Night And Day

Jesse Stone #8

by Robert B. Parker

Investigating allegations of lewd conduct on the part of the local junior high principal, police chief Jesse Stone finds efforts to bring the woman to justice thwarted by a high-powered attorney, a case that is further complicated by the activities of a twisted voyeur. (Suspense). Simultaneous with mass market reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Detective, Thriller, Audiobook

333 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2009

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though he’s the police chief of a small town Jesse Stone has faced some big time threats like murderers, professional thieves and organized crime. So it seems like kind of a let down that his two enemies here are a Peeping Tom and a female high school principal inspecting the underwear of some of her students. It's not exactly Sherlock Holmes facing Moriarty.

In his later work Robert B. Parker seemed content to have every scene be about his characters having coffee and doughnuts or throwing down a few cocktails while they exchange banter. It’s got a style and rhythm that’s familiar so it’s as if you’re listening to a song you like but have heard so many times that you don’t even really hear it anymore. It is a little weird that while Jesse’s body count has been relatively low compared to Spenser that he and his two best officers end up shooting the peeper in what was effectively suicide-by-cop. Yeah, the guy had escalated to threatening women with a gun to get them to undress and photograph them, but he was written to be more pathetic than villain so it’s jarring that he’d be someone that Jesse ends up shooting when he’s dealt with far worse people that he didn’t kill.

So this is a typical example of the kind of 3 star book that RBP churned out like a human printing press in his later years. It’s not as good as his early stuff, but it’s still got the elements that his fans enjoyed. However, I’m really tempted to give it 5 stars for the ending.

I nearly stood up and cheered when Jesse finally told his horrible ex-wife Jenn to take a hike, and it was extra sweet that it was in the context of moving forward with a relationship with Sunny Randall who also shows signs of finally letting go of her ex-husband. It’s like both characters got slightly redeemed here. It was way too long in coming, but was kind of shocking because I would have bet money that RBP was incapable and/or unwilling to finally acknowledge that Jesse’s obsession with is ex was the sign of an unhealthy relationship rather than a form of true love in which a character had to suffer the flaws of their partner. I’m so satisfied with it that I’m worried about reading the last book in this series that RBP wrote before his death lest he revert back to his usual form.

[John Culuris · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the surface any review of this book seems superfluous. Those who like this series and/or Robert B. Parker will read it anyway, and if you’ve never read a Jesse Stone novel this is not the place to start. Like most of the books near the end of Parker’s life, it presumes you’ve been with him for a while. You will find no description of Jesse Stone or his deputies, Molly Crane and Suitcase Simpson. If you decide they happen to look like Tom Selleck, Viola Davis and Kohl Sudduth (as portrayed on TV), you’ll not have to worry about the narrative contradicting you. There is barely a narrative worth mentioning. By this point Parker had mastered “get in quick, speak, get out.” Essentially he did just enough to establish the scene’s location and who is involved. The rest is talk.

Then why 4 Stars? There’s talk--and then there’s talk. Once you get used to everyone speaking in short, clipped sentences, there’s a lot being said. One of Parker’s greatest strengths was the ability to explore the psychological complexity behind some outwardly straight-forward actions. This talent is often overlooked in his Spenser series because of general dislike for the character of Susan Silverman. (And “dislike” is putting it mildly; just look at any review from almost every GoodReads friend I have.) As a trained psychotherapist it falls on her to explain the psychological insight to the reader, and often the message goes unheard because of the messenger. In Night and Day there is no reason to dismiss these commentaries as “psychobabble”; there are no vain and self-absorbed characters in the Paradise Police Department or among their associates. It frees us to watch Jesse get to the bottom of more than just the cases at hand.

Also, there is some real writing sprinkled in among the scene sketching. Jesse has to come to terms with some pressing personal issues and his internal monologues are compelling. We also share thoughts with the main villain, a peeping Tom who is escalating. More psychological insight.

A peeping Tom? Don’t panic, he’s just one of several cases--and the seriousness of the cases is irrelevant anyway. This is not a traditional mystery. Nor is it a procedural. It’s about a group of characters--principally the core members of a small town police force--intersecting and interacting until the problems set before them are settled.

One of those characters is Sunny Randall, Parker’s other private detective. Before his death, apparently Parker had come to terms with the Randall books not selling. He had ended her series two years earlier with Spare Change, where he wrapped up her lingering plotlines. And I have to say I agree with the public; Spare Change was the only one I completely enjoyed, even if I still bought them all. Parker, however, was not ready to say goodbye to the character. Sunny and Jesse had been romantically involved a few years earlier, so all Parker had to do to interject her into this series was to have her best friend Spike buy a local bar/restaurant. I never minded the character of Sunny; I just never found her stories particularly compelling. Sunny in Paradise should be a much more interesting dynamic. Unfortunately the next one, Split Image, is the last by Parker.

