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Jesse Stone #6
High Profile
The murder of a notorious public figure places Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone in the harsh glare of the media spotlight. When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body, that of a young woman, is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care, not a single one of Weeks's ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.
Despite Weeks's reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects. Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing whom he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care, not a single one of Weeks's ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.
Despite Weeks's reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects. Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing whom he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2007
1216 people are currently reading
2040 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
489 books2,289 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
August 31, 2015
I don’t think it’s a good idea for two characters created by the same writer who each star in their own mystery series to have sex because it seems kind of incestuous and icky. Sadly, that’s the least of this book’s problems.
Police Chief Jesse Stone is trying to solve the murder of a famous radio/TV political talk show host named Walton Weeks who was hung from a tree after being shot to death, and his assistant was also murdered and left in a dumpster. Usually you could count on RBP to deliver at least an entertaining mystery in his later years even if he’d fallen into many repetitive patterns, but this one has a whole lotta issues in large part due to how it was written to dovetail with Jesse’s love life.
Ah, Jesse Stone’s love life… Give me a second. I gotta work up the energy to dive into this one.
*sigh*
OK, this starts out a very confusing note because the last book ended with Jesse and his ex-wife Jenn trying very hard to reconcile with encouraging signs that it might work. However, right at the beginning here they are in the midst of a major problems once again, and Jesse has taken up with the Sunny Randall, the star of another line of RBP novels. I happen to have read the book in her series where Sunny met and started dating Jesse so I had at least an idea of what was going on, but it’s a jarring place to begin with no explanation if you’re reading the Stone books in order.
Sunny and Jesse seem made for each other, and for one second it seems like maybe that Jesse will wise up and finally... FINALLY... ditch his awful ex-wife. It doesn’t last of course. Jenn pops up with a claim of being raped by a stranger that seems fairly dubious on its surface, and since Jesse is busy with the murder investigation, he asks Sunny to protect her and find the guy. Because you really want your current girlfriend and your ex-wife hanging out together in a time of emotional distress and high tension.
This is where the personal subplot trainwrecks the mystery. If most crime writers choose to have their victim be someone like a famous political commentator, then they’d play up that angle with suspects including various angry nut jobs or powerful enemies. However, RBP does nothing with those potential plots here because he’s much more focused on his pet themes of romantic love, adultery, and conflicted relationships. So rather than dig into any of the things that might make a mystery involving the murder of a talk show host interesting, he pays as little attention to that as possible so that he can immediately swerve the plot towards the victim’s sex life.
In fact, RBP was so uninvested in the political angle that he writes Weeks as having been a common sense libertarian who was genuinely interested in objectively exploring all aspects of an issue who was well regarded by both parties. (As if a guy like that could actually exist in the era of cable news.) So why write the victim to be someone who had a job that should have made him a lot of enemies and then immediately establish that he unrealistically had none?
Because RBP wanted the case to eventually have elements that would remind Jesse of his own situation, and it makes for a handy excuse as to why Jesse needs Sunny’s help with Jenn because he’s so busy dealing with the case. Which is also kind of a joke because despite the supposedly intense media scrutiny and political pressure to solve it, Jesse pretty much just ignores the media and even blows off the governor with no repercussions whatsoever. There’s not even a single conversation in which a town official expresses any concern to Jesse about the murder that has the attention of the nation.
It also makes for a nice summary on the book jacket: “Jesse Stone investigates the death of a high profile radio talk show host.” is designed to get readers more fired up then “Jesse Stone sulks about his love life in between looking into another murder.”
All of this is done in service of once again reestablishing RBP’s continued insistence to make Jesse an absolute chump when it comes to his ex-wife. He refuses to give her up no matter what she does even as he acknowledges the stupidity and cost of this because he loves her unconditionally even if it makes him miserable. That’s not love. That’s codependency. You could do one story with this theme and make a character seem tragic, but in an on-going series the idea that the hero just keeps making the same mistake over and over with no growth or possibility of change is beyond tiresome.
Even the mystery investigation parts seem like pretty weak sauce because of another failure by RBP. The man didn’t much like technology, and he only grudgingly included things like computers and cell phones in his later books. It hits a point here where that just looks increasingly silly. This was published in 2007, and yet Jesse, a police chief, doesn’t carry a phone? A cop can’t look something up on a computer without cursing it and asking for help? The entire plot hinges on revelations of the sort that would be public records that you’d think would immediately come up in routine background checks of the major players in the story, but RBP acts as if this was still the ‘70s and you only find something like a divorce filing if you go looking for it in the records room of some city hall. It’s another factor of how little thought he put into the idea that Weeks was supposed to be famous and yet these kind of things remained secret somehow.
Ugh.
