Let the Sunny shine

Put tough and smart together with a dose of charm, and you've got private investigator Sunny Randall, the protagonist of Robert B. Parker's Family Honor. Able to work a case with conversation or a shotgun, Sunny gets results in ways that put a nice twist on the bare-knuckle, hardboiled PI genre.

If you enjoy the structure and pacing of Parker's Spenser and Jesse Stone novels, you'll feel at home on these pages. Plus, you'll have the added excitement and satisfaction of watching Sunny deal decisively with bad actors who underestimate her prowess.

In Family Honor, Sunny, an ex-cop and an aspiring painter, is hired by Brock and Betty Patton to find their daughter, Millicent, who is a runaway. The Pattons are wealthy, aloof, and without much love for Millicent. Tellingly, it's been 10 days since the girl took off. Despite her dislike of the Pattons, Sunny takes the case. She takes to the gritty streets of Boston, where the story is set, meeting a dangerous mixture of criminal types. As one can imagine, these pimps, thugs, and hustlers are not particularly friendly or helpful.

As the case unwinds, we're introduced to the people who populate Sunny's world. These include an ex-husband with mob ties, a neurotic sister, a therapist friend with helpful insights, a tough bar owner who happens to be gay, and her father, Phil Randall, a noteworthy retired cop. Sunny's most meaningful relationship is with Rosie, her dog. A bull terrier, Rosie is equal parts comfort and comic relief for Sunny, and the dog figures in many scenes.

The book is Parker's first in the Sunny Randall series. It's advisable to read Family Honor first, but that should be sufficient to venture into the other five novels he penned. The series has continued with other writers since Parker died in 2010.

The book is a twist on the private detective genre simply because Sunny is a woman. As Sunny notes, few females are in the PI game, so we get a fresh take on crime solving from a perspective that has yet to be worn threadbare.

Sunny is tough, but she can only get results sometimes from being physical. It's nice to see her arrive at solutions without using a weapon. However, that's not to say she can't be fierce when the need arises, and Parker picks his spots to prove it.

The characters, for the most part, are interesting. Sunny's dealings with crime boss Tony Marcus are a highlight. The novel sparkles when he spars with Sunny during conversations. As the novel progresses, Betty Patton, Millicent's mother, seems irredeemable but manages to change and recover her humanity. Sunny's ex-husband, Richie, also plays a strong but largely silent role, readily bringing his mob family's connections to bear when needed.

Other less appealing characters are Sunny's sister, Elizabeth, and friend, Julie. They often seem like the same person, and their stories don't progress the story other than give Sunny the satisfaction of thanking her lucky stars that she's not like them.

As mentioned, Rosie, the dog, is in every chapter. We get frequent reports about the dog's actions. Some readers might feel the pet is overwritten for what she contributes.

As for the story, I looked forward to each fresh chapter. The book is an easy read with taut action and dialogue. It was a thrill to see Sunny deftly handle criminals. Seeing her grow into a mother figure for Millicent, whom Sunny battles to keep safe once the girl is recovered, was also satisfying. Readers will enjoy Sunny's stand-off with a pair of hitmen and her takedown of a low-level pimp who underestimates her street smarts and skills.

Parker's style is terse, and the chapters are short, moving the reader quickly through the book. However, the pauses for scenes with side characters may be a drag for some readers eager to get on with the action.

As for me, I was happy to find another Parker character to follow and eager to dive into Perish Twice, the next Sunny installment.

If you like Parker's writing style and his Spenser and Jesse Stone books, you'll be pleased with the life and times of Sunny Randall. Perhaps off the level of the Spenser books, this new series gives us a lively protagonist and a fresh take on the private investigator genre. Let the Sunny shine.