High Profile

April 30, 2007
A storm of media attention rains down on the small town of Paradise, Mass., and local police chief Jesse Stone when a famous national talk show host is shot and left hanging from a tree. To add to his troubles, Stone’s ex-wife, Jennifer, is seeking his protection against a stalker/rapist. Overwhelmed, Stone asks current girlfriend, Boston PI Sunny Randall, to watch over Jennifer while he tries to solve the two murders. Over the years Parker has honed his writing into its own minimalist art form, conveying more meaning in one line than many authors do with pages of prose. Unfortunately, Sowers doesn’t handle that prose as well as one might hope. At times his character voices run together, making it difficult to distinguish which character is talking in a scene. And, even though he has a fine speaking voice, he misses the clipped, cynical delivery that gives the Parker books their cool, dry wit. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 4).

December 4, 2006
The murder of Walton Weeks, a Rush Limbaugh–like political commentator in sleepy Paradise, Mass., drives the action of bestseller Parker's competent whodunit, a sequel of sorts to Blue Screen
(2006), which first paired two of the authors' non-Parker series characters—Jess Stone, an ex-LAPD detective trying to resurrect his career as Paradise's police chief, and PI Sunny Randall—with predictable romantic results. After a stalker sexually assaults Stone's ex-wife, Jenn, Stone asks Randall to serve as Jenn's bodyguard. Stone finds himself under atypical media and political scrutiny, especially after Weeks's pregnant mistress is also found dead in Paradise. Both Stone and Randall are still weighed down with significant emotional baggage from their exes, and it's Parker's exploration of their ambivalent relationship that is this book's strength. The plot, however, is much less developed than Jane Haddam's Hardscrabble Road
(2006), which likewise featured the murder of a right-wing radio commentator.

February 1, 2007
More trouble comes to Paradise, MA, in Parker's ("Sea Change") latest Jesse Stone novel, another excellent if too-short entry in an outstanding series. When a prominent national talk-show host is found hanged, Jesse is forced to handle not only a murder case but also the accompanying media circus. On top of that, there's a band of ex-wives, a group of untrustworthy coworkers, and a young woman's family around to both help and hinder his investigation. There is nothing sensational in the action, but Parker's writing doesn't need that; Jesse is interesting enough without nonstop action. As in the previous Stone novels, Jesse spends plenty of time dealing with relationship issues, especially his ongoing efforts to work things out with his ex-wife. This can get tedious, but readers will sympathize with Jesse's everyman struggles. While this series is unlikely to match the popularity of Parker's Spenser series, it deserves its own praise. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/1/06.]Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., Alta., Canada

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2006
Walton Weeks is a one-man media empire. He hosts a popular national radio gabfest, writes a newspaper column, and churns out best-selling books. At least he did until someone shot him and left him hanging from a tree in Paradise, Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, the body of Weeks' pregnant lover is discovered in a nearby dumpster. Paradise police chief Jesse Stone fends off pressure from the governor and the state police in order to solve the high-profile case with the resources of his 12-person force. The potential suspects include two ex-wives, a widow, a bodyguard, and assorted staff members. Stone's problem is determining a motive. In a parallel plot, Stone attends to the needs of his ex-wife, Jenn, who alleges she was raped and claims she is being stalked by her attacker. Unable to cope with the murders and the rape, Stone calls on private investigator Sunny Randall--a sometime lover--to help with Jenn. Obsessive, sometimes unhealthy love is a recurring theme in Parker's work. In his Spenser novels, the protagonist and his lover have come through the tough times intact. Stone and Jenn have a strong but deleterious bond and are in the midst of a trying emotional journey to an unknown destination. This is Parker's most complex, ambitious novel in years. Spenser is always the toughest, coolest guy in the room. Jesse Stone sometimes seems like the toughest, coolest guy in the room, but he knows he's not. Great reading from an old hand who hasn't lost his touch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)