Vera Stanhope
mystery
Series · mystery
Sunny Randall
The Sunny Randall series by Robert B. Parker has 13 known books (12 published; 1 with an undated publication record) and is best read in publication order, starting with Family Honor (1999). Robert B. Parker wrote the series; it was continued by Mike Lupica, then Alison Gaylin.
- Books
- 13 known books (13 novels)
- Published
- 12
- First published
- 1999
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: Family Honor (1999) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Family Honor
Family Honor is the book that opens Robert B. Parker's Sunny Randall series, published in 1999 at 322 pages. It introduces the private investigator the series follows and is succeeded here by Perish Twice.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Family Honor - Book 2:
Perish Twice
Perish Twice is the second Sunny Randall novel by Robert B. Parker, published in 2000 at 291 pages. It follows Family Honor and precedes Shrink Rap in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Perish Twice - Book 3:
Shrink Rap
Shrink Rap is Robert B. Parker's third Sunny Randall novel, published in 2002 at 289 pages, following Perish Twice and preceding Melancholy Baby. It continues Boston PI Sunny Randall's cases in Parker's spare, dialogue-forward style, with her complicated relationship to her mob-connected ex-husband Richie's family developing alongside the investigation.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Shrink Rap - Book 4:
Melancholy Baby
Published in 2004 at 296 pages, Melancholy Baby is the fourth book in Robert B. Parker's Sunny Randall series. It comes after Shrink Rap and before Blue Screen in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Melancholy Baby - Book 5:
Blue Screen
Blue Screen is the fifth Sunny Randall novel, written by Robert B. Parker and published in 2006 at 306 pages. It follows Melancholy Baby and precedes Spare Change.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blue Screen - Book 6:
Spare Change
Spare Change is the sixth Sunny Randall novel and the last one Robert B. Parker completed before the series went quiet for over a decade. Published in 2007 at 291 pages, it follows Blue Screen and precedes Robert B. Parker's Blood Feud, the book that revived the series eleven years later.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Spare Change - Book 7:
Robert B. Parker's Blood Feud
Robert B. Parker's Blood Feud is the seventh Sunny Randall book, reviving the series in 2018 as the first of four novels written by Mike Lupica under an officially licensed continuation. Published at 367 pages, it precedes Robert B. Parker's Grudge Match in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Blood Feud - Book 8:
Robert B. Parker's Grudge Match
Robert B. Parker's Grudge Match is the eighth Sunny Randall novel, written by Mike Lupica and published in 2020 at 362 pages. It follows Robert B. Parker's Blood Feud and precedes Robert B. Parker's Payback.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Grudge Match - Book 9:
Robert B. Parker's Payback
Robert B. Parker's Payback is Mike Lupica's third Sunny Randall continuation, the ninth book overall, published in 2021 at 432 pages. It follows Robert B. Parker's Grudge Match and precedes Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Payback - Book 10:
Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour
Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour is the tenth Sunny Randall book and Mike Lupica's fourth and final entry in the series, published in 2022. It follows Robert B. Parker's Payback and precedes Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence, the point where Alison Gaylin takes over as the series' writer.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour - Book 11:
Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence
Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence is the 11th Sunny Randall novel and the first written by Alison Gaylin, who took over the continuation from Mike Lupica. Published in 2023, it follows Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour and precedes Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence - Book 12:
Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill
Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill is Alison Gaylin's second Sunny Randall novel, the 12th book in the series, published in 2024. It follows Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence and precedes Robert B. Parker's Booked.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill - Book 13:
Robert B. Parker's Booked
Robert B. Parker's Booked is, as of this catalogue, the most recent Sunny Randall novel: the 13th book in the series, written by Alison Gaylin and published in 2026 at 320 pages. It follows Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robert B. Parker's Booked
About the Sunny Randall series
Sunny Randall is a Boston private investigator and former cop, a divorced painter with a soft spot for her ex-husband Richie (whose family runs part of Boston's organized crime) and a bull terrier named Rosie who gets nearly as much page time as the human cast. Robert B. Parker created her, reportedly at actress Helen Hunt's suggestion, as a female counterpart to Spenser — sharp-tongued, independent, working the same hard-boiled Boston streets, with her own therapist, her own found family, and her own tangled relationship with an ex she can't quite let go of. Parker wrote six Sunny Randall novels between 1999 and 2007, and the series was revived in 2018, first by Mike Lupica and then by Alison Gaylin, both writing under the same Robert B. Parker's-branded continuation model used for Spenser and Jesse Stone.
The books share Parker's signature style — spare, dialogue-forward, morally direct — filtered through a protagonist whose relationships with her ex-husband, her mob-connected in-laws, her best friend Spike, and her own therapist give the series a slightly warmer, more relationship-driven texture than Spenser's. This is the series for readers who enjoy Parker's terse Boston crime voice and want a woman investigator at the center of it, still juggling a complicated ex rather than a settled long-term partner.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the Sunny Randall series?
Robert B. Parker wrote the series; it was continued by Mike Lupica, then Alison Gaylin.
How many Sunny Randall books are there?
Robert B. Parker wrote six Sunny Randall novels (1999–2007). The series was revived in 2018: Mike Lupica wrote four more, and Alison Gaylin has continued it since 2023 — 13 novels tracked here in total, with more announced.
What order should I read the Sunny Randall books in?
Publication order. Sunny's relationship with her ex-husband Richie and his organized-crime family develops across the series, though each book's central mystery is self-contained.
Who continued the Sunny Randall series after Robert B. Parker died?
The series paused for over a decade after Parker's 2007 novel Spare Change, then Mike Lupica revived it in 2018 with four novels through 2022, and Alison Gaylin has written the series since 2023.
Is Sunny Randall connected to Spenser?
They share an author, a Boston setting, and a similar hard-boiled tone, and Spenser makes occasional cameo mentions, but Sunny Randall's cases are self-contained — you don't need to read Spenser first.
Is there a new Sunny Randall book coming?
Yes. Alison Gaylin's Robert B. Parker's Booked is scheduled for 2026.
If you like the Sunny Randall series
Reading order last verified .