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Jesse Stone #2
Trouble In Paradise
Jesse Stone returns in this New York Times bestselling novel of death and deception from Robert B. Parker.
Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees the Island as the ultimate investment all he needs to do is invade it, blow the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his scheme, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons—all experts in their fields—including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man, a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse.
As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise police chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault, he’s begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell, and he’s still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin’s attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it’s up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.
Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees the Island as the ultimate investment all he needs to do is invade it, blow the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his scheme, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons—all experts in their fields—including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man, a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse.
As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise police chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault, he’s begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell, and he’s still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin’s attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it’s up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 21, 1998
2089 people are currently reading
2348 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
487 books2,276 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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July 13, 2015
Parker vs. Parker?
Robert B. Parker cooked up an ex-convict named Jimmy Macklin who has an ambitious scheme to loot an entire island populated by some very wealthy people, and he recruits a crew to help him blow up a bridge, take out a private security force, empty a bank and then make a getaway by boat so it certainly seems like he might have taken a page out of Richard Stark’s novels about professional thief Parker.
However that’s where the similarities end. For one thing, instead of being a humorless professional who wants to do the job quickly and cleanly, Jimmy is a reckless daredevil who cares more about the thrill of the heist than profiting from it. Another difference is that the book isn’t about Jimmy, it’s about the police chief Jesse Stone.
In this second book of the series, Jesse has settled into his role as the head of the Paradise PD, but his personal life continues to be a controlled train wreck. The cheating ex-wife he tried to leave behind in LA has followed him across the country, and the two of them have cautiously started dating again even as both of them are doing more banging than a screen door with other people. Even as his own cops are mocking his man-ho tendencies, Jesse can’t stop himself from following his ex when she’s out on a date and fantasizing about murdering the man she’s with.
The book would have been a lot better if half of it wasn’t consumed with Jesse’s love life. In fact, so much of it is dedicated to that the whole robbery of an entire island comes across as almost an afterthought. RBP also wasn’t the kind of writer who could naturally make a pulp concept like a gang looting a town work as well as someone like Stark (a/k/a Donald Westlake) could.
The main problem with this whole thing is that Jesse appears to have been created with the idea of being a more flawed hero then Spenser with his drinking problem and being unable to let go of his ex-wife. (Which as I’ve pointed out in numerous reviews is a well that RBP went to way too often.) That could have been an idea that worked well, but RBP liked his heroes to seem heroic. So even as he saddles Jesse with a mountain of baggage and questionable decisions, he can’t help but write him as a guy to be admired.
We’re supposed to think that his messed up relationship with his ex is a sign of a man who believes in true love rather then seeming exactly like kind of ugly domestic situation that eventually ends in a murder/suicide. Jesse was more interesting to me as a guy who had at least tried to distance himself from a bad relationship, and he seems more like a drunken chump in this book.
Robert B. Parker cooked up an ex-convict named Jimmy Macklin who has an ambitious scheme to loot an entire island populated by some very wealthy people, and he recruits a crew to help him blow up a bridge, take out a private security force, empty a bank and then make a getaway by boat so it certainly seems like he might have taken a page out of Richard Stark’s novels about professional thief Parker.
However that’s where the similarities end. For one thing, instead of being a humorless professional who wants to do the job quickly and cleanly, Jimmy is a reckless daredevil who cares more about the thrill of the heist than profiting from it. Another difference is that the book isn’t about Jimmy, it’s about the police chief Jesse Stone.
In this second book of the series, Jesse has settled into his role as the head of the Paradise PD, but his personal life continues to be a controlled train wreck. The cheating ex-wife he tried to leave behind in LA has followed him across the country, and the two of them have cautiously started dating again even as both of them are doing more banging than a screen door with other people. Even as his own cops are mocking his man-ho tendencies, Jesse can’t stop himself from following his ex when she’s out on a date and fantasizing about murdering the man she’s with.
The book would have been a lot better if half of it wasn’t consumed with Jesse’s love life. In fact, so much of it is dedicated to that the whole robbery of an entire island comes across as almost an afterthought. RBP also wasn’t the kind of writer who could naturally make a pulp concept like a gang looting a town work as well as someone like Stark (a/k/a Donald Westlake) could.
The main problem with this whole thing is that Jesse appears to have been created with the idea of being a more flawed hero then Spenser with his drinking problem and being unable to let go of his ex-wife. (Which as I’ve pointed out in numerous reviews is a well that RBP went to way too often.) That could have been an idea that worked well, but RBP liked his heroes to seem heroic. So even as he saddles Jesse with a mountain of baggage and questionable decisions, he can’t help but write him as a guy to be admired.
We’re supposed to think that his messed up relationship with his ex is a sign of a man who believes in true love rather then seeming exactly like kind of ugly domestic situation that eventually ends in a murder/suicide. Jesse was more interesting to me as a guy who had at least tried to distance himself from a bad relationship, and he seems more like a drunken chump in this book.
September 26, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book, #2 in the Jesse Stone series by Parker. There are many very good things: The pacing is mostly good; It's nice to see some familiar villains and heroes from Spenser's world; I like the characters of Jenn, Molly, Abby, Faye and the other strong women in the book. Healy and Belson make appearances briefly in the first two books, at least.
Note: The word "maroon" appears 9 times in this book. (Yes, it's a Parker oddity I've latched onto)
The plot is a bit formulaic, but the crime is nicely planned, the criminals are familiar but solid in character. You can see types, such as Crow = Hawk, Jenn = Susan, etc
Jesse is Spenser, but more laid back, quieter, and not a thug. That works reasonably well, but honestly, it's not as much fun as Spenser. There is some humour in the last 1/3 of the book that works well, but it's not the rapier wit we know and love from Spenser.
