Rating: 
Summary: Red Light is Another Parker Bright Light
Review: Last summer when RED LIGHT was in its original hardcover release, I had the rare honor of appearing on the same luncheon program with T. Jefferson Parker at a Round Table West event at Newport Beach's Balboa Bay Club. As the author of a recently published mystery novel set in Orange County, I had the privilege of speaking to the audience immediately before Mr. Parker. During my talk, I stated that Jeff Parker is the author who, through his writings, has taught all the rest of us Orange County mystery writers how to write about that unique region of Southern California.I believe Parker's RED LIGHT proves my point perfectly. While continuing the story of Merci Rayborn, first introduced in Parker's BLUE HOUR, this novel captures the essence of the Orange County social milieu excellently. While spinning a tale involving Merci's inner struggles as she continues to mourn the death of her former partner and father of her child, raise that child, and build a romantic relationship with a fellow officer, Parker manages to show his readers what it is like to live in the Orange County of today while reminding those same readers about life in Orange County during those years not too long ago when the county was dominated by political extremism. In RED LIGHT, Merci is confronted by the murder of a young prostitute. Her current boyfriend may be involved in that murder. The murder may also be linked to a similar murder of a prostitute back in the sixties. A number of people important to Merci may be connected to that previous homicide. Merci has to discover the truth and decide how to react to that truth. RED LIGHT is an extraordinary work by an extraordinary writer. It fully deserves all the recognition it has received, including its recent EDGAR nomination. With every book he writes, Jeff Parker continues to show the rest of us Orange County mystery writers how to write about Orange County. Great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Another good novel from T. Jefferson Parker
Review: Merci Rayborn is a homicide investigator for the Orange County Sheriff's department. When she's called out to the murder scene of a young, beautiful call-girl it all seems routine. That is, until she discovers that her boyfriend had dinner with the victim just scant hours before the murder. As she delves further, more and more evidence points to the boyfriend as the killer and she's torn between doing her job and trusting the man who loves her. I've read all of Mr. Parker's novels and this is the first one in which he's brought back a character from another novel. Merci Rayborn was first introduced in The Blue Hour. She seems much different in Red Light, more unsure of herself. However, that's not to her detriment. Like all of Parker's novels his characters are well fleshed out, his dialogue sounds like real people talk, and his police procedure rings true. My only quibble, and it's a small one, is I was able to guess the killer about three-quarters of the way through the book. I have to admit for all the mystery reading I do I'm pretty obtuse when it comes to guessing the killer but this was pretty obvious. It really didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. Mr. Parker is a very good writer, and he just keeps getting better and better. An added bonus for me is that I live in Orange County so I know the areas he talks about in his novels. I might make one suggestion though. To really understand the Merci Rayborn character it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to read "The Blue Hour" first. That too is a very good book.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard Times in Orange County
Review: Merci Rayborn is back with us after a great debut in "The Blue Hour." The story gets off to an explosive start, immediately fixing your total attention. Mr. Parker's characterizations are sharp, and in-depth. I feel Mike McNally, in particular, is a totally realized character. Grief, the mind-numbing despair, and mind-destroying sense of loss are well and sympathetically done. Many mystery writers do not allow their characters to get hot, tired, and dirty like the rest of us; Mr. Parker does not make that mistake. The whodunit is masterfully concealed. I guarantee you will be surprised. I had problems with Merci. I can take a central character that I totally detest; what is unsettling is one who continually annoys me. Merci has to be one of the most self-centered creations around. She wreaks havoc because she has to be "true" to herself, yet never seems to question whether her "truth" is somewhat bloody-minded. I understand that some types of women rarely have girl-friends; what I fail to understand is how Merci has any boy-friends either. This is not a failing of the book; Mr. Parker does his work too well. I know Merci better than I want to. The book should have been edited; it was far too long with meandering drives and non-clues. There were too many places where one of the characters would say, "Call me right away! Important news!" And it wasn't important and it wasn't news. Then there was the confrontation with the murderer. Does he or she do away with Merci in an expedient manner as any sensible predator would? No. He or she talks and talks to explain motivations and cleverness. This is a very stale and clunky device, and I am surprised Mr. Parker used it. The flaws notwithstanding, Mr. Parker is a fine writer. I look forward to his next book. Maybe Merci will take a well-deserved rest, and it won't be such a lengthy outing.
