Rating: 
Summary: Wasn't disappointed because this read like a Spenser book!
Review: Well, I have been mad all summer because all of my tried and true authors and their characters have been very disappointing, but somehow as predictable as this book was (Where is Paul now that he is grown up anyway?)I still enjoyed it. Maybe because plot has never been as important as character in any of Parker's books, and I liked all of these new characters....including Rosie with her "watermelon eyes". It would be nice if the next one did have a more original plot line but I hope this series has a long life, because no matter what Robert B. Parker is one heck of a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Same Ol' Parker
Review: Yes, Sunny Randall is Spenser in a dress. But, it's not so much that the characters are the same, or that the plot is the same (which they are) it's that the /writing/ is the same. And we love that writing. The same witty dialogue. That same quick read. Those same kind of characters -- interesting, witty, and always sharp dressers. You can always tell who is a bad guy in Parker's novels -- they're the ones that dress badly. Richie and Spike (two of the men in Sunny's life) are worth the price of admission. If you are a Parker junkie (like me) buy it now. Otherwise, wait for it to come out in paperback or wait for the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining,but been there before
Review: I enjoyed reading this Parker almost as much as I did the first time I read it-with Spenser as the detective! A pleasant time passer but can't we have something equal to Rachel Wallace again?
Rating:
Summary: Good Read for the Serious Fan
Review: Family Honour is a good read for the devoted Spenser fan. It is in fact several Spenser books rolled into one. Fans will recall how Spenser saved Paul by building a cabin in Maine. They will also recall that Spenser saved a run-away in Ceremony. Roll those two up and you have a good part of Family Honour. The plot is predicatable, although the development of a new, if similar character, is welcome. This book really is for the devoted fan. Regardless it is a good read. The fact that the book was writen with Helen Hunt in mind to play the lead in an upcoming movie is encouraging. Most of the Spenser movies and the Spenser television series did not do justice to the characters (with the exception of Avery Brooks as Hawk, who Parker noted was type cast).
Rating:
Summary: Old story, maybe, but a neat new twist
Review: It is absolutely true that "Family Honor" recycles plot & other elements from Parker's previous work... hey, it's HIS previous work, & he can use it any way he wants, right? Sunny is a character perfectly capable of standing on her own, any comparison with Spenser aside. Her life is far from perfect and her ethics convenient enough to accomodate the unpleasant people she is dealing with, but her confusion and compromises ring very true to me and probably to many other women in my age group. Hard to believe she's written by a man. I sat in the library and read "Family Honor" cover-to-cover and enjoyed every minute of it. Sunny is likeable, honorable and very human, the plot is, as ever, fascinating, and as a Bull Terrier breeder and owner, I can tell you that Rosie is a masterpiece of true representation. I have this Mini Bull named Archie who is dying to meet her. If I'm looking for a complete escape, I can always count on Parker to take me right into another world for a good two hours, and be sure that I'll totally enjoy the trip.
Rating:
Summary: Not as comfortable as Spenser
Review: Parker's new detective, Sonny Randall, is a Boston Private Eye of the female persuasion. Her cryptic responses and abrasive manner do not amuse as would the same comments from Spenser or Hawk. Cohorts Spike and Richie are great new characters, but Sonny's enchantment with the adolescent runaway is unfathomable. The flattened affect and apathy generated by this juvenile would alienate a lesser being. Parental abuses and undoing are too contrived.. All in all, this is not as comfortable a read as Parker's customary endeavors. Furthermore, Rosie is no Pearl the Wonder Dog.
Rating:
Summary: Where is Karen Kijewski when you need her???
Review: Sunny is no Kat Colorado! I devour all of the Parker "Spenser" novels, delighting in his alliance with Hawk. The dialogue of those books is peerless, especially the repartee between those two. Sadly, Spike just does not cut it for me. Oh well. The theme of 'detective helps troubled teen' is getting a bit old as Parker has used this before and not much new is apparent. Maybe next time. (Karen K.-WHERE ARE YOU??}
Rating:
Summary: spencer in a dress, same lines, same easy reading
Review: Finished the book in less than 5 hours. Might as well be reading about spenser (spencer) sic, with hawk and Susan. Always good easy reading, a real no-brainer.
Rating:
Summary: A Qualified Hooray ...
Review: After being disappointed by Sue Grafton since the letter "F," it's great to have a new, savvy, wisecracking, female private eye on the scene. I devoured this book in one sitting. However, when Sunny Randall encores, I'm hoping Parker will be kind enough to grant us a plot line he hasn't used (and, re-used) in his past offerings. Summary: typical Parker: a quick read; fun and mildly humorous; character (rather than plot) driven; if you've read one, you've read them all.
Rating: 
Summary: Robert Parker rips off himself!
Review: I did'nt have great expectations for this book-after all Robert Parker as a writer has been coasting for years. His Spencer novels, while sometimes enjoyable, are so formulaic and predictable that they represent nothing more than the author's laziness and dearth of ideas. So, even though my expections were low, I was still amazed at the shoddiness of this book. It reads like it's nothing more than a obvious attempt to cash in on the female slueth segment of the market. All the parts are there; the character traits and habits that are supposed to make the heroine a unique and interesting person, the 1st person dialogue, the flip comments, the terse dialogue. Parker has done it before and with more style and craft. It is also rather insulting (and a sign of the author's lack of imagination) to realize that the major elements of the plot have been lifted from one of Parker's earlier Spenser novels (longtime fans will recognize it immediately). I've read Robert Parker since the early 1980's and I miss the wit and drive of his earlier books. The last several years seem to be ones of repitition and sameness with the only motivation being monetary. I frankly wish Parker would retire from writing genre fiction and not further sully the earlier better work he has done.
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