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Sunny Randall #11
Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence
Sunny Randall’s newest client, Blake, seems to have it he is an Instagram influencer, with all the perks the lifestyle entails—a beautiful girlfriend, wealth, and adoring fans. But one of those fans has turned ugly, and Sunny is brought on board by Blake’s manager, Bethany, to protect him and to uncover who is out to kill him. In doing so, she investigates a glamorous world rife with lies and schemes…and ties to a dangerous criminal scene.When Bethany goes missing and the threats against Blake escalate, Sunny realizes that in order to solve this case, she has to find out exactly who Blake and Bethany are, behind the Instagram filters. While digging into their pasts, she is also forced to confront her own, as old friends—and ex-husbands—reappear. With a combination of old-school crime-solving skills and modern internet savvy, Sunny will stop at nothing to catch a killer.
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2023
374 people are currently reading
828 people want to read
About the author
Alison Gaylin
44 books1,761 followersUSA Today and international bestselling author Alison Gaylin has won the Edgar and Shamus awards, and has been nominated for many more, including the L.A. Times Book Prize, the ITW Thriller, the Strand Book Award, the Anthony and the Macavity. She is currently at work on her 15th novel.
Series:
* Samantha Leiffer Mystery
* Simone Glass Mystery
Series:
* Samantha Leiffer Mystery
* Simone Glass Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
March 31, 2023
I had never heard of this author when they announced that she would take over the Sunny Randall series. Bad Influence is the first and 11th book in this series, the first by Alison Gaylin. Remeber that name, I will for sure try some of her other work. This book is masterfully written and doesn't lack anything that Parker once wrote. It has all the things you expect in this great series about one of my two favorite Boston PIs. Robert B. Parker can rest easy and Mike Lupica has got some great competition in Parkers universe. I must thank G.P. Putnam's Sons Penguin Random House and Edelweiss for giving me access to this debut.
June 26, 2023
I have been reading Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” mystery series since the 1980’s when my English professor introduced the first book in the series “The Godwulf Manuscript” to me and invited me to write a paper comparing and contrasting Spenser with some classic character that I can no longer remember.
I never forgot Spenser, who became the PI role model that I compared all fiction detectives and investigators to. I grew to love him over the years and looked forward every spring to a new outing with my private investigator hero. Then Parker introduced the “Jesse Stone” followed by “Sunny Randall”, which was the result of a request from the actress, Helen Hunt, a fan of “Spenser” and friend of Parker’s who was trying to create a serious role which could be built into a franchise, and she wanted him to write it. Parker agreed but struggled with writing a script, and instead produced “Family Honor”, the first Sunny Randall novel. Parker hoped that if he wrote the books, Hollywood could use them as a resource to create scripts. However, that never came to fruition, and with Parker’s passing. Sunny Randall was left on the sidelines while other writers continued the stories of “Spenser” and “Jesse Stone”.
Finally, it was announced in 2019 that the PI adventures of Sunny Randall would continue. The Parker estate put her in the hands of Mike Lupica, a well established and proven sports writer, columnist, and commentator, as well as a longtime personal friend of Parker. Lupica debuted his first outing with resurrecting Sunny in “Blood Feud”, followed-up with “Grudge Match” (2020), “Payback” (2021), and “Revenge Tour” (2022).
Now, in 2023, Lupica has taken over the “Spenser” series from Ace Atkins, opening the door for suspense writer, Allison Gaylin, to take the reins for Sunny Randall moving forward. What I find most interesting is that book eleven in the series will be the first written by a female author and I couldn’t wait to see how Gaylin approaches Sunny and her character development.
Sunny, independent private investigator, is a former cop in her late thirties with definite authority issues, and at times a little less certain of herself. She has a very complicated relationship with her ex-husband Richie Burke, who is Mafia connected. She’s never stopped loving him nor really ever let him go emotionally. She also had a relationship with Jesse Stone, Police Chief of the small town of Paradise, located outside of Boston. But that died a slow death and she’s back to her independent lifestyle taking care of Rosie, her English bull terrier.
In Gaylin’s series debut - “Bad Influence” - Sunny has a new client that finds himself in danger. She’s been hired by Blake, an Instagram influencer who has millions of followers, popularity, wealth, and a lifestyle to match. However, Blake’s manager, Bethany, hires Sunny when one of those followers turns on him and makes deadly threats on his life. Sunny is supposed to protect him and find out who is trying to kill him.
As Sunny investigates who might want him dead, she discovers that Blake lives in a world of lies, twisted deals, and potential connections to a serious criminal activity. Then Bethany goes missing and the threats against Blake escalate. Before she knows it, Sunny is fighting against an unknown enemy on multiple fronts, including members of the mob, unforgiving stalkers, and enemies from the past. And to make matters worse, her ex-husband and lifelong love, Richie, has made a major decision that rock’s Sunny’s world…
Now that I’ve finished reading this book, I found myself conflicted with sharing my review. I enjoyed it in some ways, but I struggled a bit with it in other ways. Maybe it’s my first time reading an Alison Gaylin novel, and maybe it’s the transition as a reader from Mike Lupica to her. I am sure that those factors influenced my thoughts, but there were other things that influenced my less than usual excitement from reading a Robert B. Parker based novel. Stepping into his world, and into his unique character’s heads, is not an easy exercise for any writer to attempt to pull off. It’s got to be downright demanding and near impossible to pull off in my opinion.
So, let’s start off with some of the things that I liked. Gaylin did a pretty good job of getting into Sunny Randall’s head for the most part. Gaylin understood what makes Sunny unique, her strengths and weaknesses, and even more importantly, her relationships. For me personally, Gaylin’s strongest success in her first Sunny Randall outing was being able to step right into Sunny and her ex-husband, Richie’s, ultra-complex relationship and breathe a fresh layer of life into it. I won’t give out any detail spoilers, but I will say that their interactions in this book were well done, full of conflict, longing, and sincere care for one another.
Gaylin also did a good job with the other primary and secondary characters she inherited, including Sunny’s sidekick, Spike; her mother and father; Detective Lee Farrell; and Richie’s gangster father, Desmond Burke. They all felt real and authentic without any painful road bumps.
In addition, Gaylin adapted the Robert B. Parker’s style of short rhythmic chapters, plot movement, and strong conversations that her mentor previously established for his literary world. This may appear to be an easy approach to learn and mimic, but it is most certainly not. For the most part, she did a decent job of transitioning into Parker’s structure of storytelling.
However, there were things that I didn’t like as much as I wanted to, and left me a bit empty. Most of those issues involved the plotting.
First, the primary mystery plot was weak to me. The beginning of the book was slow, introducing the mystery elements and setting up the characters that Sunny was working for. I kept waiting for things to get going, and finally after about 100 pages – a third-of-the-way through the book – things started picking up and the conflict/tension started increasing.
The whole social influencer storyline was somewhat interesting, but lacked any sense of real danger or intrigue for Sunny. I also didn’t like the way that Sunny’s investigation went in one direction, then changed to a second direction, and then finally into a third direction to finally connect the dots. The first two directions ended up being red herrings, so to speak, and more like side stories (taking up page counts) then having any connection to the overall story. I know that may sound harsh, but it felt a bit distracting rather than having multiple connecting layers that provided depth to the overlying mystery that Sunny was trying to solve.
Another thing about the plotting that was a challenge for me was the subplot of dealing with Sunny’s messed-up love life. This is really not Gaylin’s fault, but more of the transition needed as a result of where Sunny is in her dating relationships when Lupica transitioned the series to Gaylin. Sunny was last seen dating Tom Gordon, newspaper writer, but also had on-and-off again relationships with Jesse Stone, Sherriff of the Paradise Police Department, and her ex-husband/first love, Richie Burke. To be honest, it is a mess that Gaylin also inherited with taking over the series. In many ways, that makes this a transition book for Gaylin to get Sunny reset on what her direction will be.
