Melancholy Baby

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Robert Parker Sunny Randall series

Pleasant read

A mystery in between visits to the shrink

Quick, Enjoyable Read

Parker seems to have lost his fastball

Melancholy Baby
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Hardcover | Parker, Robert B. | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Shrink Rap (Sunny Randall)

Perish Twice (Sunny Randall)

Family Honor (Sunny Randall)

Blue Screen (Sunny Randall)

Sea Change (Jesse Stone)

ASIN: B000H2MSU6

Amazon.com

Some of Robert B. Parker's most distinctive novels over the years (God Save the Child, Early Autumn, Ceremony, etc.) have centered on young people in trouble, so his return to that theme in Melancholy Baby is hardly a surprise. What's more remarkable is how deftly he uses the case of an angry, confused college student searching for the facts about her family background as a means to pry open the hardly less troubled psyche of Boston private eye Sonya "Sunny" Randall, a character at serious risk of one day outshining Parker's better-known but less reflective gumshoe, Spenser.

Twenty-one-year-old trust-fund kid Sarah Markham suspects that her parents aren't really related to her at all. "They can't find my birth certificate," she tells Sunny in amazement. "They don't remember which hospital I was born in." This isn't the sort of inquiry Sunny likes to take on, especially not now, when her ex-husband of five years, Richie Burke--whom she still hasn't given up loving--is marrying another woman. However, Sunny needs a distraction from self-pity, and she can see that "everything about Sarah and her parents seemed fraudulent ... like something that had been built on the cheap, with shoddy materials and no craft, to conceal something unhealthy and mean." As she tears at this façade, though, traveling to Illinois and New York City in order to expose secrets not only in Sarah's father's past but in the history of a holier-than-thou radio celeb, Sunny discovers that her client isn't the only person being kept in the dark. But is it worth destroying Sarah's sense of herself--not to mention attracting the malicious notice of well-armed thugs--to set the record straight? And can Sunny even accomplish this, while struggling (with help from Spenser's psychiatrist girlfriend, Susan Silverman) to understand why she's 37 years old and "just can't be married"?

Any halfway-conscious reader will spot the solution to this story's mystery from miles off, and Parker's use of central-casting figures--the hypocritical moralizer, the oleaginous but natty shyster--should earn him free admission to a "How to Create Credible Characters" seminar. Still, it's hard not to be charmed by a novel that's as willing as Melancholy Baby is to knock the pins out from under its protagonist, and see where the angst falls. At Dr. Silverman's rates, Sunny had better figure her life out soon. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

When Sunny Randall helps a young woman locate her birth parents, she uncovers the dark truth about her own past.

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"Boston P.I. Sunny Randall-as conflicted as she is beautiful-helps a troubled young woman locate her birth parents only to uncover some dark truths of her own. My ex-husband was getting married to a woman I wanted to kill. I didn't actually know her, and killing her would only make matters worse. But I got as much pleasure out of the idea as I could before I had to let go of it. And so begins Melancholy Baby, the fourth novel in the bestselling series featuring Sunny Randall who now faces the unthinkable: the marriage of her ex-husband, Richie, to someone else. Despite the formality of divorce, Sunny and Richie's relationship had continued, in its own headstrong way, until Richie's desire for marriage overtook Sunny's need for freedom. So when college student Sarah Markham comes asking for help in finding her birth parents, Sunny realizes she must take the case, if only to distract her from her personal life. But life and work have a curious-and dangerous-way of intersecting. Before the investigation has a chance to take off, two key players are dead, and Sunny is back on a psychiatrist's couch, probing her own past for clues. What she discovers has the potential to shatter Sarah Markham's family and destroy her sense of self, while Sunny's own beliefs are put to the ultimate test. Emotionally complex and rich with insight, this is the Grand Master at his storytelling best."

Customer Reviews:

Robert Parker Sunny Randall series.......2007-06-14

Love the Sunny Randall series. Easy and fun to read. This is the fourth book in the series.

Pleasant read.......2007-04-11

I love Robert Parker, but think he is a bit less successful writing the female "voice", even though he insists Joan helps him with this! Sunny still sounds a bit like Spenser to me. But I love reading these books anyway.....

A mystery in between visits to the shrink.......2007-02-16

I've read all four books in the Sunny Randall series so far. My general feeling is that Sunny's psychology is far more interesting than the mysteries in these books.

In this book, we have sort of a flashback to the first book in the series, "Family Honor," where Sunny takes in one of the characters in her investigation to protect her. In this case, it's 20-year old Sarah who is convinced she's not her parents' biological child despite her parents' assertions to the contrary. Using some of her trust fund money, she hires Sunny to investigate and it isn't long before Sarah's life is threatened along with Sunny's. As we've come to expect, Sunny will draw on her ex-husband's organized crime family to help her out in a tough spot or two...and her pal Spike. And she'll gush over her dog Rosie at least once every page or two.

