Rating: 
Summary: Not a Sunny Day
Review: As her ex-husband says, Sunny Randall, Robert Parker's fresh, new heroine is as cute as Meg Ryan and tougher than a Mafia Don. Unfortunately, she may be losing Robert Parker's interest already, well before she loses ours._Shrink Wrap_ does not do justice to her early promise.Sunny's case, where an appealing and likable author of Romance novels is being stalked in some pretty creepy circumstances, is an intriguing and original one. The plot moves along briskly, making it difficult to put the book down. But Sunny is becoming increasingly one-dimensional and thinly drawn. There is no way not to like her. She is honest, earnest, smart and tough. She is trying to make her life into something honorable. She is sometimes as fast with a comeback as Spenser himself, and almost as funny. So Parker does her an injustice when he has eight people tell her she needs to ask for help, and makes her give each and every one the exact same answer, that she needs to do it herself. Understandable, laudable even, but we get it after the third time. Repeating it is a nuisance, like a one-note song. There is much about Sunny we would like to know, and while Parker explores a little, the whole character development of the book is built around one insight Sunny has into herself at the end, as a breakthrough, which is --- wait for it -- that her relationship with her father and mother has strongly influenced her relationships with men. Um, okay, good insight. But we could all have used a little more of Parker investing himself here, Sunny most of all. And then there is the dog. Spenser and Susan's Pearl is a delight, as is the way they feel and talk about her. But this little dog is taking up more emotional space in Parker's minimalistic story than any other supporting character. Which seems to me to be a mistake and again, a waste of potential. Spike, for example, is a magnetic character, not up to Hawk exactly -- who would be? -- but worth a lot more space on the wide-margined, large-typefaced pages. The books are getting shorter, thinner, more off-hand, as if Parker is writing while he's watching a ballgame. He can grab hold of Sunny and make her someone who will hold our interest for years. If he decides to make the effort. In _Shrink Wrap_ it rains or snows and is bleak every day, except on the last page, when the sun comes out. Hopefully that lift out of the grayness will carry over to the next Sunny Randall book. She's worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: a stinker
Review: at approx 50 words per page,and very few pages. However,the large print made for a fast read
Rating:
Summary: Breaking Free
Review: At least I hope that is what Parker is allowing the ex-husband to do. As far as selfish goes, this character is by far much worse than Susan Silverman. And why on earth would a tiny woman who is constantly seeking male help try to be a private eye in the first place?
Rating: 
Summary: Parker's best Sunny Randall Novel
Review: Despite plot devices that are bit too unbelievable, this is the first Sunny Randall novel I've actually liked. This is the first novel where Parker explores Sunny's character in more than simply superficial terms, giving her a life of her own beyond simply being "Spenser in drag." Here we find Sunny hired by a popular novelist as a bodyguard because her ex-husband is stalking her. The ex-husband also happens to be a manipulative psychiatrist preying on women. In getting to the bottom of the "case" Sunny begins to explore her own feelings, which begin to reveal a lot about her personality -as do her actions throughout. Parker fans should enjoy this one...
Rating:
Summary: Hat's off to Parker once again...
Review: First off I want to go on record saying I love the Spenser series. And even if the stories seem similar I don't care, I am reading them because I love the characters and the oh so witty repartee. I cannot seem to comprehend, for the life of me, why is doesn't happen in my daily dialogues quite like that! Perhaps this is just one of the reasons why I so enjoy reading it. Shrink Rap is not a Spencer novel, it is a Sunny Randall novel, his female, Spenser-like character. I do not mind a bit all these comparisons between him and her - Sunny Randall is a wonderful character. Enough defending and onto the story: Boston PI Sunny Randall, while coping with whether to be with ex-husband Ritchie who's family is mob connected or to be able to finally let go and move on with her life and this does not mean just jumping into bed with other men, it means letting them in emotionally as well. It seems neither she nor Richie has found a way to do this, but he is willing to try with another woman and makes Sunny aware of his intentions, creating more internal turmoil and maybe a time to look at the why of their bonding with a professional clarity. Against this emotional back drop, Sunny takes on a new case, becoming a bodyguard to a romance writer ready to go on tour, and who's ex-husband, a psychiatrist has taken to stalking her, reducing her to an almost catatonic state at times. I do not want to give too much away, or turn this column into a long description of the story, but all the wonderful dialogue is worth the read. Parker, the grand master, shows he still is The Grand Master!
