Customer Reviews

Red Light (Merci Rayborn Series)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was surprised and not so surprised that T. Jefferson Parker brought back Merci Rayborn. After all, the ending for the book that introduced her, THE BLUE HOUR all but demanded that she return.

In this book, Merci is two years older and still mourning the loss of her partner (and father to her son) Tim Hess. She has named her little boy after his father and is now involved with another detective sergeant on the Orange County (CA) Sheriff's department, Mike McNally.

Parker provides the reader with a multi-leveled mystery and police procedure novel that uses spare but biting prose to make its point. In this story, Merci Rayborn, a single mother and crack homicide investigator is involved in two homicide investigations. One is current and may involve her fellow officer and lover, Mike McNally and the other is over thirty years old and involves the murder of a prostitute who had had connections with local political and law enforcement officials.

In the more recent of the murder cases, Merci initially investigates the death of another young prostitute, this one who also had conections, but those closer to home. Initial evidence begins to point to Merci's erstwhile lover and would-be husband. Merci, never one to shy away from pursuing justice or the truth follows the trail of evidence with a dedication bordering on fanatical. More and more, the evidence points at Mike McNally. But is he really the killer or is he being framed? And if so, by whom?

I have read almost all of Parker's previous novels and have enjoyed them all. His common denominator is the setting, Orange County, CA. However, with each new book installment, he shows that he has climbed rapidly into the ranks of true masters in this genre. He is spare with his prose and in this he makes me think of what Hemingway would have been like had he written mysteries and police stories. He gives us flawed but interesting characters. Some we come to like and have hopes for and others we don't. I have to say that I did NOT like Merci Rayborn when I read THE BLUE HOUR. But perhaps motherhood, the loss of Tim Hess and the personal and political problems she faces in the Sheriff's Department have mellowed her to the point that she has become more human and less disagreeable. In RED LIGHT, for all of her flaws and self-doubts, Parker has made her a much more agreeable and yes, a more sympathetic character.

This book has some slow points and then, the plot and the level of action pick up. I do not know if this was a deliberate device by Parker or not but either way, the book does become a page turner. When Merci must decide for herself whether Mike McNally is guilty or being framed is where the book really took off. It is where I knew that Parker had planned and timed the story line for just such a reason.

Parker's intimate knowledge of police procedures is displayed at its best in this novel. His former career as a journalist and his extensive background in the history of Orange County also serve him well in RED LIGHT. Although this is the first time that he has used a recurring character, I hope it will not be his last. Merci Rayborn still has a lot to say and I hope Mr. Parker will let her speak in upcoming works.

Thank you Mr. Parker for many hours of enjoyable reading. I hope you won't dispense with Merci Rayborn just yet. I'd like to think of her as your version of Robert B. Parker's SPENSER. And we all know how many novels he has mined from that character. I look forward with anticipation to your next novel and hope that we will all see one or more adapted for the screen.

Paul Connors

I have always listed T. Jefferson Parker as one of my "must read" authors.This attempt at a creative police procedural set in Orange Co began with intrigue and promise. Merci Rayborn, talented star investigator is found trying to start a new life following the death of her partner and love interest in The Blue Hour. She is assigned to solve 2 cases of murdered prostitutes. The more recent is the point blank shooting of a young and beautiful call girl with all the evidence pointing toward Merci's current boyfriend and fellow police officer. The older case is the 35 y.o. homocide of a prostitute with known connections to the police force when Merci's father worked there. The emotional conflict and doubt in which Merci finds herself has numerous plot possibilities. The story presents a challenge to the reader to guess how the two cases are related and how the solutions to the crimes will effect Merci and those she cares deeply for. However, relating the characters in each case to each other is no simple task and I found it confusing.The story became tedious and the slowly mounting suspense seemed to drag as the story became more complicated. I wanted desperately for there to be a mind numbing surprise as the story neared its conclusion but instead Red Light ground the action to a stop.

Merci Rayborn is a homicide investigator for the Orange County Sheriff's department. When she's called out to the murder scene of a young, beautiful call-girl it all seems routine. That is, until she discovers that her boyfriend had dinner with the victim just scant hours before the murder. As she delves further, more and more evidence points to the boyfriend as the killer and she's torn between doing her job and trusting the man who loves her.