Police Chief Jesse Stone is trying to solve the murder of a famous radio/TV political talk show host named Walton Weeks who was hung from a tree after being shot to death, and his assistant was also murdered and left in a dumpster. Usually you could count on RBP to deliver at least an entertaining mystery in his later years even if he’d fallen into many repetitive patterns, but this one has a whole lotta issues in large part due to how it was written to dovetail with Jesse’s love life.
Ah, Jesse Stone’s love life… Give me a second. I gotta work up the energy to dive into this one.
*sigh*
OK, this starts out a very confusing note because the last book ended with Jesse and his ex-wife Jenn trying very hard to reconcile with encouraging signs that it might work. However, right at the beginning here they are in the midst of a major problems once again, and Jesse has taken up with the Sunny Randall, the star of another line of RBP novels. I happen to have read the book in her series where Sunny met and started dating Jesse so I had at least an idea of what was going on, but it’s a jarring place to begin with no explanation if you’re reading the Stone books in order.
Sunny and Jesse seem made for each other, and for one second it seems like maybe that Jesse will wise up and finally... FINALLY... ditch his awful ex-wife. It doesn’t last of course. Jenn pops up with a claim of being raped by a stranger that seems fairly dubious on its surface, and since Jesse is busy with the murder investigation, he asks Sunny to protect her and find the guy. Because you really want your current girlfriend and your ex-wife hanging out together in a time of emotional distress and high tension.
This is where the personal subplot trainwrecks the mystery. If most crime writers choose to have their victim be someone like a famous political commentator, then they’d play up that angle with suspects including various angry nut jobs or powerful enemies. However, RBP does nothing with those potential plots here because he’s much more focused on his pet themes of romantic love, adultery, and conflicted relationships. So rather than dig into any of the things that might make a mystery involving the murder of a talk show host interesting, he pays as little attention to that as possible so that he can immediately swerve the plot towards the victim’s sex life.
In fact, RBP was so uninvested in the political angle that he writes Weeks as having been a common sense libertarian who was genuinely interested in objectively exploring all aspects of an issue who was well regarded by both parties. (As if a guy like that could actually exist in the era of cable news.) So why write the victim to be someone who had a job that should have made him a lot of enemies and then immediately establish that he unrealistically had none?
Because RBP wanted the case to eventually have elements that would remind Jesse of his own situation, and it makes for a handy excuse as to why Jesse needs Sunny’s help with Jenn because he’s so busy dealing with the case. Which is also kind of a joke because despite the supposedly intense media scrutiny and political pressure to solve it, Jesse pretty much just ignores the media and even blows off the governor with no repercussions whatsoever. There’s not even a single conversation in which a town official expresses any concern to Jesse about the murder that has the attention of the nation.
It also makes for a nice summary on the book jacket: “Jesse Stone investigates the death of a high profile radio talk show host.” is designed to get readers more fired up then “Jesse Stone sulks about his love life in between looking into another murder.”
All of this is done in service of once again reestablishing RBP’s continued insistence to make Jesse an absolute chump when it comes to his ex-wife. He refuses to give her up no matter what she does even as he acknowledges the stupidity and cost of this because he loves her unconditionally even if it makes him miserable. That’s not love. That’s codependency. You could do one story with this theme and make a character seem tragic, but in an on-going series the idea that the hero just keeps making the same mistake over and over with no growth or possibility of change is beyond tiresome.
Even the mystery investigation parts seem like pretty weak sauce because of another failure by RBP. The man didn’t much like technology, and he only grudgingly included things like computers and cell phones in his later books. It hits a point here where that just looks increasingly silly. This was published in 2007, and yet Jesse, a police chief, doesn’t carry a phone? A cop can’t look something up on a computer without cursing it and asking for help? The entire plot hinges on revelations of the sort that would be public records that you’d think would immediately come up in routine background checks of the major players in the story, but RBP acts as if this was still the ‘70s and you only find something like a divorce filing if you go looking for it in the records room of some city hall. It’s another factor of how little thought he put into the idea that Weeks was supposed to be famous and yet these kind of things remained secret somehow.
Ugh.
February 25, 2022
The sixth Jesse Stone novel
A nationally known radio and television talk show host is found dead, hanging from a tree in a park in Paradise, Massachusetts. Cause of death is three gunshots not hanging. There are no clues, seemingly no leads, no enemies and no motive. Then another body is found in a dumpster in Paradise, killed with the same gun.
Jesse Stone learns who did it by using the age old tactic of following the money. But there is still the little problem of no evidence.
A decent mystery/police procedural with Jesse's personal life intruding into his duties. About three and a half stars.
A nationally known radio and television talk show host is found dead, hanging from a tree in a park in Paradise, Massachusetts. Cause of death is three gunshots not hanging. There are no clues, seemingly no leads, no enemies and no motive. Then another body is found in a dumpster in Paradise, killed with the same gun.