Rating: 
Summary: Parker at his most lame
Review: I agree whole heartedly with the recent reviewer who advises us not to put Parker's works in the same league as the classics. However, just as there is good, enjoyable, challenging popular entertainment (be it in books, TV, pop music, theater or film) there is also subpar popular entertainment that wastes the consumer's time. I also agree whole heartedly with the other reviewers who thought that the plot in this book strains credibility and that the dialog and behavior of Sunny, Spike, Julie, the villainous doctor, etc., are just as difficult to accept. Just as Neil Simon isn't Shakespeare, audiences still have a right to quality entertainment from him. Fans of Parker's Jesse Stone and Spenser expect a certain level of craftsmanship from him, and this time he doesn't deliver.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent on dialogue, weak on plot
Review: I am a long time reader of Parker's work and I've noticed a disturbing trend in his most recent books. He has managed to maintain the witty and interesting dialogue however the plots have grown weak. Take "Shrink Wrap" for example. The entire premise of Sunny infiltrating the antagonist's lair in disguise and not being recognized was utterly unbelievable. There are certainly times when one can suspend disbelief, like when you're watching a Superman movie and he flies, but these books are supposed to be grounded in realism. Another major plot point that bothered me; why is the ex-husband stalking the famous writer when Sunny reveals he has more than enough rich attractive female patients to toy with? The whole gang rape scenario seemed pretty lame too. Parker has a real focus lately on naked polaroids and kinky sex scenarios that are somewhat hard to believe. He's used the polaroids in at least two books in recent years. The saving grace for this book and most of Parker's recent ones, is the characters and their interaction. Spenser has Hawk and Susan, Sunny has Richie and Spike. Reading the recent books is like revisiting old friends and its good to see them, even if their actions are a bit tired and unoriginal. If you've never read Parker, don't start with Sunny Randall. Proceed immediately to the early Spenser books and work your way through those. By the time you get to the recent books, you'll have such an affinity for the characters, the lack of plot won't bother you as much.
Rating:
Summary: Sunny Randall is a winning heroine...
Review: I enjoyed this third installment of Parker's "Sunny Randall" series. She is a good successor to aging P.I. Spenser. The change of gender and the substitution of a gay protector, Spike, in place of Hawk, offer interesting variants on the "Spenser" world that Parker's fans have loved for 29 novels featuring that character. Of course, there is a romantic entanglement with complications here, like Spenser and his Susan, and of course, of course, a beloved dog. I withheld a "five star" rating only because the bad guys in this one were a little less credible than in the other books. Perhaps I enjoyed this more than some other reviewers because I do a kind of counseling/therapy in my own work life, and a large part of this novel involves psychotherapy. I think Sunny and her ex-husband Richie are great characters who could have a long run, if Parker doesn't decide to retire anytime soon. If you have not yet read any of the Sunny Randall thrillers, start with the first and catch up!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining yes but touches touchy subjects.
Review: I for one am not a reviewer, but this book shook me just enough to express my opinion on Robert Parkers experience with this central theme. I cannot reveal the story line, this would not be in good character, but the mind of the male stalking the writer doesn't really seem to fit well into the story especially being a shrink and ex spouse. Other than that I found this to be a real page turning capturing read that is superbly written. The character in the book Mad Light by Maddox is much more real and is designed not only to entertain but is for victims as such and for potential offenders as this, as well. I do recommend reading Mad Light.
Rating:
Summary: A step up
Review: I gave a fairly negative review of the last Sunny Randall, Perish Twice. I liked this one a lot more. Parker is still working out his relationships, but this one was more interesting. The smart-mouthing didn't dominate the story, and I enjoyed the interplay of the psychiatric moves. Also thought it was one of Parker's best titles re: content.
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