Without going into details, I thought she did a decent job of picking up the pieces, except for one choice of plotting that rather annoyed me. She started off with a strong decision of how she wanted to deal with Sunny and Richie’s relationship, and then incorporated excellent moments that made Sunny realize that this was actually the right decisions for them, which was a big aha moment of growth for both of them. It was well delivered and I had big respect for Gaylin making those tough, but outside-of-the-box, artistic choices. However, she then turned around after all of that successful work and muddied up the waters in such a way that really took two-steps back and hurt what she had tried to pull off. You can read it for yourself, and hopefully you will have a different opinion than mine, but I couldn’t help but feel like Gaylin made herself come across as a wishy washy as a writer. Maybe that’s just me. Hopefully that’s the case.
Overall, I found the plotting interesting, but not captivating. I never felt much tension nor fear for Sunny throughout and the round-about-way of getting to the end was a bit disjointing to me as a reader.
My grade is a C+ and I hope that Gaylin can build on her lessons learned in this, her first Sunny Randall novel, to make the next one better. I optimistically look forward to it…
I never forgot Spenser, who became the PI role model that I compared all fiction detectives and investigators to. I grew to love him over the years and looked forward every spring to a new outing with my private investigator hero. Then Parker introduced the “Jesse Stone” followed by “Sunny Randall”, which was the result of a request from the actress, Helen Hunt, a fan of “Spenser” and friend of Parker’s who was trying to create a serious role which could be built into a franchise, and she wanted him to write it. Parker agreed but struggled with writing a script, and instead produced “Family Honor”, the first Sunny Randall novel. Parker hoped that if he wrote the books, Hollywood could use them as a resource to create scripts. However, that never came to fruition, and with Parker’s passing. Sunny Randall was left on the sidelines while other writers continued the stories of “Spenser” and “Jesse Stone”.
Finally, it was announced in 2019 that the PI adventures of Sunny Randall would continue. The Parker estate put her in the hands of Mike Lupica, a well established and proven sports writer, columnist, and commentator, as well as a longtime personal friend of Parker. Lupica debuted his first outing with resurrecting Sunny in “Blood Feud”, followed-up with “Grudge Match” (2020), “Payback” (2021), and “Revenge Tour” (2022).
Now, in 2023, Lupica has taken over the “Spenser” series from Ace Atkins, opening the door for suspense writer, Allison Gaylin, to take the reins for Sunny Randall moving forward. What I find most interesting is that book eleven in the series will be the first written by a female author and I couldn’t wait to see how Gaylin approaches Sunny and her character development.
Sunny, independent private investigator, is a former cop in her late thirties with definite authority issues, and at times a little less certain of herself. She has a very complicated relationship with her ex-husband Richie Burke, who is Mafia connected. She’s never stopped loving him nor really ever let him go emotionally. She also had a relationship with Jesse Stone, Police Chief of the small town of Paradise, located outside of Boston. But that died a slow death and she’s back to her independent lifestyle taking care of Rosie, her English bull terrier.
In Gaylin’s series debut - “Bad Influence” - Sunny has a new client that finds himself in danger. She’s been hired by Blake, an Instagram influencer who has millions of followers, popularity, wealth, and a lifestyle to match. However, Blake’s manager, Bethany, hires Sunny when one of those followers turns on him and makes deadly threats on his life. Sunny is supposed to protect him and find out who is trying to kill him.
As Sunny investigates who might want him dead, she discovers that Blake lives in a world of lies, twisted deals, and potential connections to a serious criminal activity. Then Bethany goes missing and the threats against Blake escalate. Before she knows it, Sunny is fighting against an unknown enemy on multiple fronts, including members of the mob, unforgiving stalkers, and enemies from the past. And to make matters worse, her ex-husband and lifelong love, Richie, has made a major decision that rock’s Sunny’s world…
Now that I’ve finished reading this book, I found myself conflicted with sharing my review. I enjoyed it in some ways, but I struggled a bit with it in other ways. Maybe it’s my first time reading an Alison Gaylin novel, and maybe it’s the transition as a reader from Mike Lupica to her. I am sure that those factors influenced my thoughts, but there were other things that influenced my less than usual excitement from reading a Robert B. Parker based novel. Stepping into his world, and into his unique character’s heads, is not an easy exercise for any writer to attempt to pull off. It’s got to be downright demanding and near impossible to pull off in my opinion.
So, let’s start off with some of the things that I liked. Gaylin did a pretty good job of getting into Sunny Randall’s head for the most part. Gaylin understood what makes Sunny unique, her strengths and weaknesses, and even more importantly, her relationships. For me personally, Gaylin’s strongest success in her first Sunny Randall outing was being able to step right into Sunny and her ex-husband, Richie’s, ultra-complex relationship and breathe a fresh layer of life into it. I won’t give out any detail spoilers, but I will say that their interactions in this book were well done, full of conflict, longing, and sincere care for one another.
Gaylin also did a good job with the other primary and secondary characters she inherited, including Sunny’s sidekick, Spike; her mother and father; Detective Lee Farrell; and Richie’s gangster father, Desmond Burke. They all felt real and authentic without any painful road bumps.
In addition, Gaylin adapted the Robert B. Parker’s style of short rhythmic chapters, plot movement, and strong conversations that her mentor previously established for his literary world. This may appear to be an easy approach to learn and mimic, but it is most certainly not. For the most part, she did a decent job of transitioning into Parker’s structure of storytelling.
However, there were things that I didn’t like as much as I wanted to, and left me a bit empty. Most of those issues involved the plotting.
First, the primary mystery plot was weak to me. The beginning of the book was slow, introducing the mystery elements and setting up the characters that Sunny was working for. I kept waiting for things to get going, and finally after about 100 pages – a third-of-the-way through the book – things started picking up and the conflict/tension started increasing.
The whole social influencer storyline was somewhat interesting, but lacked any sense of real danger or intrigue for Sunny. I also didn’t like the way that Sunny’s investigation went in one direction, then changed to a second direction, and then finally into a third direction to finally connect the dots. The first two directions ended up being red herrings, so to speak, and more like side stories (taking up page counts) then having any connection to the overall story. I know that may sound harsh, but it felt a bit distracting rather than having multiple connecting layers that provided depth to the overlying mystery that Sunny was trying to solve.
Another thing about the plotting that was a challenge for me was the subplot of dealing with Sunny’s messed-up love life. This is really not Gaylin’s fault, but more of the transition needed as a result of where Sunny is in her dating relationships when Lupica transitioned the series to Gaylin. Sunny was last seen dating Tom Gordon, newspaper writer, but also had on-and-off again relationships with Jesse Stone, Sherriff of the Paradise Police Department, and her ex-husband/first love, Richie Burke. To be honest, it is a mess that Gaylin also inherited with taking over the series. In many ways, that makes this a transition book for Gaylin to get Sunny reset on what her direction will be.
Without going into details, I thought she did a decent job of picking up the pieces, except for one choice of plotting that rather annoyed me. She started off with a strong decision of how she wanted to deal with Sunny and Richie’s relationship, and then incorporated excellent moments that made Sunny realize that this was actually the right decisions for them, which was a big aha moment of growth for both of them. It was well delivered and I had big respect for Gaylin making those tough, but outside-of-the-box, artistic choices. However, she then turned around after all of that successful work and muddied up the waters in such a way that really took two-steps back and hurt what she had tried to pull off. You can read it for yourself, and hopefully you will have a different opinion than mine, but I couldn’t help but feel like Gaylin made herself come across as a wishy washy as a writer. Maybe that’s just me. Hopefully that’s the case.
Overall, I found the plotting interesting, but not captivating. I never felt much tension nor fear for Sunny throughout and the round-about-way of getting to the end was a bit disjointing to me as a reader.
