
Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot
A Spenser Novel
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Narrated by:
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Joe Mantegna
About this listen
Kinjo Heywood is one of the New England Patriots’ marquee players - a hard-nosed linebacker who’s earned his reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league. When off-field violence repeatedly lands Heywood in the news, his slick agent hires Spenser to find the men who he says have been harassing his client.
Heywood’s troubles seem to be tied to a nightclub shooting from two years earlier. But when Heywood’s nine-year-old son, Akira, is kidnapped, ransom demands are given, and a winding trail through Boston’s underworld begins, Spenser puts together his own all-star team of toughs. It will take both Hawk and Spenser’s protégé, Zebulon Sixkill, to watch Spenser’s back and return the child to the football star’s sprawling Chestnut Hill mansion. A controversial decision from Heywood only ups the ante as the clock winds down on Akira’s future.
©2014 Ace Atkins (P)2014 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Good detective yarn
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Spenser earned his degree in the school of hard knocks, so he is ready when a Boston university hires him to recover a rare, stolen manuscript. He is hardly surprised that his only clue is a radical student with four bullets in his chest. The cops are ready to throw the book at the pretty blond coed whose prints are all over the murder weapon but Spenser knows there are no easy answers. He tackles some very heavy homework and knows that if he doesn't finish his assignment soon, he could end up dead.
-
-
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-
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- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When it comes to writing, Robert B. Parker knows no boundaries. From the iconic Spenser detective series and the novels featuring Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone, to the groundbreaking historical novel Double Play, Parker's imagination has taken readers from Boston to Brooklyn and back again. In Appaloosa, fans are taken on another trip, to the untamed territories of the West during the 1800s.
-
-
I am over 60 but ...
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By: Robert B. Parker
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Family Honor
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- Narrated by: Andrea Thompson
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- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hired by a wealthy family to locate their teenage daughter, Sunny Randall, a former cop turned Boston P.I., soon finds herself the bodyguard for a difficult teenager who refuses to return to her family. But before long, Sunny is facing greater problems than she ever imagined including a criminal conspiracy that reaches to the top of the state government.
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Good detective yarn
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The Ranger
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- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of war, Army Ranger Quinn Colson returns home to the rugged, rough hill country of northeast Mississippi to find his native Tibbehah County overrun with corruption, decay, meth runners, and violence. His uncle, the longtime county sheriff, is dead. A suicide, he’s told, but others - like tomboy Deputy Lillie Virgil - whisper murder. In the days that follow, it’s up to Colson to discover the truth, not only about his uncle, but about his family, his friends, his town, and himself.
-
-
Amazing writer
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By: Ace Atkins
-
Double Play
- A Novel
- By: Robert B. Parker
- Narrated by: Robert Forster
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1947 when Joseph Burke, ex-Marine, ex-husband, ex-somebody–is hired as a bodyguard to protect Lauren Roach, 25 and spoiled rotten. The unlikely duo becomes entangled with Burke’s boyhood hero, color-barrier breaking baseball player Jackie Robinson, in a story that is both thrilling and engaging. It is in the historical character Jackie Robinson that Mr. Parker finds inspiration and Joseph Burke may find his redemption. This is a work of fiction about a real man. Most of what I’ve written I’ve made up. I have, however, attempted to render Jackie Robinson accurately. As he was, or as I imagined him to be, in 1947, when I was turning 15, and he was changing the world. The rest is altogether fiction. It may be more Burke’s story then Jackie’s story. But, without Jackie, Burke would have had no story. And neither would I. Robert B Parker.
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Critic reviews
“Spenser is as tough and funny as ever, and Atkins has become a worthy successor.” (Booklist)
“Assured... Atkins’s gift for mimicking the late Robert B. Parker could lead to a long run, the the delight of Spenser devotees.” (Publishers Weekly)
“A well-conceived adventure that balances Spenser and friends’ experience with Akira’s innocence while drawing on Atkins’ own Auburn football days.” (Crimespree Magazine)
Great story!!
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Ace Atkins Keeps the torch held high
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It's okay
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If you could sum up Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot in three words, what would they be?
Interesting, witty, niceWhat other book might you compare Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot to and why?
I really can't make a comparison because this is Ace's first attempt.Which scene was your favorite?
Any scene with Hawk.If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
?Any additional comments?
I thought that after Robert B. Parker's death that was the end of Spenser. However, Ace Atkins has done a formidable job of carrying on the Spenser tradition. He has adequately gotten the nuances of Spenser's psyche and has accurately portrayed the supporting characters. I would suggest to continue with Joe Mantegna's narrating the series. He also gets the characters. I've listened to other narrators of the Spenser books and there is NO comparison to Joe M.I thought I had lost Spenser
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A nice way to pass the time
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John
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Loved this story
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Another story packed with Action and Emotion the way that only Spenser can bring it.
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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Sure, if you are a Spenser fan, well, here is a Spenser book.If you’ve listened to books by Ace Atkins before, how does this one compare?
Mr Atkins has done Spenser ok, his sense of humor, his quirky and yet still aloof and cool style. Most of the other regular characters seem to be missing. I suppose this is a good thing though, here is why: Let's start with Susan. Mr Parker was brilliant as penning her, smart, fun, and interesting, unusual and a quick match for Spenser. Susan is her own person and their relationship is unique. Unfortunately, Mr Atkins lacks the same skill and nuance to write Susan. General females are written a bit trite and more often than not he only describes their physical appearance than who they are, their qualities and interesting quirks. Whats more interesting, or sad, is that he does this well in describing any male character introduced or described.What about Joe Mantegna’s performance did you like?
Lovely as always. One of my favorite narrators.Female get voiced a bit too breathy and often sound like hair heads.
Do you think Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Always, cant say good by to Spenser, and never to Parker. I miss him very much.Love Spenser, even if Atkins hits only 70%
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Joe always does a great narration
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