Jesse Stone learns who did it by using the age old tactic of following the money. But there is still the little problem of no evidence.
A decent mystery/police procedural with Jesse's personal life intruding into his duties. About three and a half stars.
May 16, 2018
This book took a step back in quality. the murder case is really ho hum, which shouldn't be a problem if the characterization was spot on. Which it wasn't. The saga of Jesse and Jenn seemed like ground hog day, and I am unsure where Sunny came in or even why. It read like the author rushed through without a store of good ideas to draw from. three stars because Parker is still a good author. Maybe I just need a break from this series for awhile.
July 30, 2022
5 Stars. I've been waiting for a Jesse Stone to take me to the top. This is it. In some ways a more mature Stone, one who is becoming comfortable in himself. Yes, he still vacillates about his former wife, Jennifer, but less so. And yes he is back drinking, but less to excess. And yes, he still has a violent undercurrent that, in a senior police officer, is abhorrent in numerous ways. But his instincts in the criminal field are superb; he understands human nature, and senses the direction of a case faster than this reader for sure. One can't say that his former wife is more mature. Jenn takes a step in the opposite direction; the secondary story in the novel is about her claim of rape which is questionable from the start. Boston PI Sunny Randall aides in the resolution. The main case relates to the discovery of the body of New York talk-show host, the opinionated Walton Weeks, hanging from a tree in Paradise. And shortly afterwards, another discovery. A body in a dumpster which turns out to be Carey Longley, pregnant with Weeks' child. Do the murders relate to his politics? The Governor thinks so. What about Weeks' three former wives? It's a good one. (June 2022)
July 18, 2016
High Profile is book #6 in the Jesse Stone Series. I have to say that this one has been my favorite so far. It makes me look forward to all the other upcoming books in this series. Well Done Mr. Parker.
Synopsis
When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body - that of a young woman - is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care-not a single one of Weeks' ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens. Despite Weeks' reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects.
Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing who he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.
So, I have to say that I think the Author really stepped it up with this installment of the series. This is, so far, my favorite of the 6 that I have read. I loved all the mystery in this one, and so many questions. It flowed so well that I found it hard to put the book down. This is exactly what I needed to get out of the slump that I was in before I started this one.
The characters in this series are just phenomenal to me, and they just keep getting better with each book. I really love Jesse's character. I love how flawed he is. He is just so realistic and easy to relate to, that I feel like I know him outside of the pages. There were a few more characters than normal in this one, but I think everyone is well explained.
Synopsis
When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body - that of a young woman - is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care-not a single one of Weeks' ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens. Despite Weeks' reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects.
Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing who he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.
So, I have to say that I think the Author really stepped it up with this installment of the series. This is, so far, my favorite of the 6 that I have read. I loved all the mystery in this one, and so many questions. It flowed so well that I found it hard to put the book down. This is exactly what I needed to get out of the slump that I was in before I started this one.
The characters in this series are just phenomenal to me, and they just keep getting better with each book. I really love Jesse's character. I love how flawed he is. He is just so realistic and easy to relate to, that I feel like I know him outside of the pages. There were a few more characters than normal in this one, but I think everyone is well explained.
March 10, 2016
Audiobook
At first I was extremely irritated about all of the, "Jesse said", "Sunny said", "Suitcase said", but then I was kind of glad because although the narrator was good his voices weren't that different from each other so I don't think I would have been able to keep track of who went with which dialogue.
The book itself was good but the relationship with Jesse and his ex-wife - how can he still love her? How can she claim that she loves him and then hurt him? Why should he wait for perhaps decades for her to come back to him? I don't mind dysfunctional but this was extreme because it's been going on for books and books and I see no end in sight. So I'm going to hold off on reading/listening to this series until I forget how much this irritated me and try it again.
At first I was extremely irritated about all of the, "Jesse said", "Sunny said", "Suitcase said", but then I was kind of glad because although the narrator was good his voices weren't that different from each other so I don't think I would have been able to keep track of who went with which dialogue.
The book itself was good but the relationship with Jesse and his ex-wife - how can he still love her? How can she claim that she loves him and then hurt him? Why should he wait for perhaps decades for her to come back to him? I don't mind dysfunctional but this was extreme because it's been going on for books and books and I see no end in sight. So I'm going to hold off on reading/listening to this series until I forget how much this irritated me and try it again.
November 20, 2025
Most of these Jesse Stone books are really good. I think the highlight of this one was the press conference Molly gave. The murder mystery wasn’t interesting and Jesse and Jen’s relationship is more of the same.
April 29, 2022
Excellent read. There is no such thing as a mediocre read when it comes to the Jesse Stone series.