My grade is a C+ and I hope that Gaylin can build on her lessons learned in this, her first Sunny Randall novel, to make the next one better. I optimistically look forward to it…
October 25, 2023
Sorely disappointed in this one. Hated the secondary characters and the premise was just dull and boring. Sunny’s dog had more of a storyline than anyone else. I jest of course but not by much. Hopefully the next book in the series will have more depth cause this one was just flat.
June 20, 2023
Well written “Sunny” story by “new” author, Alison Gaylin.
Easy & fun read.
The author needs to know that when a person is in New Jersey, he/she is “down” the shore, not “on” the shore.
Easy & fun read.
The author needs to know that when a person is in New Jersey, he/she is “down” the shore, not “on” the shore.
June 15, 2023
I have read every Sunny Randall, every Jesse Stone and every Spenser PI. I know finding authors to continue these series in Robert Parker’s voice must be challenging, and in some ways especially so for Sunny since her character was still so new compared to Spenser. Mike Lupica and Ace Atkins have been fantastic at capturing the voice of all these characters and remaining true to the spirit of Robert Parker’s franchises.
That said, I really did not enjoy this latest installment. I don’t think Alison Gaylin’s style was as seamless as the other authors. For instance, she has Sunny repeatedly breaching the 4th wall and talking directly to the readers. Not only is this a new literary device for Robert Parker books, it feels unnecessary and interrupts the flow of the story.
I would also argue that the evolution of her relationship with Richie seems against type here, for both characters. There was no meaningful development for Sunny, Richie or Spike. One of the great things about Robert Parker books is the character growth. The self-reflection, the slow evolution over time. It was hard to see what this book was adding to the long narrative arc in that regard.
All that said, I thought the mystery itself was interesting and timely. But, when you have a long beloved character and franchise, the book is about more than the mystery. The characters and the style are important too. On those measures, I found this a disappointment.
That said, I really did not enjoy this latest installment. I don’t think Alison Gaylin’s style was as seamless as the other authors. For instance, she has Sunny repeatedly breaching the 4th wall and talking directly to the readers. Not only is this a new literary device for Robert Parker books, it feels unnecessary and interrupts the flow of the story.
I would also argue that the evolution of her relationship with Richie seems against type here, for both characters. There was no meaningful development for Sunny, Richie or Spike. One of the great things about Robert Parker books is the character growth. The self-reflection, the slow evolution over time. It was hard to see what this book was adding to the long narrative arc in that regard.
All that said, I thought the mystery itself was interesting and timely. But, when you have a long beloved character and franchise, the book is about more than the mystery. The characters and the style are important too. On those measures, I found this a disappointment.
March 24, 2023
Of all the Parker main characters, police detective-turned-P.I. Sunny Randall never quite captured my fancy quite like the others. Honestly, I've never figured out why; but I do know that with this book, she's moved up a notch or two. Here, she seems to have picked up somewhat of a softer side (but not too much); while in many ways I hate to say it, if that has come about by virtue of having a female author take over this series for the first time, then bravo - and long may she hold the reins, please.
The story focuses on an in-your-face topic - social media influencers - as well as the usual who-done-what investigation. Sunny's good friend, bar owner Spike, also gets a decent role (fine with me - I love the guy), as does her can't-live-with, can't-live-without ex-husband Richie Burke, the son of a heavy-hitting mobster. At the start, it seems like wildly popular Blake, an Instagram influencer, is being bombarded with threatening texts; his manager, Bethany, asks Sunny to keep him safe and get to the bottom of it. That means getting close to him and his beautiful girlfriend Alena, also an influencer, and getting an up-close-and-personal look at a world that's very new (and eye-opening) to Sunny.
Of course, nothing is ever as it seems, and the deeper the holes Sunny and her team dig, the murkier the water that seeps out. Are Blake, Alena and Bethany all who they say they are? For that matter, is any one of them telling the whole truth? More to the point, will whoever's sending those troublesome messages escalate to something more sinister? Inquiring minds want to know - and you can find out by reading this book for yourself. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me the pleasure of getting to the truth by way of a pre-release copy to read and review. Bring on the next installment!
The story focuses on an in-your-face topic - social media influencers - as well as the usual who-done-what investigation. Sunny's good friend, bar owner Spike, also gets a decent role (fine with me - I love the guy), as does her can't-live-with, can't-live-without ex-husband Richie Burke, the son of a heavy-hitting mobster. At the start, it seems like wildly popular Blake, an Instagram influencer, is being bombarded with threatening texts; his manager, Bethany, asks Sunny to keep him safe and get to the bottom of it. That means getting close to him and his beautiful girlfriend Alena, also an influencer, and getting an up-close-and-personal look at a world that's very new (and eye-opening) to Sunny.
Of course, nothing is ever as it seems, and the deeper the holes Sunny and her team dig, the murkier the water that seeps out. Are Blake, Alena and Bethany all who they say they are? For that matter, is any one of them telling the whole truth? More to the point, will whoever's sending those troublesome messages escalate to something more sinister? Inquiring minds want to know - and you can find out by reading this book for yourself. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me the pleasure of getting to the truth by way of a pre-release copy to read and review. Bring on the next installment!
June 20, 2023
I was eagerly wanting to read this one. For too long, men have written a woman PI Sunny Randall. I was expecting to be rewarded. Alas no. The character is killed. Midway through the book, she realises she is under threat, plunges her hand into her shoulder bag to get her gun and hits her ...... Hairbrush WTF! As the scene progresses, she continues to fish for her gun only to encounter her phone, makeup bag, box of tampons, rape whistle, wallet, water bottle, spiral notebook, ticket stubs, a bottle of perfume, Rosie’s steak bone. I kid you not. She could get a client killed five times over in the time it takes to find her gun.
Also too many strategic blunders, don't want to reveal spoilers. But one star it is and I'm feeling generous.
Also too many strategic blunders, don't want to reveal spoilers. But one star it is and I'm feeling generous.
March 3, 2024
The family of Robert B. Parker has been actively working with authors to continue his ongoing series of books following his passing in 2010 His landmark series, Spencer was initially continued by Ace Atkins who took several tries before fully finding Spencer's voice. Atkins resigned to focus on his own books a couple of years ago and the Parker family needed to find a new author.
The Jesse Stone series had a more complicated time running through a number of authors, none of whom clicked. Eventually they settled on Mike Lupica who published his first Stone book in 2020. It brought the Stone Series right back on track and Jesse Stone seems to be in good hands.
The last of Parker's detective series, Sunny Randall had a more difficult finding an author. A full 8 years went by before Mike Lupica took on the mantle and his first attempt hit the mark perfectly. Sunny was back and her voice was spot on.
Fortunately/unfortunately, when Atkins resigned, Lupica took over the flagship Spencer series and his first Spence book was very good. But tackling Spencer, Stone and Randall didn't make sense for one author (except for Parker himself), so the family named Alison Gaylin to take on Sunny Randall and the result is this book.
The result I must say was underwhelming. Sunny didn't quite feel like Sunny and the book is a mish-mash of social media, Tic-Toc, influencers, etc. that simply feels much too 'now' to work. Other brief examples include Sunny having to carry Rosie her dog around, paying no attention at all to her painting, something always important to her before. The character of Spike in this book also doesn't have the feel for Parker's Spike at all.
Hopefully with this first book under her belt, Gaylin will be for successful finding Sunny's voice and get her back on track. This book was ok... just not Sunny Randall.
The Jesse Stone series had a more complicated time running through a number of authors, none of whom clicked. Eventually they settled on Mike Lupica who published his first Stone book in 2020. It brought the Stone Series right back on track and Jesse Stone seems to be in good hands.
The last of Parker's detective series, Sunny Randall had a more difficult finding an author. A full 8 years went by before Mike Lupica took on the mantle and his first attempt hit the mark perfectly. Sunny was back and her voice was spot on.
Fortunately/unfortunately, when Atkins resigned, Lupica took over the flagship Spencer series and his first Spence book was very good. But tackling Spencer, Stone and Randall didn't make sense for one author (except for Parker himself), so the family named Alison Gaylin to take on Sunny Randall and the result is this book.
