like being able to join a series later and choose to go back to prior works if I’m interested (in this case, I am).

Hawk was definitely my favorite supporting character, and the one that interested me the most. He had a unique voice and perspective as a character that narrator Joe Montagne brought to life in the audiobook. I can’t speak to the authenticity of their relationship and Hawk as a character relative to prior books, but as a new reader he was the welcome investigative partner that was needed.

The case itself has more layers than are apparent at first, and Spenser has to go to great lengths to put the pieces together. The ending was satisfying for me. I liked this book overall, though I do think this was a more challenging series than normal to jump into because the characters are so well-fleshed out from prior books, a new author coming in will hesitate to develop or change them in any substantial way. I suspect that as Lupica continues the series, this will become less of an issue.

About the Book | Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust

Spenser investigates the past secrets of an elusive tech billionaire in this latest installment of Robert B. Parker’s beloved series, and the first written by celebrated writer Mike Lupica.

The beautiful wife of one of the world’s richest men comes to Spenser in the hope that he can find out what skeletons lurk in her husband’s closet. Though he is a generous philanthropist and loving family man, she is concerned—he recently has become secretive, bordering on paranoid, and she wants Spenser to find out why. As Spenser digs into the billionaire’s past, he realizes that the man may have done terrible things on his rise to the top—but he also may have had good reason to. What he discovers will cause him to question his own views on morality—and place him in grave danger. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

About the Series | Robert B. Parker’s Spenser books

Robert B. Parker was born and raised in Massachusetts, graduated from Colby College in Maine, married Joan Hall, had two sons, earned his Ph.D. at Boston University, taught at Northeastern University, and wrote nearly seventy books.

Bob was renowned for his Spenser novels, featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye, which earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. He also launched two other bestselling series featuring, respectively, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone and Boston private detective Sunny Randall. In addition, he authored four Westerns. Bob’s bestselling Western novel Appaloosa was made into a major motion picture by New Line, starred Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and was a box office hit in 2008. Long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, he was named Grand Master of the Edgar Awards in 2002 by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

About the Author | Mike Lupica

Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider’s knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, which includes his popular “Shooting from the Lip” column, which appears every Sunday.

He began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York Daily News, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN’s The Sports Reporters. He also hosted his own program, The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2.