Now that I'm finally finished with Engel's book, I am launching myself into three by Robert B. Parker. The first, Blue Screen, hit the bookstore shelves in 2006 and features his female protagonist, Sunny Randall. This is the first of the Randall books that I've read — it is apparently the fifth Parker's written (by the way, have you seen how many books this guy's published? holy cow!) — and I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. It makes for a nice break from painting my office, my other weekend task.

As I think I've mentioned in an earlier blog, I am a big fan of Parker's original series, featuring Spenser and his buddy Hawk. At least, I'm a big fan of the early books in the series; I started to lose interest about five years ago when Parker felt his detective had to start tackling international issues and not just good ol' Boston crimes. So I wasn't sure I'd like Blue Screen, even though it introduces me to a new detective. What I had forgotten is how good a writer Parker is when he is on. And in this book, he is definitely on. No, it's not a classic of the detective genre; it's just a well-written story that clicks right along, sweeping you up into it.

I'm more than a third of the way through after only one real sitting and I'm looking forward to getting back to it soon. The writing is so smooth, so polished, you just can't resist it.

The depiction of women, on the other hand? Well, I'll have more on that issue when I post my review.

Tags: Parker, Mystery, Blue Screen