The result I must say was underwhelming. Sunny didn't quite feel like Sunny and the book is a mish-mash of social media, Tic-Toc, influencers, etc. that simply feels much too 'now' to work. Other brief examples include Sunny having to carry Rosie her dog around, paying no attention at all to her painting, something always important to her before. The character of Spike in this book also doesn't have the feel for Parker's Spike at all.
Hopefully with this first book under her belt, Gaylin will be for successful finding Sunny's voice and get her back on track. This book was ok... just not Sunny Randall.
April 5, 2023
Never read a Robert Parker book. I have read every single Alison Gaylin book, so lucky me that she was chosen to help continue this series! I really enjoyed this book and Sunny Randall and plan on going back from the beginning to learn the histories and backstories. Sunny is investigating the case of an influencer who thinks he is being stalked. I already enjoy stories set around influencers as that world is so interesting to me anyway. What follows is a fun, fast-paced mystery with plenty of twists before wrapping up nicely. Looking forward to more, although I do hope Alison continues with her own books too!
Thank you to #NetGalley, Alison Gaylin and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. All Opinions are my own.
I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.
Thank you to #NetGalley, Alison Gaylin and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. All Opinions are my own.
I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.
February 15, 2023
I received this eARC from Netgalley.com and am providing an unbiased review.
Having been a fan of Robert B. Parker's writings for many years, I requested this 11th book in the Sunny Randall series. For those of you not familiar, Parker wrote the original series of 'Spenser', that lead into a television show called 'Spenser For Hire' featuring Robert Urich and Avery Brooks. I became a fan of the show, which led me to reading the books. Parker has created the Jesse Stone (made into several movies starring Tom Selleck) and Sunny Randall series. He has several stand-alone novels and another series based in the old west.
So being a big fan, when Parker passed away around 2010, I was very happy several authors took up the reins on these series of books. This is the first one I have seen from Alison Gaylin, and she has copied Parker's writing and story style very well. In fact, I believe she has improved it, as she seems to write with more detail than Parker did, which helps add more color to the world we are reading about.
Overall, finding a storyline in a detective series that is fresh and new can be daunting, but Graylin has done a very good job with this novel. I was kept guessing throughout most of the story to determine the 'whodunit', and once discovered, she wrapped it up well. I definitely would look forward to more from this author, even if it not following a series by Parker.
Having been a fan of Robert B. Parker's writings for many years, I requested this 11th book in the Sunny Randall series. For those of you not familiar, Parker wrote the original series of 'Spenser', that lead into a television show called 'Spenser For Hire' featuring Robert Urich and Avery Brooks. I became a fan of the show, which led me to reading the books. Parker has created the Jesse Stone (made into several movies starring Tom Selleck) and Sunny Randall series. He has several stand-alone novels and another series based in the old west.
So being a big fan, when Parker passed away around 2010, I was very happy several authors took up the reins on these series of books. This is the first one I have seen from Alison Gaylin, and she has copied Parker's writing and story style very well. In fact, I believe she has improved it, as she seems to write with more detail than Parker did, which helps add more color to the world we are reading about.
Overall, finding a storyline in a detective series that is fresh and new can be daunting, but Graylin has done a very good job with this novel. I was kept guessing throughout most of the story to determine the 'whodunit', and once discovered, she wrapped it up well. I definitely would look forward to more from this author, even if it not following a series by Parker.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2023
Bad Influence relates the tale of how people today are influenced by others — particularly those who are celebrities or have a strong presence and following on social media. It is also the story of Sunny Randall, a private investigator, who is engaged as a bodyguard for one of these “celebrities “ who is being threatened online via text messages and emails. Sunny’s interpersonal relationships with her parents, her ex-husband, her ex-father in law and, of course, the ever present best friend Spike are all prominent in this story.
The novel is fascinating reading and has many surprises in store for the reader as well as some great descriptions — for example, a TV cooking show called Lovin Oven. I highly recommend this novel to all and thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its publication.
The novel is fascinating reading and has many surprises in store for the reader as well as some great descriptions — for example, a TV cooking show called Lovin Oven. I highly recommend this novel to all and thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its publication.
June 22, 2023
(3). Although I still maintain my love for all things Robert B. Parker I was hesitant to pick this book up as Lupica was gone as the master of this franchise and I had never heard of Alison Gaylin. I am pleased to report that all is well. Sunny Randall is in fine form in this one. Lots of action, a mostly solid storyline with just a touch too much sappiness, but there is plenty of Spike, Rosie and Richie and Desmond Burke. A super easy read. Pretty good stuff.
September 23, 2023
Quick notes: While this set, and now all the extensions, is a favorite of ours, this first add-on story by author Gaylin (new to us) was tiresomely about internet influencers, inordinate amounts of texting and other angst that hardly pleased, when so much of that goes on in "real life". Barely cared about the main characters, and while we always enjoy Sunny's company, the novel was underwhelming, falling well short of expectations.
July 25, 2023
The latest author to take on a character of Robert B Parker did a great job. Seamlessly picked up the characters Allison created a story that had your attention and kept you guessing
September 28, 2023
New author in this series did a great job maintaining the personalities of the established characters. And a good storyline. Hope she stays with it.
May 28, 2023
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence is the latest novel in the late author’s Sunny Randall series, written this time by Alison Gaylin. Besides the single, female private eye, the main protagonists include a couple of modern day influencers l, and Bethany, their manager. A threat against one of the couple soon reveals that Bethany borrowed capital from unscrupulous individuals to fund her influencing management operation.
Sunny is hired to protect one of the influencers more action commences; threats, murder and a disappearance, all of which send Sunny to following clues and suspects local to her and connected to her client.
In my humble opinion the Sunny Randall novels are definitely the best of the post-Parker series, and this book one holds up to that excellence.
The only problem I had with this one was slight. In fact I sighed aloud when a too usual trope in 21st century murder mysteries was introduced. Still, the trope in its own way remain faithful to the original author’s imagination, which made it palatable.
As a positive, having Alison Gaylin authoring this series is brilliant as she adds her gender experience to make Randall more authentic, specifically for when writing about her inner thoughts and emotions.
Though, as for any Robert B. Parker series, I recommend reading some or all of the original Sunny Randall novels, it will be okay to begin with this book. The necessary back stories are provided, and no doubt Bad Influence will leave you, as it did me, wanting to read more from this series.
Sunny is hired to protect one of the influencers more action commences; threats, murder and a disappearance, all of which send Sunny to following clues and suspects local to her and connected to her client.
In my humble opinion the Sunny Randall novels are definitely the best of the post-Parker series, and this book one holds up to that excellence.
The only problem I had with this one was slight. In fact I sighed aloud when a too usual trope in 21st century murder mysteries was introduced. Still, the trope in its own way remain faithful to the original author’s imagination, which made it palatable.
As a positive, having Alison Gaylin authoring this series is brilliant as she adds her gender experience to make Randall more authentic, specifically for when writing about her inner thoughts and emotions.
Though, as for any Robert B. Parker series, I recommend reading some or all of the original Sunny Randall novels, it will be okay to begin with this book. The necessary back stories are provided, and no doubt Bad Influence will leave you, as it did me, wanting to read more from this series.
Read
June 2, 2023I would like to thank Netgalley and Bedford Square Publishing, No Exit Press for an advance copy of Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence, the eleventh novel to feature Boston based PI Sunny Randall.
Social media influencer Blake James is getting threats, so his manger asks Sunny to protect Blake and investigate the threats.
I thoroughly enjoyed Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence, which is a fun read with quite a few twists. I have only read one or two of the original novels in this series and that was years ago, so I was open minded about what I would get. I have more familiarity with Spenser and Jesse Stone so I am familiar with Robert B. Parker’s style and I don’t see much amiss in this novel except a little less wisecracking. It has the sort knowingness that includes the reader in the fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The novel is set in the world of successful influencers that Blake and his girlfriend, Alena, inhabit. It’s something I know little about, but even I can spot a potshot when I see one and enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. Aspirational seems to be the buzzword, but when all I aspire to is a comfortable bed and easy life it’s obviously not something I even want to understand.