I have been saving the final four Parker novels because I knew there would be no more. Now that I’ve broken the seal so to speak, I’m sure I’ll end up reading another one before the end of the year. I’d forgotten how much I liked these books.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. A primer on police procedure in cases related to sex, in Chief Jesse Stone's inimitable style. He's practical; he uses common sense, and he gets upset at the right times. A bit of a primer on the law too. None of the cases are the vicious sexual assaults which may lead to the murder of a woman or a child one reads about in the media. Rather they concern indignities, civil rights violations, male bullying, the instilling of fear in individuals and its spreading across a community, inappropriate parenting and most of all, anger. Stone addresses three matters. Right off the bat he gets called to a local school where the middle-aged principal, female, is doing a panty check on grade eight girls attending a school dance. 13-year-olds. Find a thong and home you go! Then he finds himself discussing with a teenager named Missy, her parent's participation in swinging and how it is hurting their family. Lastly, Paradise is being taunted by a Peeping Tom, The Night Hawk, who wants to tell Jesse everything. And show him pictures! Is he escalating? I'll leave one thing for you to discover; Jesse and Jenn are having their usual problems and Jesse finally decides. (Au2022/De2025)

[Barb H · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is so nice to sit down and read a book just for the sheer pleasure sometimes. Robert Parker, who sadly died just a few weeks ago, had the knack of combining snappy dialog in his more than 50 mysteries. These books have varied with his popular detectives, Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. Each one is written with crisp, but clear humor. Parker was sparing with his words, but always managed to convey a clear and vivid picture of his characters and their surroundings. So while the reader is immersed in solving the crime, (or in this case crimes)one often spends time chuckling. This Jesse Stone book,(who now looks like Tom Selleck to me) is no exception.The TV adaptations do not really capture the essence. I will not recap the story here, it can be read and enjoyed in a day or two.

A common thread that runs through Parker's novels is that the starring detective has a problem love interest, although Spenser seems to have conquered that difficulty. Many have equated this with Robert Parker's own situation, but I have read many accounts recently which would argue this. His was not a traditional arrangement. He was married to Joan for around 50 years and dedicated most of his books to her. Apparently they had arranged separate quarters in their large home, which seemed to suit them well. After all, this author seemed to be spending large portions of his life writing. He deserved his quiet space! A strange note is that he is alleged to have died sitting at his desk writing. It seems fitting.

I shall miss my interludes with Robert Parker, but I just discovered two or three books written this past year that I have not read. I will not have to say good bye to my well acquainted characters yet.
(2/2/10)

[Laur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Voyeurism and swinging … and this story begins when Jesse Stone, the police chief Paradise, is called to a school to investigate a complaint concerning the female principal who has inspected a bunch of girls in the locker room, making them lift up their dresses to take a look at their underwear.

As a rule I enjoy the Jesse Stone novels, but this one…not so much.

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Parker’s novels all have a cadence to them that many people find disconcerting. An almost staccato dialogue, it can be especially prominent in an audiobook such as this one in the Jesse Stone Series. I rather like it.

Jesse is faced with two peculiar cases: the woman principal of the school has parents irate because she dained to lift the skirts of the girls to make sure they had on appropriate undergarments before a dance (no thongs, thank you); and the other a man obsessed with watching women undress at night through their windows, his obsession escalating to entering their homes during the day and forcing them to disrobe at gunpoint and then writing Jesse about it.

Everyone is in therapy in this novel: Jesse sees Dick for his drinking and inability to deal with his ex-wife’s quasi-abandonment of him; Sunny Randall (a character from another Parker series) is being therapyized by Susan Silvermann (a therapist from the Spencer series); and Betty Ingersoll, the aforementioned principal gets forced into therapy in the end and her husband should have been. It’s true most of them are a bit whacko, but a lot of the psycho-babble that’s delivered in many of the interviews seems more sermonizing than enlightening. I suspect Robert Parker must have been in therapy for decades. But, all things, considered, I enjoyed the book and the Jesse Stone character.

[James Thane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entry in Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series. A Peeping Tom is on the prowl in Paradise, and Jesse and his team must hunt him down before the perp graduates to more serious criminal activity. In the meantime, Jesse also has to deal with the case of a school principal who has decided that it would be a good idea to inspect the underwear of the young female students. And, on top of all of that, Jesse must sort out his love life, which continues to be a confusing mess.

