A kick-ass PI with heart. When social media influencers and secrets combine, PI Sunny Randall finds herself in the middle of a case with ties back to her old life—and old loves. In BAD INFLUENCE, Alison Gaylin has done a masterful job bringing Sunny into the contemporary world where no one is who they pretend to be. With familiar characters and a version of Sunny Randall with more heart, Robert B. Parker fans will enjoy this installment in the series. I look forward to Gaylin’s next foray into Sunny’s world. Highly recommended.

I will start by saying this is the first book in the series I have read. I have enjoyed another Alison Gaylin book in the past, and loved this one just as much. I felt like the readers got the opportunity to really feel a connection with the characters. I thought the book was really well thought out, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I read it in one sitting!

Four stars for Alison Gaylin's first Sunny Randall. Gaylin does a good job of replicating Parker's voice and feel for a Sunny novel but something is off probably because a Sunny book was finally written by a female (not a bad thing!).
Mike Lupica's version of Sunny was a little shaky too with his first Sunny book but his stories improved with each subsequent title. I think this will be the case here too with Gaylin. (One sticking point: the chapters need to be shorter like the previous novels, which ran 60-70 chapters each. The 40 chapters here were just too long and also contributed to it not feeling completely like a RBP/Sunny novel.)

It is a good book to teach in class to compare/contrast author styles and dialogue between Parker and Gaylin's novels.

I look forward to seeing what Gaylkin does next with her version of Sunny Randall. Thanks for an advance peek and letting me provide my two cents. I would definitely add the hardcover version to my Sunny collection when it's released.

(Hint hint: I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MIKE LUPICA'S BROKEN TRUST!) Thanks!

A great Sunny Randall book in the ongoing series! Fun, fast-paced, with twists at the end…

Alison Gaylin wrote an engaging, active addition for this feisty character. Sunny and her usual companions, Spike and Rosie, star in the story. As she protects her clients and solves the mystery, there are more romantic interludes with Richie, setting us up to eagerly anticipate what is next for them.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I am a huge Alison Gaylin fan - so when I saw she was taking the pen of Robert B. Parker's Sunny Randall, I could not wait to read Bad Influence. Sunny and her BFF, Spike, are working with some influencers to help increase business at Spike's bar. Their manager, Bethany, hires Sunny to look into threats the couple is receiving... and then, she disappears. Between chasing down leads to find Bethany and trying to keep a handle on the influencers, Sunny has her hands more than full. With support from one of the best casts of characters around, Bad Influence is a great addition to Sunny's series - and Ms. Gaylin honors the path Mr. Parker carefully created for Sunny. I absolutely loved this book! A big thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced reader of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

The novel is a fast paced and will keep you guessing til the very end. I love any book that has plots of stalking and influencers so this book was perfect for me! Many things about the stalking become apparent to the reader before the characters. An easy, addicting read and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Never read a Robert Parker book. I have read every single Alison Gaylin book, so lucky me that she was chosen to help continue this series! I really enjoyed this book and Sunny Randall and plan on going back from the beginning to learn the histories and backstories. Sunny is investigating the case of an influencer who thinks he is being stalked. I already enjoy stories set around influencers as that world is so interesting to me anyway. What follows is a fun, fast-paced mystery with plenty of twists before wrapping up nicely. Looking forward to more, although I do hope Alison continues with her own books too!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alison Gaylin and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. All Opinions are my own.
I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.

Alison Gaylin breathes new life into Robert B. Parker's Sunny Randall and her world. This latest installment in the RBP legacy series provides all the mystery, personal interplay and relationships we readers in the RBP world have come to expect. I believe this is the first time a female author has taken control of Randall's world, and this change is welcome. I am looking forward to Ms. Gaylin's next installment and am sure we will see the continued growth in the Randall (and world) character we see as these new authors become more comfortable in RBP's world.

A seriously solid addition to the Sunny Randall series. I think the author - Alison Gaylin (I believe this is the first book she authored in this series) - did a fantastic job in capturing a lot of the characters nuances. I think she also did a good job with the flow of writing.

I would definitley recommend reading this book and I look forward to seeing how this author progresses as the series continues.

Thank you #netgalley and #PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC.

I’ve enjoyed Sunny Randall throughout this series and this is no exception.
Likely age related, but a I have little experience with the world of Influencers,
and I did enjoy the story of good and evil that seems to pervade this quasi
profession. I’m not certain I can say much without wading into the spoiler
Pond, so…
I highly recommend this book to folks who have been Sunny fans for 15 years.
I also recommend it to newbies because it’s not hard to get your bearings and
enjoy this fun thriller.
My thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Publisher and Goodreads for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Of all the Parker main characters, police detective-turned-P.I. Sunny Randall never quite captured my fancy quite like the others. Honestly, I've never figured out why; but I do know that with this book, she's moved up a notch or two. Here, she seems to have picked up somewhat of a softer side (but not too much); while in many ways I hate to say it, if that has come about by virtue of having a female author take over this series for the first time, then bravo - and long may she hold the reins, please.

