8 December 2009
So recently I found myself wandering around the airport in Milwaukee because I had arrived several hours earlier than my scheduled flight (and about ten minutes too late for an earlier flight out). I was surprised to find a book store in the airport that sold used books and went in to find something to read during the wait and on the flight. I found a used copy of Family Honor - a Sunny Randall novel by Robert B. Parker. I was familiar with the character because Parker had put her into his Jesse Stone storyline. I picked up and wasn't disappointed.
Family Honor was the introductory novel Parker used to open his third series, this one based on the private investigator Sunny Randall. His other two (if any of you aren't familiar) are:
- The long running Spenser novels upon which the television show Spenser For Hire was based, and
- The relatively new Jesse Stone novels.
There are a few parallels between Spenser and Sunny Randall. Of course, we still don't know what Spenser's first name is, but I think that's a tease Parker's going to hold onto until he intentionally lets it out in what he plans to be the last Spenser novel. Both Sunny and Spenser have previously been police officers, and both had issues with the rank structure and rules imposed. Both come from families that taught them to be pretty self-sufficient although Sunny did have a mom when she was growing up and Spenser was "not of woman born" (his mom died before he was born and he was born by c-section).
Sunny's involvement in law enforcement was kind of a family tradition as she "inherited" it from her father. In Family Honor we learn about some of his history as a cop and how respected he was (and is) by both the good and bad guys in and around Boston. Because of his name which Sunny obviously shares, some of that respect rolls over onto her, although she is tested some before being given full benefit.
So, in Family Honor, while one might think it has something to do with Sunny's family honor, the reader may find that it actually applies to one of two other families:
- The family of the missing teenage girl "victim" that Sunny is hired to find, or
- The family of Sunny's ex-husband which happens to be involved in organized crime in Boston
When Sunny is hired to find the girl she finds herself in an interesting situation because the girl's parents seem highly mixed in their opinion of whether or not the girl needs to be found. The marital dynamic is one that screams something is wrong, but Sunny can't quite put her finger on it. When Sunny does find the girl she has to stand up to a few bad guys to take the girl away and we (readers) discover that she's quite capable of being a hard-nosed bitch when it's required. Then, once she has the girl, she has a new conundrum: what to do?
Further investigation into matters she wasn't hired to investigate leads Sunny to believe that going home might not be in the girl's best interests. Those of you who are Spenser fans will remember Spenser going through something similar when he found Paul - his pseudo-son.
To be successful in her endeavors, Sunny finds herself having to call on assistance from her ex-husband, his family, and her very big, intimidating, competent, gay friend, Spike. I can't say I'm a fan of how Parker tends to insert his opinions about various social issues into his books, but every author does and I can put up with the ones I disagree with to enjoy the rest of the story.
When I finished reading Family Honor I found myself looking forward to getting the next Sunny Randall novel. Obviously, that means I enjoyed it and find myself entertained by the character. I think you will too. Check it out.
Happy Trails!
