Red Light

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.

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?

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

T. Jefferson Parker writes multi-layered mysteries that read like the finest literature. The unfolding of the complex Merci Rayborn is as intriguing as the case at hand. Merci's clearly a real cop, with all the accompanying and conflicting emotions borne of years seeing what she's seen. Parker's such a master at every level -- plot, characterization, pacing, prose, dialogue that just roars of real life -- the others in the genre can only riff on his wake.

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