The mystery in this book gets solved, but not real tidily. We're left with some dangling threads regarding Sarah, Sarah's real mother, Sarah's adoptive mother, and few other characters. The most enjoyable part of the book wasn't really the mystery (that part was actually a bit lame), but rather Sunny finally starting to come to grips with why she can't live with ex-husband Richey or without him. Her shrink, Dr. Susan Silverman, manages to sound like every cliche we've ever heard: "How did that make you feel?" "Let's talk about that." "What do *you* think it means?" Her practice seems to consist entirely of asking 5 or 6 questions comprised of less than 10 words in every 55-minute session, and then listening to Sunny do her own psychological assessments based on those handful of questions.

Out of the four Sunny Randall books so far, I'd rank them as follows:

1) Family Honor
2) Shrink Wrap
3) Melancholy Baby
4) Perish Twice

In other words, we're learning more about Sunny, but the books themselves aren't necessarily getting better.

Quick, Enjoyable Read.......2006-08-01

Boston college student Sarah Markham is convinced that she was adopted and hires PI Sunny Randall to find out the truth. Sarah's parents insist that she isn't adopted but they say they can't find her birth certificate and they both refuse to take a DNA test. The Markham's are so vague and uncooperative when Sunny questions them she is sure they are lying and sets out to find the truth about Sarah's birth. Sunny is also finding out some truths about herself - her ex-husband is getting married and she sees a psychiatrist (Susan Silverman of Robert Parker's Spenser series) to deal with her conflicted feelings about her, her ex, and her parents.

This is the first non-Spenser Robert Parker book I've read and I was a bit apprehensive thinking Sunny would just be Spenser in a skirt. I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, Sunny has some of the same characteristic traits as Spenser, including being a dog owner and having a sidekick she can call on if she's in trouble (gay Spike is Sunny's Hawk). But Sunny is a more complex character than Spenser and her visits to Susan Silverman, interspersed with her search for the truth about Sarah's parents, add a dimension to this book that's missing from the Spenser series. While it's interesting and refreshing to see Susan Silverman from the viewpoint of someone other than Spenser, Parker's a little too in love with his own character and his repetitive descriptions of Susan's manicured nails wear thin very quickly. Parker's writing is mostly dialogue driven and doesn't vary much beyond "I said", "he said", and "she said". Still, Parker has a keen sense of humor and his new character, Detective second-grade Eugene Corsetti, is a perfect example of Parker at his best.

This was a quick, enjoyable book to read.

Parker seems to have lost his fastball.......2006-05-26

For Spenser and Parker fans, this latest effort is a bit dissapointing.
The plot seems to drag, none of the characters are a bit likeable, and there are some scenes where you can't help but picture Spenser in a skirt (Ugh).

Parker's writing is a bit too formulaic for him to make the jump from a tough-guy detective novel to a tough-woman detective novel....the characters are too similar.

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A look at America

In Search of Melancholy Baby
Vassily Aksyonov
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Eastern European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0394759923
Release Date: 1989-02-11

Customer Reviews:

A look at America.......2000-02-17

This review refers to the Russian language edition of the book.

Book Description

More than a million American G.I.s were crammed into the UK prior to the invasion of France during World War II. Wherever they landed, the G.I.s took the British population by surprise. Very few people had ever met a real American before. In those days, the U.S. was more remote than Siberia is to the present generation. All anyone knew about Americans had been learned from the silver screen. How could they be resisted? We can only guess at the total number of children that the G.I.s left behind. Figures quoted have varied from 10,000 to 100,000 but there are no official sources on which to base these numbers. Not surprisingly, these children today represent as much of a social cross section as the women who dated the G.I.s. But regardless of background, they all share the common goal of wanting to find the American father who holds the other half of their personal history. This book relates the social history of the military situation of World War II in Europe. It records how many British were dazzled by and fell in love with American G.I.s who arrived in the U.K. to train for the Invasion of France. Although some married their sweethearts, many more did not. Meanwhile, on the Continent, young women who became pregnant ended up in dire social straits. What is important now is that the children of these liaisons should have the opportunity to learn about the missing half of their heritage. Pamela Winfield, president of TRACE, a nonprofit group that helps these children find missing parents, tells us their stories.

Customer Reviews:

The Time is Now..........2007-01-28

A profound read by Pamela Winfield for anyone longing to better understand some of the documented stories relating to the unplanned consequences of the G.I.'s arrival in Europe pre and post WWII era. This book will leave you seemingly looking into a mirror of your own life experience for those able to relate. Another excellent source of encouragment and perhaps a more clear understanding of why so many questions remain to this day unanswered to the children left behind. It is a book of hope that lives today in countless adult children of GI fathers they've never known, a hope to continue their searches until their dreams become reality. This is a book for the mother's and father's of those same children who will also see a reflection of their past quite vividly if they allow themselves to understand that they were far from alone in the choices they made those long years ago and how with hope they can find those children and open up to those children longing to know where they come from and to gain a sense of wholeness they may never have known. It is time for the shame to remain in the past and for the light to shine in the darkness. We are in a different time and must accept that we are only human and none of us is immune from mistakes so why let our children suffer from our past, why not open up the future for them? A must read for anyone searching father or family from this time. Share this book with others who you know to be searching, it can open up doors that have been closed far too long.