April 29, 2018
I've been on a kick reading all Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone books lately. While some have been solid 3 stars, others have been 4. This one is solid 3. The downfall to these books, in my opinion is the rid dysfunctional relationship between Jesse and his ex wife Jenn. It has gotten absolutely ridiculous by now. The banter between Jesse, Molly, Suit and Healy has gotten much better which has improved the books. The relationship with Jesse and Jenn, however has ruined it to where I absolute despise Jenn. I am losing my affinity for Jesse by now. I'm really hoping there is some rectifying of this absurd relationship and co-dependency between them or I will have lost my patience and will stop reading the series. I'm going to be hopeful, one can only drag on this miserable relationship for so long, especially after her stunts in this book. Maybe she will be the next murder victim? Wishful thinking.
August 25, 2011
My husband and I got hooked on the Jesse Stone stories after watching Tom Selleck in this role in several made-for-TV movies. This is the first one we have read (actually, listened to). I liked the mystery part, but had a big problem with the audio book. After a few minutes of listening to "Jesse said," "Molly said," "Jesse said," "Suitcase said," "Harry said," we were both ready to scream. I guess that's Parker's style, but it is extremely distracting in audio. We won't listen to any more of these audios by Parker.
My other problem with the book was there was too much "angst." Jesse's ex-wife has a problem with a rapist/stalker, and much of the book is taken up listening to her whine (after she waited 4 days to ask for Jesse's help). There's always a big question about whether she's lying, just looking for attention. And Jesse's current girlfriend gets involved in trying to help the ex-wife. Way too much soap opera for a mystery book.
The Selleck movies, by the way, have some of this soap opera, but it's kept more to a minimum. In every movie, Jesse gets a call from his ex-wife or he's brooding about his ex-wife, drinking, etc. We'll wait for the next movie instead of reading more of the books.
My other problem with the book was there was too much "angst." Jesse's ex-wife has a problem with a rapist/stalker, and much of the book is taken up listening to her whine (after she waited 4 days to ask for Jesse's help). There's always a big question about whether she's lying, just looking for attention. And Jesse's current girlfriend gets involved in trying to help the ex-wife. Way too much soap opera for a mystery book.
The Selleck movies, by the way, have some of this soap opera, but it's kept more to a minimum. In every movie, Jesse gets a call from his ex-wife or he's brooding about his ex-wife, drinking, etc. We'll wait for the next movie instead of reading more of the books.
July 6, 2016
The story was probably a typical Jesse Stone, which means this should have been a 3 star book. Instead, it was too irritating to listen to due to all the "He said", "She said" that ruled every conversation. It's nice to know who is talking, but they were in almost EVERY single sentence of dialog. Worse, 'said' was used when obviously 'asked' should have been. "How are you doing," he said. NO!!!
There were some other issues with obvious points being talked up, but those I could forgive. I don't expect perfect writing in an obvious series writer like Parker. From my friends' reviews, I have my suspicions that Random House or the reader (who was good) tossed these 'said's in. I can't imagine any editor who graduated elementary school would have left them all in.
Highly disappointed!
Anyone who has read the print version: Can you tell me if they're an artifact of the audio version only?
There were some other issues with obvious points being talked up, but those I could forgive. I don't expect perfect writing in an obvious series writer like Parker. From my friends' reviews, I have my suspicions that Random House or the reader (who was good) tossed these 'said's in. I can't imagine any editor who graduated elementary school would have left them all in.
Highly disappointed!
Anyone who has read the print version: Can you tell me if they're an artifact of the audio version only?
May 17, 2022
Easy read and kept my attention. Finished in one sitting.
March 29, 2018
High Profile by Robert B. Parker.
Two murders have been discovered in Paradise, Massachusetts. A body found hanging from a tree turns out to be a talk show host and the other murder victim his mistress found in a dumpster.
The list of possible suspects is unending. At the same time no one seems to care about these two individuals or their being murdered.
Adding to the stress Jesse's ex reported that she was raped. Does Molly have any concerns on this latest situation with Jesse's ex-wife?
This was #6 in the Jesse Stone series and a welcome addition. Listened to on CD.
Two murders have been discovered in Paradise, Massachusetts. A body found hanging from a tree turns out to be a talk show host and the other murder victim his mistress found in a dumpster.
The list of possible suspects is unending. At the same time no one seems to care about these two individuals or their being murdered.
Adding to the stress Jesse's ex reported that she was raped. Does Molly have any concerns on this latest situation with Jesse's ex-wife?
This was #6 in the Jesse Stone series and a welcome addition. Listened to on CD.
July 30, 2016
This is the sixth novel in the Jesse Stone Series.
