Stranger In Paradise (Jesse Stone)
by Robert B. Parker
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Book Reviews of Stranger In Paradise (Jesse Stone)
Book Review: Disappointing Read:Waste of time and money.
Summary: 1 Stars
This was the worst Jesse Stone novel to date, though I thought the one before it, High Profile was bad. This one is worse. I agree with other reviews that this one is a big dissapointment, unusual novel for Jesse Stone, and way too far-fetched and out there. It is definitely an unbelieveable read.
Imagine the police chief that is holding onto his career for it is the only thing he has. He risks his career and his life not only to help out a hardened criminal that is running around Paradise and asks for his help, but also helping out a punked out, slut 14 year old girl that had her own mother killed. Then to top it off, he accepts a million dollars into his bank account for the girl to be taken care of. Think the bank manager in a small town like Paradise isn't going to spread the word: and assumptions about their police chief being dirty won't abound?
This is one horribly written book. I think the author must have run out of ideas, or he just had to write anything to fulfill his contract. I love the Jesse Stone novels. Sure, the character is flawed, but he's real. In this particular novel he is just a caricature of the character readers enjoy. I enjoyed. Not to mention that I've grown very tired of the on again/off again Jesse/Jenn in every book. Jesse and his ex-wife have nothing to do with one another in the beginning of each book, but by the end of each book, they're back together again like an old, happily married couple. What's the deal here. Talk about far-fetched. Get over the slut already, Mr. Parker and Jesse.
This book for me and its predecessor mean the end of reading any more Jesse Stone novels. Two bad books in a row don't have to fall on my head. Fortunately, I borrowed all these books from a local library. If I had to pay to read this one, I would have been very upset. Want to read a good book, stay away from this one. This one isn't it.
Book Review: Will hook you on series
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone familiar with crime stories is no doubt familiar with Robert B. Parker and his hugely successful books including the Spenser and Jesse Stone series. Stranger in Paradise is an entry from the Jesse Stone series that demonstrates why many consider Parker to be a master of the genre.
Jesse Stone, once a Los Angeles cop, drunk and now police chief in the quiet Massachusetts town of Paradise, is dismayed when Wilson Crowmartie, an Apache hit man, walks into his office. The last time "Crow" was in Paradise was ten years ago when he was part of a group that kidnapped and killed people at the nearby Stiles Island. Crow managed to escape with a hefty ten million dollar booty.
Stone is naturally concerned, but this time, Crow wants his help. He has been hired to find a fourteen-year-old girl, Amber and simply wants Stone to stay out of his way. But when Amber's father wants the girl's mother killed, Crow asks for Stone's help. It seems the heartless hit man "doesn't kill women." The two work together, never trusting each other, to save the girl, free her from the clutches of a ruthless gang member, while also dealing with the girl's mobster father and his thugs.
Parker's easy writing style, where most of the text is conversation, quickly draws the reader into a fast reading crime story. Jesse Stone, Crow and the other characters are well developed and I found myself caring what happened to each. While Crow's animal magnetism, drawing every female into his arms, was a bit of a stretch, the overall story of saving the teen was quick and enthralling. This book has hooked me on the series.
Quill says: Whether you're a die-hard Jesse Stone/Robert Parker fan, or a newbie to these books, Stranger in Paradise will draw you in.
Book Review: Not up to Parker's usual standard
Summary: 2 Stars
All of Parker's detective novels, regardless of which main character they involve, are exercises in a combination of machismo, smart talk and psychological mumbo-jumbo. Even so, nearly all are tightly plotted, have interesting characters, and tie up all loose ends well enough.
Stranger in Paradise does not meet even that standard. It's disjointed, more than usually shallow, and reads like a mediocre TV script. Other than making a few really superficial political statements, the plot elements seem to serve no purpose other than demonstrating what a really good guy Jesse Stone is and justifying the main characters' extramarital sex lives. I can easily picture Parker sitting down and dashing this story off in the space of a few days and never revisiting it.
The plot involves the rescue of a 14-year old girl from her father and other assorted individuals who wish to use her. It's accompanied by a secondary plot regarding the opening of a Hispanic school in a posh neighborhood, and the snooty neighbors who oppose it. The fact that the 14-year old girl apparently assists in arranging several murder attempts seems not to be a matter of concern, or even overt mention.
The dialogue in most of Parker's books is peppy and clever, even if his main characters do have what amounts to the same conversation over and over again. In this book the characters all talk like Harvard professors, even the Hispanic gang leader. It's jarring.
In summary, while this one was mildly entertaining, it's definitely not up to Parker's usual standard.
Book Review: Very disappointing!
Summary: 1 Stars
I've enjoyed what little I've read of Robert B. Parker's 'Spenser' novels, as well as one previous 'Jesse Stone' novel. When I came across this book recently, I thought I'd read it as a 'tribute' to Parker's life, and a chance to compare and contrast Jesse Stone in print with the TV version of the character, played by Tom Selleck.
Unfortunately, after reading this book, I can see why the TV production team opted to stop adapting Parker's work. 'Stranger in Paradise' was horrible, with next to no plot, cardboard characters, and excrucitingly bad dialogue, which manages to sound stilted even though it's present in absurdly short sentences! Parker tried to go with more of a character-driven approach, but his 'Native American hit man' didn't really carry the story; instead, he just reduced the supporting cast (particularly the women) to mindless extras, while engaging in that 'tough-guy banter' that other critics raved about!
I'm sorry that Mr. Parker passed away, but if this book was indicative of his other recent work, I won't bother tracking it down.
To me, the 'definitive' version of Jesse Stone is Selleck's TV portrayal.
Book Review: Trashy read
Summary: 2 Stars
This is my first Jesse Stone novel and my last. Parker obviously has Stone to be a foul mouth Spenser who is less interesting to boot. Parker's one line pithy conversations wear thin and the letters s-a-i-d must be worn off his keyboard since they appear in every sentence : "Jesse said", "Molly said", "Crow said". What we have here is a foul mouth 14 year old girl who loves sex and hates her parents. She calls her mother a slut and makes no protest when her gangbanger boyfriend is hired to kill her mother. We see Molly, Stone's deputy committing adultery with Crow - a certifiable bad guy - while professing love for her husband and four children. Somehow we are to believe that Stone will not give the foul mouth 14 year old back to her gangster father, when there is not reason for keeping her. We have her rejoicing when her father is found killed - probably by Crow who is proclaimed as "cool" by the now orphaned girl. Lastly, the contrived meeting of all the bad guys is a bit much. Parker is a pulp writer and not only has his Spenser ceased to be interesting, his Jesse Stone doesn't even arise to that level. Sheer trash.