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Sunny Randall #1
Family Honor
A blazingly original novel from the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, featuring a sharp, tough, sexy new P.I., Sunny Randall.
Sunny Randall is a Boston P.I. and former cop, a college graduate, an aspiring painter, a divorcée, and the owner of a miniature bull terrier named Rosie. Hired by a wealthy family to locate their teenage daughter, Sunny is tested by the parents’ preconceived notion of what a detective should be. With the help of underworld contacts she tracks down the runaway Millicent, who has turned to prostitution, rescues her from a vicious pimp, and finds herself, at thirty-four, the unlikely custodian of a difficult teenager when the girl refuses to return to her family.
But Millicent’s problems are rooted in much larger crimes than running away, and Sunny, now playing the role of bodyguard, is caught in a shooting war with some very serious mobsters. She turns for help to her ex-husband, Richie, himself the son of a mob family, and to her dearest friend, Spike, a flamboyant and dangerous gay man. Heading this unlikely alliance, Sunny must solve at least one murder, resolve a criminal conspiracy that reaches to the top of state government, and bring Millicent back into functional young womanhood.
Sunny Randall is a Boston P.I. and former cop, a college graduate, an aspiring painter, a divorcée, and the owner of a miniature bull terrier named Rosie. Hired by a wealthy family to locate their teenage daughter, Sunny is tested by the parents’ preconceived notion of what a detective should be. With the help of underworld contacts she tracks down the runaway Millicent, who has turned to prostitution, rescues her from a vicious pimp, and finds herself, at thirty-four, the unlikely custodian of a difficult teenager when the girl refuses to return to her family.
But Millicent’s problems are rooted in much larger crimes than running away, and Sunny, now playing the role of bodyguard, is caught in a shooting war with some very serious mobsters. She turns for help to her ex-husband, Richie, himself the son of a mob family, and to her dearest friend, Spike, a flamboyant and dangerous gay man. Heading this unlikely alliance, Sunny must solve at least one murder, resolve a criminal conspiracy that reaches to the top of state government, and bring Millicent back into functional young womanhood.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 1999
779 people are currently reading
1949 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
489 books2,296 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 385 reviews
May 19, 2020
This first Sunny Randall adventure seems familiar, and no wonder: Robert Parker decided to kick off his woman private eye series with a female version of his Spenser classic Early Autumn. Sunny is hired to locate teenage runaway Milly, daughter of a wealthy family. She finds the girl with relative ease, but this is only the beginning of her troubles. Milly, totally ignored by her self-absorbed parents, lacks the knowledge, skills and enthusiasms she needs to find her way in the world. And that’s not all: Milly confesses to having overheard a conversation she wasn’t supposed to hear, and now the bad guys (whoever they may be) are trying to kill her.
Detective Sunny has acquired the kind of ad hoc family a solo private detective needs to survive: honest ex-husband Richie, scion of the Irish mob; gay waiter/karate expert Spike; child psychologist and ditzy mother Julie; sympathetic police detective Brian; and a miniature bull terrier named Rosie.
Unlike longtime detective and ex-boxer Spenser, Sunny, still learning her trade, is unable to rely on physical intimidation to survey. But she possesses other skills—and other charms—and I a, looking forward to watching her make her way in this enjoyable series of novels.
December 30, 2024
Robert B. Parker originally created the Sunny Randall series as a vehicle for actress Helen Hunt, who was a friend and a Spenser fan. The plan was to make a movie, but that never came to fruition. Instead we have a series that features an independent female private eye, one that brings in characters from the Spenser series, and ultimately got absorbed into the Jesse Stone series, before being revived as a stand alone after Parker's death.
Sunny is the daughter of a cop and the ex-wife of the son of the head of an Irish Mob family. Her familial affiliations are fertile soil for plots, and this first book in the series gives a hint of texture and complications. Sunny is hired by a wealthy couple to find their runaway daughter Millicent. A runaway teenager, with limited survival skills and no money isn't going to get too far, and it isn't long before Sunny is asking her organized crime connections for help - the expectation is that Millicent is on the street, working as a prostitute. She finds her, stands down the protective pimp and takes her to Sunny's home. But the next challenge is to determine who's trying to kill Millicent and why, leading back to the original question of why she ran away. It's a good mystery mixed in with Sunny's attempts to motivate Millicent to do more with herself and take an interest in the good things in life - art, good food, reading, working out (shades of Spenser's experience with the teenage Paul in Early Autumn).
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good novel, although sometimes the Spenser echoes could be deafening. In some ways, Sunny is a female Spenser, but of course, a lesser version, because Spenser's way of living is really quite masculine - he has the kind of independence and freedom that he has because he's strong enough to stop anyone from trying to take it away from him. Sunny still needs to depend on male back up in this novel (Spenser needed back up too, but he also did a lot of the physical fighting, which really Sunny can't do, at least not as Parker has imagined her).
And because this is later period Parker, well after both of his sons came out, there is a standard issue gay male, Spike, who is Sunny's good friend. I think it's lovely that Parker made an effort to create positive gay male characters, partly in honour of sons, but I also think there is a lot of sameness to them - Spike is not much different from Tedy Sapp from the Spenser series.
I don't know if I imagined it, but I thought I could hear Helen Hunt's voice and way of speaking throughout - made me wish that there had been a film, that Hunt brought this strong female character to life (at least in the movies).