Great Book !! .......2007-01-11

I received the product on time and is was perfect, just as it said.

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Melancholy baby, and other stories
Julia O'Faolain
Manufacturer: Poolbeg Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0905169123

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Melancholy Ain't No Baby
Patricia Young
Manufacturer: Gynergy Books/Ragweed Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 092030446X

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MELANCHOLY BABY
ROBERT B. PARKER
Manufacturer: Berkley Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KCSULE

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Melancholy Baby (A Play)
Sheila K. Adams
Manufacturer: S. French
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0DLAQ

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Melancholy baby: A comedy
S. K Adams
Manufacturer: S. French
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Melancholy Baby: A Sunny Randall Novel
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Berkley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NXYCZI

Book Description

National bestselling author Liz Carlyle presents the second book in her scandalous new romance series -- a fiery duel of desire and deception with love as the ultimate prize....

Once, he spurned the woman he loved. The Earl of Wynwood was far too reckless to handle a sophisticated woman like Viviana Alessandri. And the beautiful opera singer was far too famous to make a suitable wife for Wynwood.

Twice, she wagered with her heart. Crushed by Wynwood's refusal to marry, Viviana offered her hand to another, a wealthy count. But fate has a way of playing with lovers' hearts -- and passion has a way of setting them on fire.

Two little lies tore them apart. But now, at a gala affair celebrating Wynwood's recent betrothal, Viviana will get one last chance to win back his love...again...and again.

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"National bestselling author Liz Carlyle presents the second book in her scandalous new romance series -- a fiery duel of desire and deception with love as the ultimate prize.... Once, he spurned the woman he loved. The Earl of Wynwood was far too reckless to handle a sophisticated woman like Viviana Alessandri. And the beautiful opera singer was far too famous to make a suitable wife for Wynwood. Twice, she wagered with her heart. Crushed by Wynwood's refusal to marry, Viviana offered her hand to another, a wealthy count. But fate has a way of playing with lovers' hearts -- and passion has a way of setting them on fire. Two little lies tore them apart. But now, at a gala affair celebrating Wynwood's recent betrothal, Viviana will get one last chance to win back his love...again...and again.

Customer Reviews:

Loved it!.......2007-02-09

Liz Carlyle is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I love passionate historical romances that keeps me enthralled page after page, and she always delivers a story that I thoroughly enjoy. Two Little Lies is the sequel to One Little Sin. Though it can be read as a stand alone, it was interesting to read it after OLS because the stories actually overlap. The first hundred pages on TLL parallels the same time frame as the last 100 or so pages of OLS. The comparison was fun, but certainly not required to understand this story. (LC cleaver writing was careful not to spoil the plot of OLS either, so if you read TLL first it will not ruin OLS for you.)

Quin has never gotten over his first love Viviana, a young opera singer who he made his mistress when he was just 21. Their young relationship consisted of hot passionate sex along with arguments of jealousy. This unhealthy and immature dealing of their relationship leads to two little lies, and thus a separation of nine long years. When they cross paths again, the passion between them quickly ignites. She is now the widow of horrible French count, and he a scoundrel of an Earl who has never risked love since. The pace of their budding romance was believable and endearing, especially as their past is revealed and deeper understanding blossoms between them. But can they overcome all the years of hurt and betrayal? I don't want to spoil the plot, so I will just say this book is highly recommended to all historical romance fans that love passion, sensuality and an engrossing plot.

How Many Lies?.......2006-07-13

I really wanted to like this book. I searched & searched for it . . . (I am a cheapskate so I wanted to find a good price). After reading the first in the series I was so excited!

These two lead characters have no chemistry together. Viviana & Quin did not even get together until the very end of the book (after being together as mistress/patron in the first few pages). Even the "coming together" was very bland. I forced myself to get to the end. I really did not like her at all. Two Lies? Just about everything Viviana did was a lie.

Second of the Trilogy - Love the Second Time Around.......2006-05-30

I've read all three of the Sins, Lies and Secrets Trilogy. Since I read them all out of order, I can tell you they are still good stand-alone but much better to read in order since they over-lap. Also the characters are recurring and it is nice to revisit them all later! The second book mentions "the gypsy's curse," but it is not the overwhelming premise.