Rating:
Summary: A Sad and Dark Story
Review: Merci Rayburn returns in this follow up to THE BLUE HOUR. Still devastated and emotionally frozen after the shooting by a sociopath of her lover and father of her child, Merci is trying to put her life together. She has a semi-promising relationship with another detective, Mike McNally, until the investigation of the shooting death of a high end call girl seems to implicate him in her murder. Merci has also been given a cold case to clear--the thirty year old shooting of another prostitute. The two cases converge after Merci receives anonomous tips leading to possible police involvement in 1969 in the beating of a Mexican orange grower in order to obtain his land for the city. Merci struggles with her conscience and her sense of duty, as she tries desperately not to believe her lover could be guilty, even as evidence piles up to prove otherwise. This is a dark, sad novel that really kept me guessing till the end. Its theme seems to be that the past is never done with us, even when we believe we have left it behind. It also shows the damage that can be done when we don't do the right thing. And the damage that can be done when we do. It's not a happy book, but it's a good one.
Rating:
Summary: Merci Rayborn is no Kay Scarpetta
Review: On the whole the Red Light is a good read.
However, the plot took too long to develop. Also suspense was lacking, given that most of the book was dedicated to Merci's musings.
The unforeseen climax at the end is worth the time.
I would advise against buying the book(since it isn't close to classic), but rather would suggest borrowing it from the library.
ATTENTION: Red Light is not for people with short attention spans.
Rating:
Summary: MERCILESS MERCI
Review: Parker picks up with Merci Rayborn from BLUE HOUR and thrusts her into the RED LIGHT. Parker is a marvelous writer, deft at both plotting and character development. And while I agree he's "somewhat softened" Merci, I still find her hard to like a hundred percent..and that's good in a way. What she does to Mike McNally in this book only accentuates her driven psyche...she even seduces Mike to gain evidence against him. Then she asks for his forgiveness. It's a shame, I think. I like Mike's character, and his involvement with the prostitute only proved that Merci was neglecting him in a big way. You can have friendship with a member of the opposite sex, and if he found himself "falling" for her, he realized that she was no good for him, and he was never unfaithful to Merci.
Back to the plot, though. Parker interweaves the two seemingly disparate cases together to come up with a somewhat surprising solution to the murders.
A complex, gritty novel.
Rating:
Summary: MERCILESS MERCI
Review: Parker picks up with Merci Rayborn from BLUE HOUR and thrusts her into the RED LIGHT. Parker is a marvelous writer, deft at both plotting and character development. And while I agree he's "somewhat softened" Merci, I still find her hard to like a hundred percent..and that's good in a way. What she does to Mike McNally in this book only accentuates her driven psyche...she even seduces Mike to gain evidence against him. Then she asks for his forgiveness. It's a shame, I think. I like Mike's character, and his involvement with the prostitute only proved that Merci was neglecting him in a big way. You can have friendship with a member of the opposite sex, and if he found himself "falling" for her, he realized that she was no good for him, and he was never unfaithful to Merci.
Back to the plot, though. Parker interweaves the two seemingly disparate cases together to come up with a somewhat surprising solution to the murders.
A complex, gritty novel.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent second outing in Merci Rayborn series !!