Sunny is the daughter of a cop and the ex-wife of the son of the head of an Irish Mob family. Her familial affiliations are fertile soil for plots, and this first book in the series gives a hint of texture and complications. Sunny is hired by a wealthy couple to find their runaway daughter Millicent. A runaway teenager, with limited survival skills and no money isn't going to get too far, and it isn't long before Sunny is asking her organized crime connections for help - the expectation is that Millicent is on the street, working as a prostitute. She finds her, stands down the protective pimp and takes her to Sunny's home. But the next challenge is to determine who's trying to kill Millicent and why, leading back to the original question of why she ran away. It's a good mystery mixed in with Sunny's attempts to motivate Millicent to do more with herself and take an interest in the good things in life - art, good food, reading, working out (shades of Spenser's experience with the teenage Paul in Early Autumn).
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good novel, although sometimes the Spenser echoes could be deafening. In some ways, Sunny is a female Spenser, but of course, a lesser version, because Spenser's way of living is really quite masculine - he has the kind of independence and freedom that he has because he's strong enough to stop anyone from trying to take it away from him. Sunny still needs to depend on male back up in this novel (Spenser needed back up too, but he also did a lot of the physical fighting, which really Sunny can't do, at least not as Parker has imagined her).
And because this is later period Parker, well after both of his sons came out, there is a standard issue gay male, Spike, who is Sunny's good friend. I think it's lovely that Parker made an effort to create positive gay male characters, partly in honour of sons, but I also think there is a lot of sameness to them - Spike is not much different from Tedy Sapp from the Spenser series.
I don't know if I imagined it, but I thought I could hear Helen Hunt's voice and way of speaking throughout - made me wish that there had been a film, that Hunt brought this strong female character to life (at least in the movies).
June 27, 2024
Приятна кримка, развита по стандартен за Паркър шаблон - идеално лятно или съботно-неделно развлечение!
Чете се бързо и увлича. Този път за разнообразие, за главен герой е избрана коравата блондинка Съни Рандал - цапнат в устата частен детектив.
Двойка преситени от живота богаташи я наемат да издири и върне избягалата им малолетна дъщеря.
Но дали всичко е толкова ясно, както изглежда на пръв поглед?
P.S. Паркър обожава кучетата, както си му е редът. ;)
Чете се бързо и увлича. Този път за разнообразие, за главен герой е избрана коравата блондинка Съни Рандал - цапнат в устата частен детектив.
Двойка преситени от живота богаташи я наемат да издири и върне избягалата им малолетна дъщеря.
Но дали всичко е толкова ясно, както изглежда на пръв поглед?
P.S. Паркър обожава кучетата, както си му е редът. ;)
November 17, 2025
Great character. Good story about a former female cop now PI helping a teenager in deep trouble. No 1 in a series.
September 14, 2021
PI Sunny Randall is employed to find a missing girl.
Sunny Randall was a late series of books by Parker. I enjoyed two of the later ones (No.2 – ‘Perish Twice’ and No.6 – ‘Spare Change’), but this first is easily the poorest book by the author that I’ve read. Did this series improve, or have I been over generous? Reading this, none of these characters remotely come across as believable. As for the book, it starts well but peters out midway with the arrival of the mob.
I’m sorry to say this because I’m a Parker fan, but this feels like a soppy, sentimental book by an aging author trying to widen his readership and appear relevant to a modern audience. Hence, we have a female lead. But she doesn’t seem to do anything with regards to investigating. Her inconsistent character changes with whatever the scene requires, so she’s nervy and learning the ropes one minute, whilst the next she’s spitting out tough talk with the hardest of them, then later, she’s relying on men again for protection. But worst of all, she doesn’t remotely speak or act like a young woman. She even bemoans the fact that Neil Diamond is no longer to be found on the radio at one point. She speaks with the views and voice of the aging Parker. She pontificates on anything and everything in the manner of an old man to a grandchild [‘Now lishen to me, young Highlander’] – from art, to love, to dogs [Ugh, more on that later]. Then we have her gay friend, Spike, who (perhaps conveniently for the writer) doesn’t seem to have any gay friends at all, hence he feels the necessity to keep reminding us and everyone he meets.
Now the dog, Rosie. One of my favourite writers is Robert Nathan. I state this to plead a case for being more sentimental than most – he was not beyond the inclusion of talking animals in his novels for goodness sake. But here, in a hardboiled PI novel? Come on. How the hell a private eye who lives alone, spending half their time tailing characters is supposed to look after a dog is beyond me (yes, she has weekend help from amicable ex-husband, Richie, but come on). I think we’re supposed to cheer along with Sunny Randall as she puts some seemingly unloving dog-person down with quips here and there, but sometimes I’m with the supposed unloving dog-person – particularly when one person enquires whether dogs are allowed in a restaurant. I like dogs, honest, but if I’m eating in a place where I’ve paid good money to savour the tastes on offer, I don’t want my aromas diffused with smelly wet dog. The sentimental dogginess that pervades almost every other page in a book of this genre is more cloying than any book that I ever read as a child. I was ashamed of my thoughts at stages. I hoped at times the mob would grab the cutesy bag of vomit and float it out into the bay on a concrete submarine. Little Rosie belongs in an old Disney film. Had Parker lived, it would have been his next series – ‘Rosie Solves.’