I think the plot is very entertaining. For all her clients seem to share every moment and aspect of their lives on “the Gram” they are remarkably closed lipped to Sunny. Many of the twists come from her discoveries about them and there are some doozies. It jogs along with Sunny investigating a couple of suspects and possible motives, getting closer as the novel progresses and culminates in a final violent showdown with more startling revelations.
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Social media influencer Blake James is getting threats, so his manger asks Sunny to protect Blake and investigate the threats.
I thoroughly enjoyed Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence, which is a fun read with quite a few twists. I have only read one or two of the original novels in this series and that was years ago, so I was open minded about what I would get. I have more familiarity with Spenser and Jesse Stone so I am familiar with Robert B. Parker’s style and I don’t see much amiss in this novel except a little less wisecracking. It has the sort knowingness that includes the reader in the fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The novel is set in the world of successful influencers that Blake and his girlfriend, Alena, inhabit. It’s something I know little about, but even I can spot a potshot when I see one and enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. Aspirational seems to be the buzzword, but when all I aspire to is a comfortable bed and easy life it’s obviously not something I even want to understand.
I think the plot is very entertaining. For all her clients seem to share every moment and aspect of their lives on “the Gram” they are remarkably closed lipped to Sunny. Many of the twists come from her discoveries about them and there are some doozies. It jogs along with Sunny investigating a couple of suspects and possible motives, getting closer as the novel progresses and culminates in a final violent showdown with more startling revelations.
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
July 25, 2023
Gaylin begins soon after Lupica’s Sunny Randall leaves off in the previous book in the series, Revenge Tour (2022), with Sunny beginning a new case for a social media influencer getting some scary threats and with Sunny reeling over the news that her ex-husband Ritchie is leaving Boston. Like Lupica before her, Gaylin does a great job describing Boston, and the street and place scenes add to the Pace and Tone of the mystery novel. The PI procedural aspect is nicely detailed and paced, and Sunny's relationships from best friend Spike to her father and mother have enough depth for them to be distinct. We hear about Dr. Susan Silverman, and Frank Belson, and get a few glimpses of Lee Farrell so that visiting with Sunny is sometimes like hanging with a group of old friends. I liked Lupica’s Sunny, but I really liked Gaylin’s Sunny and her attention to the complications of her relationship reactions, the even better fashion and excellent food descriptions just made her a bit more real to me. As usual, threat and violence is always a part of Sunny's world and is integrated into the story well. I look forward to seeing what Gaylin has planned for the next in the Sunny Randall series, especially as the ending to this one leaves us with bittersweet hope.
February 5, 2023
I love the Parker novels, and am continually amazed at the quality of the novels since his passing. I was afraid when I saw another new author had taken over the Sunny Randall series. This book might be one of the best of the series. Not only is it great, but in some spots, it’s laugh out loud funny.
Great plot, incorporating very up to date plot points. The story revolves around the new influencer culture and involves Sunny doing work for the group. Gaylin incorporated some of Sunny’s stalwarts, such as Spike, her dad and Richie.
The story is lively, fun to read and pulls the story together with perfect closure. So, Parker fans, this new author has Sunny Randall under control!
Thank you Netgalley for this delightful visit with Sunny.
Great plot, incorporating very up to date plot points. The story revolves around the new influencer culture and involves Sunny doing work for the group. Gaylin incorporated some of Sunny’s stalwarts, such as Spike, her dad and Richie.
The story is lively, fun to read and pulls the story together with perfect closure. So, Parker fans, this new author has Sunny Randall under control!
Thank you Netgalley for this delightful visit with Sunny.
March 2, 2024
The franchise is in safe hands.
June 17, 2023
The late, great Robert B. Parker left us in 2010. Among the legendary mystery and suspense novels he gave us were the Spenser series, the Jesse Stone Series, and the Sunny Randall series. Author and sportswriter Mike Lupica had written the four previous Sunny Randall novels following Parker’s death and now has passed the mantle to award-winning writer Alison Gaylin.
I have always lamented the fact that when we lose a prolific and beloved writer we also lose the characters that readers have become so attached to. As a result, whenever I see a popular author such as Gaylin stepping in to submit their take on a popular series I am intrigued and overjoyed at the chance to spend time once again with characters I never wanted to say goodbye to.
This new Sunny Randall novel, entitled BAD INFLUENCE, follows Parker’s formula to a tee. It also allows a great author the caliber of an Alison Gaylin to provide her own storytelling and plot-making prowess to a very engaging mystery. The storyline is taken directly from our modern times as it involves a couple of social media influencers and their megalomaniac controlling agent who need the assistance and protection of former cop now private investigator, Sunny Randall. It is a world that, alas, Robert B. Parker never got a chance to see but one that will speak to modern day readers.
BAD INFLUENCE is a novel that defies you to put it down. The plot twists and turns are so frequent that you will lose track of what is actually going on --- and this is where Gaylin is at her most brilliant as every surprise will make the staunchest mystery writer squeal ‘a-ha’! Sunny is hired by high-powered agent Bethany Rose to protect and guard her biggest money-makers, social media influencers Blake James and his girlfriend Alena. While Sunny may not know much about the world of ‘influencers’ she is quite impressed that their mere presence at her old friend Spike’s Boston Tavern has turned it into the must-see attraction in the city.
It seems that Blake has been receiving more than just the typical negative troll comments on-line. He has gotten some very threatening and cryptic emails that made Bethany reach out to Sunny. Some of the recent messages have had a biblical bent with quotes like ‘you reap what you sow’ being thrown at him. Sunny and her constant companion --- her dog Rosie --- along with some much-needed assistance from ex-Boston P.D. cop Spike --- make for a nice team. But when a threatening note makes it’s way inside Blake and Alena’s temporary Boston apartment and the accused Doorman/Security Guard later turns up brutally murdered, Sunny knows that this case is serious business and not just millennial child’s play.
The intensity really ramps up when Bethany suddenly goes missing, not showing up for an important meeting involving a prospective new TV show for Blake. This sends Blake into a huge tailspin and the more level-headed Alena even begins to show a few cracks in her usually tough brick wall of a demeanor. Sunny learns that Bethany started her agency with some big funding from a local mobster who she still gives a healthy cut to on a regular basis. When Blake makes a big chunk of change with the pornographic site Only Fans and fails to report this to Bethany, the mobster named ‘Moon’ finds out and is not happy. Sunny is able to call in some favors to meet with Moon and strikes a deal to get him repaid in a few weeks. She also learns that Moon was not the one threatening Blake, Bethany and company.
Now, seemingly back to square one and with Bethany still absent, Sunny must dig into both Blake and Alena’s backgrounds which she has begun to suspect to be as made-up as their social media tag names. What transpires is one of the best mysteries I have read this year and one that will have readers heads spinning long before the unexpected conclusion. It was so nice to spend quality time again with Sunny, Rosie, and Spike and I sure hope Alison Gaylin plans to revisit them on the pages again!
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
I have always lamented the fact that when we lose a prolific and beloved writer we also lose the characters that readers have become so attached to. As a result, whenever I see a popular author such as Gaylin stepping in to submit their take on a popular series I am intrigued and overjoyed at the chance to spend time once again with characters I never wanted to say goodbye to.
This new Sunny Randall novel, entitled BAD INFLUENCE, follows Parker’s formula to a tee. It also allows a great author the caliber of an Alison Gaylin to provide her own storytelling and plot-making prowess to a very engaging mystery. The storyline is taken directly from our modern times as it involves a couple of social media influencers and their megalomaniac controlling agent who need the assistance and protection of former cop now private investigator, Sunny Randall. It is a world that, alas, Robert B. Parker never got a chance to see but one that will speak to modern day readers.