Like much of Parker's later work, this is a fairly light book that doesn't take itself too seriously. The plot is very thin, and serves mainly as a device that allows Jesse Stone and the other characters to trade witty banter for a little over three hundred pages. That said, it's not a bad book, and it's a fun way to spend an afternoon relaxing by the pool. But it's not a book that most readers will remember and still be thinking about for very long after they've finished it.

Parker wrote at least one other Jesse Stone novel before his untimely death, and in a way, that's almost too bad. "Night and Day" ends on a note of apparent resolution that would have been a fine way to close the file on these characters.

[Gary Sites · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Paradise, Massachusetts, Chief Jesse Stone faces a string of unsettling invasions into women’s private lives. They’re disturbing enough, but Parker layers the narrative with the deeper trespasses of the human heart. Jesse’s personal struggles are drawn with a tenderness that feels earned, never forced, and Parker’s taut dialogue cuts through the haze like a porchlight on a humid night.
Yet it’s the novel’s ending that truly shines—a conclusion for Jesse that I’ve hoped for a long time. Even if the rest hadn’t been this good, I’d still give it five stars just for the way Parker brought Jesse home.

[sheofseidhr · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst writing I've ever come across. My biggest gripe with Robert B. Parker's style is the redundancy and apparent lack of a competent vocabulary. At least 90% of his dialogue goes like this:

"Hello", Jesse said.
"Hi", another character said.
"What's up?", Jesse said.
"Do you think Bob will end this sentence by telling his reader that I said something?, another character said.
"Absolutely", Jesse said.

This goes on the entire time. It's so jarring to the point that I purposely skip the end of his sentences so I can have some semblance of fluidity (and peace) while reading. I cannot believe I spent money on not one but two of his books. I obviously will never shell out on anything from him again.

[Glee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is latest in Jesse Stone series. I never read the Spenser books, maybe someday, because I like Parker's style, but he is doing them (the Jesse Stone books) in his sleep now, I think. This is quick easy read -- perfect for when you don't have energy or interest to invest in heavy read. The last couple of books I've read were much denser and harder to get through, so I just appreciated the simplicity. However, pretty empty calories after all is said and done.

[Una Tiers · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have enjoyed most of the earlier Parker books, this one fell short of the mark. There was more repetition than usual, especially about involving the lady policewoman.
The writing is still clear but the idea behind the book is thin.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robert Parker made so very much money and sold so very many books. I'm not sure why. I guess they are simple and predictable, like a McDonalds meal. They seemed to get worse as he cranked out so many short novels featuring Spencer or his lesser-known hero, Jesse Stone, over decades. I can just about stand them (usually as an audio book) as light entertainment on a trip or while cleaning or doing yard work. This late one (2009--Parker died in 2010) is very thin and moderately irritating. Parker falls into his too-familiar habit of very short dialogue, which he seems to think is the height of cleverness, with the characters saying the same things back and forth to each other like they are trapped in a Meisner acting exercise.

I think the real purpose was to take up space on pages with a minimum of effort. Lots of short lines down the left side of the page can fill up 200 pages quicker than anything. He also loves having all the characters fawn upon Spenser or Stone, pointing out to them how handsome, what sexual athletes, what jocks, and geniuses they are, as if Parker were stroking his own--ego?--as lesser men and a chorus of thinly-developed and busty women tell him how amazing he is via his projections.

In this one, the bad guy is identified by the cops 1/3 of the way in, and nothing surprising happens. So, it is not really a mystery. What is it? Mostly fake-literary masturbation.

I see that the Spenser series and the Stone series will go on post-death of the author, carried on by other hands. Oh, goody.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting twist of a book. You have the swing couples, not good, I don't give a shit what you say, peeping Tom, and that Principal of that school. Shame. A lot about Jenn in this book, including how screwed up she did by moving to NYC and Jesse finally made a decision about their situation . . .

Page 7 . . . "the girls say you picked up their skirts and checked their underwear." . . .
"Did you look at their underwear, Mrs. Ingersoll?" . . .

Page 8 . . . "did yu check their undies, Betsy?" Jesse said. . . . "Do you know who my husband is, Jesse?" she said. . . .

Page 28 is where Sunny talks to Spike about changing the name of the Gray Gull

Page 57 . . . "I think it violated the civil rights of the girls," Dix said. . . .

Page 58 . . . "Every time," Jesse said. "sometimes she says she doesn't want them embarrassed if someone saw them." . . ."Last time we talked she said she was trying to keep them from becoming sluts when they got older," Jesse said. . . .