One serious bone to pick with Parker: In too many of his Spenser books, and in this one, some of the villains get off at the end. I was never comfortable with that. It's like Darth Vader returning to become "the redeemed ghost" Anakin Skywalker after blowing up a whole planet of human beings. Not cool.
A few nice quotes...
Jesse thinks:
It was easier to think calmly about sex when it was abundant.
Parker and Joan, redux. This is one of the central mysteries of Parker/Spenser/Stone that I very much enjoy. A puzzle, a mystery, a reflection of Parker's real-life.
All of the Spenser novels (after mid-1980s) explore Parker's emotions towards Joan (semi-Susan) after their breakup, but none really get to the core of why Joan left him, then returned but "at a distance". However, I believe this book shows, through Jesse and Jenn, what happened to Parker's real-life marriage to Joan after she recovered from her cancer.
As we know, Parker worshipped Joan from the day they first met way back in the early 1950s. After Joan's recovery from breast cancer in the late 1970s, she wanted "more of life" and experiences, and cheated on Parker. This part is mostly known and discussed in interviews, and in the book she wrote Three Weeks in Spring.
Although they both loved each other intensely, I think that Parker's worship of Joan "smothered" her, and she found living with him to be too much for "the new Joan". (Joan was so alive, so much fun, and so formidable. If you want to know more about where Spenser and Stone come from, I recommend the obituary below)
In this book, we see Jesse (Parker) struggle with his deep love for Jenn (Joan), and her need to have some space of her own. Jesse physically struggles to give her the space she needs, and does well, but it's surely painful for him. This book is the clearest work by Parker explaining what happened to them, and how they resolved their issues, and found a way to continue loving, to live in the same building, but separate apartments, etc. Fascinating.
If this interests you, please see
My review of Spenser #15 Crimson Joy
Joan H. Parker obituary 2013
Mrs. Parker, who died of lung cancer Wednesday in Massachusetts General Hospital, was 80 and lived in a large Cambridge house she had shared with her husband in an unusual, and unusually public, arrangement after a two-year separation three decades ago.
Until his death, in 2010, they lived in separate private areas, went on dates with each other every week, and pursued individual endeavors, all the better to keep his celebrity as one of the world’s best-known writers from consuming them both. They did not hide the arrangement in interviews, and throughout a romantic relationship that began when they attended Colby College, in Maine, the Parkers bantered as deftly as their fictional counterparts and were often as buoyantly profane.
11.0% "... I sure do like Spenser better than Stone. I think the wise-cracks are a story-plus with Spenser."
September 20, 2017 –
12.0% "... I really dislike the alternating points of view by chapter. It sucks all the tension from the story."
September 22, 2017 –
42.0% ".... the word “maroon” appears 9 times in this book"
September 22, 2017 –
59.0% "... short but primal man-quote:
It was easier to think calmly about sex when it was abundant."
September 22, 2017 –
70.0% "... this is what's known as a "pot boiler". Maybe 4-5 plots running at once."
September 22, 2017 –
96.0% "... the Faye thing totally sucks."
September 22, 2017 –
99.0% "... this book explains more about the strange marriage of Parker and his wife, Joan, than all the 38 Spenser books that I've read. More explanation in my review."
.
Note: The word "maroon" appears 9 times in this book. (Yes, it's a Parker oddity I've latched onto)
The plot is a bit formulaic, but the crime is nicely planned, the criminals are familiar but solid in character. You can see types, such as Crow = Hawk, Jenn = Susan, etc
Jesse is Spenser, but more laid back, quieter, and not a thug. That works reasonably well, but honestly, it's not as much fun as Spenser. There is some humour in the last 1/3 of the book that works well, but it's not the rapier wit we know and love from Spenser.
One serious bone to pick with Parker: In too many of his Spenser books, and in this one, some of the villains get off at the end. I was never comfortable with that. It's like Darth Vader returning to become "the redeemed ghost" Anakin Skywalker after blowing up a whole planet of human beings. Not cool.
A few nice quotes...
Jesse thinks:
It was easier to think calmly about sex when it was abundant.
Parker and Joan, redux. This is one of the central mysteries of Parker/Spenser/Stone that I very much enjoy. A puzzle, a mystery, a reflection of Parker's real-life.
All of the Spenser novels (after mid-1980s) explore Parker's emotions towards Joan (semi-Susan) after their breakup, but none really get to the core of why Joan left him, then returned but "at a distance". However, I believe this book shows, through Jesse and Jenn, what happened to Parker's real-life marriage to Joan after she recovered from her cancer.
As we know, Parker worshipped Joan from the day they first met way back in the early 1950s. After Joan's recovery from breast cancer in the late 1970s, she wanted "more of life" and experiences, and cheated on Parker. This part is mostly known and discussed in interviews, and in the book she wrote Three Weeks in Spring.
Although they both loved each other intensely, I think that Parker's worship of Joan "smothered" her, and she found living with him to be too much for "the new Joan". (Joan was so alive, so much fun, and so formidable. If you want to know more about where Spenser and Stone come from, I recommend the obituary below)
In this book, we see Jesse (Parker) struggle with his deep love for Jenn (Joan), and her need to have some space of her own. Jesse physically struggles to give her the space she needs, and does well, but it's surely painful for him. This book is the clearest work by Parker explaining what happened to them, and how they resolved their issues, and found a way to continue loving, to live in the same building, but separate apartments, etc. Fascinating.
If this interests you, please see
My review of Spenser #15 Crimson Joy
Joan H. Parker obituary 2013
Mrs. Parker, who died of lung cancer Wednesday in Massachusetts General Hospital, was 80 and lived in a large Cambridge house she had shared with her husband in an unusual, and unusually public, arrangement after a two-year separation three decades ago.
