Family Honor

A Sunny Randall Novel

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Andrea Thompson

Sunny Randall is a Boston P.I. and former cop, a college graduate, an aspiring painter, a divorcée, and the owner of a miniature bull terrier named Rosie. Hired by a wealthy family to locate their teenage daughter, Sunny is tested by the parents' preconceived notion of what a detective should be. With the help of underworld contacts, she tracks down the runaway Millicent, who has turned to prostitution. Rescuing her from a vicious pimp, Sunny finds herself the unlikely custodian of a difficult teenager when the girl refuses to return to her family.

But Millicent's problems are rooted in much larger matters than running away, and Sunny, now playing the role of bodyguard, is caught in a shooting war with some very serious mobsters. She turns for help to her ex-husband, Richie, himself the son of a mob family, and to her dearest friend, Spike, a flamboyant and dangerous gay man. Heading this unlikely alliance, Sunny must solve at least one murder and resolve a criminal conspiracy that reaches to the top of state government.

©1999 Robert B. Parker (P)1999 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A bravura performance, this novel launches what promises to be a series for the ages." (Publishers Weekly)

I. Enjoyed the reading of the book

The person reading this book has a beautiful voice and is very expressive the story was interesting but the way she read it was what really sold it for me I enjoyed this book I like some of Robert B Parker’s but this one I enjoyed more

If this book was a meal...

It would be a peanut butter sandwich.

Nothing wrong with a peanut butter sanwich, unless you were hoping for a steak.

The unfolding narrative.

Liz Chaney’s integrity, her sense of duty, and her devotion to The Constitution are so rare in politics today that I find myself wishing she were running for President. Her courage to stand for what she believes in gives me hope that the highest values present at the founding of our country still live in the hearts of people today. I’ve never been a Conservative but Liz Chaney is beginning to make me question why.

Good interesting read

Interesting cast of characters, good plot, good set up for future works in the series

Love the Narrators

I liked all except the chapter change voice. I will continue with this intriguing series!

Good story

I liked the characters and the story. Narrator was excellent. Only gripe was the voice that announced the chapters. She didn’t fit at all. Silly but true.

Good detective yarn

Would you consider the audio edition of Family Honor to be better than the print version?

What a silly question.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Family Honor?

The thing that makes the story interesting is the relationship between the protagonist, Sunny, and her charge, the young Millicent. They form an interesting pair.

What does Andrea Thompson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has a wonderful, adaptable voice, with enough bass to bring life to male characters, as well as female. She was able to create several distinct vocal choices for her characters. Her reading was insightful in most parts. There were only a few moments where I felt she missed the proper emphasis in delivering a line, and there were plenty where I smiled at the choice she made in emphasizing the dialogue between characters. It is, after all, the dialogue where this story shines, and the reader, Ms. Thompson, does a good job of bringing that to life. Thompson gets better as she warms up to the story. The last two thirds of the book is where she really shines.

The beginning of the novel must have had some sort of prologue because there is a male reader who I really did not like and have no idea what or why he was involved in the project. He sounded like he was trying to narrate a porno. The musical introduction was really annoying, too, and obscured the first few lines of the reading. Thank goodness it only appears twice!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Underestimate her...at your peril.

Any additional comments?

The whole experience was great, and I was very sorry to see that book 2 in the Sunny Randall series is not offered on Audible!

Good story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is gripping and is well narated.

I wish she had continued to narrate

This was a typically great Parker book. However, I wish he had kept this narrator

Family Honor

This is my first Sonny Randall story. Her character is well developed. As the story unfolds. The narrator helps the story as does the character development of other players. The story is a good one that maintains the reader’s engagement. I’ll read another Sonny Randall tale.