Stranger in Paradise (Jesse Stone Novels)
Police Chief Jesse Stone faces his most fearsome adversary in the latest addition to the celebrated series.
The last time Jesse Stone, chief of police of Paradise, Massachusetts, saw Wilson "Crow" Cromartie, the Apache Indian hit man was racing away in a speedboat after executing one of the most lucrative and deadly heists in the town's history. Crow was part of a team of ex-cons who plotted to capture Stiles Island, the wealthy enclave off the Paradise coast, by blowing up the connecting bridge. Residents were kidnapped, some were killed, and Crow managed to escape with a boatload of cash, never to be seen again. Until now.
So when Crow shows up in Jesse's office some ten years after the crime, it's not to turn himself in. Crow is on another job, and this time he's asking for Jesse's help-by asking him to stay out of his way.
Crow's mission is simple: find young Amber Francisco and bring her back to her father, Louis, in Florida. It should be an easy payday for a pro like Crow, but there are complications. Amber, now living in squalor with her mother, Fiona, is mixed up with members of a Latino gang. And when Louis orders Crow to kill Fiona before heading back with Amber, he can't follow through. Crow may be a bad guy, but he doesn't kill women. It's up to Jesse to provide protection.
Meanwhile, Jesse's on-again, off-again relationship with ex-wife Jenn picks up steam as Jenn investigates the gang problem for her TV station. As they dig deeper, the danger escalates. The life of a young girl hangs in the balance, and saving Amber could be the miracle Jesse and Jenn need for themselves, too.
Stranger in Paradise (Jesse Stone Novels) Accessories
 Now and Then (Spenser)
Resolution
Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport Mysteries)
High Profile (Jesse Stone)
The Appeal
The Boxer and the Spy
7th Heaven (The Women's Murder Club)
Nothing to Lose (Jack Reacher, No. 12)
Compulsion (Alex Delaware, No. 22)
Chasing Darkness: An Elvis Cole Novel
Stranger in Paradise (Jesse Stone Novels) Reviews
This book is full of joyless sex, unappealing people, and characters that are too, too reminiscent of those in Spenser books (Alice = April). Most disappointing of all, there's shoddy police work. Even more clearly, Crow is guilty of murder. A misogynistic mess. Clearly Alice is guilty of something. I am disappointed in the way Stone shirks his duty as he "handles" all this.
It is more of the "same". I would like to see more of Crow in future books. Enough drinking for Jesse. That being said. Thus 5 the stars. Enough of her already.
That is getting old. I love this Jesse Sone novel. I enjoy reading all of the Jesse Stone novels. If you like Jesse you will like this book. I love the character.
I am sick of Jenn. Get over her.
parker also seems to feel that illicit sex wherever you can find it is perfect behavior as long as it makes you feel good. this is definitely not one of parker's finest moments. growing up without being taught the enduring value of virtue robs people of any joy they might discover in their lives. a girl who sets up her mother to be shot in the head, could care less when she finds out that her father has been executed, and sets up a guy who really cares about her to also be taken out, is rewarded with a million dollar trust fund and loads of people who apparently really care about her so much that they never choose to address her depraved behavior. if the author has children, i feel sorry for them. i found the story itself to be relatively boring and predictable, with a very weak finish. a little more troubling is the author's confusing morality.
However, no one has aged. I think Parker took a wrong turn with Molly's character, also. The same relationship issues between Jesse and Jenn continue, no one seems to be older physically, and things pick up pretty much right were the last book left off. That said, the book is intertaining, full of humor, and written by one of the best authors in the business. This story takes place ten years after the last incident involving these same characters.
Give Jesse a chance. Not all the bad guys are completely bad and not all the good guys are completely good. Perhaps it because Tom Selleck has played Jesse Stone or maybe we all want to have a Jesse Stone in our lives but I love these books, the action is fast and the dialogue is funny.
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