I've read all of Mr. Parker's novels and this is the first one in which he's brought back a character from another novel. Merci Rayborn was first introduced in The Blue Hour. She seems much different in Red Light, more unsure of herself. However, that's not to her detriment. Like all of Parker's novels his characters are well fleshed out, his dialogue sounds like real people talk, and his police procedure rings true. My only quibble, and it's a small one, is I was able to guess the killer about three-quarters of the way through the book. I have to admit for all the mystery reading I do I'm pretty obtuse when it comes to guessing the killer but this was pretty obvious. It really didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. Mr. Parker is a very good writer, and he just keeps getting better and better. An added bonus for me is that I live in Orange County so I know the areas he talks about in his novels. I might make one suggestion though. To really understand the Merci Rayborn character it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to read "The Blue Hour" first. That too is a very good book.

Warning: Before reading this book, it is strongly advised that you have already read The Blue Hour. Without this previous experience, a lot of Red Light will be very confusing and would probably ruin your enjoyment of both books.

Red Light sees Merci Rayborn investigate two murders that were committed 30 years apart. The victims were both prostitutes, but apart from that they don't really seem to be related. Her investigation severely tests her relationship with her boyfriend, Mike McNally, and brings to light a few dirty secrets that were buried by the sheriffs department three decades ago.

Merci is not a particularly likable character, but she does have qualities that are very admirable. Her fierce determination to see justice done, no matter who gets hurt, seems to override just about every one of her emotions. The only exceptions to this are her love for her son and father, and the dominance of Hess' memory in her mind.

While I found this to be an interesting story with a well-constructed mystery to be solved, it never really reached any exciting moments as The Blue Hour had. Too often we were forced to witness Merci's self-doubts and continual dwelling over the past. For me, these moments only served to interrupt the more interesting investigative processes without really adding much value to the story.

A sergeant in the Orange County Sheriff's Department, MerciRayborn is a dedicated law enforcement official. She is an honorableperson who believes her calling is to apprehend and bring criminals to justice. Although two long years have passed since a psychopath killed her partner and lover Tim Hess, Merci remains consumed with anger and guilt because he died protecting her... Jefferson Parker has written one of the better police procedurals of the first year in the new millennium. Fans of Ridley Pearson and Linda Fairstein will fully enjoy RED LIGHT because it is a novel that has as much heart as it does action. The heroine is a sympathetic character driven by emotional needs that the audience understands and empathizes with even though they will question some of her actions. The rich sub-plots add complexity to the fast-paced main story line. On a score from a high five to a low one, this book is a strong six.

Harriet Klausner

T. Jefferson Parker's `The Red Light' I found, was a return to classic mystery writing for this author. Unlike his previous two novels that were much darker and horrific in terms of the crimes, this had a lighter tone and actually really had me guessing all the way towards the end. I have read all of Mr. Parker's novels and he had a tendency to reveal the perpetrators about half way through, and it was up to the good guys to catch them. The Red Light revolves around two mysteries actually: the current murder of a 19 year old escort, and the mysterious death of a blackmailing prostitute some 20 years earlier who had connections in local politics and law enforcement. This one, however, had many twists, and though it was obvious from the beginning that the main suspect was setup, I couldn't figure out who was the real bad guy was or the angle. Interesting the development of theories based on evidence and forensics as they develop. Great job.

Also, unlike other of Mr. Parker's novels, this had a returning character in Merci Rayborn. It is now a few years after the events from `The Blue Hour' and Merci has tried to move on in her life. We pick up at this point and learn how much more of an isolationist she has become. If there is any dark tone in this book at all, it is Merci's outlook on life through her own eyes. She refers to events that happened in The Blue Hour, and you can see how her character has been altered from that time.

The story's settings themselves should be familiar to Parker's readers; actual locals in Orange County, CA. The murder takes place in Dana Point, the sheriff's are out of Laguna Beach, and the characters frequent Tustin, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano and others. There is also a history lesson in this book as Merci also tries to solve a crime from 20+ years earlier. How times have changed, not only in politics and attitude but landscapes as well. Little does Merci know at first that the two crimes are connected, and the players are much closer than she ever would have thought.

Though this story definitely revolves around Merci, she is somewhat balanced from her sometimes partner, Zamora. He is an older officer that has his own problems going on that he must deal with, but they end up helping each other in more than just solving crimes. They learn from each other's examples and Merci benefits from this much more.

The ending was good, very realistic in that even though it was a happy ending, the reader must ask "Was it a happy ending after all?" I truly enjoyed the guesswork here.