It opens with a grisly scene in a park. A woman walking her dog comes upon a body hanging from a tree. When Jesse arrives on the scene he quickly makes some important observations. The man’s neck does not appear to be broken, his hands are not bound and there is nothing to jump from. This does not look like a suicide. When Jesse pushes aside the man’s coat, he finds the man’s sweater soaked in blood. The body looks like it has been dead for a while and it has started to smell. Whoever killed this man and strung him up must have been very strong. Jesse estimates the man weighed over two hundred pounds. And the killer obviously wanted the body to be found or he would not have displayed it so openly.
When the victim is finally identified, Jesse is wary. It is Walter Weeks, a nationally syndicated TV and radio talk show host and a well-known newspaper columnist. This means that once again, a media circus will descend on the town and Jesse will have to deal with their annoying and persistent questions about the investigation. Later when the body of a young woman shows up in a dumpster in the alley behind a restaurant, even the governor gets involved.
Jesse notes some interesting aspects in the case. Although Weeks had three wives, no one has come to retrieve the body. And when Jesse meets the circle of people involved in Weeks’ business and personal life—his manager Tom Nolan, his researcher Alan Hendricks, his lawyer Sam Gates and his three wives, he is surprised that no one says they are sorry he is gone or that they will miss him. Jesse is even more puzzled by the fact that Walter Weeks came to this small out of the way place called Paradise. What was he doing here? He keeps asking the question, but no one seems to know the answer.
Jesse knows little about this media celebrity except that he is a libertarian. But as he watches tapes of his old shows, he finds Weeks likeable and essentially non-partisan. So it was probably not politics that was the motivation for his murder. Jesse’s further research reveals that Weeks was a consummate womanizer, so perhaps there is a jealous husband involved.
Jesse’s personal life is still stuck in neutral. In the last book, he had given up alcohol for a year, but the novel concluded with Jesse reaching for the bottle once again. He feels he has a bit more control of his drinking now and knows a life without drinking means he has nothing to look forward to -- and that is a life he is not interested to lead.
He has met and is enjoying the company of a new woman. Sunny Randall is good looking, smart and sexy. She is a former cop, now a private detective. Like Jesse, she is divorced but still has a connection to her former spouse.
Jesse wants to commit to Sunny but he can’t because of Jenn, who has checked out on him once again. Jenn has continued her promiscuous ways, sleeping with men to advance her career, a method that seems to be working for her. She has moved on from Weather Girl to a job as an investigative reporter. Jesse knows with the recent murder in town she will try to use him to get an inside scoop on the investigation. Jesse wonders why Jenn keeps lying to him while at the same time he ignores the more important question of why he continues to believe in her promises.
In the middle of Jesse’s busy days with the two murders, the press visits from the governor’s aide and phone calls from Congressmen, Jenn calls to say she was raped four days ago and that the man who did it is now stalking her. She says she is scared and needs Jesse’s immediate and complete attention. Jesse runs quickly to her side, although he is not sure he completely believes her.
This is a sick relationship which I wish Parker would abandon. Jenn is a whining, needy, tiring and manipulative woman. Spike, a gay man who helps guard her following the alleged rape, understands her. He sees she is beautiful and knows she uses sex to get what she wants. Spike believes she desperately needs psychological help. But then, so does Jesse. He is the other half of this co-dependent relationship. The two constantly discuss their problems but never make any progress towards solving them. The fact they never move forward gets to be very tiring. They need to let one another go and get on with their lives. Actually, the relationship that is much more interesting and has some zing to it, is the one between Jesse and his dispatcher Molly Crane, the only female in the office. Yes, the one who is Catholic, married and the mother of four children!
Once more Parker lays out a crime committed in a small town by someone who assumes an investigation will be carried out by a small town cop who acts like a bumpkin and won’t have a clue what to do. He may contaminate the evidence, take blundering shortcuts or just not be smart enough to figure it all out, eventually allowing the perpetrator to get away with the crime.
Parker throws in some wry humour with Suitcase Simpson, who Jesse is trying to develop as a cop. Simpson dreams about one day becoming a detective, although the police force in Paradise is so small that they don’t have room for one. But Suit tries to take on that role, hoping to take the next step on the career ladder and eventually move on to the big time. Jesse’s mentoring role alternates between moments of humour and gentle guidance. As the series progresses, it is interesting to watch this young man gradually gaining more experience under Jesse’s tutelage.
This is not my favourite book in the series. Like his other novels, it is written in Parker’s usual minimalist style with staccato like sentences that move the story along at a fast clip. In these books the characters are as important as the crimes. But in this novel, the characters are thinly sketched and completely uninteresting. I did not develop any sympathy for them or come to care about them. They almost weighed down the narrative. It is the recurring characters (which are well fleshed out) that hold my interest.
If you have not read the series in order, you may not be able to give this book an even average rating. It needs the context of the continuing story to be appreciated.