BAD INFLUENCE is a novel that defies you to put it down. The plot twists and turns are so frequent that you will lose track of what is actually going on --- and this is where Gaylin is at her most brilliant as every surprise will make the staunchest mystery writer squeal ‘a-ha’! Sunny is hired by high-powered agent Bethany Rose to protect and guard her biggest money-makers, social media influencers Blake James and his girlfriend Alena. While Sunny may not know much about the world of ‘influencers’ she is quite impressed that their mere presence at her old friend Spike’s Boston Tavern has turned it into the must-see attraction in the city.
It seems that Blake has been receiving more than just the typical negative troll comments on-line. He has gotten some very threatening and cryptic emails that made Bethany reach out to Sunny. Some of the recent messages have had a biblical bent with quotes like ‘you reap what you sow’ being thrown at him. Sunny and her constant companion --- her dog Rosie --- along with some much-needed assistance from ex-Boston P.D. cop Spike --- make for a nice team. But when a threatening note makes it’s way inside Blake and Alena’s temporary Boston apartment and the accused Doorman/Security Guard later turns up brutally murdered, Sunny knows that this case is serious business and not just millennial child’s play.
The intensity really ramps up when Bethany suddenly goes missing, not showing up for an important meeting involving a prospective new TV show for Blake. This sends Blake into a huge tailspin and the more level-headed Alena even begins to show a few cracks in her usually tough brick wall of a demeanor. Sunny learns that Bethany started her agency with some big funding from a local mobster who she still gives a healthy cut to on a regular basis. When Blake makes a big chunk of change with the pornographic site Only Fans and fails to report this to Bethany, the mobster named ‘Moon’ finds out and is not happy. Sunny is able to call in some favors to meet with Moon and strikes a deal to get him repaid in a few weeks. She also learns that Moon was not the one threatening Blake, Bethany and company.
Now, seemingly back to square one and with Bethany still absent, Sunny must dig into both Blake and Alena’s backgrounds which she has begun to suspect to be as made-up as their social media tag names. What transpires is one of the best mysteries I have read this year and one that will have readers heads spinning long before the unexpected conclusion. It was so nice to spend quality time again with Sunny, Rosie, and Spike and I sure hope Alison Gaylin plans to revisit them on the pages again!
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
June 19, 2023
The late, great Robert B. Parker left us in 2010 but gifted us with a multitude of books starring Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. Mike Lupica penned four Sunny Randall novels following Parker’s death and now has passed the baton to Alison Gaylin.
I have always lamented the fact that when we lose a prolific and beloved writer, we also lose the characters to whom we have become so attached. So whenever I see a well-known author such as Gaylin step in to submit their take on a popular series, I am intrigued and overjoyed by the chance to once again spend time with characters I never want to part with.
BAD INFLUENCE follows Parker’s formula to a tee while allowing Gaylin to incorporate her own storytelling and plot-making prowess into this very engaging mystery. Sunny is hired by high-powered agent Bethany Rose to protect and guard her biggest moneymakers, social media influencers Blake James and his girlfriend, Alena Jade. While Sunny may not know much about this world, she is quite impressed that their mere presence at her old friend Spike’s Boston tavern has turned it into the must-see attraction in the city.
Unfortunately, Blake has been receiving more than just the typical negative troll comments online. He has gotten some ominous and cryptic emails that made Bethany reach out to Sunny. Some of the recent messages have had a biblical bent with quotes like “you reap what you sow” being thrown at him. Sunny and her constant companion --- her dog, Rosie --- along with some much-needed assistance from Spike, make for a nice team. But when a threatening note makes its way inside Blake and Alena’s temporary Boston apartment and the accused doorman/security guard later turns up dead, Sunny knows that this case is serious business and not just millennial child’s play.
The intensity really ramps up when Bethany suddenly goes missing, not showing up for an important meeting involving a prospective new TV show for Blake. This sends Blake into a huge tailspin, and the more level-headed Alena even begins to show a few cracks in her usually tough brick wall of a demeanor.
What transpires is one of the best mysteries I have read this year, and readers’ heads will be spinning long before the unexpected conclusion. I defy you to put this book down. The plot twists and turns are so frequent that you will lose track of what is actually going on --- and this is where the author is at her most brilliant as every surprise will make the staunchest mystery reader squeal “aha”! It was so nice to spend some quality time with Sunny, Rosie and Spike, and I sure hope that Alison Gaylin plans to revisit them very soon.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
I have always lamented the fact that when we lose a prolific and beloved writer, we also lose the characters to whom we have become so attached. So whenever I see a well-known author such as Gaylin step in to submit their take on a popular series, I am intrigued and overjoyed by the chance to once again spend time with characters I never want to part with.
BAD INFLUENCE follows Parker’s formula to a tee while allowing Gaylin to incorporate her own storytelling and plot-making prowess into this very engaging mystery. Sunny is hired by high-powered agent Bethany Rose to protect and guard her biggest moneymakers, social media influencers Blake James and his girlfriend, Alena Jade. While Sunny may not know much about this world, she is quite impressed that their mere presence at her old friend Spike’s Boston tavern has turned it into the must-see attraction in the city.
Unfortunately, Blake has been receiving more than just the typical negative troll comments online. He has gotten some ominous and cryptic emails that made Bethany reach out to Sunny. Some of the recent messages have had a biblical bent with quotes like “you reap what you sow” being thrown at him. Sunny and her constant companion --- her dog, Rosie --- along with some much-needed assistance from Spike, make for a nice team. But when a threatening note makes its way inside Blake and Alena’s temporary Boston apartment and the accused doorman/security guard later turns up dead, Sunny knows that this case is serious business and not just millennial child’s play.
The intensity really ramps up when Bethany suddenly goes missing, not showing up for an important meeting involving a prospective new TV show for Blake. This sends Blake into a huge tailspin, and the more level-headed Alena even begins to show a few cracks in her usually tough brick wall of a demeanor.
What transpires is one of the best mysteries I have read this year, and readers’ heads will be spinning long before the unexpected conclusion. I defy you to put this book down. The plot twists and turns are so frequent that you will lose track of what is actually going on --- and this is where the author is at her most brilliant as every surprise will make the staunchest mystery reader squeal “aha”! It was so nice to spend some quality time with Sunny, Rosie and Spike, and I sure hope that Alison Gaylin plans to revisit them very soon.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
March 29, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC
Alison Gaylin, an award-winning author, has penned 41 novels. Her accolades include the Edgar and Shamus awards, and she continues to captivate readers with her gripping mysteries.
In Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence' an exciting thrilling addition to the Sunny Randall series, Gaylin plunges us into a world of glamour, danger, and digital intrigue.
Sunny Randall, the intrepid Boston PI, takes center stage once again. She's no stranger to the city's gritty streets, having once dated the legendary Jesse Stone and shared therapy sessions with Susan Silverman (Spenser's steadfast companion). But this time, Sunny's client is no ordinary case. Blake, an Instagram influencer with a life seemingly curated by the gods, seeks her protection. His existence is a heady mix of wealth, adoration, and a beautiful girlfriend. Yet, beneath the glossy surface, malevolence simmers.
As Sunny delves into Blake's world, she uncovers a web of lies, schemes, and connections to a criminal underbelly. The stakes escalate when threats turn lethal, and Blake's manager, Bethany, goes missing. To crack the case, Sunny must peel back the Instagram filters and expose the raw truth. Who are Blake and Bethany when the likes and follows fade away?
Gaylin deftly balances old-school sleuthing with modern cyber-savvy. Sunny's wit and determination drive the narrative, and her encounters with old friends and ex-husbands add depth. The streets of Boston come alive—the same streets where Spenser once tread—and we're reminded that danger wears many disguises, even in the glow of a smartphone screen.