Page 63 . . . "Protect and serve," Maguire said. . . .

Page 71 . . . He just wanted to discover their secret and move on, and discover someone else's. . . .

Page 74 . . . "Candy is dandy," Jesse said, "but liquor is quicker." . . .

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paradise series has a lot of likeability. I liked the book, but while I liked the book, I do have an issue with it. It's such a low stakes story. The peeping tom/swingers storylines felt like a subplot and not the main drive of the story.

[Jason McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is much more enjoyable when he keeps the ex-wife out of it.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the eighth novel in the Jesse Stone Crime Series and the last one published before Parker’s death in 2010. Similar to some of the previous novels, Jesse is working three cases and at the same time dealing with his personal issues, notably his heavy drinking and his obsession with his ex-wife Jenn.

In the first case, high school principal Betsy Ingersoll is being accused of molestation. Several girls report that before the last school dance they were required to lift their dresses so the principal could check their underwear to ensure they were modestly dressed. Betsy believes proper attire includes what shows and doesn’t show and tells the girls that anyone wearing a thong is to go home. The girls object to the “panty patrol” and their parents, equally outraged, ask for Jesse’s help. Jesse agrees it is an invasion of privacy and is definitely not right, but whether it is illegal is another question. A charge of molestation usually requires sexual contact and a charge of assault includes the intent to injure. Nevertheless, Jesse is determined to do something. Complicating matters is Betsy’ husband Jay Ingersoll, a managing partner of the biggest law firm in the state. He defends his wife, insisting that no one was injured, no harm was done and no crime was committed. But Jesse feels what Betsy did was wrong and he doesn’t want her to get away with it. When Jesse persists, Jay threatens him with ruin if he continues to annoy his wife.

At the same time Jesse is dealing with another problem. Someone called the Night Hawk is looking in the windows of middle aged women while they are undressing at night. His behavior soon escalates into breaking and entering during the day, a time when he forces the women to undress at gunpoint. He never touches them but photographs them and then leaves. Jesse knows that sometimes what peepers see changes their future behavior and that the simple act of watching can lead to riskier behavior. As word spreads about the home invasions, women left home alone during the day with their children at school and their husbands at work, are becoming increasingly frightened. When the Night Hawk contacts Jesse and confesses his obsession, Jesse is not sure of the peeper’s motivation. Does he want to get caught?

In the third case, Jesse is approached by a young teen who tells him her parents are “swingers”. Both she and her brother know about the parties they hold once a month which they don’t like. She says her parents’ behavior is hurting the family and she asks for Jesse’s help to make it stop. Jesse does not have a problem with consenting adults changing sex partners, but when this behavior starts to affect the children, he feels he needs to intervene.

This novel is filled with Jesse’s angst over his personal life. He still bemoans his lost baseball career and the situation with his ex-wife. Jenn has moved to New York for a syndicated TV show, living with her producer until she can get a place of her own and perpetuating her pattern of sleeping with men who advance her career. This latest move has caused Jesse to increase his drinking. He is still in therapy with Dix and has come to understand Jenn's behavior better. He realizes how Jenn takes advantage of the fact he loves her. If things go badly, she calls him and he rescues her, always ready with a welcoming safety net. But Jesse has had enough and tells Jenn he wants her out of his life. What makes things easier is that Sunny Randall has returned to Paradise. Her friend Spike is opening up a restaurant in town and this gives Sunny and Jesse an opportunity to reconnect.

Parker provides coherence to the novel by seamlessly linking the cases as Jesse, along with Molly and “Suitcase” Simpson bring things to a successful conclusion.

Jesse remains a likeable and complex character, a competent police chief who struggles with his personal life. Parker continues to develop the relationships Jesse has with his staff at the police station, especially those of Molly Crane and “Suitcase” Simpson and the witty dialogue between the three always provides a good laugh.

This is a quick, entertaining read and a good addition to the series.

[Watchdogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night And Day (Jesse Stone #8) by Robert B. Parker
First published February 24, 2009

GR thumbnail -
Things are getting strange in Paradise. Chief Stone goes to the junior high school when reports of lewd conduct by the school’s principal, Betsy Ingersoll, filter into the station. Ingersoll claims she was protecting the propriety of her students when she inspected girls' undergarments in the locker room. Jesse would like nothing more than to see Ingersoll punished, but her high-powered attorney, also her husband, stands in the way.