As a fan of T Jefferson Parker, I was a bit disappointed with this this-his follow up effort to "The Blue Hour". Continuing with the character of Merci Rayborn, Parker delves into her innermost demons and plays with this as she investigates the brutal murder of a prostitute wherein her own boyfriend cop emerges as the prime suspect. Also thrown into the mix is a thirty year old murder investigation that has implications for all the major players in Ms. Rayborn's life: her father and her co-workers. As a character study, Parker knows his stuff. He gets into Rayborn's psyche as only he can and exposes her fear and emotions of having lost a lover and of trying to regain a foothold in life. As the evidence mounts in both investigations, I was a bit disappointed in how one crucial piece of evidence was uncovered from a death scene so late in the novel-suffice to say that something was discovered that should've been discovered from the get go, had the investigation been done properly and efficiently. It does tend to bog down a bit toward the end as the loose threads are tied up with the older murder investigation: a bit too much sorting out of who's who and what relationship is this one to that one. All in all, a good solid read, but a notch below that of "The Blue Hour"

Red Light is more than a continuation of Blue Hour. I was initially surpised that Parker elected to bring back Merci Rayborn, one of his less sympathetic characters, in the follow up to Blue Hour. Having finished reading Red Light, however, I enjoyed being a part of her growth, and truly enjoyed the book.

As always, Parker gives us a story filled with twists and surprises in his skillful, multi-layered approach. Red Light is no exception. Not only was I in doubt about the killer's identity until the end, I was thoroughly entertained along the way. (A tip to those who have not read Blue Hour: Don't read Red Light first, as the killer's identity is disclosed from Blue Hour - and Blue Hour is so good, you don't want any excuse not to read it.)

It is a true tribute to Parker than his characters stand tall above those of other writers of the genre. Rather than the usual attractive and smooth-talking characters we experience in most novels, Parker's characters are clearly flawed, and drawn so deeply that they become very real people. With most books I read, reading is no more than escapist entertainment, forgotten soon after closing the book. With Parker's books, however, I can clearly remember the main characters from books I read long ago. How many books can one say that about?

Clearly opinons differ as to the quality of "Red Light." That's OK. One sign of a good novel, in fact, is that it actually reveals something important about life rather than merely entertaining. An author takes risks when his protagonist discovers life's dark sides, and the risks are compounded when the protagonist finds herself as noir as her world. A protagonist who, in the course of the novel, finds that s/he is not "just fine, thank you" will be bothersome to readers who are looking for role models. Merci Rayborn is not a role model. Merci Rayborn is not Norman Vincent Peale. Merci Rayborn is a detective with a good deal of personal and professional baggage, and she will not be dissuaded from her quest for truth and understanding no matter where the quest may lead. Good for her! If you are the sort of reader who wants to take the lead detective to the prom, however, find another book.

For some clue to Parker's approach to his anti-heroic anti-hero, one should re-read the clever first line in "Red Light's" prologue, "You might not have liked Aubrey Whittaker." This throwaway line, referring here to the victim, applies just as well to Merci Rayborn, our anti-heroine. I think Parker is saying as much.

As to the purported "boo-boo" concerning fingerprints, suffice to say that a closer reading would reveal that this is not an error at all. OF COURSE the fingerprints belonged to the perpetrator; it is their interpretation which is at issue. It appears that the dissatisfied reader has not followed Parker's argument closely enough to understand that there is absolutely no slip here.

So, I recommend "Red Light" highly for those who value authentic characters struggling to know themselves, even when the selves they find are not what they had hoped to find. For the Pollyannas in the group, try the Bobbsie Twins.

Two years have past since the death of Tim Hess, her partner and father of her child, and Merci Rayborn is about to be thrust into a whirlwind murder mystery that reaches as far back as the sixties.

Merci, doing the best she can to put the pieces of her life back together, is back living with her father, and in the start of a romantic relationship with Mike McNally, a fellow officer.

The death of a young prostitute puts Merci at the heart of a twisted conspiracy. When the murder of the prostitute has her boyfriend Mike as the main suspect, Merci must do the unthinkable...arrest her lover. Going through every piece of evidence, Merci is looking for clues to clear Mike's name, but as she is doing this an old case is thrown on her desk-the murder of another prostitute, Patti Bailey,an unsolved case from the sixites.

The deeper Merci goes, the two seperate cases become one, one with direct ties to the police force. As these two murder investigations explode, Merci will turn the police force upside down, and make a shocking discovery that hits close to home...

'Red Light' is an intricately plotted suspense novel that grabs hold of the reader early on. Although, NOT as good as the previous novel 'Blue Hour', 'Red Light' does maintain good pacing, excellent suspense, and enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing. It is good to see Merci Rayborn back, and fans will anxiously await her next appearance.

Another winner from bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker.

Nick Gonnella