It opens with a grisly scene in a park. A woman walking her dog comes upon a body hanging from a tree. When Jesse arrives on the scene he quickly makes some important observations. The man’s neck does not appear to be broken, his hands are not bound and there is nothing to jump from. This does not look like a suicide. When Jesse pushes aside the man’s coat, he finds the man’s sweater soaked in blood. The body looks like it has been dead for a while and it has started to smell. Whoever killed this man and strung him up must have been very strong. Jesse estimates the man weighed over two hundred pounds. And the killer obviously wanted the body to be found or he would not have displayed it so openly.
When the victim is finally identified, Jesse is wary. It is Walter Weeks, a nationally syndicated TV and radio talk show host and a well-known newspaper columnist. This means that once again, a media circus will descend on the town and Jesse will have to deal with their annoying and persistent questions about the investigation. Later when the body of a young woman shows up in a dumpster in the alley behind a restaurant, even the governor gets involved.
Jesse notes some interesting aspects in the case. Although Weeks had three wives, no one has come to retrieve the body. And when Jesse meets the circle of people involved in Weeks’ business and personal life—his manager Tom Nolan, his researcher Alan Hendricks, his lawyer Sam Gates and his three wives, he is surprised that no one says they are sorry he is gone or that they will miss him. Jesse is even more puzzled by the fact that Walter Weeks came to this small out of the way place called Paradise. What was he doing here? He keeps asking the question, but no one seems to know the answer.
Jesse knows little about this media celebrity except that he is a libertarian. But as he watches tapes of his old shows, he finds Weeks likeable and essentially non-partisan. So it was probably not politics that was the motivation for his murder. Jesse’s further research reveals that Weeks was a consummate womanizer, so perhaps there is a jealous husband involved.
Jesse’s personal life is still stuck in neutral. In the last book, he had given up alcohol for a year, but the novel concluded with Jesse reaching for the bottle once again. He feels he has a bit more control of his drinking now and knows a life without drinking means he has nothing to look forward to -- and that is a life he is not interested to lead.
He has met and is enjoying the company of a new woman. Sunny Randall is good looking, smart and sexy. She is a former cop, now a private detective. Like Jesse, she is divorced but still has a connection to her former spouse.
Jesse wants to commit to Sunny but he can’t because of Jenn, who has checked out on him once again. Jenn has continued her promiscuous ways, sleeping with men to advance her career, a method that seems to be working for her. She has moved on from Weather Girl to a job as an investigative reporter. Jesse knows with the recent murder in town she will try to use him to get an inside scoop on the investigation. Jesse wonders why Jenn keeps lying to him while at the same time he ignores the more important question of why he continues to believe in her promises.
In the middle of Jesse’s busy days with the two murders, the press visits from the governor’s aide and phone calls from Congressmen, Jenn calls to say she was raped four days ago and that the man who did it is now stalking her. She says she is scared and needs Jesse’s immediate and complete attention. Jesse runs quickly to her side, although he is not sure he completely believes her.
This is a sick relationship which I wish Parker would abandon. Jenn is a whining, needy, tiring and manipulative woman. Spike, a gay man who helps guard her following the alleged rape, understands her. He sees she is beautiful and knows she uses sex to get what she wants. Spike believes she desperately needs psychological help. But then, so does Jesse. He is the other half of this co-dependent relationship. The two constantly discuss their problems but never make any progress towards solving them. The fact they never move forward gets to be very tiring. They need to let one another go and get on with their lives. Actually, the relationship that is much more interesting and has some zing to it, is the one between Jesse and his dispatcher Molly Crane, the only female in the office. Yes, the one who is Catholic, married and the mother of four children!
Once more Parker lays out a crime committed in a small town by someone who assumes an investigation will be carried out by a small town cop who acts like a bumpkin and won’t have a clue what to do. He may contaminate the evidence, take blundering shortcuts or just not be smart enough to figure it all out, eventually allowing the perpetrator to get away with the crime.
Parker throws in some wry humour with Suitcase Simpson, who Jesse is trying to develop as a cop. Simpson dreams about one day becoming a detective, although the police force in Paradise is so small that they don’t have room for one. But Suit tries to take on that role, hoping to take the next step on the career ladder and eventually move on to the big time. Jesse’s mentoring role alternates between moments of humour and gentle guidance. As the series progresses, it is interesting to watch this young man gradually gaining more experience under Jesse’s tutelage.
This is not my favourite book in the series. Like his other novels, it is written in Parker’s usual minimalist style with staccato like sentences that move the story along at a fast clip. In these books the characters are as important as the crimes. But in this novel, the characters are thinly sketched and completely uninteresting. I did not develop any sympathy for them or come to care about them. They almost weighed down the narrative. It is the recurring characters (which are well fleshed out) that hold my interest.