Anyway, ‘How many stars for the book, Rosie?’
‘Woof! Woof!’
Sunny Randall was a late series of books by Parker. I enjoyed two of the later ones (No.2 – ‘Perish Twice’ and No.6 – ‘Spare Change’), but this first is easily the poorest book by the author that I’ve read. Did this series improve, or have I been over generous? Reading this, none of these characters remotely come across as believable. As for the book, it starts well but peters out midway with the arrival of the mob.
I’m sorry to say this because I’m a Parker fan, but this feels like a soppy, sentimental book by an aging author trying to widen his readership and appear relevant to a modern audience. Hence, we have a female lead. But she doesn’t seem to do anything with regards to investigating. Her inconsistent character changes with whatever the scene requires, so she’s nervy and learning the ropes one minute, whilst the next she’s spitting out tough talk with the hardest of them, then later, she’s relying on men again for protection. But worst of all, she doesn’t remotely speak or act like a young woman. She even bemoans the fact that Neil Diamond is no longer to be found on the radio at one point. She speaks with the views and voice of the aging Parker. She pontificates on anything and everything in the manner of an old man to a grandchild [‘Now lishen to me, young Highlander’] – from art, to love, to dogs [Ugh, more on that later]. Then we have her gay friend, Spike, who (perhaps conveniently for the writer) doesn’t seem to have any gay friends at all, hence he feels the necessity to keep reminding us and everyone he meets.
Now the dog, Rosie. One of my favourite writers is Robert Nathan. I state this to plead a case for being more sentimental than most – he was not beyond the inclusion of talking animals in his novels for goodness sake. But here, in a hardboiled PI novel? Come on. How the hell a private eye who lives alone, spending half their time tailing characters is supposed to look after a dog is beyond me (yes, she has weekend help from amicable ex-husband, Richie, but come on). I think we’re supposed to cheer along with Sunny Randall as she puts some seemingly unloving dog-person down with quips here and there, but sometimes I’m with the supposed unloving dog-person – particularly when one person enquires whether dogs are allowed in a restaurant. I like dogs, honest, but if I’m eating in a place where I’ve paid good money to savour the tastes on offer, I don’t want my aromas diffused with smelly wet dog. The sentimental dogginess that pervades almost every other page in a book of this genre is more cloying than any book that I ever read as a child. I was ashamed of my thoughts at stages. I hoped at times the mob would grab the cutesy bag of vomit and float it out into the bay on a concrete submarine. Little Rosie belongs in an old Disney film. Had Parker lived, it would have been his next series – ‘Rosie Solves.’
Anyway, ‘How many stars for the book, Rosie?’
‘Woof! Woof!’
June 10, 2013
Imagine that you are losing your eyesight. You know that you can read only a limited number of books before things become too blurry to distinguish one word from another. Would you alter the criteria you have in selecting books to read? Probably. Would you give up on a book sooner if it didn't lure you in in the first couple of dozen pages? You bet you would.
In fact, that was the situation I found myself in when I picked up Robert Parker’s Family Honor. I had never read a Parker book before. I had never even watched an episode of Spenser on TV. But I had become a recent fan of the screen adaptations of his Jesse Stone books. I liked the honesty of the character, the spare dialogue that is also found in Larry McMurtry’s best novels), and the situation that Parker had set up for his adventures. So when I found out that Parker had written a third series of mystery novels—one featuring a female detective—I was intrigued enough to buy the first one. The problem was, was it good enough to spend on it some of the remaining time I still have to read? It turned out that the answer was yes.
Sunny Randall, the protagonist of Family Honor, is very much a Jesse Stone-type character, yet she is unarguably female—not just some guy’s fantasy of what a woman should look, talk, and feel like. The Prologue, a chapter that set the table for the story’s beginning, was a trial, not just because it was clumsy, but because it was in italics, which does not agree with my eyes. I almost put it down then, but I’m glad I didn't. Once the story started, I was hooked; and the farther I got into it, the better the book became.
As I mentioned before, it is written very much in the tone of the Jesse Stone stories, and as such, it is very honest. In fact, Sunny is fascinated by the concept of honesty, especially when she rescues a runaway teenager from the streets of Boston and tries to keep her safe from all kinds of mayhem. How honest can she be with the girl when the girl’s parents may be involved in illegal activities? The question becomes personal as she ponders some of the decisions she has recently made in her own life: why she chose to become a PI? Why she can’t give up her dream of becoming a painter? Why she has divorced a man that she loves?
These questions are at the heart of the book, but even after 30-plus novels, Parker managed to come up with a unique character in an unusual setting. Yet what surprised me most about this book was the wisdom I found there. Sunny’s feelings, thoughts, and the advice she doles out to her teen-aged charge. Her way of handling things. The fact that Parker was able to call up this level of ability and interest after so many other books is a testament to him, and I take off my hat to his memory.
Will I begin to read his Spenser novels now? No. Nor will I revisit the Jesse Stone novels in their print form. But if the second book in the Sunny Randall series comes my way, I may just devote a little of remaining reading time to it. I can always get Moby Dick on tape, right?
As usual, having five stars to use as rating quantifiers is inadequate. Four stars is too much, but I am forced to round up from a very satisfying 3.7.
