Melancholy Baby

Rating:
Summary: Witty!!!
Review:

Robert B. Parker is a master at putting together the character, plot and dialogue combo.

His fourth Sunny Randall novel, "Melancholy Baby" is no exception. What's not to like?

Sunny is a dynamic, thirty-seven year old Boston PI from a law enforcement family. She has plenty of baggage and a dog that gets much too much attention...but is resourceful and is surrounded by a marvelously drawn, frequently eccentric supporting cast.

The dialogue is sizzling and witty---the chatter scintillates. The colloquy is magic, snappy, cadenced and crisp.

The characters sparkle, especially Eugene Corsetti, a NY cop. He is a classic---arrogant, astute and full of attitude. I hope he reappears in future Parker novels.

The solution to the puzzle is no shocker...but the journey is such a fun ride you are addicted all the way to the final page.


Rating:
Summary: A fast-moving tale tinged with, well... melancholy
Review: Another enjoyable Robert Parker thriller with an interesting twist: Susan Silverman, the lady love of Mr. Parker's other detective hero, Spenser, is featured here as protagonist Sunny Randall's new psychiatrist. The book isn't wildly entertaining, but so what? Both the mystery plot and the personal subplot- about Sunny attempting to deal with her ex-husband's recent re-marriage- are credible, interesting and compelling, and in the end further cement Mr. Parker's reputation for always delivering a reliably good read.

Rating:
Summary: Great Parker dialogue--too much psychology
Review: College student Sarah Markham suspects her parents are not her biological parents and that they've been hiding a secret from her. When they deny it, she hires private detective Sunny Randall to find out. Sunny doesn't like the parents much, Sunny has problems liking anybody. Still, since they claim to be Sarah's biological parents, it seems odd that they won't agree to submit to a simple DNA test that would verify their claims. When Sunny pushes, Sarah is beaten up in her dorm room and warned to stop the investigation. All of a sudden, a simple case of confirming biological parentage becomes something dangerous--maybe even deadly.

Relying on the help of assorted cops, ex-cops, super-tough gay bartenders, a mob-connected ex-husband, and super-psychologist Susan Silverman, Sunny tries to get to the bottom of the case, protect her client from another beating, and to deal with her own issues at the same time. And Sunny does have issues.

Author Robert B. Parker has a distinct style all his own. He tells his stories with a heavy dose of dialogue, keeping the reader moving quickly from page to page. Sunny Randall is much like Parker's other detectives--tough, witty, unwilling to back down, opinionated, and quick with a quip.

Although MELANCHOLY BABY is an enjoyable read, it lacks some of the emotional punch of the early Spenser novels. At one point, I found myself wondering if I'd read this book before (I hadn't, but it is strongly similar to some of Parker's other stories). Also, I found the psychology moments to be distractions rather than necessary to the story (and Sunny's belief that her ex-husband loves her more than his current wife is creepy). Every author has issues that he/she works through in his/her novels and Parker is no exception. The stories would be more enjoyable, though, if he used a bit less of a blunt object.

Bottom line--MELANCHOLY BABY is a quick enjoyable read. The mystery moves along and hangs together. Sunny Randall is an interesting character and Parker's dialogue is skillful--hardboiled detective at its best. Despite some reservations, I'm happy to recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: You Get What You Expect from Parker
Review: First and foremost, if you are a Parker fan you'll like this and if you aren't, you won't. It's that simple. Parker is what he is and he has perfected a formula that works for him. He writes mostly in dialogue, he has a set of recurring characters that pop up in different books regardless of whether the protagonist is Spenser, Randall, or Stone, and the mysteries his characters solve are not terribly difficult to figure out. You don't read a Parker novel for complex plot or deep characterizations.

Having said that, this is one of the better Parkers of late. It is certainly an improvement over the last Sunny Randall novel. The central mystery is intriguing and he has created some interesting characters. In particular, he adds some shading to what we know of Sunny and sends her to therapy, where her shrink just happens to be the estimable Susan Silverman. For a while, Parker has Sunny speculate on what kind of guy Susan is attracted to but he drops this after a while; it might have been fun if Sunny had crossed paths with Spenser even for a moment.

There is no real value added in recounting the plot; that's outlined elsewhere. The thing to keep in mind is that Parker here does what he does well - keeps a good story moving along and populates it with interesting people. If you're looking for depth, you won't find it here. But Parker has carved out a reliable niche in popular fiction and this is one of his better entries.

Rating:
Summary: Parker Fan
Review: Having read many of RBP's novels, I settled down with this one to continue feeding my mystery habit. I had rather hoped the plot would be more central to the novel than it turned out to be, but I do like Sunny and so enjoyed the story, nonetheless. Client Sarah's sad story was frightening and it does make one wonder if it is wise to know what is in one's family's past, though certainly the urge to know drives a person to find the answers. Is Sarah better off knowing? I'm not so sure. I was also pleased to see Dr. Susan Silverman appear in this novel on her own merits. I wonder, too, as another reviewer did, if Spenser and Sunny will eventually work on a case together.

Rating:
Summary: Sooooooo much better than SHRINK RAP
Review: Here's a Sunny Randall novel that Parker didn't just phone in. There is genuine character development here -- Sunny is wrestling with her attitude toward men and commitment, and as always with good Parker, the humanity of his main characters makes the plot more compelling. And this time, Parker makes Sunny a bit different than Spenser. (It was sloppy and difficult to accept -- and made me completely nuts -- in previous efforts when a woman 30 years Spenser's junior liked the same food, canine and music as he did.) The mystery this time around is superior to SHRING RAP, too. (Thank goodness!) It wrestles with an interesting point -- what happens when detectives (private or police dept.) know who the perpetrator is, but don't have the means to prove it. This dilema intrigued me enough that I didn't mind that I had solved the mystery long before the end of the book. And as a big Spenser fan, it was interesting to see the working facet of the sometimes annoying Susan Silverman. In all, this effort restored my faith in the Sunny series.