If you have not read the series in order, you may not be able to give this book an even average rating. It needs the context of the continuing story to be appreciated.
September 12, 2016
What a slog. A high-profile, supposedly non-partisan talk show host (talk about fiction) is found murdered - hanging from a tree after having been shot. The other case, the apparent stalker/rape of Police Chief Jesse Stone's ex-wife Jenn just goes clunk. To assist, Stone brings in a character from another Parker series, Sunny, with whom Stone also has a "relationship."
May 11, 2024
Writing this review as I read the book…
6% in…So apparently Jesse Stone has a serious relationship with Sunny Randall. Since I’ve not read that series, it was a bit of a huh?! moment 🤔🤔🤔.
I thought he was going to be monogamous with Jenn based on the end of the last book. Introducing Sunny this way DEFINITELY doesn’t make me want to read her series now, ugh 😣 what an annoying way to introduce Sunny. And to have her look after Jenn. WTF 😳 I don’t think so. What a plot fail!
Jesse actually spoke about Jenn in very derogatory terms that he hadn’t done before. This book is giving me relationship whiplash. AND Jesse is terrible at relationships. AND apparently he’s drinking heavily again 😣 ughhhhhhhh
55% in and I hate Jenn more than I ever have ugh. Jesse sure is a shit magnet huh 🤔 and will literally forgive Jenn of any heinous act. 😳😳 faking a rape really?!? 😵💫😵💫😵💫😣
This case is awful and the resolution is worse. The plot was SO dumb. AND…What a terrible ending but it parallels Jesse’s life. I hope he sees that. I think after everything Jesse deserves Jenn and to be miserable the rest of his life.
6% in…So apparently Jesse Stone has a serious relationship with Sunny Randall. Since I’ve not read that series, it was a bit of a huh?! moment 🤔🤔🤔.
I thought he was going to be monogamous with Jenn based on the end of the last book. Introducing Sunny this way DEFINITELY doesn’t make me want to read her series now, ugh 😣 what an annoying way to introduce Sunny. And to have her look after Jenn. WTF 😳 I don’t think so. What a plot fail!
Jesse actually spoke about Jenn in very derogatory terms that he hadn’t done before. This book is giving me relationship whiplash. AND Jesse is terrible at relationships. AND apparently he’s drinking heavily again 😣 ughhhhhhhh
55% in and I hate Jenn more than I ever have ugh. Jesse sure is a shit magnet huh 🤔 and will literally forgive Jenn of any heinous act. 😳😳 faking a rape really?!? 😵💫😵💫😵💫😣
This case is awful and the resolution is worse. The plot was SO dumb. AND…What a terrible ending but it parallels Jesse’s life. I hope he sees that. I think after everything Jesse deserves Jenn and to be miserable the rest of his life.
July 18, 2016
How do you resolve the murder of a well known celebrity? The public display of death is suppose to be insulting but instead it's almost a shrine to Walton Weeks, the victim. Along with his murder was the murder of his assistant, Ms. Langley. How do two people who came to town together end up murdered and found in two different locations? Their deaths is so unimportant that no family members are heartbroken nor showing any emotion about losing them.
This story dragged somewhat and then it introduces a woman that Jesse is really interested in. However, Jenn is still in the picture and she's screaming rape but her story does not sound plausible. She drags Jesse's emotion through a roller coaster. She's dating and sexing other men in hopes of progressing her career. She knows, because he's told her, he will always be there no matter what. I hope he keeps his annual checkups with his physician because he may soon need it based on Jenn's track record.
There is another woman in Jesse's life that may give Jenn a little competition. She's smart, self-assured, productive and can take care of herself. Her only issue is that she feels the same way about her ex-husband as Jesse does about Jenn. Unlucky for her because her husband has remarried.
This book was kind of boring. It felt as if there was nothing to determine how they died; no blood, no footprints, no eyewitnesses. Another woman was brought into the storyline and there was no introduction of her that explained how they met but went into intricate details about her feelings for her ex mirrored Jesse's towards Jenn.
This story dragged somewhat and then it introduces a woman that Jesse is really interested in. However, Jenn is still in the picture and she's screaming rape but her story does not sound plausible. She drags Jesse's emotion through a roller coaster. She's dating and sexing other men in hopes of progressing her career. She knows, because he's told her, he will always be there no matter what. I hope he keeps his annual checkups with his physician because he may soon need it based on Jenn's track record.
There is another woman in Jesse's life that may give Jenn a little competition. She's smart, self-assured, productive and can take care of herself. Her only issue is that she feels the same way about her ex-husband as Jesse does about Jenn. Unlucky for her because her husband has remarried.
