Stone Cold (A Jesse Stone Novel)

Serial killer, rape victim and the loss of friends and some of the things that makes Jessie's life tough. Thru the twists and turns of the story, Jessie starts to unravel his personal life vs Cop. You get to see a part of him that you felt but couldn't read on the page lines but between them.

Another good read in the Jesse Stone series. Just as I was getting fed up with the drama between Jesse and ex-wife Jenn it appears that that part of the story line is about to change. In my view it is about time. Other than that small gripe Mr. Parker has spun an interesting and surprising plot for Jesse and his small town.

This was the most interesting of the Jesse Stone novels that I have read so far. I was a little disappointed in book 3, but now I'm very glad that I forged ahead. I loved the ending to this one and now I'm ready for the next one.

We continue to enjoy this rather light series of crime stories featuring Parker’s Jesse Stone character, Police Chief of Paradise Mass. In this quite typical entry, Jesse is heavily involved in a 4-person to-date sequence of serial killings over several months, apparently with random targets; including, near the end, the Chief himself! His determination and instincts serve him well as he closes in on the perps, who are identified to us early on. Jesse also deftly handles a three-boy rape of a high school girl, and applies a fair share of his own dispensation of justice in the process. Meanwhile, as with most of these tales, he continues to pine for ex-wife Jenn, which slows him down from any serious relationships with other women.

As said, another entertaining outing of a enjoyable character.

STONE COLD is another good Jesse Stone novel, and this one keeps Stone on his toes catching a pair of serial killers and a trio of high school rapists. He knows who all the bad actors are but has to use his wits and some clever negotiation with a defense attorney to bring them all to justice. There's a lot going on in this book. It looks like Jesse might have his drinking under control. I had high hopes that he would finally realize what a drag Jenn is on his life and move on from her, but it seems he's not quite ready. I like Parker's spare writing style and look forward to reading more in the Stone series.

Stone Cold (Jesse Stone)

HAVE ALL the books is this series -- kudos to Robert Parker on the development of this enigmatic character. A definite series to continue.

When his marriage to Jenn broke up, Jesse Stone left California and accepted a job as chief of police in Paradise, Massachusetts. Jenn followed soon after and although they see each other on occasion, they also date other people. Jesse tells every woman he's involved with that he's still in love with Jenn and until she tells him it's over, he won't commit to anyone else.
Usually Paradise is a quiet little town but now Jesse is working on two cases that are particularly ugly. Three young men rape a teenage girl in her school and they threaten to show pictures of her during the sexual assault if she reports it to the police. Jesse wants to find a way to charge the young men while keeping the girl's name out of it. The second case is even more horrifying. A husband and wife team picks out a victim at random, stalks him, and they both simultaneously kill him with identical weapons. Jesse, who knows he's their next target, sets up a trap using himself as bait but they evade it and ride off into the sunset.
Comparisons between Spenser and Jesse are inevitable. Spenser is self assured and confident of Susan's love while Jesse is vulnerable and has no idea if he and Jenn will ever get together. Spenser, as a PI, sometimes bends or breaks the rules while Jesse adheres to them. STONE CUTS' protagonist is more interesting because readers don't know what Robert B. Parker will do next with his character. Stark prose and plenty of action is what this novel is all about.
Harriet Klausner