Latest Update 2 November 2003 by Bob Ames

Publication Information

The book is also available in Adobe Reader and Microsoft Reader formats from Amazon.com. 

Cover Information

"Joan, Dave. Dan...I'll tell them I remember you."  See the annotation below.

From the dust jacket of the hard cover edition:

Boston P.I. Sunny Randall goes on the road to protect a bestselling author - and uncovers a world of dark secrets - in the new novel by the Grand Master.

"Parker can reveal more about a character in five words of dialogue than many writers can in an entire book....[Sunny Randall] is capable yet realistically human, and not above accepting a little help from her friends.  A welcome addition to the fold." - The Washington Post Book World

Sunny Randall, the beautiful blond P.I. with a yen for dogs, painting, and her ex-husband, Ritchie, has won over even the most hard-core of Robert B. Parker's many fans.  "The real deal," raved Publishers Weekly.  Parker's most tightly plotted mystery in years," proclaimed Entertainment Weekly of Perish Twice.  In Shrink Rap, Sunny tries to take down a stalker, and faces personal demons in the process.

Melanie Joan Hall is a bestselling author in a bind.  Her publisher needs her to tour on behalf of her latest blockbuster, and Melanie Joan needs a bodyguard-cum-escort to protect her from an overbearing ex-husband, whose presence unnerves her to the point of hysteria.  

Sunny's cool demeanor, cop background, and P.I. smarts are an instant balm for the older woman.  Sunny begins to sense that Melanie Joan's ex - a psychotherapist - is not your basic stalker, and when an incident at a book signing leaves the man bloodied and the author unconscious, it's clear the stakes are high.  Having decided that the way to crack the case is from the inside, Sunny enters therapy, only to discover some disturbing truths about herself....while putting her life on the line.

Gripping, nuanced, and filled with Parker's signature dialogue and psychological insight, Shrink Rap is a winner.

Round up the usual suspects 

Carry-overs from the Spenser universe

• Lee Farrell - Boston homicide detective.

Carry-overs from the real world

• Melanie Joan Hall - Just in case you didn't know, Parker's wife was born Joan Hall.  Remember all those times Spenser has seen "RP + JH" carving into tabletops and such?

Literary References, or "The Annotated Sleuthette"

Significance of dedication: From the song "I'll Remember You" written by Johnny Mercer and Victor Schertzinger for the 1942 Paramount movie The Fleet's In starring Dorothy Lamour and Bob Eberly.  See Lyrics

• A bit of trivia here: William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist, used I'll Tell Them I Remember You as the title of his 1973 autobiography.   

• Chapter 2: "And Pennsylvania." - Dr. Parker is echoing my own frustration at hearing the events of 9/11 as having taken place in New York and Washington.  United Airlines flight #93, which was probably meant to take out the White House or Capitol Building, crashed just outside of Philadelphia as the result of a passenger uprising.  Todd Beamer heard about the attack on the Twin Towers from his wife Lisa and the last words she heard from his cell phone were "Let's Roll."
  • Despite the fact that Lisa Beamer wrote a book entitled Let's Roll and tried to copyright the phrase it comes from the final line of the police officer's briefing at the start of every episode of  the TV series Hill Street Blues.  
  • BTW as shorthand the events happened on nine eleven, or 11 September in international terms.  It pains me to hear it recited as nine one one, the emergency telephone number.  President Bush was the first one I heard do so and I've never forgiven him for it.
• Ch. 4: "Happy ever aftering." - From the title song of the 1961 Broadway play and 1967 movie Camelot, book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe.  See Lyrics
  • The songs are great but I could never really get into the play. If I may borrow a line from Playmates, it portrays King Arthur as "a bigger simp than Michael Jackson."
• Ch. 7: Taft Medical School. - Back Story allowed me to finally pinpoint where Taft would be located.  Coming off the exit it's "about a half mile from the Pike."  That's Brandeis University, one half mile east of exit 14.  

  Brandeis does not have a medical school but several premed courses are offered.  If you are interested see http://www.brandeis.edu/uaafys/premed/courses.html 

• Ch. 11: 
  • "Cuchi Cuchi." - To quote their web site "Inspired by the tradition of tapas or little dishes that Mario Léon and Tamara Bourso introduced to Boston in 1989 via Dalí Restaurant in Somerville, Cuchi Cuchi is presenting 'straight up' little international dishes whose main ingredients stand by themselves, without side dishes. Our glorious 40-foot long bar offers a maverick list of 38 wines, Signature Drinks, Classic Cocktails, a fruity wine concoction from South America called Clericó and sexy Bottoms Up shots. A retro feel and glamorous staff are a further invitation for a fun, romantic, lively evening with memorable food and transporting drinks."
  • "Let's just keep on dancing." - Yes, let's break out the booze and have a ball.  From the 1969 song "Is that all there is" by Peggy Lee.  See Lyrics
• Ch. 14: Dress for success.  See Oft Quoted

• Ch. 16: Biba on Boylston.  Appetizers $12.00 - 22.00, Entrees $25.00 - 39.00.

