Robert B. Parker's Fallout by Mike LupicaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is in so many ways great to be able to read the continuations of the characters Robert Parker created. The continuations are, nonetheless, mixed. Lupica's Stone is enjoyable, the stories move quickly and Lupica colors within the lines of the original stories. He doesn't really push things or the characters (that can be good and bad). It's a pastiche that reminds you of the things you loved about the original. His novels are a bit like an episode of a long running, loved tv show. You enjoy the show and characters, even if the episode is not that original or in itself that compelling.
As I've listened to the Lupica Stone novels, I've mentioned the things I don't like. Lupica's Stone is too Sunny obsessed; he's more passive in the driving of the plot; the language, humor is at times not quite right; too many he says, Molly said; and Lupica relies too much on the stock characters from the Spenser-verse. (On that latter point, the narrator, who is overall very good didn't get the voices right for Tony Marcus and Spike).
This story was a bit too convoluted and bit all over the place -- at least for the first half. The second half is much better and the ways turn out was much more compelling than I was expecting. Some of it was foreseeable, but Lupica threw just enough surprises in there to keep it interesting.
This is the last Stone novel by Lupica since he moved on to the Spenser novels. I am interested in seeing (or rather hearing) where Farnsworth takes Jesse Stone. I have, as you might guess, my concerns about Lupica writing Spenser. I'll try to keep an open mind.
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