This was so damn good! Mike Lupica has done an excellent job in snagging the essence of RBP. The snarky humor had me laughing out loud. Just a wonderful continuation of this series. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

For the most part, I've enjoyed the coninuation novels in all of the series started by Robert B. Parker - the successor authors do a pretty good job. Sadly, the Sunny Randall novels don't do it for me. I enjoyed the characters when Robert B. Parker was writing the series, so I was eager to continue reading it, but I just don't think Mike Lupica is the right author for the job. He just doesn't seem able to write a credible female main character in this role. He can't decide whether she's a "tough broad" or a "girly girl," spending her time worrying about her clothes when there's someone out there trying to kill her. And, her love life is a little unconvincing as well.

So, when I try to shut off this objection and just focus on the story, it's okay - a 3 star book to be sure. But I really wish they'd find a different author, who can handle a female main character more convincingly!

Yeah, hot mess of writing. Mike Lupica should stay with his baseball novels but I get it. He sure is not Robert Parker. The character of Sunny is all over the place. Ugh. But these books are popular with my patrons. (That and Stuart Woods 🙄). Oh well, 2 stars for me. Thanks NerGalley for the ARC.

Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour is the 10th Sunny Randall mystery, this one penned very much in the style of the late lamented RBP capably and respectfully by Mike Lupica. Released 3rd May 2022 by Penguin Random House on their G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audiobook, and ebook formats. Paperback due out in late 1st quarter 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

There are undeniably pitfalls with posthumous series continuations by authors. The characters are well loved, especially by die-hard fans of the canonical works, who are more than capable of finding the smallest discrepancies and continuity problems. I came into Parker's posthumous series books with some trepidation, since all three of the series (Spenser, Stone, and Randall) were guaranteed booklist reads for me. Parker was always entertaining, always a gifted writer, and such a deft craftsman that I still revisit his books decades later. I needn't have worried. This book slots quite seamlessly into the canon and was a worthwhile and enjoyable read. It's tightly plotted, engaging, and really well written in the style of Parker himself. There is some on-page violence and the language is R-rated (some strong cursing, some sexual content - nothing NSFW though.

Four stars. As the 10th book in the series, it would be a superlative choice for a long binge read. For fans of gritty, cleverly constructed PI tales in the classic mold.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Dedicated Parker fan, and appreciating those who have taken up the reins, including Mike Lupica. Sunny Randall is a great character (and all the people around her we've come to love, like Spike!)). She is working on two cases, one with her dad, one with a friend and she manages to leverage her connections and her whip smart mind to solve them!

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

You can always count on the Sunny Randall series to be an easy read, and this latest entry is a perfect candidate as a "beach read". Although I don't feel the series needs appearances by all of Parker's other characters, who's left, Cole and Hitch? although with Sunny seeing Susan Silverman as her therapist I suppose it was inevitable Susan's boyfriend and his indomitable sidekick would be due for an appearance, although in my opinion they do little to add to the story and actually detract from it. I would much prefer to see Mr. Lupica craft a well written and engaging Sunny Randall story that can stand on it's own without any crossovers or cameos from other series.

I don't know how he does it, but Mike Lupica has managed to replicate Robert B. Parker's style so well that it really felt like I was reading a long lost Parker novel. Sunny Randall is one of my favorite P.I.s and Lupica does a tremendous job with the character. A wonderful mystery with lots of great twists.

You can never go wrong with a "Robert B. Parker" book. Quick, great read that doesn't let up throughout the books.

Mike Lupica has done a fabulous job of picking up the language and style of the late Robert Parker. He has an appreciation for the literary references that regularly appeared, as well as continuing the cameos from the vast cast of characters in the Spenser universe.

Sunny Randall continues her exciting PI work in Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour by Mike Lupica. This one will keep you guessing with the twists and turns.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Novelist Melainie is being blackmailed and Sunny is chosen to protect her.
Sunnys father is being threatened. Once again Sunny springs into action.
Can she get to the bottom of both cases before more problems?

A quick fun read for Parker fans to enjoy…

In addition to his own mysteries, Mike Lupica has written follow-on books in two of Robert B Parker’s sometimes-linked series: the Sunny Randall series and the Jesse Stone series. Right now, however, Jesse and Sunny are taking a “time-out”, and so Lupica’s latest book, Revenge Tour, is a straight-up Sunny story, with just a few mentions of Stone. And it’s a very nice continuation of the series.