UPDATE 6/8/2013. I have now read the other five books in the Sunny Randall series. Although Parker keeps the action and the fun going through the second novel, he adds nothing new, and the Sunny Randall we get is somehow less than the Sunny Randall we thought we knew. The remaining books are simply a rehash of Sunny wanting to be with Richie, pages and pages of dog antics, and an incredible amount of drinking. There is action too, of course, but Sunny's wisdom seems to disappear after the first book. I was also taken aback when Parker simply drops one of the most interesting characters from the first book, a young woman who Sunny rescues from the street and sort of semi-adopts. Never mentioned again. Well, sometimes as writers we get over our heads. Still, I would give Sunny Randall #2 3 stars. The rest would get less.
In fact, that was the situation I found myself in when I picked up Robert Parker’s Family Honor. I had never read a Parker book before. I had never even watched an episode of Spenser on TV. But I had become a recent fan of the screen adaptations of his Jesse Stone books. I liked the honesty of the character, the spare dialogue that is also found in Larry McMurtry’s best novels), and the situation that Parker had set up for his adventures. So when I found out that Parker had written a third series of mystery novels—one featuring a female detective—I was intrigued enough to buy the first one. The problem was, was it good enough to spend on it some of the remaining time I still have to read? It turned out that the answer was yes.
Sunny Randall, the protagonist of Family Honor, is very much a Jesse Stone-type character, yet she is unarguably female—not just some guy’s fantasy of what a woman should look, talk, and feel like. The Prologue, a chapter that set the table for the story’s beginning, was a trial, not just because it was clumsy, but because it was in italics, which does not agree with my eyes. I almost put it down then, but I’m glad I didn't. Once the story started, I was hooked; and the farther I got into it, the better the book became.
As I mentioned before, it is written very much in the tone of the Jesse Stone stories, and as such, it is very honest. In fact, Sunny is fascinated by the concept of honesty, especially when she rescues a runaway teenager from the streets of Boston and tries to keep her safe from all kinds of mayhem. How honest can she be with the girl when the girl’s parents may be involved in illegal activities? The question becomes personal as she ponders some of the decisions she has recently made in her own life: why she chose to become a PI? Why she can’t give up her dream of becoming a painter? Why she has divorced a man that she loves?
These questions are at the heart of the book, but even after 30-plus novels, Parker managed to come up with a unique character in an unusual setting. Yet what surprised me most about this book was the wisdom I found there. Sunny’s feelings, thoughts, and the advice she doles out to her teen-aged charge. Her way of handling things. The fact that Parker was able to call up this level of ability and interest after so many other books is a testament to him, and I take off my hat to his memory.
Will I begin to read his Spenser novels now? No. Nor will I revisit the Jesse Stone novels in their print form. But if the second book in the Sunny Randall series comes my way, I may just devote a little of remaining reading time to it. I can always get Moby Dick on tape, right?
As usual, having five stars to use as rating quantifiers is inadequate. Four stars is too much, but I am forced to round up from a very satisfying 3.7.
UPDATE 6/8/2013. I have now read the other five books in the Sunny Randall series. Although Parker keeps the action and the fun going through the second novel, he adds nothing new, and the Sunny Randall we get is somehow less than the Sunny Randall we thought we knew. The remaining books are simply a rehash of Sunny wanting to be with Richie, pages and pages of dog antics, and an incredible amount of drinking. There is action too, of course, but Sunny's wisdom seems to disappear after the first book. I was also taken aback when Parker simply drops one of the most interesting characters from the first book, a young woman who Sunny rescues from the street and sort of semi-adopts. Never mentioned again. Well, sometimes as writers we get over our heads. Still, I would give Sunny Randall #2 3 stars. The rest would get less.
October 7, 2018
This is the first on in the Sunny Randall series. It's Parker at his best! He gone, but it go on!!
August 7, 2020
Робърт Паркър е един от най-любимите ми криминални автори, сладкодумник със страхотен усет към добрите диалози. Уви, първата книга от серията за Съни Рандъл се оказа прекалено лигава за вкуса ми, при все че притежаваше гореспоменатите достойнства ;)
June 1, 2010
Robert Parker has an interesting style that carries through to all of his books. First, his chapters are short and each chapters changes the scene slightly. I despise an author who ends a chapter in the middle of a dialogue and begins a new chapter to complete the dialogue. Parker's style invites the reader to just read another chapter. Second, his novels are formulaic in that they rely on threat and bluster to carry the story. Though this works GREAT in his western novels (Appalosa, for example) it didn't work quite so well with his female Private Investigator character Sunny Randall. (Sunny being short of for Sonya).
I guess what bothers me is that Sunny never does any real detective work. She seems to rely on her connections to do all the work for her. Her ex-husband (with mob ties) helps her deal with mobsters and find information on mob type characters. Her cop friends (both personal and of her father) trip over backwards to provide her with information. She runs around like a chicken with her head cut off asking questions and people just seem to answer.
Parker seeds the central character with some interesting details. She has an ugly dog that is often the center of the story for a few moments. She has the mob connections. She has a slightly strained relationship with her mother. She is attending school to obtain a master of fine arts degree. She paints.