Until his death, in 2010, they lived in separate private areas, went on dates with each other every week, and pursued individual endeavors, all the better to keep his celebrity as one of the world’s best-known writers from consuming them both. They did not hide the arrangement in interviews, and throughout a romantic relationship that began when they attended Colby College, in Maine, the Parkers bantered as deftly as their fictional counterparts and were often as buoyantly profane.
11.0% "... I sure do like Spenser better than Stone. I think the wise-cracks are a story-plus with Spenser."
September 20, 2017 –
12.0% "... I really dislike the alternating points of view by chapter. It sucks all the tension from the story."
September 22, 2017 –
42.0% ".... the word “maroon” appears 9 times in this book"
September 22, 2017 –
59.0% "... short but primal man-quote:
It was easier to think calmly about sex when it was abundant."
September 22, 2017 –
70.0% "... this is what's known as a "pot boiler". Maybe 4-5 plots running at once."
September 22, 2017 –
96.0% "... the Faye thing totally sucks."
September 22, 2017 –
99.0% "... this book explains more about the strange marriage of Parker and his wife, Joan, than all the 38 Spenser books that I've read. More explanation in my review."
.
May 3, 2020
This second entry in the Jesse Stone series breathes new life into an old hard-boiled plot, namely, the scheme by a group of bad guys to hijack an entire island and rob its wealthy inhabitants (see Dashiell Hammett’s “The Gutting of Cuffignal”) Parker keeps us entertained with the character of the no nonsense sheriff Stone—much different than his brash detective Spenser—and the contrasting portraits of two interesting bad guys.
The two criminals are James Macklin, the mastermind of the operation, who is an extraordinarily gifted narcissist who craves the thrill of crime, and Wilson Cromartie (an Apache known as “Crow”), a stone cold psychopath who keeps his own counsel. The reader senses these two are destined to collide, and their relationship provides an interesting tension throughout the novel.
My major quarrel with this book—and it is a relatively minor quarrel—is that, for a quiet unassuming fellow, Jesse’s love life is just a little too active. His ex-wife is back in the picture, his recent girlfriend desires something permanent, and Jesse has also begins a “friends with benefits” relationship with hard-driving real estate agent on Stiles Island. This is a thriller, after all, and all this sexual tension makes Trouble in Paradise a little too much like a soap opera for my taste.
Still, I liked the book a lot. I might even read it again, but before I do I look forward to many other Jesse Stone adventures still ahead.
October 15, 2024
4 Stars. These Jesse Stone novels are little gems. They're not just great reads, with a fascinating lead, Police Chief Stone, and complex criminal challenges to resolve, but the books themselves are actually little! 17 cm x 11 cm and 304 pages. All around enjoyable. If you recall Jesse came to Paradise, just up the coast from Boston, to get out of L.A. - drinking on the job as a police detective was his problem, as well as his marriage to a lovely wannabe actress, Jennifer, was floundering due to her casting-couch antics. It's a year later. Jenn, who followed him east in 'Night Passage,' is doing the weather for a Boston TV station, but the divorced pair are still sorting out their relationship. At the same time Jesse has met an interesting realtor, Marcy Campbell, who specializes in Stiles Island and its exclusive properties just offshore from Paradise. Who was her most recent prospect? A man named Harry Smith who is really Jimmie Macklin, a vicious ex-con. His plan is to rob the entire island by blowing up the connecting bridge, cutting the phone and power lines, and raiding every one of the safety deposit boxes in the Stiles bank. Audacious! I'm stuck on Stone. (Mar2022/Oc2024)
August 31, 2021
Meet Jesse Stone, alcoholic ex-LA cop now serving as the Chief of Police for a small New England town, whose ex-wife follows him from California then accuses him of stalking her, which he does. For this second installment in the series, the "plot" (really just a collection of cliches) regarding a gang of thieves who plan a "super-heist" of an entire wealthy island neighborhood is even more ludicrous than the first book, so go ahead and adjust your Suspension of Disbelief to the "Preposterous" setting if you choose to proceed. Parker's matter-of-fact prose is easy to read and he keeps the story moving briskly, albeit with some minor delays to allow Stone to bed every available female within driving distance.
December 11, 2022
It felt as if I hadn't read a fiction book lately, and I thought I'd like to read one for a change of pace. Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series title was the right ticket. I immensely enjoyed it. Fast-paced, cryptic dialogue, and vivid descriptions stood out for me. Plus, there's romance, always a plus for crime novels. Enjoyable read.
September 25, 2019
A good old fashioned heist story is always my favorite type of story. The plan was smart (destroy a bridge and ports to hold off the cops) and as with many Parker novels the characters are rich and colorful.
My only problem, which was my problem with the last novel as well was Stone's obsession with his ex wife. A woman that treats him like dirt yet falls at her feet at the slightest call. Pretty pathetic.
My only problem, which was my problem with the last novel as well was Stone's obsession with his ex wife. A woman that treats him like dirt yet falls at her feet at the slightest call. Pretty pathetic.
February 10, 2016
This is the second installment to the Jesse Stone series and also part of my series-a-thon for this year. So I want to stay on top of the series and read them when I can. I did enjoy this one more than the first one, but still not quite up to the 4 star rating.
Synopsis
I will give the synopsis on this book since the cases do not carry over from one book to the next.
Robert Parker's Trouble in Paradise imagines an old-fashioned tough guys' world where most of the women are summed up by their figures and the men are measured by their ability to intimidate. Chief Jesse Stone of Paradise, Massachusetts, is Parker's hero again in this sequel to Night Passage. When he's not thinking about what his girlfriends look like under their clothes, Stone's touring his beat, hanging out at the Gray Gull Hotel bar to get intelligence on local thugs, or interrogating teens about their destructive pranks. But he has a vulnerable side, too, and Parker adds new layers of depth and complexity to his latest series character. Jesse's still reeling from his divorce. He and his ex-wife, Jenn, are not entirely ready to let go. In fact, Jenn has followed Jesse east from L.A. and is suffering in the Boston climate as one of the anchors on the local news. Romance with Jenn is further complicated by Jesse's ongoing attraction to attorney Abby Taylor and his emerging relationship with realtor Marcy Campbell.