• Ch. 19: "Shocked, I tell you" - See Oft Quoted
• Ch. 20: The music - The CD Spike gave Sunny is "Boy Singer" by Peter Marshall. While best known for having hosted the game show Hollywood Squares for 15 years, he had a pretty good stage career before that. Visit http://www.boysinger.com to find out more. The three songs Sunny mentions are
  • Oh, you crazy moon (1939, Tommy Dorsey)  See Lyrics
  • I thought about you (1939, Johnny Mercer and Jimmy Van Heusen)  See Lyrics
  • Everything happens to me (1942, Matt Dennis and Tom Adair)  See Lyrics
    • Not to be confused with a Hoagy Carmichael tune by the same name recorded about two years earlier.   Repeating of song titles was and is still very common.
• Ch. 22: "Billy Banks" - A fighter in the Lightweight division, late 1930s and 40s (14-21-1, 5 KO’s).  For an article and a few pictures visit http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Berkwitt/Up_Close/Billy_Banks_102103.html  
• Ch. 23: "Woman of a thousand faces." - A reference to Lon Chaney, known as "the man of a thousand faces."
• Ch. 24: "Blu in the Sports Club/LA" - Exercise downstairs, pack on the calories upstairs; what a deal.  "Guests can enjoy seasonal menus featuring American classics based on traditional European cuisine from blu's highly acclaimed Chef Dante deMagistris. The bar features a spectacular view and offers sensational cocktails, bottled beers and an award-winning wine list including 160 selections primarily from France and the United States."

• Ch. 42: "Twelfth of never." - See Oft Quoted and Lyrics

• Ch. 45: David Brudnoy - Melanie Joan couldn't have picked a better radio host to talk with about her book, and I should probably move his name to the Oft Quoted page one of these days. His show airs weeknights on WBZ 1030 AM, whose signal reaches a surprisingly large part of the country.  Erudite, witty, and often profound, he defines talk radio here in Boston. Parker appears on the show with the publication of each book and the laughter and respect these gentlemen share is wonderful.

• Ch. 47: "Quietly into that good night." - A paraphrase of the Dylan Thomas poem Do not go gentle into that good night.  See Poetry

• Ch. 49: 

  • Raytheon headquarters on Route 2 - Heading east it's on your left just after crossing over Route 128.  The  complex noted in the book (left) has since been sold and a new International Headquarters has been built in Waltham (right.)  Parker worked for the company as a technical writer in the Andover plant many long years ago. "How cozy could it be in the Raytheon headquarters?"   I guess it depends on whether one is a 21 year old newly hired engineer or a union member with 21 years of seniority tossed out on the street.

  • "The big new Mormon Temple on the right. The long legal wrangle had ended.  The steeple was in place." -  I pass this monstrosity each week on my way to Cambridge.  Since God is a big guy he can't be expected to manifest himself in a studio apartment sized house of worship, or so their argument goes.  The legal case pitted the height restrictions of the Belmont zoning code against the so-called Dover Amendment (named for a rich suburb), a 50-year-old Massachusetts law which favors religious groups and educational institutions in zoning matters in an attempt to keep local jurisdictions from discriminating against them.  The Church of Latter Days Saints won, and in defiance of the second commandment a graven image in gold of the Angel Morony rises 139 feet above the hilltop.  Aaron would be proud (Exodus 32:6 if you follow that sort of thing.)

• Ch. 53: 

  • "Joyce Kulhawik" - Arts and entertainment anchor at WBZ-TV channel 4. Her accomplishments are legion, and one of her shows won an Emmy.  Melanie Joan got the best of both worlds in the Boston area with Brudnoy on the radio and Kulhawik on TV.

  • "Full Moon on Huron Ave" - Sorry, no picture available, but you can visit them at http://www.fullmoonrestaurant.com 

    • "I had an egg salad on wheat bread" - Parker went into considerable detail on this subject in Widow's Walk.  As part of my Spenser's Cookbook see Susan's Egg Salad.

• Ch. 55: "Former hotel, now a dorm, where Eugene O'Neill died." - That would be Shelton Hall, 91 Bay State Road, built in 1923 as the first Sheraton Hotel.  Mr. O'Neill long lived in room 401 and died there in 1953.  It is now a dormitory for Boston University and the fourth floor is reserved for student majoring in writing.  

• Ch. 63: "I'm gonna go fishing and catch me a trout" - According to Sunny, Mel Torme sang it as a movie theme song.  It does appear on any of his albums but it's usually associated with Duke Ellington and Peggy Lee.  I  have found no information on the movie and none of my extensive web searches even hinted at the lyrics.

• Ch. 69: "All for one and one for all." - The famous rallying cry from the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers.  "Now, gentlemen, it’s one for all and all for one. That’s our motto, and I think we should stick to it."  Parker has only used it once before, in Back Story.  

Notes

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