A polarizing and politically provocative podcast host. A bankrupt and shuttered hospital. And a white-hot debate over immigration and who does, and does not, qualify as a “real” American.
You don’t have to look far to find echoes of our own politics in “Showdown,” the 53rd outing for Spenser, Boston’s most famous (fictional) private investigator.
And that’s no surprise, given the professional pedigree of author Mike Lupica, a veteran newspaper columnist, who’s now on his third Spenser novel. The series was created by the legendary Robert B. Parker, who died in 2010, with author Ace Atkins taking up the mantle after that.
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The book returns readers to Spenser’s Boston, with series regulars Hawk, Susan Silverman, Rita Fiore and hard-nosed Boston cops Martin Quirk and Frank Belson, all playing their appointed roles.
There are the usual visits to Spenser’s favorite haunts in the Back Bay, and elsewhere with spots along Charles and Newbury streets featuring prominently.
As Lupica seeks to expand the Spenserverse, a new character, Cassius Moore, makes his debut — think of him as Spenser’s “Q.” There’s even a surprise cameo.
And this being a Spenser novel, there are plot twists, fisticuffs and witty banter aplenty.
Lupica took a few minutes to chat with MassLive about the book, our current media environment, and what it means to carry on the legacy of a much-loved franchise.
This conversation has been lightly edited for content and clarity.
Q: Talk about the genesis of this story. We’re in the age of podcasts, and figures such as Joe Rogan and others are ascendant. So it’s quite topical.
Lupica: I wanted to write a book about that kind of podcaster. The whole immigration thing, which, when I started the book, wasn’t nearly as full-blown and violent as it is now.
That was just a vehicle for me to get [the podcaster character]. Vic Hale exposed as a public hypocrite. OK. And, you know, there’s one thing that [author and collaborator James] Patterson always talks about with me when we’re working on our books.
And one of them is the stakes. So I wanted the stakes to be tremendous for Vic Hale. I mean, it’s extremely interesting to me that the only reader reviews, [people] who don’t like this book, are people who want to be on the frontlines of this story with Vic Hale.
They’re reviewing, you know, what they think are the politics of it. But Spenser doesn’t really get into the politics of it. He just, as always, he just wants to right wrongs, to find out who did it and find out how we could go there and how he can make it better.
And Vic Hale is a bully. And one of the things, you know, without spoiling it for anybody hasn’t read it yet, is that, you know, bullies often get theirs in the end.
Q: Was Vic Hale based on anyone in particular?
A: I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve met a lot of Vic Hales in newspapers, in podcasting and in television. All you have to do is turn on your TV in America and you can find a series of Vic Hales. He’s not Rogan. He’s not Tucker Carlson. He’s not Sean Hannity. He’s everybody. And he was a really fun character to write.
Q: The debate over immigration in the book hit home. We’ve had ICE raids in Revere and Chelsea and other places. We’ve had the migrant crisis in Massachusetts, and that’s been front and center for state residents for more than two years.
A: There was a gardener who did some work for us in Florida, a sweet, kind gentleman, whose two children were born in this country. And he was just living his life. He got grabbed about a month ago. It’s despicable. He’s not here anymore.
And again, when I started this [book], this whole thing, you know, the people riding around with masks on, and you know, due process goes out the window. It wasn’t nearly like this when I started this book.
Q: You have a [fictional] shuttered hospital, Stuart Health, in the book. We had the Steward bankruptcy in Massachusetts, and that kind of leaps out.
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A: I needed a hospital that was no longer there. If you’ve read the book, you can see that I needed a hospital that was no longer there. I had to create some mischief in that setting. There are a lot of good settings in this book.
Q: What’s been the biggest joy — and the biggest responsibility — of being the steward of Parker’s legacy?
A: I have had Bob Parker’s voice and these characters in my head and in my imagination since I was in college. And I was lucky enough to get to know him. So I consider writing Spenser to be no different than being the caretaker of a public trust.
And what has been tremendously satisfying to me is how these books have been embraced by, certainly, the most passionate Bob Parker fans, and even the ones who consider themselves to be casual fans.