Jesse's domestic troubles are gradually overshadowed, however, when ex-con Jimmy Macklin arrives in town. Macklin plans to pull "the mother of all stickups" on the ritzy Stiles Island in Paradise Harbor. He has figured out that the Stiles Island bridge, with its underpinning of utility cables and pipes, is a veritable lifeline to the mainland, and he's gathered a rogues' gallery of professional crooks and killers to help him take the bridge and make the island into a thieves' paradise. The one problem: Macklin never figured that Paradise, Massachusetts, would have a police chief as tough and resourceful as Jesse Stone.
The plot was ok with this book, it just did not blow me away is all. One of the things I do really like about the Author's writing style is his use of dialogue in his books. There is rarely a page with no dialogue and it keeps the pace of the book very upbeat and I love that because it keeps the pages turning. I felt like the plot was missing some depth though. It lacked some of the excitement that I love to read in a good mystery. So I am hoping that will improve some more the further I go in the series.
The characters I really enjoy and the authors really gives his readers a good feel for them. Jesse seems to be a very confused guy in the love department and feels out of sorts with being divorced from his wife. She does not make it easy for him to let go of the relationship, so I really don't care for that. It kind of has the Will Trent feeling without the psychotics. Jesse certainly can make the ladies swoon over him while he tries to perform his duties as Police Chief. I have to say that so far this series has been pretty character driven, now if the author can get the plots going I feel like it will be an amazing series.
Synopsis
I will give the synopsis on this book since the cases do not carry over from one book to the next.
Robert Parker's Trouble in Paradise imagines an old-fashioned tough guys' world where most of the women are summed up by their figures and the men are measured by their ability to intimidate. Chief Jesse Stone of Paradise, Massachusetts, is Parker's hero again in this sequel to Night Passage. When he's not thinking about what his girlfriends look like under their clothes, Stone's touring his beat, hanging out at the Gray Gull Hotel bar to get intelligence on local thugs, or interrogating teens about their destructive pranks. But he has a vulnerable side, too, and Parker adds new layers of depth and complexity to his latest series character. Jesse's still reeling from his divorce. He and his ex-wife, Jenn, are not entirely ready to let go. In fact, Jenn has followed Jesse east from L.A. and is suffering in the Boston climate as one of the anchors on the local news. Romance with Jenn is further complicated by Jesse's ongoing attraction to attorney Abby Taylor and his emerging relationship with realtor Marcy Campbell.
Jesse's domestic troubles are gradually overshadowed, however, when ex-con Jimmy Macklin arrives in town. Macklin plans to pull "the mother of all stickups" on the ritzy Stiles Island in Paradise Harbor. He has figured out that the Stiles Island bridge, with its underpinning of utility cables and pipes, is a veritable lifeline to the mainland, and he's gathered a rogues' gallery of professional crooks and killers to help him take the bridge and make the island into a thieves' paradise. The one problem: Macklin never figured that Paradise, Massachusetts, would have a police chief as tough and resourceful as Jesse Stone.
The plot was ok with this book, it just did not blow me away is all. One of the things I do really like about the Author's writing style is his use of dialogue in his books. There is rarely a page with no dialogue and it keeps the pace of the book very upbeat and I love that because it keeps the pages turning. I felt like the plot was missing some depth though. It lacked some of the excitement that I love to read in a good mystery. So I am hoping that will improve some more the further I go in the series.
The characters I really enjoy and the authors really gives his readers a good feel for them. Jesse seems to be a very confused guy in the love department and feels out of sorts with being divorced from his wife. She does not make it easy for him to let go of the relationship, so I really don't care for that. It kind of has the Will Trent feeling without the psychotics. Jesse certainly can make the ladies swoon over him while he tries to perform his duties as Police Chief. I have to say that so far this series has been pretty character driven, now if the author can get the plots going I feel like it will be an amazing series.
September 23, 2020
Paradise Found
A good heist caper filled with personalities, mostly new, with traces from Spenser’s network. Emotional complexity and predictable plot. MoreStobe is good Stone.
A good heist caper filled with personalities, mostly new, with traces from Spenser’s network. Emotional complexity and predictable plot. MoreStobe is good Stone.
November 2, 2017
A group of hardened criminals appear in Paradise about to reign havoc upon the town and island. It is a fast-paced read, and of course, Jesse is still struggling with his feelings towards his ex-wife complicating it with casual relationships and Scotch. This particular book highlights Molly more than in the past. It was an excellent read. Character sketches are wonderful, and Robert B. Parker is certainly fluent and knows perfectly how to deliver.
May 20, 2017
Good book and a good series, but not on the same level as Spenser to my eyes. Chief Stone is an upright guy, but not on the level on Spenser. Good plot in this one though about robbing a while island.
May 30, 2021
I think Parker used to come across cool words then build sentences, paragraphs, and even scenes around those words.
July 11, 2023
Jesse Stone ist nun seit einiger Zeit Polizeichef von Paradise, als einige Gangster einen Coup planen: Sie wollen die Gated Community auf Stiles Island von der Kommunikation abschneiden und die Bank und die Luxusvillen ausrauben.
Krimis, die teilweise aus Sicht der Gangster geschrieben werden, haben ihren eigenen Reiz. Leider hat mich dieser Roman aus der Jesse Stone-Reihe in der Hinsicht wenig überzeugt. Der Coup wirkt nur auf den ersten Blick raffiniert, das Charisma des Antagonisten zu aufgesetzt und der Plot entwickelt sich teilweise auch zu vorhersehbar. Nebenbei nervt das ausführlich ausgebreitete Liebesleben und die Beziehungsprobleme des Jesse Stone. Insgesamt für mich eher weichgekocht als hardboiled.
