Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland

Atkins’s second novel based on the late Robert B. Parker’s famous series finds private detective Spenser and young apprentice Zebulon Sixkill sleuthing their way into a scheme involving the beachfront property occupied by the shuttered Wonderland dog track. Narrator Joe Mantegna has long been associated with the popular Spenser series, portraying the title character in several TV adaptations and narrating numerous audiobooks. That he has done so with Parker’s blessing is understandable. The novel contains large sections of fast-paced dialogue—which Mantegna deftly handles. Additionally, the narrator perfectly captures Spenser’s sarcastic and flippant tone. And when dealing with friends during times of trouble, Spenser—as interpreted by Mantegna—drops his brittle attitude and becomes more compassionate and less hardboiled. A Putnam hardcover. (May)