As the book opens, readers are reminded that Sunny has been living, almost rent-free, in a Boston townhouse belonging to romance author Melanie Joan Hall, after she got the evidence to put Melanie Joan’s psychotic ex-husband behind bars. Now Melanie Joan is having more problems, and she has hired Sunny to help her out again. At the same time, though, Sunny’s father is being threatened by a creepy but powerful Mob lawyer, as a result of one of his prior cases. So, Sunny finds herself busy enough to need help, and she calls on a number of previous series characters: her friend, Spike; her ex-husband, Richie Burke; her former father-in-law, Desmond Burke; and eventually a couple of well-known cross-overs from one of Parker’s other series. That’s a fair amount of backstory, which can get a bit confusing, but Lupica does a good job reminding readers of who’s who when they need it.

At first the cases appear to be separate, but then coincidences start popping up, and it seems they may be connected. The plot roller-coasters along, with some slow-paced old-fashioned legwork, a couple of murders, and not one, but two, drive-by shootings (or, to be truly accurate, “bicycle-by shootings”), as Sunny tries to figure out what’s going on. Is Melanie Joan’s ex-husband somehow orchestrating this all from jail? Or is someone else behind everything, and if so, who? And why? And did Melanie Joan really commit plagiarism when she wrote her first book?

Like a lot of the later Parker titles, both original and continuation, Revenge Tour has a little too much “bad guy with honor” and “enemy-of-my-enemy is my friend” stuff going on to seem completely credible. But also as usual, the rest of the book, and especially the snappy dialogue, is good enough that that doesn’t really matter much. All-in-all, this is simply a quick, fun read that is going to leave folks with a smile on their face – and also leave them waiting for the next book, if only to see whether Sunny’s potential new relationship works out any better than her old ones.

And my thanks to GP Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the advance review copy!

Robert B Parker’s Revenge Tour is the kind of crime thriller you’d like to read when you want to lighten your mood with quippy characters and a 70’s PI vibe beautifully adapted to the modern-day setting.
PI Sunny Randall is roped into a deadly conspiracy when her friend is targeted by a mysterious assailant who has accused her of plagiarizing the story that catapulted her into literary stardom. Sunny must sleuth her way through the conspiracy as dirty secrets unearth and threaten to turn her relationships upside down.
Mike Lupica does a fantastic job writing Sunny Randall as a witty and badass PI, doing away with most cliches normally associated with female characters in similar adventurous thrillers. Her hilarious banters with fleshed out and larger than life characters make for a compelling read even before the engaging mystery kicks off. The PI angle is superbly interwoven into the narrative, capturing the grimy but classy grittiness of the dangers that come with shady underworld bad guys. The perfect sister companion in tone for the Spencer books, who himself makes a cameo with fan-favorite Hawk.
Churning a realistic tale of secrets and betrayals, Mike Lupica keeps you on your toes with well-timed and well-executed twists thrown into the batter of lovable characters full of sarcasm and bright jokes in Revenge Tour. Fans of old school crime thrillers will eat this up like the delicious treat it is.


Full review will be posted with blurb image on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com

Terrific, interesting, comical, twisting, characters, p!it all add up to be another great 'Parker' novel
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

I applaud Lupica for continuing the Sunny story and staying true to the Parker storytelling cannon. It was interesting to have an appearance by Spencer and Hawk in this novel.

Sunny Randall is asked by her benefactor Melanie Joan Hall, successful romance novelist, to investigate a claim of plagiarism made against her. Melanie is not the easiest client to deal with but Sunny owes her. When bodies start dropping it becomes more and more dangerous. I liked the story and there were a lot of interesting characters. I didn’t guess who the murderer was until the very end. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

With her most popular character about to be adapted for TV, novelist Melanie Joan Hall, Sunny Randall's benefactor, is accused of plagiarism. Soon after hiring Sunny to investigate her accuser, Melanie Joan is jolted by the murders of her manager and editor. Lupica's fourth Randall continuation is an aptly-named tour of Melanie Joan's past, much of which she resists revealing. Meanwhile, Sunny's retired cop father Phil finds himself targeted for revenge.

Lupica draws on his own origins in creating Melanie Joan's. In what looks to be his final Randall novel before moving on to Spenser, he once again shows familiarity with characters from all of Parker's series, including one of Parker's most chilling and manipulative villains.

Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour goes on sale May 3. Thanks again to Putnam Books for the NetGalley.

Let me start this out by writing... IF YOU ARE A TRUE ROBERT B. PARKER FAN, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! It's absolutely fabulous!! Melanie Joan, Sunny's home benefactor, is in town... and as usual chaos ensues. With the help of Spike, Richie, etc., she must help Melanie Joan, as well as keep an eye on her Dad. I'm not going to write much - do not want to spoil this fantastic novel by Mike Lupica! I hope he keeps the Sunny series going, as it's one to look forward to!

Another wonderful addition to the Sunny Randall series filled with characters from the Spenser books, the return of her father, and a great plot. I don’t care for Sunny’s relationship with Jesse Stone so I’m glad to see there’s an alternative.