Krimis, die teilweise aus Sicht der Gangster geschrieben werden, haben ihren eigenen Reiz. Leider hat mich dieser Roman aus der Jesse Stone-Reihe in der Hinsicht wenig überzeugt. Der Coup wirkt nur auf den ersten Blick raffiniert, das Charisma des Antagonisten zu aufgesetzt und der Plot entwickelt sich teilweise auch zu vorhersehbar. Nebenbei nervt das ausführlich ausgebreitete Liebesleben und die Beziehungsprobleme des Jesse Stone. Insgesamt für mich eher weichgekocht als hardboiled.
July 26, 2018
Every punch is telegraphed, every single one.
July 10, 2017
Another good novel in the Jesse Stone series.
Jesse Stone is still the chief of police of Paradise, Massachusetts. There is a few minor crimes, but nothing too major, until Jimmy Macklin shows up. Jimmy is an ex-con who is all about the heist. He wants to take over the Stiles Island in Paradise Harbor, rob the people on the island and make a clean escape.
I don't find the series too spectacular, but it's a fun read. I enjoy the character of Jesse Stone, minus all of the women/love scenes. There are 3 women in this novel, Jesse's ex wife, Jenn, attorney Abby and newcomer realtor Marcy. I really don't care about the different women and the novel could of done without them.
The mystery isn't too complicated because you know who the bad guy is and what he wants to do. The interesting part of the novel is how Jesse is going to stop him.
Jesse Stone is still the chief of police of Paradise, Massachusetts. There is a few minor crimes, but nothing too major, until Jimmy Macklin shows up. Jimmy is an ex-con who is all about the heist. He wants to take over the Stiles Island in Paradise Harbor, rob the people on the island and make a clean escape.
I don't find the series too spectacular, but it's a fun read. I enjoy the character of Jesse Stone, minus all of the women/love scenes. There are 3 women in this novel, Jesse's ex wife, Jenn, attorney Abby and newcomer realtor Marcy. I really don't care about the different women and the novel could of done without them.
The mystery isn't too complicated because you know who the bad guy is and what he wants to do. The interesting part of the novel is how Jesse is going to stop him.
September 5, 2013
Ok loved this book as well. I love strong characters that have a few flaws. The drinking I can take but the Jenn thing is getting to me. Macklin was nasty but I somehow did not mind Crow the Indian. I like Molly the dispatcher and Suitcase, Jesse's side kick. He sleeps with all these women but thank God the book is not full of gratuitous sex. And again with the Jenn business. I am no sure I can take her for much longer. But since I love Jesse and all the rest of the cast I shall persevere with her, blah and yukk.
April 4, 2025
Decent story and good character development but trashy story line. I reserve 1-star ratings for unreadable books, books not finished. Completed this one so that accounts for 1 star out of the 2. Not recommended.
November 16, 2024
After having enjoyed the first entry in this series, I've continued with Trouble In Paradise and found myself liking it almost as much as the first book. However, let me just address the elephant in the room, so to speak. I've read other reviews that point out a parallel between Parker's real life marital problems being the source of the fictional relationship between Jesse Stone and his ex-wife, Jenn. Some have even gone so far as to implicate the infamously annoying character, Sarah Silverman (from the Spencer series), as yet another example of Parker's indefatigable love / devotion to his wife, during and after their difficulties. Whether or not this is true, I'm beginning to understand why folks have complained.
I find Jesse Stone to be an eminently likable character, full of flaws and strengths, and about as honest as they come. He's not a super hero type but clearly possesses a quiet strength that plays well as counterpoint to his rather obvious weaknesses: scotch and women. The latter, in particular, in the form of his ex-wife, Jenn, whom he divorced after she cheated on him. Yet, despite his relocation from L.A. to the East Coast and having his choice of attractive and interesting women, he continues to be vulnerable to Jenn and plagued by a simmering love for her. It is this paradox that leads to my only real complaint thus far with the series. Jenn relocates to be near Jesse, but proves over and over to be a pretty selfish woman, assuring Jesse that she loves him, yet insisting on exploring her therapy fueled "self- actualized" persona by sleeping with other men and stringing Jesse's emotions along. Meanwhile, he waits for her patiently, refusing to let himself become emotionally involved elsewhere, despite all of us knowing that moving on was, and is, his best course.
In sum, this repetitive theme has all the ear-markings of a distraction from the otherwise excellent story telling inherent in these, and most all of, novels by Robert Parker. I really hope that as I continue with the series, a "Susan Silverman Syndrome" does not take hold and ruin things for me.
As for the plot and pacing and sense of place, this book, as with the first, was fine. The main characters are memorable and possessing of sufficient depth as to help carry the story forward, playing counterpoint to Jesse when needed. His affections for several different women (not his ex) make for an interesting sidebar and have been interlaced into the main plot of this novel quite well. The bad guys are very bad, and one in particular is worse than the rest and the most interesting. Perhaps we shall encounter him again in some later entry. I would welcome that.
So, two books in, and I am still enjoying myself. I hope this continues, with the aforementioned caveats in mind. Let's hope number three is as good as the first two.
I find Jesse Stone to be an eminently likable character, full of flaws and strengths, and about as honest as they come. He's not a super hero type but clearly possesses a quiet strength that plays well as counterpoint to his rather obvious weaknesses: scotch and women. The latter, in particular, in the form of his ex-wife, Jenn, whom he divorced after she cheated on him. Yet, despite his relocation from L.A. to the East Coast and having his choice of attractive and interesting women, he continues to be vulnerable to Jenn and plagued by a simmering love for her. It is this paradox that leads to my only real complaint thus far with the series. Jenn relocates to be near Jesse, but proves over and over to be a pretty selfish woman, assuring Jesse that she loves him, yet insisting on exploring her therapy fueled "self- actualized" persona by sleeping with other men and stringing Jesse's emotions along. Meanwhile, he waits for her patiently, refusing to let himself become emotionally involved elsewhere, despite all of us knowing that moving on was, and is, his best course.