What sets "Bad Influence" apart is Gaylin's ability to breathe new life into Parker's iconic character. Sunny Randall emerges as a multifaceted heroine, grappling with insecurities, anxieties, and bravery. Gaylin's prose captures the essence of Parker's universe while infusing it with contemporary relevance. The result? A seamless blend of nostalgia and freshness.
If you crave suspense, digital intrigue, and a dash of Boston noir, "Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence" is your next addictive read. Just remember, behind every flawless Instagram post lies a shadow—a secret waiting to be unmasked.
Alison Gaylin, an award-winning author, has penned 41 novels. Her accolades include the Edgar and Shamus awards, and she continues to captivate readers with her gripping mysteries.
In Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence' an exciting thrilling addition to the Sunny Randall series, Gaylin plunges us into a world of glamour, danger, and digital intrigue.
Sunny Randall, the intrepid Boston PI, takes center stage once again. She's no stranger to the city's gritty streets, having once dated the legendary Jesse Stone and shared therapy sessions with Susan Silverman (Spenser's steadfast companion). But this time, Sunny's client is no ordinary case. Blake, an Instagram influencer with a life seemingly curated by the gods, seeks her protection. His existence is a heady mix of wealth, adoration, and a beautiful girlfriend. Yet, beneath the glossy surface, malevolence simmers.
As Sunny delves into Blake's world, she uncovers a web of lies, schemes, and connections to a criminal underbelly. The stakes escalate when threats turn lethal, and Blake's manager, Bethany, goes missing. To crack the case, Sunny must peel back the Instagram filters and expose the raw truth. Who are Blake and Bethany when the likes and follows fade away?
Gaylin deftly balances old-school sleuthing with modern cyber-savvy. Sunny's wit and determination drive the narrative, and her encounters with old friends and ex-husbands add depth. The streets of Boston come alive—the same streets where Spenser once tread—and we're reminded that danger wears many disguises, even in the glow of a smartphone screen.
What sets "Bad Influence" apart is Gaylin's ability to breathe new life into Parker's iconic character. Sunny Randall emerges as a multifaceted heroine, grappling with insecurities, anxieties, and bravery. Gaylin's prose captures the essence of Parker's universe while infusing it with contemporary relevance. The result? A seamless blend of nostalgia and freshness.
If you crave suspense, digital intrigue, and a dash of Boston noir, "Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence" is your next addictive read. Just remember, behind every flawless Instagram post lies a shadow—a secret waiting to be unmasked.
July 17, 2023
Prior to Robert Parker's death in 2010, I started re-reading all of his work. Easier said than done as some of it turned out to be quite obscure: books on horse racing, his earliest novels. At some point Parker saw what was working (selling) and stuck to that formula until death. The author himself said he was only interested in giving his family a comfortable lifestyle, and that he did. Formulaic speech, wide margins, a lot of white on the page. He wasn't straining, and he no longer cared on improving his writing.
When his two sons (and wife) continued the Parker lineage by hiring legit authors to write in his style, they chiefly focused on the westerns, Jesse Stone and Spenser. Poor ole Sunny Randall was left by the wayside, but then Parker had lost interest in her some time ago. Ace Atkins who took on some of the writing did a truly remarkable job, but he wants to pursue more of his own successful work. I never took to Mike Lupica's writing style and this book by Alison Gaylin was way off mark.
In a nutshell, there is an overall theme of social media, influencers (and the falsity that follows.) I've met so many people in the past two years who say their job is "social influencing." In their heads. It's frightening. Egocentricity at it's worst. Sunny is still somewhat incompetent (losing her gun in an overloaded handbag,) and just short of tripping over her own feet, while pining for a love that is never coming back. The obligatory gay friend and dog and you're ready to roll. I missed any sense of the city of Boston as it is today.
I hope Parker's sons are starting to reduce their lifestyle. I can't imagine anyone being interested in this stuff anymore.
When his two sons (and wife) continued the Parker lineage by hiring legit authors to write in his style, they chiefly focused on the westerns, Jesse Stone and Spenser. Poor ole Sunny Randall was left by the wayside, but then Parker had lost interest in her some time ago. Ace Atkins who took on some of the writing did a truly remarkable job, but he wants to pursue more of his own successful work. I never took to Mike Lupica's writing style and this book by Alison Gaylin was way off mark.
In a nutshell, there is an overall theme of social media, influencers (and the falsity that follows.) I've met so many people in the past two years who say their job is "social influencing." In their heads. It's frightening. Egocentricity at it's worst. Sunny is still somewhat incompetent (losing her gun in an overloaded handbag,) and just short of tripping over her own feet, while pining for a love that is never coming back. The obligatory gay friend and dog and you're ready to roll. I missed any sense of the city of Boston as it is today.
I hope Parker's sons are starting to reduce their lifestyle. I can't imagine anyone being interested in this stuff anymore.
August 6, 2023
A new author for the Sunny Randall series. Sunny is not seeing Richie or Jesse Stone. In fact, Rich is moving away. Lee Farrell’s niece, Emily Burns, would like to help her employer Bethany Rose. Lee recommends sunny.
Sunny is hired by Bethany Rose, an internet influencer, to be the bodyguard for one of her talents: Blake James and Alena.
Blake used to have an onlyfans account and earned $900,000 in only two weeks. Most of it has been gambled away. Bethany owes Moon Monahan a third of all the revenues that come from her various businesses, which includes earnings of her clients.
Sunny meets with Moon and arranges for a two week reprieve.
Then Bethany disappears.
Sunny meets with Moon again. He is not behind the threats. Then the doorman to Blake’s building is stabbed to death.
Alena confides to Sunny that she had gone on a few dates with a man named Dylan Welch. She got some nasty emails from Dylan when she broke it off with him.
Sunny does a deep dive on the internet and learns he once dated a woman named Teresa. So, she meets Theresa for a drink and learns how nasty Dylan can be.
Sunny begins to look into Bethany’s past. And she continues to watch over Alena and Blake. She has text exchanges with Richie.
Then things begin to fall into place and the violence picks up.
I don’t know what to think about this. There is the evil, violent Christian preacher. He is a standard in modern day fiction. I find that character implausible, not that I know any evil, violent Christian preachers. This may be the end of the Sunny Randall series for me.
Sunny is hired by Bethany Rose, an internet influencer, to be the bodyguard for one of her talents: Blake James and Alena.
Blake used to have an onlyfans account and earned $900,000 in only two weeks. Most of it has been gambled away. Bethany owes Moon Monahan a third of all the revenues that come from her various businesses, which includes earnings of her clients.
Sunny meets with Moon and arranges for a two week reprieve.
Then Bethany disappears.
Sunny meets with Moon again. He is not behind the threats. Then the doorman to Blake’s building is stabbed to death.
Alena confides to Sunny that she had gone on a few dates with a man named Dylan Welch. She got some nasty emails from Dylan when she broke it off with him.
Sunny does a deep dive on the internet and learns he once dated a woman named Teresa. So, she meets Theresa for a drink and learns how nasty Dylan can be.
Sunny begins to look into Bethany’s past. And she continues to watch over Alena and Blake. She has text exchanges with Richie.
Then things begin to fall into place and the violence picks up.
I don’t know what to think about this. There is the evil, violent Christian preacher. He is a standard in modern day fiction. I find that character implausible, not that I know any evil, violent Christian preachers. This may be the end of the Sunny Randall series for me.
May 28, 2023
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence is the latest novel in the late author’s Sunny Randall series, written this time by Alison Gaylin. Besides the single, female private eye, the main protagonists include a couple of modern day influencers l, and Bethany, their manager. A threat against one of the couple soon reveals that Bethany borrowed capital from unscrupulous individuals to fund her influencing management operation.
Sunny is hired to protect one of the influencers more action commences; threats, murder and a disappearance, all of which send Sunny to following clues and suspects local to her and connected to her client.
In my humble opinion the Sunny Randall novels are definitely the best of the post-Parker series, and this book one holds up to that excellence.