At the same time, the women of Paradise are faced with a threat to their sense of security with the emergence of a tormented voyeur, dubbed 'The Night Hawk.' Initially, he’s content to peer through windows, but as times goes on, he becomes more reckless, forcing his victims to strip at gunpoint, then photographing them at their most vulnerable. And according to the notes he’s sending to Jesse, he won't be satisfied to stop there. It’s up to Jesse to catch The Night Hawk, before it’s too late.

My thoughts -
After reading this fast-paced mystery which is primarily driven by dialogue I checked out a few reviews on GR to see what others had to say. I found some pretty good reviews, and I would suggest you refer to them before deciding if this might be something for you.

I've been a luke warm to warm fan of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series since the 1980s and have only recently expanded to the Jesse Stone series once I discovered I had some on my shelves that have been there for a while. If I didn't like RBP's style I wouldn't be too impressed with this suspense story, but I do like his staccato dialogue and found his intuitive style of investigation interesting and sort of unique. I recommend reading these novels in order rather than as stand-alone stories because there is a significant amount of carryover, especially with Jesse's personal history and relationships. Probably a 3.5-star read for me which I'll round up only because Parker's writing career was nearing its end when this was written.

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Night and Day” is the eighth entry in Parker’s enjoyable Jesse Stone set. Compared to some of the others, the storyline is a little tame, although three sets of events bother Jesse enough to seek righting some wrongs, crimes or not. First, a middle school (female) principal is caught literally inspecting a bunch of the girl student’s panty underwear, prompting numerous complaints to say the least – but her husband, a high-powered attorney, tries to keep the lid on that virtually all-book long. Meanwhile, a peeping Tom is seen spying through some bedroom windows – and his actions soon escalate into home invasions and nude photo ops with unwilling women! Lastly, a couple who is hosting wife-swapping parties at their house, and traumatizing their kids in the process, comes to Stone’s attention via the visits of their teenaged daughter. All this action gives Jesse’s cop shop plenty to work on, in the process providing plenty of digressive material for Jesse to discuss with his shrink rather than pursue his troubles with ex-wife Jenn. Another Parker character, PI Sunny Randall, puts in a few token appearances as well, mostly as Jesse’s latest girlfriend – and will things finally start to get more serious there?

So: a typical novel in the series, a quick pleasant read, with not much blood and guts, but with our world-wise favorite small town police chief prevailing in the end, as totally expected!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night and Day read as quickly as expected with a Robert B Parker book. This is both a good thing and bad. The story, even told sparingly, is a compelling one; it was good to visit with Jesse again and it was over too soon.
In contract with the simplicity of the dialog, Jesse is a rather complex character, certainly a troubled one. You have to admire his desire to do the right thing; even though as usual, doing that puts his position as Police Chief in jeopardy.
If you had asked me at the beginning of the book if I was interested in more Jenn; more beleagured Jesse as the butt of the town council's wrath; amd more drinking -- I would probably have said no. In reality, the end result holds together well, and there actually may be some progress. I am ready for the next installment.

[Bing Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit too twisted, but...

If you are a fan of Parker’s world, you should plow through this. It’s a Jesse story with Suit and Molly as co-stars, but a bit of Susan Silverman, a dash of Spike, some Sunny as clean-up hitter, a bit of sizzling fastballs, and the ending I was hoping for.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parker was pretty prudish and kind of judgy here. But at least we can all be grateful society has (presumably) advanced to the point where a principal who examined the underwear of 13 year old girls would definitely be fired, instead of this idiocy. Otherwise - it's a standard Parker: quick, short banter and not much else. Good for some relaxing reading!

[Nanosynergy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More solid entry in this series, but a bit salacious. Continued nice ensemble cast of the police force. An off-beat incident with a school principal and a disturbed, clever peeping tom character with a surprise ending.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good Jesse Stone. Three cases, that all eventually overlap each other, progress on the Jesse Stone and Jenn relationship. All of the classic characters and some new good ones as well. Excellent book.

[Hmissyostendorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put it down. Jessie Stone continues to put a real face on law enforcement.

[B.R. Stateham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I've been reading a lot of the Jesse Stone novels lately. Gotta say this is in the top two of the novels so far (The newest Stone novel, Colorblind, takes top billing).

Sharp, witty dialogue. A couple of interesting nuance in the plots, some really interesting characters. And Jesse Stone is the tops in being the sarcastic, dry humored male protagonist most of us like to find.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much!

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I️ love Jesse Stone.

[Denise Foerter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intensr, yet breezy and fun.

Another wonderful Jesse Stone novel! I just can't wait to read the next book. Parker is a master of
subtext.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

not as good as some of the other jesse stone books,

[Mary]

I’m re reading all the Jesse Stone books - what a treat!