In sum, this repetitive theme has all the ear-markings of a distraction from the otherwise excellent story telling inherent in these, and most all of, novels by Robert Parker. I really hope that as I continue with the series, a "Susan Silverman Syndrome" does not take hold and ruin things for me.
As for the plot and pacing and sense of place, this book, as with the first, was fine. The main characters are memorable and possessing of sufficient depth as to help carry the story forward, playing counterpoint to Jesse when needed. His affections for several different women (not his ex) make for an interesting sidebar and have been interlaced into the main plot of this novel quite well. The bad guys are very bad, and one in particular is worse than the rest and the most interesting. Perhaps we shall encounter him again in some later entry. I would welcome that.
So, two books in, and I am still enjoying myself. I hope this continues, with the aforementioned caveats in mind. Let's hope number three is as good as the first two.
June 2, 2019
I enjoy RBP's writing style and the Jesse Stone books. There is nothing unpredictable or overly thrilling about them, but it's still solid reading. There's also no way any lady reader will EVER like these books. Waaaaay too much slutting around by weak kneed, horny women. Just read this one, you'll understand.
Quote from the book:
"...and if I see you out here, I’ll go shoot that broad you been f*cking."
"Which one?" Jesse said and winced silently as he heard the way it sounded.
Quote from the book:
"...and if I see you out here, I’ll go shoot that broad you been f*cking."
"Which one?" Jesse said and winced silently as he heard the way it sounded.
December 4, 2008
Perhaps Robert B. Parker has written better books than Trouble in Paradise. I was disappointed enough with this --my first, I will never pick up another by him. The writing was bad, and the character development was weak - though I admit there was a little bit. The plot could have been great if it wasn't hidden behind all of the characters trying to decide who they want to have sex with.
The blurb on the back of the book should have tipped me off: "This book is so good, there's not enough R's in terrific." - Kansas City Star. Not only is it corny; it's grammatically incorrect.
Okay, so I'll tell you why this book was so bad and if you feel inclined to read it, I'd like to hear your opinion.
Jesse Stone (evidently from previous Parker novels) is the police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts. He's having a relationship with his ex-wife Jenn, Marcy the realtor, and Abby the attorney. Marcy becomes the token tough-cookie, strong-female-survivor type and it's pretty blatant to me. "Here ya go, ladies. Now you won't have to think she's such a tramp."
But I can't like the women because they have about as much depth as a tablecloth.
Parker introduces an American Indian bad guy called Crow who claims to be an Apache (his real name is Wilson Cromartie). He's probably the most interesting character in the book, though that isn't really saying much.
A couple of the character's names didn't work for me: Besides Crow, there is a young cop named Suitcase Simpson (no, he's white), and an Arizona police lieutenant named Travis Randall.
Poor Jesse, who is probably an exceptional police officer and is supposed to be a man of few words, often comes across as a real dork. He's a sometimes-recovering alcoholic, returns once in awhile to his lost chance at being the world's greatest shortstop, and spies on his ex-wife who is sleeping with another guy - and then tells her all about it. Their conversations make no sense to me. I think they both should be in therapy.
"It was the wrong thing to do," Jesse said. "Of course it was, but it hasn't changed anything. I'm not going to give up on this because you once acted like a jerk." Jesse nodded. "You don't act like a jerk too often anymore," Jenn said. Jesse grinned at her without any happiness in the grin. "I'm not sure I like the 'anymore' part," he said.
"How about, you never act like a jerk when you are working," Jenn said. Jesse nodded. "It's why I work," he said.
Maybe it's not Jesse's fault though. Maybe it's Parker's fault. The writing, as I mentioned before, isn't great:
She slid as close to the edge of the window as she could and peered around it. There was a laundry room. The laundry room door was closed. No one was in the laundry room. Molly stood and boosted the window wide open and climbed through. She stood in the laundry room and listened. The house was quiet. But then she heard footsteps on the floor above. She stood motionless. The footsteps moved away. She strained to hear them and realized as she listened that she had been right. It sounded like someone walking from one room to another, looking out the windows.
I won't bother to point out all of the problems with that paragraph. I will point out that Penguin Putnam Inc. might want to wake up that fiction editor.
Writing this review is nearly as tiresome as reading the book. I don't have anything good to say about Parker's book. I finished it by hoping that the end would somehow redeem the bad writing with a brilliant plot twist.
Yeh, right.
The blurb on the back of the book should have tipped me off: "This book is so good, there's not enough R's in terrific." - Kansas City Star. Not only is it corny; it's grammatically incorrect.
Okay, so I'll tell you why this book was so bad and if you feel inclined to read it, I'd like to hear your opinion.
Jesse Stone (evidently from previous Parker novels) is the police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts. He's having a relationship with his ex-wife Jenn, Marcy the realtor, and Abby the attorney. Marcy becomes the token tough-cookie, strong-female-survivor type and it's pretty blatant to me. "Here ya go, ladies. Now you won't have to think she's such a tramp."
But I can't like the women because they have about as much depth as a tablecloth.
Parker introduces an American Indian bad guy called Crow who claims to be an Apache (his real name is Wilson Cromartie). He's probably the most interesting character in the book, though that isn't really saying much.
A couple of the character's names didn't work for me: Besides Crow, there is a young cop named Suitcase Simpson (no, he's white), and an Arizona police lieutenant named Travis Randall.
