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nonna7's review against another edition
3.0
This is the most recent book in the Spenser series. As always it was really enjoyable. Twenty years ago there was a daring robbery that netted a number of works of art including a priceless El Greco. Now the museum is receiving detailed letters that say the writer knows where to find the missing art. The museum asks Spenser to help them get the art back. Soon Spenser finds himself up to his neck in the black and gray market art world, high society and lots of low society types. In between, we get the signature Spenser wisecracking, lovemaking and cooking. To say anymore would give too much away. It's a fun romp. There's another coming out in November 2019.
tommyro's review against another edition
3.0
Ace Atkins is doing a masterful job continuing the Spenser stories. His Spenser is more complicated than RBP's originals but still just as entertaining. Very enjoyable mystery.
vvijayanti's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bisthesu's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the previous book I read by the same author but this wasn't as good as I'd hoped. The story was slow and it didn't have a satisfying end.
tvisser's review against another edition
4.0
Always fun to visit an old friend and this Spenser story did not disappoint.
gordondym's review against another edition
4.0
I'll say this, and I'll definitely risk getting flamed....
Atkins does Spenser better than Parker did in many of *his* novels.
And this one is no exception.
Atkins does Spenser better than Parker did in many of *his* novels.
And this one is no exception.
margardenlady's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A 20 yr old art heist. And Spenser is undaunted. He enlists the help of Vinnie and off they go- plumbing the depths of the Boston underworld.
brettt's review
3.0
With each outing, Ace Atkins gets more comfortable and surer in writing about Robert B. Parker's iconic Boston private investigator, Spenser. In Old Black Magic, his seventh Spenser book, Atkins offers a combination of solid Spenserian voice with a confusing mystery that takes one twist too many and doesn't really make as much sense in the end as it should.
Twenty years ago, a museum theft rocked the Boston art world and the paintings stolen have never been seen since. Now paint chips from one of them have been sent to a Boston journalist and the museum's board of directors wants a private detective to help broker the payment the museum will make to those who have the paintings now.
Of course, it's not that simple, and when the initial payoff goes bad Spenser will have to find the stolen artwork his way. Whether his way will sit well with the museum directors and the old mobsters who may have been involved in the original theft has yet to be seen, but that's not the kind of thing that keeps Spenser from doing what he thinks is right.
As mentioned above, the core of Magic is a mystery: Who took the paintings and where are they now? Whether because the whole puzzle won't fit together or the picture in Atkins' mind simply doesn't come across to the reader, the ultimate solution to those questions has too many threads to really feel finished. That misstep is a shame, because Magic features one of the best pictures of Spenser's mobster pal Vinnie Morris since 1995's Walking Shadow. It would take a die-hard Parkerphile to deny that these are recognizably Parker's characters, but they're working in service to an idea that probably needed some more development time in order to rise to the next level.
Original available here.
Twenty years ago, a museum theft rocked the Boston art world and the paintings stolen have never been seen since. Now paint chips from one of them have been sent to a Boston journalist and the museum's board of directors wants a private detective to help broker the payment the museum will make to those who have the paintings now.
Of course, it's not that simple, and when the initial payoff goes bad Spenser will have to find the stolen artwork his way. Whether his way will sit well with the museum directors and the old mobsters who may have been involved in the original theft has yet to be seen, but that's not the kind of thing that keeps Spenser from doing what he thinks is right.
As mentioned above, the core of Magic is a mystery: Who took the paintings and where are they now? Whether because the whole puzzle won't fit together or the picture in Atkins' mind simply doesn't come across to the reader, the ultimate solution to those questions has too many threads to really feel finished. That misstep is a shame, because Magic features one of the best pictures of Spenser's mobster pal Vinnie Morris since 1995's Walking Shadow. It would take a die-hard Parkerphile to deny that these are recognizably Parker's characters, but they're working in service to an idea that probably needed some more development time in order to rise to the next level.
Original available here.
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