Having read several of Parker's novels (Jesse Stone, and Spenser for Hire) before, I wonder at times why Parker's stories (at least those I've read) always SEEM to include folks having sex in front of cameras and that playing an important part in the mysterious goings on.
While the novel reaches an adequate level of enjoyability, Sunny Randall is not Marlowe. Her private eye skills are adequate, but I'm certainly not going to run to the library to be checking these out. Maybe if I spot one at a bargain sale, like where I picked this one up.
I guess what bothers me is that Sunny never does any real detective work. She seems to rely on her connections to do all the work for her. Her ex-husband (with mob ties) helps her deal with mobsters and find information on mob type characters. Her cop friends (both personal and of her father) trip over backwards to provide her with information. She runs around like a chicken with her head cut off asking questions and people just seem to answer.
Parker seeds the central character with some interesting details. She has an ugly dog that is often the center of the story for a few moments. She has the mob connections. She has a slightly strained relationship with her mother. She is attending school to obtain a master of fine arts degree. She paints.
Having read several of Parker's novels (Jesse Stone, and Spenser for Hire) before, I wonder at times why Parker's stories (at least those I've read) always SEEM to include folks having sex in front of cameras and that playing an important part in the mysterious goings on.
While the novel reaches an adequate level of enjoyability, Sunny Randall is not Marlowe. Her private eye skills are adequate, but I'm certainly not going to run to the library to be checking these out. Maybe if I spot one at a bargain sale, like where I picked this one up.
October 25, 2016
What a breath of fresh air, meet Sunny Randall, a former police officer and now private investigator in Boston. She is also a painter, with some works actually sold. Now that's pretty impressive. Sunny is divorced from Ritchie, a man with questionable lineage, lots of relatives but not the kind that would be comfortable with a police officer in the family. She has her challenges with her family as well, no matter what she does, her mother is seems to be deeply disappointed.
Sunny's hired to track down a runaway, 15 year old Millicent has disappeared from a very well-to-do home and even though her parents don't seem to know or care much about her, they want her back. Where to start? On the street, where else? Using her former relatives, Sunny sends out a net to locate the young woman. She finds her working the street and rescues her from her pimp, with serious consequences to him. Sunny is an incredibly feisty and lucky young woman. But Millicent won't go home, she's uncommunicative and Sunny knows there's something else going on. Plus she's not thrilled with the parents herself.
She decides to let the parents know Millicent is safe but not return her. Sunny doesn't know much about parenting but she can remember being a teenager and uses all her patience to help the young girl come out of herself. Now she's responsible for the young woman and for some reason, the mob's after them both.
She turns to Spike, her best friend, a charming and dangerous gay man. And of course Ritchie whose family connections are essential to the successful outcome of the turmoil. Murderers, hitmen, mobsters, politicians, bartenders, plumbers, all of them are instrumental helping Sunny to bring Millicent safely home.
My first Robert B Parker, but not my last.
Sunny's hired to track down a runaway, 15 year old Millicent has disappeared from a very well-to-do home and even though her parents don't seem to know or care much about her, they want her back. Where to start? On the street, where else? Using her former relatives, Sunny sends out a net to locate the young woman. She finds her working the street and rescues her from her pimp, with serious consequences to him. Sunny is an incredibly feisty and lucky young woman. But Millicent won't go home, she's uncommunicative and Sunny knows there's something else going on. Plus she's not thrilled with the parents herself.
She decides to let the parents know Millicent is safe but not return her. Sunny doesn't know much about parenting but she can remember being a teenager and uses all her patience to help the young girl come out of herself. Now she's responsible for the young woman and for some reason, the mob's after them both.
She turns to Spike, her best friend, a charming and dangerous gay man. And of course Ritchie whose family connections are essential to the successful outcome of the turmoil. Murderers, hitmen, mobsters, politicians, bartenders, plumbers, all of them are instrumental helping Sunny to bring Millicent safely home.
My first Robert B Parker, but not my last.
June 12, 2009
I've been reading Parker's Spenser series for about four months now and have more or less enjoyed every one of them.
I found this book at a used book store and thought I'd give it a try to see how Parker would do with a female P.I. in the same Boston environment that I've enjoyed reading about with Spenser.
Not long into the book it occured to me that Sunny Randall is Spenser with ovaries. Sure she's not a physically imposing as Spenser but the attitude and sharp tongue are there.
Roughly two weeks ago I had finished Parker's novel Early Autumn which dealt with Spenser taking care of a teenage boy who was lost in the shuffle between his warring parents. Family Honor felt like a recycling of that story with changes in a few of the details and a lot more feminine pronouns.
This is not to say that Family Honor was a bad book, I enjoyed it thoroughly but my opinion of it was more than a little effected by the reading of a very similar (and honestly superior) book not long beforehand.
I found this book at a used book store and thought I'd give it a try to see how Parker would do with a female P.I. in the same Boston environment that I've enjoyed reading about with Spenser.
Not long into the book it occured to me that Sunny Randall is Spenser with ovaries. Sure she's not a physically imposing as Spenser but the attitude and sharp tongue are there.
Roughly two weeks ago I had finished Parker's novel Early Autumn which dealt with Spenser taking care of a teenage boy who was lost in the shuffle between his warring parents. Family Honor felt like a recycling of that story with changes in a few of the details and a lot more feminine pronouns.
