This is my first book to read by Mike Lupica and I will be reading more! I enjoyed Sunni and Richie’s story and all the secondary characters. There was plenty of suspense to keep me anxiously reading until the final page. I wish I had read their storyline from the beginning to fully appreciate the characters.

Blood Feud by Mike Lupica

I have to say the author has really captured the spirit of Robert Parker. The syntax and the delivery are so familiar and welcome. This book is another Sunny Randall book and the interplay and the characters are almost historic in nature. Sonny's ex-husband’s family draws her in to a mob feud.

I'm guessing that many of the people or perhaps most are Robert Parker friend fans and consequently a lot of the humor will be picked up. I think it might be missed by the first time reader but there is a lot of humor in the book. It's particularly poignant considering the murder just this week of Whitey Bolger in prison. Kind of brings the Irish mob in Boston to the front of the newspapers again.

This was a good book and I give it my recommendation.,

Oh Sunny Randall, how I have missed you! Mike Lupica stays true to Robert B. Parker's roots for Sunny in this tightly woven mystery involving Sunny, Richie, his family -- and of course, my favorites, Spike and Rosie. With glimpses of characters from other Parker books, this mystery is destined to be a fan favorite! One of my favorite books of the year! Thank you!

Mike Lupica has taken over the writing of the Sunny Randall series created by the late Robert B. Parker. I have not read any of the earlier Parker novels, so cannot comment on this continuation.

In Blood Feud, Sunny Randall, former police officer turned private investigator, looks into the shooting (wounding) of her ex husband and still lover, Richie. Richie is the son of a crime boss and Sunny gets drawn into the business of the Boston crime syndicates that Richie’s father has always tried to shield from him. It seems the attack on Richie is the beginning of a full assault on all that his father holds near and dear.

Though continually warned off the investigation by all involved, Sunny persists and enlists the assistance of other mob bosses as well as some law enforcement authorities and her close friend, Spike

The story is predictable, although with a twist and some of the action
strains credibility. Despite that, I enjoyed this fast read. It was entertaining and kept my interest throughout. I would certainly read future titles in this series by Lupica.

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
An expanded version of this originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Since we saw her last, Sunny has had to move, Richie (her ex-) has gotten another divorce (giving them the chance to date or whatever you want to call it) and has replaced her late dog, Rosie, with another Rosie. Other than that, things are basically where they were after the end of Spare Change 11 years ago (for us, anyway, I'm not sure how long for her, but less time has passed you can bet).

By the way -- does anyone other than Robert B. Parker, Spenser and Sunny really do this? Your dog dies, so you go and get another one of the same breed and call him/her the same name? Is this really a thing?

Then one night -- Richie is shot. It's not fatal, but was done in such a way that no one doubts for a moment that it could have been had the assailant wanted it to be. For those who don't know (or don't remember), Richie is the son of an Irish mob boss, although he has nothing to do with the family business. He's given a message for his father -- his shooter is coming for him, but wants him to suffer first. This kicks off a race for the shooter -- Sunny, the Burke family and the police (led by Sgt. Frank Belson) are vying to be the one to find the shooter.

Before long, the violence spreads to other people the Burkes employ -- both property and persons are targeted by this stranger. It's clear that whoever is doing this has a grudge going back years. So Sunny dives into the Burke family history as much as she can, so she can get an answer before her ex-father-in-law is killed. Not just the family history -- but the family's present, too. As much as the roots of the violence are in the past, Sunny's convinced what the Burkes are up to now is just as important to the shooter.

Richie's father, Desmond, isn't happy about Sunny sticking her nose into things. Not just because of the crimes she might uncover -- but he really wants to leave the past in the past. But as long as someone might come take another shot at Richie, Sunny won't stop. This brings her into contact with several criminal figures in Boston (like Parker-verse constants Tony Marcus and Vinnie Morris) as well as some we've only met in Sunny books.

There are a couple of new characters in these pages, but most of them we've met before -- Lupica is re-establishing this universe and doesn't have time to bring in many outsiders, but really just reminds us who the players are. Other than the new Rosie, I can't point at a character and say "that's different." He's done a pretty good job of stepping into Parker's shoes. Not the pre-Catskill Eagle Parker like Atkins, but the Parker of Sunny Randall books, which is what it should feel like (( wouldn't have objected to a Coleman-esque true to the character, just told in a different way). I think some of the jokes were overused (her Sox-apathy, for one), but it wasn't too bad. Lupica did make some interesting choices, particularly toward the end, which should set up some interesting situations for future installments.

