ROBERT B. PARKER’S BOOKED

5 stars out of 5

Sunny Randall has been around the block more than a few times – this is the 13^th in the series (the third, I believe, by this author) – and I’ve read most of them. For sure this one is on my list of favorites.The plot involves books and murder, so for an avid reader of murder mysteries like me, what’s not to like?

Sunny, a private detective based in Boston, has a lot on her plate right now. For openers, she’s re-engaged to be re-married to her ex, Richie Burke, the son of long-time and mostly likable mobster Dominick Burke. Richie lives and works in New Jersey, though, not that far from Boston but far from Sunny’s favorite place to be. So, she’s dragging her feet a bit on planning wedding details. She’s also a long-time friend of wildly popular author Melanie Joan Hall, who has a new book coming out in a few months (her memoir, a bit off her usual genre).

Problem is, a top online book reviewer/influencer who’s identity remains secret just gave Melanie’s book one star (out of a high of 5), and Melanie is devastated. In a drunken state after she saw it, she fired off a truly nasty response – which, along with the lousy review, went viral. Distraught over her fans turning on her and worried that her publisher will dump her, Melanie wants to set things straight. So, she contacts her friend Sunny with a plea for help; find out who the reviewer, code name Book Babe, really is so she can deliver an in-person apology.

With help from her competent assistant Blake James and best friend Spike, Sunny manages to uncover Book Babe’s identity – and in the process learns there’s more to her relationship with Melanie than Melanie revealed. No surprise, then, when Book Babe turns up dead, Melanie turns into a prime suspect.

Now, Sunny has an even bigger task at hand: finding evidence that proves Melanie didn’t do more than just kindle a grudge against the reviewer. The situation becomes so tense that Sunny is forced to hire hot-shot attorney Rita Fiore, who coincidentally is currently dating former Sunny love interest Jesse Stone, the Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief who happens to have a book series all his own.

For the rest of the details, how the investigation works its way to the truth and how it all ends, you’ll have to read it for yourself – I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else. It’s well worth the effort, IMHO, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

Robert B. Parker’s Booked by Alison Gaylin (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, May 2026); 320 pp.

ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL

4 stars out of 5

This, the 11th entry in the Sunny Randall series, ushers in a new author, or so I've read. While it's a solid, well-written story, IMHO it doesn't quite have the "edginess" of its predecessors. The Boston private investigator - a sometimes very close friend of the late Robert B. Parker's Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone and a patient of Dr. Susan Silverman, the main squeeze of another of his well-known characters, Spenser - somehow seems a bit subdued and, well, overly nostalgic. Besides that, although Jesse often makes a personal appearance in the series, if only briefly, he's noticeably absent here and I missed him.

But only a little. And it certainly doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this book - I even stayed up a bit late for bed to finish it, in fact. Sunny is in the midst of recovering from a really nasty case that nearly did her in, so she's feeling a bit vulnerable and mulling her future in the business. She's also dealing with mixed emotions regarding her ex, Richie - the son of a powerful local mobster - who's making noises about getting back together (but with some strings attached). When the wife of a billionaire stops in to insist that she take on the case of finding her missing but no-good son Dylan, then, Sunny is less than receptive. That's especially true since she's had a run-in with the kid that left her, shall we say, knowing he's hardly her favorite person.

The ne'er-do-well Dylan just happens to be the head of a highly successful energy drink company called Gonzo, although he seems to have little interest in doing anything except get into trouble (while his long-suffering mother continues to stand by her young man in her best "boys will be boys" manner). The company is actually run in large part by Dylan's best friend, a beautiful and highly talented young woman named Sky Farley.

As Sunny's investigation progresses - with competent help from her office receptionist Blake James (a pretty cool guy, actually) and some other characters familiar to regular readers - she learns that Dylan has a few secrets that might explain why someone might be out to get him - though not whether he's alive or dead. Then, one of the technology gurus at Gonzo turns up dead, and the whole situation takes a turn for the worse. 

But never fear - Sunny and her team are up to the challenge, even if it puts their own lives in jeopardy. All told, it's another satisfying romp that ends with fodder for the next installment. Bring it on! Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill by Alison Gaylin (G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2024); 316 pp.

THE QUIET TENANT

4 stars out of 5

Overall, my impression of this story is that it's a little confusion mixed with a lot of melodrama. Still, as I'd be likely to say about any book about a serial killer and a woman he's held captive for an almost unbelievable five years, it didn't fail to capture and hold my attention throughout. Told primarily through the perspectives of three main characters - the captured-but-not-yet-murdered victim, known as Rachel, the killer's 13-year-old daughter, Cecilia, and the woman who wants to be his girlfriend, Emily - it delves into each of their psyches amid what can only be called the worst times of their lives.

The kidnapper-killer is Aiden Thomas, who is for the most part well thought of in his community, working as a utility lineman. Clearly, he's been plying his extracurricular trade for some time - after all, we hear from Rachel the trials and tribulations of her long confinement in his shed as well as get glimpses from other victims - but when his wife dies, he seems to go off the deep end. He becomes overly protective of Cecilia; is his interest more sinister than that? Inquiring minds, including Rachel's and mine, want to know. Then, he's forced to move from the home he shared with his late wife that - exactly why that happened isn't clear to me, either. And for some inexplicable reason, he continues to keep Rachel a prisoner instead of doing away with her as he did with others- another mystery that never was fully resolved in my mind (and maybe not in his and definitely not in hers).

The plot thickens after they all move to a new house and Rachel becomes an imprisoned "tenant" in an upstairs bedroom - but who, surprisingly, is allowed to interact with Cecilia on a limited basis. As would be expected under the circumstances, Rachel begins to fight with herself - should she do as she has been doing and simply play along to stay alive or come up with an escape plan that has just as much chance (and probably more) of ending up dead as alive? 

The ending, while satisfying by some measures, seemed a little perfunctory (no hints here, of course, except to say it couldn't have been that simple). I'm pretty sure many fans of psychological drama (and trauma) will enjoy this one; it's not quite my cup of tea, but at the same time, I really didn't want to put it down. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Quiet Tenant by Alison Gaylin (Knopf, June 2023); 320 pp.

ROBERT B. PARKER'S BAD INFLUENCE

4 stars out of 5

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!

Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence by Alison Gaylin (G.P. Putnam's Sons, June 2013); 336 pp.