This is not to say that Family Honor was a bad book, I enjoyed it thoroughly but my opinion of it was more than a little effected by the reading of a very similar (and honestly superior) book not long beforehand.
January 29, 2020
New character, same book. It was almost the same story as Paul Giacomain (sp?) in the Spenser series and her relationship with her ex is almost the same as Jesse Stone’s. Was Parker being lazy because he wanted to write from a woman’s perspective? The book was still entertaining but I expect so much more from Parker. I loved the Stone books, the Spenser series still has more than ten books left for me and is still great. I had high hopes that this one would be better. I hope the rest of the Sunny Randall books are better than this one.
January 12, 2023
Ok... that was disappointing. 2.5, can't bring myself to round up. I have been told later books are better... fingers crossed because book 6 is the one that looked interesting (and yes, I downloaded them all without having read any).
I'm not going to tear this apart page by page. I haven't done a deep dive into the Spenser books (although I think I've read a few) and I don't think I've read Jesse Stone (but EVERYONE has seen Tom Selleck), but for those books to be as widely popular as they are, I'm going to assume that Parker is a much better writer than this book would lead you to believe.
The plot was very 90s--think Coulter's FBI "thriller" The Cove, but instead of a budding relationship with strange dynamics, we get a heroine who has made getting a divorce a personality trait.
Overall, I hate the characters. The ex is a deus ex machina button built in (oh geez, what do next? Oh, I know, the ex can do it!). Like, yeah, sure... you spend your free time dwelling on being divorced and other people's reactions to your divorce, so naturally you just call up your ex as your general problem solver extraordinaire. Ok.
The clients and their daughter are cartoon characters. They couldn't be more exaggerated with less substance. There were some very weird moments (like "I've never met a gay person before" ....um? Really, Parker? REALLY? I was in grade school when this came out and every class had a gay kid, but whatever... I'll put this in elderly out of touch author category). Speaking of cartoon characters, the sassy good gay is a walking stereotype. Oh, and will someone please adopt that poor dog?
Topping it all off is the main character, Sunny. Imagine a movie where a different improv actor walked on stage every scene and played the main character for only one scene. You could get whiplash trying to figure this girl out.... she's got authority problems, but she also needs to be led. She's tough and doesn't have time for people, but she's going to risk it all to save this girl. The only consistent attributes are that she's not sure about her art and she's obsessed with being divorced... anything else is contradicted somewhere. Back to the dog, it felt like the whole reason the dog existed was so they could share custody and see each other. They're not crazy about the dog.... no it's just a plot mechanism for the exes to run into each other. Hopefully this series improves. I'm going to start downloading Jesse Stone and Spenser books for a binge later (spring break maybe?) because they have to be better than this.
I'm not going to tear this apart page by page. I haven't done a deep dive into the Spenser books (although I think I've read a few) and I don't think I've read Jesse Stone (but EVERYONE has seen Tom Selleck), but for those books to be as widely popular as they are, I'm going to assume that Parker is a much better writer than this book would lead you to believe.
The plot was very 90s--think Coulter's FBI "thriller" The Cove, but instead of a budding relationship with strange dynamics, we get a heroine who has made getting a divorce a personality trait.
Overall, I hate the characters. The ex is a deus ex machina button built in (oh geez, what do next? Oh, I know, the ex can do it!). Like, yeah, sure... you spend your free time dwelling on being divorced and other people's reactions to your divorce, so naturally you just call up your ex as your general problem solver extraordinaire. Ok.
The clients and their daughter are cartoon characters. They couldn't be more exaggerated with less substance. There were some very weird moments (like "I've never met a gay person before" ....um? Really, Parker? REALLY? I was in grade school when this came out and every class had a gay kid, but whatever... I'll put this in elderly out of touch author category). Speaking of cartoon characters, the sassy good gay is a walking stereotype. Oh, and will someone please adopt that poor dog?
Topping it all off is the main character, Sunny. Imagine a movie where a different improv actor walked on stage every scene and played the main character for only one scene. You could get whiplash trying to figure this girl out.... she's got authority problems, but she also needs to be led. She's tough and doesn't have time for people, but she's going to risk it all to save this girl. The only consistent attributes are that she's not sure about her art and she's obsessed with being divorced... anything else is contradicted somewhere. Back to the dog, it felt like the whole reason the dog existed was so they could share custody and see each other. They're not crazy about the dog.... no it's just a plot mechanism for the exes to run into each other. Hopefully this series improves. I'm going to start downloading Jesse Stone and Spenser books for a binge later (spring break maybe?) because they have to be better than this.
December 27, 2020
4 stars - me
3 stars - my husband
My husband and I agreed that Andrea Thompson's narration was excellent, and we don't think we would have enjoyed the story nearly as much without it.
We also agreed that the final chapter was completely unnecessary, and put the novel into the realm of chick-lit. My husband took off one full star because of it.
NOTE: Neither one of us could understand why the first chapter was narrated by a male, and the rest of the novel by a female. It served no purpose that we could ascertain.
Audiobook
6 hours 16 minutes
3 stars - my husband
My husband and I agreed that Andrea Thompson's narration was excellent, and we don't think we would have enjoyed the story nearly as much without it.
We also agreed that the final chapter was completely unnecessary, and put the novel into the realm of chick-lit. My husband took off one full star because of it.