Poor Jesse, who is probably an exceptional police officer and is supposed to be a man of few words, often comes across as a real dork. He's a sometimes-recovering alcoholic, returns once in awhile to his lost chance at being the world's greatest shortstop, and spies on his ex-wife who is sleeping with another guy - and then tells her all about it. Their conversations make no sense to me. I think they both should be in therapy.
"It was the wrong thing to do," Jesse said. "Of course it was, but it hasn't changed anything. I'm not going to give up on this because you once acted like a jerk." Jesse nodded. "You don't act like a jerk too often anymore," Jenn said. Jesse grinned at her without any happiness in the grin. "I'm not sure I like the 'anymore' part," he said.
"How about, you never act like a jerk when you are working," Jenn said. Jesse nodded. "It's why I work," he said.
Maybe it's not Jesse's fault though. Maybe it's Parker's fault. The writing, as I mentioned before, isn't great:
She slid as close to the edge of the window as she could and peered around it. There was a laundry room. The laundry room door was closed. No one was in the laundry room. Molly stood and boosted the window wide open and climbed through. She stood in the laundry room and listened. The house was quiet. But then she heard footsteps on the floor above. She stood motionless. The footsteps moved away. She strained to hear them and realized as she listened that she had been right. It sounded like someone walking from one room to another, looking out the windows.
I won't bother to point out all of the problems with that paragraph. I will point out that Penguin Putnam Inc. might want to wake up that fiction editor.
Writing this review is nearly as tiresome as reading the book. I don't have anything good to say about Parker's book. I finished it by hoping that the end would somehow redeem the bad writing with a brilliant plot twist.
Yeh, right.
June 26, 2016
Jesse never seems to amaze me. A cop brews through his veins instead of blood. He's sensitive, tough, knowledgeable, quiet and direct. The story starts concerning an arson to the home of two gay men. Three teenagers was guilty but their parents were in denial & wanted to cause legal issues for Jesse.
Harry & Rocky Smith (whose names are James Macklin & Faye) are "determined" to purchase a home on Paradise Island. They're actually planning a heist to rob the entire island. Sounds drastic but they attempt to do it but they underestimated Jesse Stone & his sleuthing skills.
Macklin gathers his crew together; enforcer (Crow), sailor (Costas), & demolition expert (JD) whom Crow kills Costas & JD before they leave the island.
For this to be such a small town, it's full of criminal mischief but under the watchful eye of Jesse, the town has nothing to be worried about.
Harry & Rocky Smith (whose names are James Macklin & Faye) are "determined" to purchase a home on Paradise Island. They're actually planning a heist to rob the entire island. Sounds drastic but they attempt to do it but they underestimated Jesse Stone & his sleuthing skills.
Macklin gathers his crew together; enforcer (Crow), sailor (Costas), & demolition expert (JD) whom Crow kills Costas & JD before they leave the island.
For this to be such a small town, it's full of criminal mischief but under the watchful eye of Jesse, the town has nothing to be worried about.
March 10, 2021
Then she followed me...
JesseStone2
This series is...interesting. Jesse Stone moved across the country from Los Angeles to Paradise, Massachusetts to be the town’s Chief of Police. He was hired because he had a drinking problem; no one expected work would reinvigorate him and that he was a damned good cop. He still drinks, but it’s not all the time anymore.
So Jesse was finding his balance in Paradise and doing it so well that his b*itch-in-a-manger ex wife had to move out to the East Coast to be nearby. She is like a cat toying with a mouse, that it doesn’t want to eat and doesn’t want to let go of. Jesse is more interesting without her, and now she is more than baggage; she is firmly in the picture.
This isn’t a mystery series nor is it any kind of procedural. But it is fine writing and I already have book three lined up.
JesseStone2
This series is...interesting. Jesse Stone moved across the country from Los Angeles to Paradise, Massachusetts to be the town’s Chief of Police. He was hired because he had a drinking problem; no one expected work would reinvigorate him and that he was a damned good cop. He still drinks, but it’s not all the time anymore.
So Jesse was finding his balance in Paradise and doing it so well that his b*itch-in-a-manger ex wife had to move out to the East Coast to be nearby. She is like a cat toying with a mouse, that it doesn’t want to eat and doesn’t want to let go of. Jesse is more interesting without her, and now she is more than baggage; she is firmly in the picture.
This isn’t a mystery series nor is it any kind of procedural. But it is fine writing and I already have book three lined up.
April 24, 2020
Work from home 2020: book 31.
Book 2 in the Jesse Stone series, filled with dueling plotlines that alternated between Jesse’s relationship with his ex-wife, the connivance(s) of Jimmy Macklin and his crew, and eventually, Jesse’s interactions with Jimmy & “the situation.”
I feel like I missed out on a lot by not reading book 1 first, regarding Jesse’s relationship with his ex. Aside from that, though, no huge complaints. Overall rating probably around a 3.75 but rounded up to 4 for obvious reasons.
Book 2 in the Jesse Stone series, filled with dueling plotlines that alternated between Jesse’s relationship with his ex-wife, the connivance(s) of Jimmy Macklin and his crew, and eventually, Jesse’s interactions with Jimmy & “the situation.”
I feel like I missed out on a lot by not reading book 1 first, regarding Jesse’s relationship with his ex. Aside from that, though, no huge complaints. Overall rating probably around a 3.75 but rounded up to 4 for obvious reasons.
May 27, 2020
Very fast moving & suspenseful. A quick read. One of those "Just let me read one more chapter" books and then you look up at the clock and it is 3am. I really liked the main detective character Jesse Stone. Would be interested in reading more books with this detective solving crimes.
March 5, 2022
Parker is just such a great story teller... this was really a fun story and well told. Jesse Stone is an interesting character, and I'm glad this is a series.
August 23, 2024
Trouble In Paradise (Jesse Stone #2) by Robert B. Parker
First published September 21, 1998.
