Stranger in Paradise

December 3, 2007
Jesse Stone trades quips with his deputies, Suitcase Simpson and Molly Crane; struggles with his relationship with his ex-wife, Jenn; and grapples with a criminal's return in bestseller Parker's sizzling seventh novel to feature the Paradise, Mass., police chief (after 2007's High Profile
). Ex-con Wilson “Crow” Cromartie, who claims to be Apache and who eluded the police after a shootout 10 years earlier in Trouble in Paradise
(1998), wants Stone not to interfere in his search for someone in Massachusetts. A Florida mob bigwig, Louis Francisco, has hired Crow to kill his ex-wife and kidnap his 14-year-old daughter, Amber, but Crow has a policy of not harming women. In the end, Stone does more than leave Crow alone; he decides to make sure Amber, who's involved with a Latino gang, gets a chance, however slim, to overcome the odds stacked against her. Stone and Crow make an appealing odd couple as they first warily size each other up then become grudging allies in the pursuit of justice.

March 31, 2008
Even if Parker's series about smalltown Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone doesn't rank as most fans' favorite dish in the bestselling author's deli, listeners should enjoy James Naughton's clean and crisp way of bringing fictional characters to life. His performance alone is worth the price of admission. He makes Stone's wisecracks understandable and pungent. By lowering his voice just a bit and giving it some rougher edges, Naughton plays ex-con/hit man Wilson “Crow” Cromartie. A mobster has hired Crow to kill his wife and kidnap his daughter, but Crow has other ideas and needs Stone to stay out of his way. Will Stone step aside or will he join up with his former foe to save the women? There's no prize for guessing correctly, but the exciting story provides a fun way to pass a few idle hours. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 3, 2007).

February 1, 2008
When Amber Francisco, the 14-year-old old daughter of a Florida racketeer, becomes involved with a Paradise Island gang banger, her father sends an enforcer to Massachusetts to bring her home. But after Wilson "Crow" Crowmartiea dangerous Apache Indian hit man in the mold of another Parker character, Spenser's cohort, Hawkis asked to kill the girl's mother, he turns to his old nemesis, police chief Jesse Stone ("Sea Change"), to intervene. At the same time, Jesse's ex-wife, Jenn, investigates the gang problem for her TV station and in doing so exposes herself to danger. As in his Spenser novels, Parker allows his characters to dish out justice in their own way while just staying within the law. Blending descriptive detail with sparse dialog, Parker has not lost his touch. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/1/07.]

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2007
Jesse Stone, one of Parkers three series heroes, is no Spenserian knight erranthes an unhappy, conflicted cop with a drinking problem and a problematic relationship with his ex-wife. Like Spenser, however, Stone is absolutely undeterrable in his investigations. He also speaks in Spensers clipped, cynical sentences, but what comes across as edgy in Spenser seems borrowed and faux hard-boiled in Stone. In the seventh entry in the series, Stone, the police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts, reencounters the criminal responsible for a crime spree in the city 10 years previously. Wilson Crow Cromartie, a professional hit man involved in a plot to take over the wealthy part of Paradise through an elaborate bridge-commandeering, kidnapping, and hostage-taking scheme that left two cops dead, shows up unannounced in Stones office. He wants Stone to stay out of his way while he finds a young woman, involved with a Latin gang, and returns her to her father. Stone, for his part, follows Cromartie through Paradise, looking for a way to dodge the statute of limitations and put his adversary away. The plot ricochets through a classic double standoff, held together by the fate of the young woman Cromartie seeks. Not Parkers best work, but all of his series have devoted fans, who will be eager, as always, to get their hands around anything new.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)