NOTE: Neither one of us could understand why the first chapter was narrated by a male, and the rest of the novel by a female. It served no purpose that we could ascertain.
Audiobook
6 hours 16 minutes
May 28, 2013
We almost immediately liked Sunny Randall when we met her in the Jesse Stone outing “Split Image”, in which she carried about a third of that novel with a case of her own. So it was not much of a stretch to seek out Sunny’s debut outing “Family Honor”, which, pleasantly, we enjoyed very much as anticipated. Like the Stone stories, the dialogue is pithy and often witty, with a plot just intriguing enough to please. Sunny is a somewhat complicated Boston private eye and fine arts painter; she’s divorced from ex Ritchie, though they’re still both in love with each other; and she spends much of her psyche trying to cope with her family heritage (cops) versus Ritchie’s (the Mob!).
In the story, Sunny gets a gig to find a runaway 15-year-old Millicent. With just a little help from her ex’s “connections”, she retrieves the girl from unsavory conditions, and lets her live with her while she looks into what was wrong at her house that caused the sudden departure. We’re soon amuck in murders, break-ins, and sex-related blackmail schemes. Meanwhile, Sunny shows a lot of life savvy as she schools the teenager with life lessons so compelling, it almost stole the show from the mystery.
So while we weren’t overwhelmed with suspense, we did have a lot of fun with the tale. Sunny’s a really likable character about whom we suspect we’ll learn much more as we have every intention to progress through the unfortunately limited six-book set. We anticipate much enjoyment!
In the story, Sunny gets a gig to find a runaway 15-year-old Millicent. With just a little help from her ex’s “connections”, she retrieves the girl from unsavory conditions, and lets her live with her while she looks into what was wrong at her house that caused the sudden departure. We’re soon amuck in murders, break-ins, and sex-related blackmail schemes. Meanwhile, Sunny shows a lot of life savvy as she schools the teenager with life lessons so compelling, it almost stole the show from the mystery.
So while we weren’t overwhelmed with suspense, we did have a lot of fun with the tale. Sunny’s a really likable character about whom we suspect we’ll learn much more as we have every intention to progress through the unfortunately limited six-book set. We anticipate much enjoyment!
March 5, 2011
The only reason this book gets two stars instead of one is that the main character, Sunny Randall, is actually pretty awesome. She's sassy and interesting and solves crimes with her Boston Terrier. Sadly, the writing is horrendous. It's actually more written like a screenplay or a pitch for a television show (and I think it would make a good one, actually). I mean, there are pages and pages of dialogue that looks like this:
"Do you like her?" Julie said.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I can't say."
"Because you don't know or because she might hear you?"
"The latter."
"Is she angry and hostile?"
"Yes."
"Hates her parents?"
"You bet."
"And every other adult."
"I'd guess so."
I mean there are pages and pages and pages of dialogue like this. It's totally nuts. Again, if it were a screenplay and this were being filmed with charismatic actors, this dialogue might work but it's as if the author doesn't know the difference between a screenplay and an actual novel. Too bad, because the characters are quite interesting. Oh well.
"Do you like her?" Julie said.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I can't say."
"Because you don't know or because she might hear you?"
"The latter."
"Is she angry and hostile?"
"Yes."
"Hates her parents?"
"You bet."
"And every other adult."
"I'd guess so."
I mean there are pages and pages and pages of dialogue like this. It's totally nuts. Again, if it were a screenplay and this were being filmed with charismatic actors, this dialogue might work but it's as if the author doesn't know the difference between a screenplay and an actual novel. Too bad, because the characters are quite interesting. Oh well.
April 24, 2019
Pretty good. Parker was daring to write a novel from a women’s point of view. But the plot is mainly just the collection and exchange of information. Many scenes are not essential to the plot; the scene where Sunny tells the clown at the children’s birthday party that he should leave because the children are afraid of his pony rambled a little too far afield, for instance.
March 18, 2009
This first book in the Sunny Randall series was a hard to put down read. Sunny Randall is a Boston P.I. and former cop, a college graduate, an aspiring painter, a divorcee, and the owner of a miniature bull terrier named Rosie.
October 29, 2020
Истори�� – 6/10
Идея – 5/10
Изпълнение – 5/10
Интрига/Темпо – 7/10
Герои – 6/10
Стил на писане (За жанра) –5/10
Eлементи на изненада – 5/10
Емоционален заряд – 4/10
Теми за размисъл – 2/10
Степен на оригиналност (за жанра) –4/10
Идея – 5/10
Изпълнение – 5/10
Интрига/Темпо – 7/10
Герои – 6/10
Стил на писане (За жанра) –5/10
Eлементи на изненада – 5/10
Емоционален заряд – 4/10
Теми за размисъл – 2/10
Степен на оригиналност (за жанра) –4/10
March 28, 2021
I just adore the Sunny Randall books. This one is Parker at his best. Clever, funny. The writing is terse and clean. 5/5 stars. Shame that the movie with Helen Hunt never happened, she’d have been perfect to play Sunny.
December 31, 2018
As a long-time Spenser fan, I was intrigued by Parker's new character, a female PI. The Spenser books contain a lot of interesting female characters, and I was interested to see what Parker would do with a female protagonist.
