Spenser's Softer, Sunnier Side

Shrink Rap by Robert B. Parker

Newly minted Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Robert B. Parker turned 70 years old in the fall of 2002. With nearly thirty Spenser novels and some neat non-fiction to his credit, no one would blame Parker for resting on his laurels. Long recognized as Raymond Chandler's literary heir, the author was producing a Spenser novel every year to a well-established fan base.

But Parker did not sit still.

Helen Hunt, Please Report To The Library

Beginning in 1997, the author began work on two more series, featuring heroes Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. He has now published a total of six novels in the two new series in addition to his ongoing Spenser work. Even beginning his eight decade, Parker remains sharp-witted and highly tuned to commercial success.

During an interview broadcast on NPR, Parker admitted that a Spenser novel takes him four months to complete. "Since I don't play golf," he said, "what else am I going to do?"

Writing Jesse Stone, a younger and more troubled character from a third person perspective, gave Parker's presence a boost. Not to mention a bit more money. "I realized that writing one book paid X dollars," the author said, "so I get X times two for two books a year."

But it was actress Helen Hunt, fresh from an Academy Award win for As Good As It Gets who provided Parker with his most atypical character, Sunny Randall. Parker recounts the story of being approached by various Hollywood types who reported that Hunt was seeking a franchise character to play. Parker agreed to write the first story, Family Honor. The book was a hit, and Parker's publisher prevailed upon him to write more.

The result: a very busy author. In the five years between 1997 and 2002, Parker produced thirteen novels. "I do this for a living," he told NPR.

Spenser For Girls

A fair number of critics have complained that Sunny Randall initially bore too close a resemblance to Spenser. The duo shared a tougher-than-nails façade with an introspective bent that allowed readers to examine their motivations and allowed Parker to write their vulnerabilities as needed. Spenser and Sunny were also part of the law enforcement fringe, unlike Jesse Stone, who is a small town police chief.

This Do-No-Wrong Hero served Parker well in his Spenser stories, but seemed redundant with Sunny Randall. Since then, the author's efforts to create a character that stands out as more than a pale imitation of Spenser appears to have paid dividends. Sunny still sounds and acts more like Spenser than most characters, but the gulf continues widening.

The Plot In Exactly One Hundred Words

Private investigator Sunny Randall is hired to protect a romance novelist during a book tour. The two women bond as they travel, and Sunny learns that the novelist's ex-husband is a psychologist who uses date-rape drugs to take advantage of patients. In between caring for her newest client and wrestling with her own emotional issues regarding divorce, Sunny goes undercover to stop the doctor. She not only poses as a patient, but after winning the doctor's trust, researches a presume antidote to the drug and allows herself to be injected while the doctor and his friends prepare to rape her.

What Works Well

Beyond Sunny Randall's growth as a standalone character, Parker does an admirable job writing from a woman's perspective in the first person. The author's disdain for Hollywood and inside glimpses of a popular genre's book tour are also highlights of Shrink Rap.

What Does Not Work As Well

Like Spenser, Sunny Randall is often predictable an easy to anticipate, even though the actual writing is outstanding for this genre. But the pair share too many other things, including a faithful sidekick to provide contrast (Spenser's is a black criminal named Hawk, Sunny's is a gay man named Spike), strong police contacts and a small contingent of friends who can be called upon to help in unusual circumstances.

The story at times appears to be Jonathan Kellerman-light, but that may be due more to the psychology setting than a copying of Kellerman's style. Indeed, I recently wrote that Kellerman seems to be emulating more of Parker's style.

The Bottom Line, Dog-Eared Pages And All

Being compared to one of detective fiction's best characters of all time is hardly a bad thing. No one writing in this area today does so as well as Parker. His character's dialogue speeds stories along with the precision of a laser. Shrink Rap, a deft play on words relating to the publishing and psychology settings, is a strong standalone story where new readers can easily enter the series before backtracking to Family Honor.

Five Things To Remember From This Review

1. Shrink Rap is Parker's third Sunny Randall novel.
2. The character Sunny Randall was inspired by a request from Helen Hunt.
3. Robert B. Parker is now producing two novels a year - one for Spenser and one alternating between Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone
4. Critics on and offline called Shrink Rap one of Parker's best mysteries in years. They're right.
5. Writing as a woman must be tough for a 70 year old man. Parker pulls it off with panache.

-- G. Bounacos