Rating:
Summary: Sunny Randall Stands on Her Own
Review: I have to admit I have not cared too much for Robert Parker's Sunny Randall novels because she seemed like a female version of Spenser. This offering is an exception and is the first of this series that I have enjoyed. Here Parker finally gives Sunny a personality and character of her own. I read a comment in a Washington Post Book Review of this novel that said Parker can tell you more about a character in a few sentences of dialogue than any other author. And that is certainly true here. This fast paced novel built on the clipped dialogue Parker is known for is masterful in characterization and storytelling.

Two stories run through this novel. Sunny's ex-husband Richie gets married which throws her into a pique of melancholy (thus the title) because she loves her ex-husband, but she finds she can't be married to him or live with him. As a result she sees a shrink - none other than our own Susan Silverman of Spenser fame. At the same time Sunny is on a very odd case. An obviously dysfunctional 19 year old, Sarah Markham, hires Sunny to find out who her real parents are. The catch is - her current parents insist she is their natural child. As Sunny starts digging into the matter nefarious characters assault Sarah and threaten Sunny so she'll drop the case.

Both story lines play themselves out side by side as we learn what really make Sunny tick. This is an excellent mystery novel as well as excellent in establishing Sunny as a character in her own right apart from the Spenser cannon that so many Parker fans will inevitably compare it to.

Parker fans should certainly enjoy this novel.


Rating:
Summary: Why can't I . . . be happy?
Review: Sunny's pretty neat. If you're reading her, quite possibly you have previously been immersed in Susan Silverman's boyfriend's story, old whats-his-name. I used to think that Sunny was just a cop turned detective and was about to emulate all of those virile manly charms on a female frame. I guess that means I ought to call 1-800-IMASEXISTINDENIAL or arrange for an appointment with Dr. Silverman.

In any event, Sunny's her own man . . . .errrr, person. In the early chapters we come face to face with her former husband, Ritchie, re-marrying and the crushing weight that falls on her heart. And like her self directed questioning, we want to know why should this be a problem? He was there for five years; he'll still be there. You weren't going to marry him then; you're not going to marry him now. Sure it hurts. Next.

Then we get to meet Sarah Markham, the criminal issue at the center of "Melancholy Baby," nearly as emotionally repulsive a character as Paul G. was in the early Parkers. Very subtle move Professor Parker. Deft. Cunning. Will Sarah show up again? Will she stop chain smoking for God's sake?

And in the search for psychic retribution for Sarah, we gain some insight into Sunny. We sense the courage it takes her to listen to the loving advice from Spike, a Hawk-like character from the other side of the Church, that she must seek psychological help, and she then returns to Dr. Copeland.

Dr. Copeland listens to her rant and rave and snivel, and then tells her . . . . he's retiring. He refers her to a Phd. in Cambridge (did you guys see this coming?) who is Dr. Silverman.

Again, kudos to Parker, because it gives Susan a depth we rarely see when she's just what's his name's girlfriend. Then she's on the same playing field as Belson, Hawk, Marcus, Hawk's plethora of women friends. Now she's a central figure and we learn from Sunny's admiration of her.

Anyhow, a very well written book. I suppose eventually the meeting between the two major Parker characters must take place. I hope not. Sunny is a certain style of person, he's different. When I've seen it done in the past, (Michael Connely) it hasn't necessarily been seamless.

The only thing I might have held back was Sunny's age. You never know how a character will take off. At some point it might be hard to imagine her fighting crime with a winsome smile and great legs at the age of 57. Nevertheless, a hard 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury

Rating:
Summary: A Good Parker Novel
Review: This is a Sunny Randall mystery by Robert Parker of Spenser fame. Proving that Boston is just a small town, several characters from Spenser's world appear, most notably Dr. Susan Silverman. You do not need to be a Spenser fan, however. If you are one, the familiar characters lends the warmth of old friends to this mystery.

Sunny Randall is an attractive blond thirty-something private eye hired by a snot of a girl to find her real parents - even though her parents says she wasn't adopted. At the same time, Randall is going through personal issues that lead her to consult Silverman in a professional capacity. Parker teases his old fans by never revealing anything about Silverman's life (except she owns a dog), despite coming tantalizingly close a few times.

The mystery is a good one, with twists and turns. It is apparent who the bad "guys" are early on; but just as Sunny knows who they are, there is a small thing known as proof to be found.

There is a warmth to this book not common in the PI genre. Sunny has family and friends in support/assistance roles that makes it seem truer to life than if she was a stand-alone do-it-all PI.

Like all of Parker's books, this moves along on dialogue, which is always realistic and good. The novel moves as fast as conversation.

This is a fun entertaining read. Highly recommended. It will not make you a better person except for the enjoyment it brings.



Rating:
Summary: Parker back in fine form!
Review: While Robert Parker's Spenser books went through a poor period a few years back, Parker maintained some sense of complexity and freshness with Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. Although Stone and Randall are, at their respective cores, variations on the Spenser character, their different personalities and circles of associates, allow Parker to look at similar issues through slightly different lenses. (Second tier regulars such as Quirk, Healy and Tony Randall tie the three series loosely together.)
This book, the latest in the Sunny Randall series, is one of Parker's recent best. However, (without revealing the plot) it is disappointingly predictable in the last few pages, when Parker could have broken into new emotional territory by changing just a few lines.