The novel perish twice was a very interesting read for me. I read it in 10 days. I was that interested. Robert B. Parker was very clever in his writing for this. As I read it, I knew that it would end with a bang. A must read.

If you like Robert B. Parker--you will like this book. I enjoyed reading Perish Twice but it was not as good as Family Honor or Melancholy Baby. I love the character Sunny Randall! I am anxious to read the rest of the series featuring her.

Having sped through the first 4 chapters of PERISH TWICE, # 2 in Parker's Sunny Randall series, I forced a pause. I had intended to read only a couple paragraphs, as I usually do for a treat when receiving new books from Amazon. Finishing the first couple paragraphs, I said, "Just a couple more." I don't know where I forgot my promise. All I know was I didn't quit reading. Each time I paused, "... few more paragraphs."

Periodically I surfaced to notice how the book was holding me captive. With that awareness percolating, I began itching to open a PC file for review notes, to avoid losing some of my thoughts about how Sunny's snarky voice and approach to problems relentlessly re-kidnaped my focus.

Beginning chapter 5, I remembered the paperback back flap describing Sunny aiding three women, one business, one friendship, the other family. The family rescue was set up in the first 4 chapters. Sunny's sister Elizabeth had stopped by Sunny's loft, quickly snagging my attention with her puzzling, unappealing stupidity, in diametric contrast to Sunny, and as evidenced by Rosie's response to Elizabeth's self-centeredness reigning as the "Queen of doesn't get it" (quoting Elizabeth's Ivy League husband, Hal Reagan). It seemed like nothing in the universe could rescue Elizabeth from stuck prissiness... except, possibly, to get a nickname like "Bunny"? (Her new job as an divorced, single woman could be a high class call girl working for Xavier, specializing in handling Ivy League men.)

I craved to keep reading until I came naturally to a point at which I actually wanted to take a break and do something else (lots of else's needed doing). Maybe if I paused to type a few first reading responses, I'd be okay with allowing a full fall into PERISH TWICE.

Was I fighting perishing twice myself? First in fire, then in ice, per the Robert Frost poem prefacing the plot. To make sense out of that question, read Parker's dedication to Joan in this one, along with the opening lines from Frost.

Was Sunny fire; Elizabeth ice? I was hoping that Sunny could pull a Spenser and save Elizabeth, even though the first few chapters made a logic-tight case against the ice thawing, and retaining anything of a self beyond an amorphous puddle of stagnant fluid.

To think there would be two more female issues Sunny would be juggling in this plot knot. I was there.

Okay, enough. Don't be Elizabeth. Get it.

After writing this much of a first draft for a review, I got myself immediately back to reading. This book was too good to get out of, and too good to avoid pausing to explain why.

What about the aid Sunny provided for friendship and business? What entertaining contrasts of female angst those provided to the corruption of Elizabeth's stagnation. Julie's marriage shakedown temporarily took away her professional aura as an MSW and sanctioned a space for a short journey into insanity. A hard core feminist hired Sunny to stop a stalker. The situation trilogy was woven together with the perfection of a master of the relationship game as it played out into murder and pleas of insanity, hot and cold. Sunny sweats to get the acts on track in a cool "Who done what to whom." And, of course, we get bonus hints on "why."

Was Frost somehow prescient of mother earth juggling an Ice Age with a hot house to improve the human temperature? Is the big SHE using that puzzling contrast to help humans see she knows her job? But, is she a good mother, Sunny might want to know.

How might enigmatic Tony Marcus have answered that, as he fanned the flames of a fascinating role in PERISH TWICE. At a prime plot point, Sunny sagely observed, "Tony didn't seem to want to hear my theories of love, anger, and ambivalence. In truth I didn't either." But, I was compelled to read them... laughing heartily here and there. I'm thanking God (Goddess?) that Robert B. Parker understands, to a large degree, what it's like to be a woman (even if he doesn't relish walking in high heels).

Respectfully Submitted,
Linda Shelnutt
Author of several Kindle books and Amazon Shorts, including:
Molasses Moon
Myrtle's Ultimate Mystery
Full Moon Rising (The Books of Gem)

This is the second book in the "Sunny Randall" series and is far inferior to the first. The plot of PERISH TWICE is pretty negligible and at least half of the book is devoted to the personal life of Sunny's friend and sister, neither of whom are particularly sympathetic.

Sunny's sister, in particular, is a thoroughly annoying caricature of a character. She is unlikable in a two-dimensional sense, lacking any sort of texture or depth. All of the scenes involving this character are almost painful to read. I wasn't entertained by these scenes in the least.

This book is mildly entertaining because Parker knows how to write good dialogue. I was also curious to see who committed the crime. But in the end, you can find identical dialogue and similar plotlines in other Parker novels that are far superior to this one. My advice is to skip this particular story unless you are a Parker completist. Instead, read the first Sunny Randall novel FAMILY HONOR, the first couple of Jesse Stone books, and the first ten or so Spenser books.

I've never wrote a review but i wanted to share some comments. I read the first book in the series and i liked it but Perish Twice left me less than impressed. Am I the only one who wants to know what happened to Millie from the first book? There should of been at least some mention of her in the second book, since she was still living with her at the end of the last one. And why does this investigation end pretty much the same as the last one? I guess I'll read one more but if it doesn't get better it will probably be the last one.