The mystery was decent enough, and fit both the situations and the characters -- I spent a lot of the novel far ahead of Sunny (but it's easier on this side of the page). I enjoyed the book -- it's not the best thing I've read this year, but it's a good entry novel for Lupica in this series, a good reintroduction for the characters/world, and an entertaining read in general. If you're new to this series, this would be as good a place to hop on as it was for Lupica.

I want better for Parker's creation (but I think I'd have said that for most of Parker's run with the series), and Lupica's set things up in a way that we could get that in the near-future. He's demonstrated that he has a good handle on the character he inherited, the question is, what can he do with her from here? I was ambivalent about this series coming back, but I can honestly say that I'm eager to see what happens to it next.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Putnam Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.

It was nice to visit with Sunny Randall. It’s been a while. On the whole Blood Feud was an enjoyable read and very much in keeping with Robert B. Parker’s original vision. However, if I hadn’t been aware that I was reading an advance copy of a new book, I might have thought I picked up one of Parker’s original books from back in the day. The whole storyline just felt dated and old timey to me, which definitely reduced my enjoyment.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Sunny Randall is back and sort of back with her husband Richie. One night Richie gets shot in the back and being Sunny, she can’t let it go and has to investigate.
She is dragged into the middle of a mob war. Can she figure out what the issue is before more people are killed including herself?

I read the Sunni Randall books from the start and Mike Lupica has done an excellent job with the character.. Sunni is the same as Robert B Parker wrote her. Hoping for more ..

There is something comforting about coming back to visit with characters in a series. It is rather like connecting with friends you have not seen for a long while. This book started slowly for me. So slowly that I thought about abandoning it several times. Then, at some point, I was hooked and finished it. I especially enjoyed seeing Susan Silverman from a different point of view.

Sunny is back... Blood Feud a solid resurrection of the Sunny Randall series

Sunny is back. As a longtime devoted fan of Robert B. Parker, the dean of American crime fiction, I was devastated when he passed away in 2010. I felt mixed emotions when the estate decided to continue Robert B. Parker's characters and series by turning them over to other authors. While I mourned the loss of Spenser especially, I found myself in agreement with John D. MacDonald's son Maynard when he explained why he refused offers to continue his father's popular and influential Travis McGee series. “It is because I have never seen a really good imitation, be it art, literature, or music, that carries that poignant echo of the original artist.”

Parker not only revived the private detective novel, but he also revolutionized it by bringing to the genre a literary-like quality that made it respectable. It's quite difficult to imagine another author ever filling those big shoes by giving us fanatical Parker fans a novel that reads anywhere close to those penned by Spenser’s late creator.

Yet, I've been pleasantly surprised to see how well Ace Atkins and Reed Farrel Coleman have done with the Spenser novels and Jesse Stone series respectively. Neither author is Robert B. Parker, but both are excellent writers and do a credible job with the series each has continued. It was for that reason I was keen to see how Mike Lupica would do with the Sunny Randall series when I learned the estate had tapped him to continue it.

I was counting the days until the release of Blood Feud when I had the good fortune of being offered a complimentary ARC to review by the publisher which I happily accepted. Like Atkins and Farrel, Mike Lucia is not Robert B. Parker, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading his first Sunny Randall novel. Sunny along with all the other principal supporting characters seemed the same as I'd remembered them. Also, the case that provided the basis for the story was one which I could easily imagine Sunny pursuing.

Lupica didn't disappoint. For the most part, his writing is tight and exciting, and he kept me turning the pages. I'll be looking forward to his next Sunny Randall novel as Blood Feud was a worthwhile and entertaining read.

I am a Robert Parker junkie, loving all of of his series. When he died, I keenly felt the loss, but the series have continued, written impressively by authors who continued writing about these fascinating characters., and maintaining the voice of Parker.

The new Sunny Randall by Mike Lupica is no exception. He has clearly done his homework and pulled us back to Sunny’s Boston underbelly. He has also managed to keep a connection to both Spenser and Jesse Stone., utilizing Susan Silverman (all Parker fans know her!)., and Jesse Stone. In addition, he has introduced the thugs we know from the other novels and inserted them in this book.

Sunny gets involved in a case when her ex-husband Richie is shot. Though he is “straight “ his family are members of a Boston crime family. Using diligence, intuition and hard work, Sunny manages to learn about the killer and the motivation for the murderous spree.

I am appreciative of the opportunity to read this book, thank you Netgalley and Mike Lupica for the fun trip.