Rating: 
Summary: Lot to like
Review: There's a lot to like in Robert Parker's "Perish Twice"---his second Sunny Randall novel. It keeps you guessing with a briskly paced plot. There is dialog that snaps, crackles and pops ("Tony would have you shot for stepping on his shadow if he were feeling grumpy.") Sunny is supported by a terrific and quirky ensemble. She's a capable, brainy, witty, tough, independent former cop, turned private eye. There are lots of curves as you try to solve this enigmatic puzzle. The book was better while Sunny was detecting, rather than playing relationship counselor. While I found the ending weak, the journey was fulfilling. I have found the others in the series more satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: High three or Low four- still a good read!
Review: This is a good read.
I ranked it a high three/low four because the ending kind of seemed slapped together. Also, and more importantly, the book really never hit a high point in action. There was a lot of agony in the characters (sister gets divorced, brother in law has an affair, best friend leaves husband and so on). Having said all that though- it was a good read.
The writing is clean and crisp. It flows and it is easy to like the main character. She has a good grasp on who she is and what is important. The story was interesting and kept me reading to find out 'who did it'. Even though there are better books out there, I don't regret reading this book.
This won't be the last Robert Parker book I read.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much padding, too little story
Review: My guinea pig is looking reproachfully as I write this, but I'm going to post it anyway. If you like movies in which scenes are frequently followed by shots of the family pet's reaction (e.g., covering eyes with paws when mom and dad kiss) then you will love the way in which nearly every page of this book includes a reference to narrator Sunny Randall's dog, Rosie. Ex-cop private detective Sunny feeds Rosie, walks Rosie, notes who Rosie does and doesn't like, and often takes Rosie along when meeting people for drinks (which she does a lot of). Rosie does, however, stay with a friend while Sunny sleeps with her ex-husband - apparently they get along better since divorcing. Well, I don't like pet-intensive movies, and I tired quickly of Rosie too. The constant presence of the dog would be less annoying if it didn't feel like padding on a very minimal story - Sunny apparently isn't too busy and finds time in between feeding the dog to follow a case from which she has been fired. It's too bad, because Sunny is an appealing character - tough but not hard-boiled, feminine but not girly - and Parker's writing makes for a fast, enjoyable read. I was expecting to like this book more than I did, having read and liked "Shrink Rap," the next book in the series. I hope this means the Sunny Randall series will keep improving with each installment.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to par
Review: I applaud Parker's efforts to develop new characters outside of the Spenser series, but this book fails to engage or provide any of the interest or suspense present in that body of work. You have to write what you know I suppose, but the parallels between Sunny and Spenser are too strong not to see this as an extension of the same character (same job, same city, same philosophies). The problem with this book is that most of the surrounding characters and flat and innane. The only engaging characters (The Burkes) get little development. If you are looking for a departure from the Spenser series, put this one aside and read Parker's excellent perspective of the Earps and Tombstone in "Gunman's Rhapsody" or one of his Chandler novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read.
Review: I loved this book and found the characters vivid and interesting, including Sunny. To all the naysayers, don't compare Sunny Randall with Spenser. This is apples and oranges. Both characters are work spending my hard-earned money to read about.
Rating:
Summary: Weak Parker
Review: I have read every Spenser novel, and greatly enjoyed them. This book is a big disappointment. Read it only if you are desperate for a Parker novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book; not so good mystery
Review: I enjoyed the book, but it was not a great mystery...it was more about Sunny Randall's relationships with her sister and her best friend, Julie.
Rating: 
Summary: A Spenser fan - very disappointed
Review: Now, I love Spenser. I've read every Robert Parker there is. I even like the Jesse Stone series. And the first Sunny book wasn't so bad. But this was just awful. Why? Every female character in the book, and there are many, is weak and pathetic. Except for Sunny herself, who is a Spenser clone in drag. The women are such stereotypes! The lesbian man-hater, the woman who believes she is nothing without a man and desparately runs to personal ads when her own man leaves her, and the woman unhappy with her life who reacts by drinking too much and having an affair. And if that wasn't enough, this is a detective novel in which the detective doesn't solve the crime! Sunny investigates, but can't figure it out, and essentially has a father figure bully the bad guys into telling her whodunit.
Rating:
Summary: An Improper Bostonian
Review: I have been a Parker reader for long enough to accumulate some 30 volumes. No surprise that I am a Spencer fan. I like the punch and jab of his sarcasm and the pacing of the stories. I've also enjoyed the Jesse Stone books for slightly different but comparable reasons. "Perish Twice" is something a bit unusual, a male writer choosing to write about a woman detective. I am sure this has happened before, but, in my limited experience, it is never completely successful. In contrast women writers often do a remarkable job with male investigators. Hopefully the reason for this lies in some difference between the sexes that I am unable or unwilling to define, rather than in some defect of my own. "Perish Twice" is the first Sunny Randall story I've read, having missed "Family Honor," its predecessor. Sunny starts out investigating her sister's husband who has suddenly started philandering. Once you've met Elizabeth Randall you will understand that this doesn't come as a surprise to Sunny. Of course, he is doing exactly that. And Sunny spends a fair amount of time extracting herself from her sister's many attempts to get even and get another man. Elizabeth refuses to consider independent life a viable option. Sunny has also agreed to act as bodyguard for Mary Lou Goddard, a rather intense and typecast lesbian feminist who runs a research bureau and is being stalked. When it turns out the stalker is a man Mary Lou picked up in a bar, and Mary Lou's research assistant turns up dead at her office the plot shifts gear as Sunny tries to investigate and gets fired for her efforts. To make matters more complex, Sunny finds herself having to deal with Tony Marcus, an organized crime kingpin who runs a stable of prostitutes. "I like you" he says to Sunny, "but if I have to I'll kill you." On top of this are various pieces of Sunny's personal life. Her friend Julie who is having marriage problems. Her unfinished relationship with her ex-husband (regular Wednesday dates), and her deep and abiding love for Rosie, the miniature bull terrier. Sunny wisecracks her way through it all somehow until she gets shot at herself and then she starts to play for keeps. Sunny is a bright, entertaining character with a knack for irritating the bad guys while she's trying to figure out who the good guys are. But it didn't quite work for me. Parker actually does a good job of giving Sunny an independent personality that is more than a female Spencer. But in a book full of sexual types and stereotypes, Sunny's own sexuality, while never in doubt, is somewhat unconvincing. Couple this with the fact that Parker goes out of his way to make things easy for her and we might have some of the reasons that I can only give this book a weak four star rating. It's written too well for me to brush it off with 3 stars, but you need to give this some consideration before you buy it. In any case, I'm glad I waited for the paperback rather than snapping up the hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: It Was Okay
Review: I didn't especially like this novel. But it had some good moments in the book. For Instance, The meeting between the Burkes and Tony Marcus. I Love Sunny Randall but not in this novel. Family Honor was the best Sunny Randall series so far.
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