Family Honor

Rating:
Summary: pretty standard parker fare(which means excellent! )
Review: Just wanted to add my 2cents to all the other reviews of this book.Yes,the plot was a little familiar,but so what?When the writer is as good as Robert Parker,you just don't mind.It was interesting to read what was basically a "spencer"story with a female protaganist.I read this story in just 2 days(and I had to keep putting it aside to make it last that long)in other words,it's a fast read!My only problem was that once I found out that the character of Sunny was written for Helen Hunt,I kept picturing her in my mind as I read the book!Oh well,it didn't ruin the story any.I look forward to reading more of Sunny's adventures.(maybe she'll hook up with Spencer someday,and he can dump Susan!)

Rating:
Summary: Great Start-Weak Finish
Review: I read everything Parker writes and was delighted with his new protagonist Sunny Randall. Unlike Grafton and Evanovich who have created likable but semi competent characters, Sunny is as tough as Spenser himself. Now the ending is better than some other good books like "The Firm", for example, but the Mafia sequence at the end was not convincing and why in the world did Parker want to save a totally miserable charachter like Betty Patton?

Rating:
Summary: Everything new is old again
Review: OK, I didn't want to enjoy this book. Though I am a long time fan of Parker's Spencer series, I have even gotten tired of it lately. At least this book has the advantage of saving us from more Susan Silverman cuteness. But, despite my preconceptions, I found myself falling under the spell of the familiar dialoge patterns and thinly disguised author's attitudes, and did, indeed, enjoy this gender bender version of a typical 'Spencer' story. Nothing inventive or new, but the old stuff is still entertaining enough for a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A Not Bad First Outing for PI Sunny Randall
Review: As a long time fan of Parker's Spenser novels I was curious to see how he would handle writing with the voice of a female protagonist. I found this book to be quite entertaining with the trademark Parker dialogue which always make his books such an easy read. Let's face it, Parker's books are wonderful brain candy not The Name of the Rose or The Celestine Prophecy and I'm about to commit heresy on Amazon by saying I was hesitant to buy this book in hardcover so I got it out of the library. I think Parker books are always best savored in paper back because you're talking about a mere 2-3 day commitment. I think we're in the Getting to Know Sunny Randall stage of the game in terms of this character as well as her sidekicks. I'm hoping that Parker has plans to flesh out these characters in subsequent outings. I thought Parker scored with Sunny's dilemmas over whether or not to ask for male assistance in some of her confrontations. I thought that a very realistic touch but are we going to be treated to Felicity-like agonizing over Richie vs. Brian vs. God Knows Who in the next book? With a so-so movie you wait for the video, with a so-so book you wait for the paperback. Wait for the paperback or visit your library on this one but once you get it in your hands sit back and escape, you'll enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Who cares if the new P.I. is a female Spenser?
Review: Or that the storyline sounds familiar? Dialogue just doesn't get much better than Robert Parker's. I'd get his books just to see what his dedication to Joan will be.

Rating:
Summary: Can Spenser Fly As A Woman?
Review: Robert Parker has done something that no mystery writer has ever done before, to my knowledge: He has turned his hero into a heroine. Sunny is clearly Spenser and vice versa. You can change the characters, but you cannot change the authors. For those who are enjoying the powerful trend toward female detectives, this is particularly interesting because it sheds light on perceptions about women. How would a woman go about accomplishing what a man would in a violent, tough world? I found the contrast to be interesting and stimulating. On the other hand, I am not sure I want to read two series about Spenser. More troubling is that Parker has Sunny rely on her mob connections through her ex-husband a lot. It seemed to me that he crossed an ethical line along the way that was unnecessary, and sets a bad example. Parker seems to suggest that the female Spenser can only make it if men help a lot, including the most corrupt men on the planet. Frankly, that is offensive to me. After all, much detection these days can use modern methods to search out answers, such as computer-based research. Why not create a real female detective for his next book? I think it would sell better and be more rewarding for readers like me. I also thought the plot was a little thin for Parker. At one point he assumes that the mob has gone so public that you can look them up like anyone else to find out exactly what they are doing. I doubt if that is, has been, or ever will be the case. Read this one for curiosity value if you are a Spenser fan, not because it is a mystery you would have otherwise picked up.

Rating:
Summary: if a first attempt, might not get published
Review: wordy and boring. This book reworks older, better Parker themes. Sunny is neither believable nor interesting. For once the prose drags and the dialog never achieves clever repartee. In an interview Parker said he wrote this book because of "greed" and "Greed" would probably have been a better title.

Rating:
Summary: New protagonist outwits hit men to save teenage child.
Review: Parker's new protagonist, Sunny Randall, takes on a wealthy client couple looking for their runaway 15 year old daughter Millicent. Upon finding her, Sunny decides to find out the reason why the daughter ran away before returning her to her parents. This leads Sunny through attempts on her life and that of Millicent, and into eventually deciding the legal issues of who will face trial for their crimes and who will not. Although this veers us away from reality, Sunny is a wonderful character on a plain with Kinsey Milhone, V.I. Warshawski, and Kay Scarpetta. A very good read: love the dog Rosie, the gay tough friend Spike, and the everpresent "x" Richey. Can't wait to see it in the movies.

Rating:
Summary: Formulaic and uninspired.
Review: I was disappointed in Family Honor. Yes it reads like a Spenser novel, is kind of a fun read if you're a Spenser fan (which I am), but here Parker takes out his Spencer cookie cutter and plops out a rather uninspired story. Nothing new here. If you like Parker -- his best novel is Love and Glory, which isn't a Spenser novel, but an excellent story.

Rating:
Summary: All the essential charm, wit and grit--Parker delivers!
Review: Parker delivers a story with all the charm, wit, and grit one expects from his writing. It's not a Spencer novel but you'll forget all about that once you "get to know" Sunny, Richie, Spike, and Rosie. No one writes a mystery that's as much fun and exciting to read as Robert B. Parker!