This book was kind of boring. It felt as if there was nothing to determine how they died; no blood, no footprints, no eyewitnesses. Another woman was brought into the storyline and there was no introduction of her that explained how they met but went into intricate details about her feelings for her ex mirrored Jesse's towards Jenn.
Read
May 22, 2009 I'm hoping that much like Lynley's annoying wife in the Elizabeth George books, that Jenn Stone meets an untimely death. OK, here's the thing, I enjoyed the mystery part of the plot, and I really enjoy the interaction between Jesse Stone and his deputies, especially Suit and Molly, but I am desperately tired of the story line with his ex-wife. Seriously, it ruins what might otherwise be a fun read. All I can think is that Parker is one hell of a misogynist. SPOILER ALERT! He's created in Jenn a female character who uses sex to get ahead and to manipulate her ex-husband so that he won't ever truly leave her. Then she claims rape when someone she slept with isn't happy at being used. And this in turn helps to put a stop to an almost healthy relationship Jesse might have with another woman. Jenn is supposed to be compulsively likable, yet she is anything but. The good thing is that this secondary story line has nothing to do with the mystery Jesse is trying to solve. But seriously, I think Parker has a problematic view of women and relationships.
March 18, 2017
I was really excited when I discovered Jesse had a woman in his life that he could care about, someone besides Jenn. Sunny is smart, capable, sexy, but not manipulative...I like her. Just when you think Jesse's going to break free of Jenn, she starts her same old selfish, whining, manipulating, poor pitiful me act and once more Jesse comes to the rescue.
I saw a parallel between Jesse and Lutz, Hopefully Jesse will wakes up before suffers the same fate.
I would have given it five stars if it hadn't been for Jenn.
I saw a parallel between Jesse and Lutz, Hopefully Jesse will wakes up before suffers the same fate.
I would have given it five stars if it hadn't been for Jenn.
November 25, 2007
Listened to the audio book on a trip. Interesting enough to follow, but not so much as to distract from driving. WAY too much "he said" and "she said" - literally. Not a very compelling plot and fairly easy to figure out... but, the length fit the trip.
October 18, 2016
I thought this was book four but it's book six, but i t seems like I didn't miss anything. The book was weird with the Jenn-Sunny connection. I heard Crow puts in an appearance in book seven, I might read it.
August 5, 2014
Don't remember if I liked but since the next entry on my "read" list is "no more Jesse Stone" I'm thinking I didn't
September 18, 2021
Easy read. Love the banter. Crime of passion.
August 30, 2023
Audio book
September 28, 2022
Stone is dating Sunny Randall. I don’t know when that happened. Jesse is drinking again, heavily.
Walton Weeks, a local Boston radio celebrity, is murdered, then hung from a tree a few days later. Then, the body of his pregnant assistant is found in a dumpster behind Daisy Dyke’s restaurant.
Jenn calls Jesse and tells him she has been raped. And she is being stalked. Jesse brings in Sunny to protect Jenn and to investigate the assault.
Stone discovers the bodies had been stored in a walk-in refrigerator for an unknown time.
Sunny and Spike drag Jenn’s stalker into a confrontation. Jenn and the man deny knowing each other.
Stone learns the maiden name of Weeks’ widow. And who she was once married to.
Stone and Sunny break up. Stone confronts Laurie Weeks’ first husband. There is a shootout.
At the end, Stone is with Jenn.
Walton Weeks, a local Boston radio celebrity, is murdered, then hung from a tree a few days later. Then, the body of his pregnant assistant is found in a dumpster behind Daisy Dyke’s restaurant.
Jenn calls Jesse and tells him she has been raped. And she is being stalked. Jesse brings in Sunny to protect Jenn and to investigate the assault.
Stone discovers the bodies had been stored in a walk-in refrigerator for an unknown time.
Sunny and Spike drag Jenn’s stalker into a confrontation. Jenn and the man deny knowing each other.
Stone learns the maiden name of Weeks’ widow. And who she was once married to.
Stone and Sunny break up. Stone confronts Laurie Weeks’ first husband. There is a shootout.
At the end, Stone is with Jenn.
September 12, 2020
I really liked the mystery, the story, the characters, the setting, and the dialogue. I deduct a star for Jenn because this whole stupid obsession with her grates on me. I've read elsewhere that this is semi autobiographical and if it is, I feel bad for poor Mr. Parker, may he rest in peace.
January 7, 2019
I love the Jesse Stone character!
July 20, 2020
“I like the Jesse Stone television movies better”, she said 😜
October 31, 2020
Love is the mystery
And Jesse Stone is finding clues. It turns out that murder can be easier to solve than a relationship especially when the chemistry verges on the obsessive.
And Jesse Stone is finding clues. It turns out that murder can be easier to solve than a relationship especially when the chemistry verges on the obsessive.
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