Like various other male suspense/mystery authors (Dick Francis immediately springs to mind), Parker is fascinated by female characters, while also ambivalent about them. Throughout his books he has a love-hate relationship with feminism and with strong or self-centered women, admiring them but also seeing them through a prism of male self-interest. And that is evident here.
Sunny is an appealing yet flawed character, like all of Parker's protagonists. She manages to come across as more or less believable, although Parker can't seem to figure out how to portray her femaleness without portraying her as needing male help. On the one hand, I found it a bit of a false, or at least annoying, note, but on the other, that is how a lot of women see themselves. So I can't say it's completely unrealistic.
Fans of Parker from the beginning will probably enjoy a lot of what's in this book, while finding it a bit repetitive in places. People who have not read the Spenser series may find this an enjoyable and accessible place to get into Parker's work, as it's the beginning of a new, more modern series with a more modern protagonist.
Like various other male suspense/mystery authors (Dick Francis immediately springs to mind), Parker is fascinated by female characters, while also ambivalent about them. Throughout his books he has a love-hate relationship with feminism and with strong or self-centered women, admiring them but also seeing them through a prism of male self-interest. And that is evident here.
Sunny is an appealing yet flawed character, like all of Parker's protagonists. She manages to come across as more or less believable, although Parker can't seem to figure out how to portray her femaleness without portraying her as needing male help. On the one hand, I found it a bit of a false, or at least annoying, note, but on the other, that is how a lot of women see themselves. So I can't say it's completely unrealistic.
Fans of Parker from the beginning will probably enjoy a lot of what's in this book, while finding it a bit repetitive in places. People who have not read the Spenser series may find this an enjoyable and accessible place to get into Parker's work, as it's the beginning of a new, more modern series with a more modern protagonist.
July 13, 2017
Robert B. Parker is one of my favorite authors and I enjoy his style and characters. His detective, Sunny Randall, from a 1999 [ancient] book I had found, was one I do not remember. She seemed similar to Kinsey in the Sue Grafton Alphabet series, and I love Kinsey of course!
The book, Family Honor, noted that this was Sunny Randall #1, so there must be more in her detective series. I will watch for those books, and no doubt will read them if I can locate them. This story was not exactly what I was expecting, with a runaway 15 year old girl, and rich parents who are concerned about a lot of things besides their daughter.
Nevertheless, Sunny is a great detective and has a lot of very good friends, and an ex-husband, all of whom are willing to help her out when she needs it. Everyone should have such good friends and ex-husbands! Enjoyable fast read.
The book, Family Honor, noted that this was Sunny Randall #1, so there must be more in her detective series. I will watch for those books, and no doubt will read them if I can locate them. This story was not exactly what I was expecting, with a runaway 15 year old girl, and rich parents who are concerned about a lot of things besides their daughter.
Nevertheless, Sunny is a great detective and has a lot of very good friends, and an ex-husband, all of whom are willing to help her out when she needs it. Everyone should have such good friends and ex-husbands! Enjoyable fast read.
October 8, 2018
This is the first Robert B Parker book I have read and I must say I am really enjoying it. In fact I couldn't put it down yesterday and took it up to bed with me last night to read. This after a dry spell of starting books and putting them down due to lack of interest. Looking forward to delving back into it again today.
Thank You Jim for recommending it to me. There is just something about the authors style of writing and the mystery that hooked me in right from the beginning.
I also thought he did an outstanding job developing the main character Sunny Randall.
Thank You Jim for recommending it to me. There is just something about the authors style of writing and the mystery that hooked me in right from the beginning.
I also thought he did an outstanding job developing the main character Sunny Randall.
March 27, 2017
I got this book from the free store book exchange at the store that I have coffee at. It is my first book by this author. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. I hope to read more books by this author.
April 13, 2017
This is a great start to a new series.
October 19, 2019
Read 2014. Start of another great series.
February 23, 2021
Fun read like all Robert B Parker. Kept wanting Spenser or Hawk to rumble into the story but alas glad they did not so Sunny can stand on her own. 3.5⭐️
June 14, 2024
Enjoyed the characters and the plot. I am really enjoying this author and the style of writing.
January 1, 2017
I listened to an audio version of this book and in hindsight maybe I should have read it instead. The narrator (Andrea Thompson ) totally ruined it for me. She read this book like it was a chore for her and she just wanted to get it done. The plot/story line was most interesting and the characters were very well formed. I will have to revisit this book in print form. If it wasn't for the narrator I would give it five stars. This was the first book in the Sunny Randall series. Sunny, a former cop and now P.I., is hired by a wealthy couple to find their runaway teenage daughter Millicent. Sunny soon finds herself a bodyguard for the missing teen who does not want to return to her parents. Sunny also finds herself facing greater problems which among other things include criminal conspiracy which reaches to the top of the state government. I am looking forward to more of this series. Sunny seems a most intriguing character and one I'd like to read more about.
May 2, 2012
When I read Robert Parker's Sunny Randall books, I almost think Mr. Parker is bisexual or at least part woman. Sunny Randall seems so real - runs in her hose, descriptions of outfits, and the way she feels about Richie... I love Robert Parker's characters, and Sunny Randall is definitely a favorite. This is was great book - lots of action, great relationships, and pithy dialogue. Who could ask for anything more?
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