The story focuses on an in-your-face topic - social media influencers - as well as the usual who-done-what investigation. Sunny's good friend, bar owner Spike, also gets a decent role (fine with me - I love the guy), as does her can't-live-with, can't-live-without ex-husband Richie Burke, the son of a heavy-hitting mobster. At the start, it seems like wildly popular Blake, an Instagram influencer, is being bombarded with threatening texts; his manager, Bethany, asks Sunny to keep him safe and get to the bottom of it. That means getting close to him and his beautiful girlfriend Alena, also an influencer, and getting an up-close-and-personal look at a world that's very new (and eye-opening) to Sunny.

Of course, nothing is ever as it seems, and the deeper the holes Sunny and her team dig, the murkier the water that seeps out. Are Blake, Alena and Bethany all who they say they are? For that matter, is any one of them telling the whole truth? More to the point, will whoever's sending those troublesome messages escalate to something more sinister? Inquiring minds want to know - and you can find out by reading this book for yourself. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me the pleasure of getting to the truth by way of a pre-release copy to read and review. Bring on the next installment!

Robert B. Parker's Bad Influence
by Alison Gaylin
Pub Date: June 13, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is my first Sunny Randall book in the series and I found it to be more of a thriller than a mystery.
While digging into the criminal scene, Sunny has to confront her own past- in the shape of her old friends, and ex-husband. Sunny will stop at nothing to catch the killer.
It was a quick, enjoyable read. It's not too deep or complex. It delves into the world of two influencers, Alena and Blake, and their manager who disappears early in the story. Sunny is investigating who is stalking/harassing Blake and certain aspects become clear to the reader way before Sunny figures it out.
4 stars

This is a book set around Sunny Randall, does she go back to her old boyfriend and find a new boyfriend? She tries to decide this all the while trying to solve who wants to kill her client. She needs the help of her friends and friend’s’ family influences to solve this case. This was a great book!

Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence is the latest volume in the Sunny Randle series. Allison Gaylin has written this novel after the taking over from Parker after he passed in 2010. Sunny Randle is a private investigator who meets a couple of influencers. These young adults have a huge following on social media and is cashing in on their popularity.

When Sunny meets them, they contract her to offer protection services acting as their body guards and determine who is after them.

The story, written in the same style as Robert B. Parker, follows Sunny and a group ofi interesting characters as she uses her excellent skills and contacts to find out who is after these young adults.

The novel is a fast paced romp that will keep you guessing til the very end. This is a solid four star read.

Thanks toNetGalley for allowing me a pre-release copy of this book to review.

A welcome addition to the Sunny Randall series! This one is about a couple of kids who are influencers and whose background is not what it seems. Sunny and Spike turn in their usual performance as humanists and investigators and their diligent efforts lead to a shocking conclusion. Kept me turning the pages, and I highly recommend it whether you know the series or whether this is your introduction to it!

Very good read involving Sunny Randall her latest adventure involving protecting social media influencers.  She is forced to examine her own personal relationships as well as delving into the world of social media. Also included are the usual characters including Spike; her ex, Richie; her dad, and some of her cop friends.  I enjoyed the references to characters from other Robert B. Parker books including Jesse Stone, and Susan Silverman.  Although the relationship between the main influencers was easy to figure out, the plot moves well as Sunny explores every possibility for figuring out exactly what is going on and why.  This was a worthy addition to the Sunny Randall series. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I've read all the Robert B. Parker Jesse Stone books so I'm familiar with Sunny Randall, but this was my first standalone Sunny book. Like the Jesse books, it's was a quick, enjoyable read. It's not too deep or complex. It delves into the world of two influencers, Alena and Blake, and their manager who disappears early in the story. Sunny is investigating who is stalking/harassing Blake and certain aspects become clear to the reader way before Sunny figures it out. She blames the lack of focus on her ex-husband, but this time around she doesn't seem to be a very astute private investigator.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, A crazy who done it and so many crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

While I miss RBP, like every reader, it’s so fantastic that his characters live on, and Sunny is always a standout for me. The action and dialogue whiz along at an entertaining warp speed, and I love the twist here at the end, that I never saw coming. A really terrific installment!

I was pretty bored reading this book, I was waiting for something exciting to happen but I struggled to even want to finish it. The last couple chapters were slightly more exciting but felt rushed.