From GR summary -
Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees Stiles Island as the ultimate investment opportunity: all he needs to do is invade the island, blow up the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his investment, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons --all experts in their fields--including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man--a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse. As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in triplicate: his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault; he's begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell; and he's still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin's attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it's up to Jesse to keep both women from harm. Filled with "light, shade, texture, and complexity" (The Boston Globe), Trouble in Paradise is the work of a master.
My thoughts -
Another lingerer from my shelves. One that I had not read before. I have been a fan of RBP's Spenser series and found that I was not disappointed with this Jesse Stone suspense novel. Having just read a James Lee Burke Dave Robichaux novel I was amused and entertained by what I found in that one and this new read. Whereas JLB is known for his poetic descriptions and wild characters, RBP's talent, for me, is his brilliant dialogue and quick paced chapters. Explicit sex is not a player in this novel, but there is plenty of sexual braggadocio. I understand that RBP created a stud in his Jesse Stone character and perhaps it was for this reason that sexual prowess seems to be a mainstay in several of the characters. Despite this overlay, I found this suspense novel to be thoroughly entertaining and well worthy of my 4-star rating which, according to my rating system, means - Very Good - better than most.
First published September 21, 1998.
From GR summary -
Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees Stiles Island as the ultimate investment opportunity: all he needs to do is invade the island, blow up the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his investment, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons --all experts in their fields--including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man--a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse. As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in triplicate: his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault; he's begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell; and he's still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin's attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it's up to Jesse to keep both women from harm. Filled with "light, shade, texture, and complexity" (The Boston Globe), Trouble in Paradise is the work of a master.
My thoughts -
Another lingerer from my shelves. One that I had not read before. I have been a fan of RBP's Spenser series and found that I was not disappointed with this Jesse Stone suspense novel. Having just read a James Lee Burke Dave Robichaux novel I was amused and entertained by what I found in that one and this new read. Whereas JLB is known for his poetic descriptions and wild characters, RBP's talent, for me, is his brilliant dialogue and quick paced chapters. Explicit sex is not a player in this novel, but there is plenty of sexual braggadocio. I understand that RBP created a stud in his Jesse Stone character and perhaps it was for this reason that sexual prowess seems to be a mainstay in several of the characters. Despite this overlay, I found this suspense novel to be thoroughly entertaining and well worthy of my 4-star rating which, according to my rating system, means - Very Good - better than most.
April 16, 2017
Parker sets up Jesse Stone for some serious trouble again in the town of Paradise. The author had fun developing the bad guys, and gave them nearly as much time as he did the good guys. I found Jesse's ongoing love interest and former wife Jenn tiring by the end of the book, and Jesse's consistently knightly reactions to her frustrating. Wanted to slap him and yell "Get over her!" The plot is tight, but I was put off by Parker's inattention to repeated words in paragraphs of description, sometimes in the same sentence--the device was overused. The plot ends quickly, more like a sigh than anything else: I was disappointed after the tension Parker had developed. But it's part of Jesse's character not to dwell on big things except for his exit from baseball and his odd marriage to Jenn. This book left me with the impression that there could have been more, but perhaps that's left for the next book. Not sure I'll read Jesse Stone #3.
October 20, 2024
I read the first book in this series thinking that it was an interesting premise poorly executed, similar to an awkward pilot of a TV series.
I gave this book a chance, hoping that it would give life to the series, but I was so wrong.
It is very evident that this author was a dinosaur who thought that real men objectify women, are over-sexed, romanticize drinking & believe that you can't be an alcoholic if you can force yourself to drink beer instead of liquor once in a while.
Every character in both books are two dimensional and the storyline is slow with the exception of one action scene at the end.
Unless you are a Korean or Vietnam war-era neanderthal man, or harken to be such, I doubt this series will appeal to you.
I gave this book a chance, hoping that it would give life to the series, but I was so wrong.
It is very evident that this author was a dinosaur who thought that real men objectify women, are over-sexed, romanticize drinking & believe that you can't be an alcoholic if you can force yourself to drink beer instead of liquor once in a while.
Every character in both books are two dimensional and the storyline is slow with the exception of one action scene at the end.
Unless you are a Korean or Vietnam war-era neanderthal man, or harken to be such, I doubt this series will appeal to you.
March 24, 2024
High body count in this one.
Jesse is back for book 2 in Paradise, Massachusetts. He must thwart a heist and almost doesn’t pull it off.
He’s still not over Jenn. Deep sigh. I definitely do NOT get the appeal of Jenn. All this passive aggressive bs is tiresome too. Ugh. I need a breather.
Now add Abbey and a real estate agent to the love life of Jesse Stone. When does he have time to be a police chief?!?
This one ends and it’s meh.😑 get over Jenn. I’m done with this binge for a bit… off to read a different series…
Jesse is back for book 2 in Paradise, Massachusetts. He must thwart a heist and almost doesn’t pull it off.
He’s still not over Jenn. Deep sigh. I definitely do NOT get the appeal of Jenn. All this passive aggressive bs is tiresome too. Ugh. I need a breather.
Now add Abbey and a real estate agent to the love life of Jesse Stone. When does he have time to be a police chief?!?
This one ends and it’s meh.😑 get over Jenn. I’m done with this binge for a bit… off to read a different series…
September 8, 2025
I can probably say more about what I didn’t like than why I’m giving it 4 stars. Jesse is a flawed ‘hero’ to be sure: he’s really dumb about women, too passive when it comes to his ex-wife and he drinks too much. But the thing that really bugged me is that .
But there’s just something about the short chapters, the bare bones writing style, and this (mostly) smart, (mostly) competent, laconic hero that really appeals to me. I zipped through this.
But there’s just something about the short chapters, the bare bones writing style, and this (mostly) smart, (mostly) competent, laconic hero that really appeals to me. I zipped through this.
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