Shrink Rap

A Sunny Randall Novel

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Deborah Raffin

Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Boston P.I. Sunny Randall goes on the road to protect a best-selling author - and uncovers a world of dark secrets - in the new novel by the grand master. Sunny Randall, the beautiful blond P.I. with a yen for dogs, painting, and her ex-husband, Richie, has won over even the most hard-core of Robert B. Parker's many fans.

©2003 Robert B. Parker (P)2009 Phoenix

Book/Story/Character Fun / Narration Not Fun

I'm a Parker fan and have read and enjoyed all his Spenser books
Now reading Sonny Randall and enjoying the writing here as well.
The others I listened to were very good, this narrator, however,D. Ruffin, is not suited. She tries to be too histrionic and it takes away from Parker's terse prose.
It hurts the book and story.
It's as though she tries to put her own characterization into the characters rather than letting Parker's show through.
It's as though a writer uses multiple exclamation points after each sentence without reason.
Subsequent books have been read by Kate Burton and she is excellent.

Good narrator. Decent story

It does require a little suspension of disbelief along the way but the characters are solid and the villains despicable. The shrinks aren’t the usual parody. Promising.

Not what I expected...

This was my first adventure into Sunni Randal predicated on earlier exposure to Sunni through the exploits of Jesse Stone. The exception at least for me was the performance of Deborah Raffin, her articulation, inflection, and tonal range were spot on. However, given that so much of Sunni's character has been exposed and expressed in the aforementioned Stone novels her character in her own series falls flat; moreover, seemingly whinny, and ill suited to the natural requirements of big city police force let alone the necessary skill sets required even to a greater degree as a stand alone Private Investigator. I really wanted to settle into this and travel the seedy roads with Sunni, but as for now the journey sadly has come to an end...

nothing

Poor story, poor writing, poor characters, nothing positive to say. Parker just turned Jesse to Sunny. Unexpectedly disappointing and cannot recommend.

glad "Melanie Joan" isn't a drinking game!

couldn't get through this one. as many other reviewers mentioned, the "he said, she said, we said, they all said" thing was so annoying that I finally gave up. i'd also be curious to count the number of times the words "Melanie Joan" were written in the first half of this book. it would have been comical had I not actually paid to listen. besides, I won't count them, because I'd have to listen again. ugh.

Distracting 'saids'

Mark said Melanie said Sunny said he said she said. When you're listening seems like every sentence ends in 'said". Very distracting from the story. Makes you long for the dialogue to stop. If a performer could do the voices more distinguishably, (ok I made up that word) and then drop some saids it would flow a lot better

To much "he said" or "she said"!

We like the author and the main character '"Sunny". But see title. Boring dialogue.