The only problem I had with this one was slight. In fact I sighed aloud when a too usual trope in 21st century murder mysteries was introduced. Still, the trope in its own way remain faithful to the original author’s imagination, which made it palatable.
As a positive, having Alison Gaylin authoring this series is brilliant as she adds her gender experience to make Randall more authentic, specifically for when writing about her inner thoughts and emotions.
Though, as for any Robert B. Parker series, I recommend reading some or all of the original Sunny Randall novels, it will be okay to begin with this book. The necessary back stories are provided, and no doubt Bad Influence will leave you, as it did me, wanting to read more from this series.
Sunny is hired to protect one of the influencers more action commences; threats, murder and a disappearance, all of which send Sunny to following clues and suspects local to her and connected to her client.
In my humble opinion the Sunny Randall novels are definitely the best of the post-Parker series, and this book one holds up to that excellence.
The only problem I had with this one was slight. In fact I sighed aloud when a too usual trope in 21st century murder mysteries was introduced. Still, the trope in its own way remain faithful to the original author’s imagination, which made it palatable.
As a positive, having Alison Gaylin authoring this series is brilliant as she adds her gender experience to make Randall more authentic, specifically for when writing about her inner thoughts and emotions.
Though, as for any Robert B. Parker series, I recommend reading some or all of the original Sunny Randall novels, it will be okay to begin with this book. The necessary back stories are provided, and no doubt Bad Influence will leave you, as it did me, wanting to read more from this series.
October 23, 2023
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence (Sunny Randall #11) by Alison Gaylin (G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2023) (Fiction - Mystery) (3879).
Here’s the newest novel from the literary estate of the late author Robert B. Parker. His estate tapped newspaper writer and author Alison Graylin to pen this installment in Parker’s Sunny Randall series, and Graylin has stepped up and produced a true page-turner of a mystery/thriller.
Sunny Randall is a former cop and private investigator in Boston. She inhabits the same world as Parker’s other Massachusetts-based literary creations, the Boston private investigator Spenser and the chief of police of Paradise, Massachusetts, one Jesse Stone.
This tale represents Sunny’s first foray into the world of social media influencers. As the story opens, Sunny is reeling over the news that her beloved ex-husband Richie is leaving Boston and relocating to New Jersey. When an agent whose clients are a pair of beautiful young internet media stars who have been receiving anonymous threats of a Biblical nature seeks Sunny’s help, Sunny takes the case. Shortly thereafter, the agent vanishes, and Sunny is left to care for two beautiful but socially clueless twenty-something “media influencers” as the threats continue to mount.
Fear not, intrepid readers, for Sunny Randall is on the case.
Robert B. Parker’s Sunny Randall series is in good hands with author Alison Gaylin. It appears that the Parker estate has found exactly the right author to carry this series forward.
My rating: 7.5/10, finished 10/23/23 (3879).
July 29, 2025
"When you're influencing, you're projecting perfection... People, places. You want them idealized. Not realized. That's the whole point of creating an image."
This has sat on my virtual bookcase for a while, mostly because I hate starting series in the middle - I always start with 1 and read chronologically. Fortunately, you can dive right in to Sunny Randall's PI business and it doesn't matter if you haven't read any previous books. I liked Sunny and the hard-nosed, almost noir quality of the narration. I don't need to know a lot of personal stuff and the extra stuff with Richie, her ex-husband but love of her life, was fine and maybe more of a payoff for long-time readers. The outcome of the mystery itself was pretty good , and I liked that the author focused on social media influencing as a breeding area for cons and lies (which is basically what a lot of it is, even if you don't owe someone thousands of dollars). I'd read more of Gaylin's Randall books for sure.
Also - Actor Kate Burton does a good job of reading the audiobook too - she does a decent Boston accent. I found all the different references fun, and Sunny travels A LOT in this book - Cambridge, Southie, Newbury Street, Sudbury.
thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!
This has sat on my virtual bookcase for a while, mostly because I hate starting series in the middle - I always start with 1 and read chronologically. Fortunately, you can dive right in to Sunny Randall's PI business and it doesn't matter if you haven't read any previous books. I liked Sunny and the hard-nosed, almost noir quality of the narration. I don't need to know a lot of personal stuff and the extra stuff with Richie, her ex-husband but love of her life, was fine and maybe more of a payoff for long-time readers. The outcome of the mystery itself was pretty good , and I liked that the author focused on social media influencing as a breeding area for cons and lies (which is basically what a lot of it is, even if you don't owe someone thousands of dollars). I'd read more of Gaylin's Randall books for sure.
Also - Actor Kate Burton does a good job of reading the audiobook too - she does a decent Boston accent. I found all the different references fun, and Sunny travels A LOT in this book - Cambridge, Southie, Newbury Street, Sudbury.
thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!
July 29, 2023
Bad Influence by Alison Gaylin. When Robert Parker died his estate arranged for different authors to continue his various series. All authors chosen are excellent crime novelists in their own right.
Ace Atkins was chosen by the estate to continue the Spenser series, three different authors took
turns continuing the Jesse Stone series and first Mike Lupica and then Alison Gaylin continued the Sunny Randall series.
Parker's books were never known for having much depth or being very complicated. We readers enjoyed his books because they were light and fun and when there was violence, which was almost inevitable in his books, there was witty jokes before and after it.
This has continued with the books in the various series after his death, which are still well done.
Sunny Randall remains a private detective and in this book her new cluent, Blake James, is an Internet influence which comes with the usual perks, namely followers, fans and a girlfriend. While many of those fans are friendly and adoring one is making threats. That's where Sunny comes in, to determine who is making threats and find out what they want.
Things go screwy around the time Bethany, Blake's girlfriend, disappears and the threats escalate. She sorts things out and learns some terrible things I can't go into without spoiling the book, which I refuse to do.
It's a good thriller. I give it an 8.
August 13, 2023
Robert B. Parkers family has used several writers to keep the story lines of the author going since his death in 2010. Such writers as Ace Atkin, Reed Farrel Coleman, and Mike Lupica have done and outstanding job of continuing to bring the Jesse Stone, Spencer and Sunny Randall to the pages. Now we have another, Alison Gaylin, writing more of Sunny Randall...the good thing about all of these writers is that you realize that they have not missed a lick.. you believe that Mr. Parker is still behind the typewriter. Enjoy this next episode.
"Sunny Randall’s newest client, Blake, seems to have it all: he is an Instagram influencer, with all the perks the lifestyle entails—a beautiful girlfriend, wealth, and adoring fans. But one of those fans has turned ugly, and Sunny is brought on board by Blake’s manager, Bethany, to protect him and to uncover who is out to kill him. In doing so, she investigates a glamorous world rife with lies and schemes…and ties to a dangerous criminal scene.
When Bethany goes missing and the threats against Blake escalate, Sunny realizes that in order to solve this case, she has to find out exactly who Blake and Bethany are, behind the Instagram filters. While digging into their pasts, she is also forced to confront her own, as old friends—and ex-husbands—reappear. With a combination of old-school crime-solving skills and modern internet savvy, Sunny will stop at nothing to catch a killer."
"Sunny Randall’s newest client, Blake, seems to have it all: he is an Instagram influencer, with all the perks the lifestyle entails—a beautiful girlfriend, wealth, and adoring fans. But one of those fans has turned ugly, and Sunny is brought on board by Blake’s manager, Bethany, to protect him and to uncover who is out to kill him. In doing so, she investigates a glamorous world rife with lies and schemes…and ties to a dangerous criminal scene.
When Bethany goes missing and the threats against Blake escalate, Sunny realizes that in order to solve this case, she has to find out exactly who Blake and Bethany are, behind the Instagram filters. While digging into their pasts, she is also forced to confront her own, as old friends—and ex-husbands—reappear. With a combination of old-school crime-solving skills and modern internet savvy, Sunny will stop at nothing to catch a killer."
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