Review: Parker's second book in the homicide sergeant (Ms) Merci Rayborn series (of three so far) is definitely a sequel to his earlier work, "Blue Hour" [which if you haven't read that, STOP HERE]. At the close of that book, Marci loses her temporary partner and one-night lover, Tim Hess, to a bullet meant for her, only to bear his son nine months later. Skipping ahead in fictional time two years to this book, we find Merci not at all over her loss and the fears it has created, despite her unbridled joy in her young son. Her dad, retired cop and widower Clark Rayborn, has moved in to baby-sit as needed and create some semblance of family. Against this backdrop, Merci is back at work with a new partner, Paul Zamorra, who has a somewhat minor role in the action since his wife is dying as we read of a brain tumor. They are assigned to investigate the murder of a hooker in her own apartment, where a seeming abundance of clues is at hand. Meanwhile, with year-end in the offing, the department annually hauls out its cold cases. Merci is assigned a 30-year old unsolved murder, coincidentally, of another hooker shot to death without ever a suspect. In her relentless, intense method of tackling these cases head-on, as she does just about everything in life, Merci begins to harvest "dirt" from both murders, both pointing at comrades and even her new boyfriend, cops all. The plot twists and turns through quite a few different scenarios, including finding some stunning new evidence, creating terrific suspense until the true stories eventually surface. Near the end, Merci needs to deal with some ethical issues about what she's discovered that pose some interesting questions to ponder for us all. Parker manages to pull off a great deal of plot complexity with a relatively small number of characters. That skill means we get to know them well, relate to them and care for them, and really get caught up emotionally in much of the intrigue. We grow fonder of Merci with every passing chapter, as she seemingly matures (at age 36) before our eyes. And we also harbor a great deal of empathy for her struggling to advance her career fighting heinous criminals, while coping with a new son, the terrible death of his father, the personal tribulations of her new partner, and the advances of other men who see as much in Merci to like as we do. To us, that all of that adds up to another top-notch effort: and on to Parker's Merci #3, "Black Water"!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent second outing in Merci Rayborn series !!
Review: Parker's second book in the homicide sergeant (Ms) Merci Rayborn series (of three so far) is definitely a sequel to his earlier work, "Blue Hour" [which if you haven't read that, STOP HERE]. At the close of that book, Marci loses her temporary partner and one-night lover, Tim Hess, to a bullet meant for her, only to bear his son nine months later. Skipping ahead in fictional time two years to this book, we find Merci not at all over her loss and the fears it has created, despite her unbridled joy in her young son. Her dad, retired cop and widower Clark Rayborn, has moved in to baby-sit as needed and create some semblance of family. Against this backdrop, Merci is back at work with a new partner, Paul Zamorra, who has a somewhat minor role in the action since his wife is dying as we read of a brain tumor. They are assigned to investigate the murder of a hooker in her own apartment, where a seeming abundance of clues is at hand. Meanwhile, with year-end in the offing, the department annually hauls out its cold cases. Merci is assigned a 30-year old unsolved murder, coincidentally, of another hooker shot to death without ever a suspect. In her relentless, intense method of tackling these cases head-on, as she does just about everything in life, Merci begins to harvest "dirt" from both murders, both pointing at comrades and even her new boyfriend, cops all. The plot twists and turns through quite a few different scenarios, including finding some stunning new evidence, creating terrific suspense until the true stories eventually surface. Near the end, Merci needs to deal with some ethical issues about what she's discovered that pose some interesting questions to ponder for us all. Parker manages to pull off a great deal of plot complexity with a relatively small number of characters. That skill means we get to know them well, relate to them and care for them, and really get caught up emotionally in much of the intrigue. We grow fonder of Merci with every passing chapter, as she seemingly matures (at age 36) before our eyes. And we also harbor a great deal of empathy for her struggling to advance her career fighting heinous criminals, while coping with a new son, the terrible death of his father, the personal tribulations of her new partner, and the advances of other men who see as much in Merci to like as we do. To us, that all of that adds up to another top-notch effort: and on to Parker's Merci #3, "Black Water"!
Rating:
Summary: More than Blue Hour II
Review: Red Light is more than a continuation of Blue Hour. I was initially surpised that Parker elected to bring back Merci Rayborn, one of his less sympathetic characters, in the follow up to Blue Hour. Having finished reading Red Light, however, I enjoyed being a part of her growth, and truly enjoyed the book. As always, Parker gives us a story filled with twists and surprises in his skillful, multi-layered approach. Red Light is no exception. Not only was I in doubt about the killer's identity until the end, I was thoroughly entertained along the way. (A tip to those who have not read Blue Hour: Don't read Red Light first, as the killer's identity is disclosed from Blue Hour - and Blue Hour is so good, you don't want any excuse not to read it.) It is a true tribute to Parker than his characters stand tall above those of other writers of the genre. Rather than the usual attractive and smooth-talking characters we experience in most novels, Parker's characters are clearly flawed, and drawn so deeply that they become very real people. With most books I read, reading is no more than escapist entertainment, forgotten soon after closing the book. With Parker's books, however, I can clearly remember the main characters from books I read long ago. How many books can one say that about?
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