Quin, Lord Wynwood, has lived a very scandalous life. He is a notorious skirt chaser and has had numerous mistresses. The first, almost nine years before ... was the love of his life. But too young and green to realize she loved him as he loved her, he let her slip away. Viviana, his first love, went back home to Italy to continue her life as a great opera singer. She married out of duty, now widowed, and is a mother to three children. Neither she, nor Quin have found love again. Here she is, back in England and visiting his uncle on the eve of Quin's betrothal. But his desire for her burns hot in his blood and soon Quin creates a scandal, the betrothal is off and they begin an affair (just one more time to make good memories!). Why does she remain so aloof? Will the lies continue?

I enjoyed this story, though the first of the trilogy was my favorite. The overwhelming emotion was wonderful. I liked that Viviana was a passionate self sufficient woman. The story was a little unrealistic in some ways, but this is fiction! The secondary characters were wonderful. I liked Quin's rather intrusive mother! I also was fond of his sister and glad she got a romance too! Definately worth reading.

Can the Hero/Heroine say I- M- A- T- U- R- E ?.......2006-03-24

And will they ever grow up? Apparently 10 years changed absolutely nothing between these two protagonists, so, I see no hope for any future between them. I'd rather watch the WWF and I abhor wrestling or at least that brand of it. I do appreciate the non-pro school versions of it. Liz, I am not sure what happened here but you are a better writer than this. I loved the 1st in this trilogy and I am hoping the last is better than this one. Don't waste your money, read one of her older books over again.

Second novel of Series.......2006-03-10

`Two Little Lies' by Liz Carlyle is a historian romance based around The Earl of Wynwood (Quin) and his past mistress Vivian Alessandri. They were lovers in their early twenties and produced a child. This book starts again 8 years later where the book One Little Sin ends. You don't have to read One Little Sin because she repeats the story from Quin and Vivian perspective. Vivian and Quin still have many connections after 8 years but still refuse to be honest with each other which lead to heartache. This book was brilliant and I could not put it down. The order of the series is One Little Sin, Two little Lies and Three little Secrets (due out March 21, 2006).

JUSTICE - Amazing Detective Stories - Volume 1, number 2 - July 1955: In a Small Motel; Lie Down Killer; The Blue Note; A Hot Lick for Doc; Big Catch; Drifter; Two Little Bullets; The First Man Hanged

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JUSTICE - Amazing Detective Stories - Volume 1, number 2 - July 1955: In a Small Motel; Lie Down Killer; The Blue Note; A Hot Lick for Doc; Big Catch; Drifter; Two Little Bullets; The First Man Hanged
Harry (editor) (John D. MacDonald; Richard S. Prather; Dorothy Dunn; Charles Beckman; Frederick Lorenz; Herbert D. Kastle; Ad Gordon; Edward A. Herron) Widmer
Manufacturer: Non-Pareil Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LTBZE0

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Two Little Lies
Liz Carlyle
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739460218

Product Description

fiction, romance

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Two Little Lies

Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSC2IE

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Two Little Lies
Liz Carlyle
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000PUL40A

Book Description

Huntington's Disease is a genetically inherited condition, the result of severe nerve-cell damage in the brain. Due to the recent identification of the gene involved, and the debilitating nature of the disease, a great many more people are now affected either directly or indirectly (families and carers) by this condition. The majority of people develop the disease between the ages of 35 and 55, so for those that are aware of a genetic inheritance, there are enormous problems to confront - should you carry on life as normal? Should you start a family? In this, the first book on Huntington's disease written for sufferers and their families, advice is given on living with this disabling illness. Written as much for carers as for the patients themselves, the book aims to answer some of the questions that both sufferer and carer might have. With the identification of the responsible gene, genetic counselling is now available for those at risk of developing the disease. Though some may wish not to use these services, the book clearly explains the role of the counsellor, and what help is additionally available from the various patient organisations worldwide.

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Huntington's Disease (Facts)
Oliver W J Quarrell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Genetic | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0199212015

Book Description

Huntington's disease is a genetically inherited condition which results in severe nerve-cell damage in the brain. The hereditary and debilitative nature of the disease means that many people are involved either directly or indirectly by this condition. The recent identification of the faulty gene involved has made the diagnosis of this condition simpler. The majority of people develop the disease between the ages of 35 and 55 years, so for those aware of their genetic risk there are dilemmas to consider - should you have a test to see if you have the gene? Should you start a family? The new edition of this successful book specifically designed for families of patients with Huntington's disease has been expanded to include a number of important new developments in research and clinical practice that have occurred in the field in recent years. While there are no drugs currently available that slow down or reverse the neurodegenerative process in Huntington's Disease, there is growing data on the use of existing treatments to manage movement disorder, irritability and depression associated with the condition, which are covered here. This edition also includes completely new chapters covering juvenile Huntington's disease and late-stage Huntington's disease, and a fully updated Appendix of relevant patients' organizations.

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