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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
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Summary
Summary
Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone returns, tracking the path of a pair of thrill killers. Investigating a serial killer in an affluent suburban town is difficult, and dangerous, and with the added pressures from the town selectmen and the media, the heat is turned up on Jesse. He's spending too much time with the bottle-and with his ex-wife-neither of which helps him, or the case. And the harder these outside forces push against him, the more Jesse retreats into himself, convinced-despite all the odds-that it's up to him alone to stop the killing. As tough, clear-eyed, and sardonic as Jesse Stone himself, this is the Grand Master working at the peak of his powers.
Author Notes
Robert Brown Parker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 17, 1932. He received a B.A. from Colby College in 1954, served in the U.S. Army in Korea, and then returned to receive a M. A. in English literature from Boston University in 1957. He received a Ph.D. in English literature from Boston University in 1971.
Before becoming a full-time writer in 1979, he taught at Lowell State College, Bridgewater State College and Northwestern University.
In 1971, Parker published The Godwuff Manuscript, as homage to Raymond Chandler. The character he created, Spencer, became his own detective and was featured in more than 30 novels. His Spencer character has been featured in six TV movies and the television series Spencer: For Hire that starred Robert Urich and ran from 1985 to 1988.
He is also the author of the Jesse Stone series, which has been made into a series of television movies for CBS, and the Sunny Randall series. His novel Appaloosa (2005) was made into a 2008 movie directed by and starring Ed Harris. He has received numerous awards for his work including an Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1977 for The Promised Land, Grand Master Edgar Award for his collective oeuvre in 2002, and the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. He died of a heart attack on January 18, 2010 at the age of 77.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
It's taken four novels, but finally Parker's Jesse Stone series has produced a book as good as top-drawer Spenser. This outing finds the laconic, troubled cop tackling three problems: to capture the pair of serial killers who are murdering random victims in small-town Paradise, Mass., where Stone is chief of police; to bring to justice the three high-school students who gang-raped a younger schoolmate; and to come to terms with his love of both alcohol and his ex-wife, Jenn. The serial killers, revealed early to the reader and soon enough to Stone, are a married yuppie pair who taunt Stone, whom they take as a dumb hick cop, as he collects evidence to bring them down; his pursuit of them leads them to kill someone close to him, then to target Stone himself, and eventually to an emotionally cathartic climax in Toronto, where the killers have fled. That story line serves as a fine little police procedural, but Parker is at his max here when following the rape plot, especially in scenes in which Stone, in his cool, compassionate way, tries to help the besieged victim as best he can. Meanwhile, under intense media attention and pressure from town elders for the ongoing serial killings, Stone works his way toward an understanding of the roles that booze and Jenn play in his life. Told in third-person prose that's a model of economy, with sharp action sequences, deep yet unobtrusive character exploration and none of the cuteness that can mar the Spenser novels, this is prime Parker, testament to why he was named a Grand Master at the 2002 Edgar Awards. (On sale Sept. 29) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
Jesse Stone, police chief in Paradise, MA, has to cope with teenage rapists, serial killers, alcohol, and stunted emotional relationships. The title refers to all these things: the coldness of the legal system that grants guilty, young gang rapists freedom while the teenage victim continues to suffer; the coldness of serial killers who kill for pleasure; the strength of Jesse, who quits drinking-stone cold; finally, the coldness of his ex-wife, who selfishly keeps Jesse on a string while she continues to enjoy life with other men. Robert Forster reads both productions, which seem to differ only in packaging; his slow, relaxed delivery works well with Parker's plainly constructed sentences and Jesse's reticence. Jesse's mind moves quickly, but his speech is direct and to the point; his few words may reflect the essence of his inner controversy or they may be the result of an unaffected mind-the listener must decide. Forster understands this and with his voice manages to convey both Jesse's complexity and simplicity. This most enjoyable listening experience is recommended for popular collections.-Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
1 After the murder, they made love in front of a video camera. When it was over, her mouth was bruised. He had long scratches across his back. They lay side by side on their backs, gasping for breath. "Jesus!" he said, his voice hoarse. "Yes," she whispered. She moved into the compass of his left arm and rested her head against his chest. They lay silently for a while, not moving, waiting for oxygen. "I love you," he said. "I love you too," she said. He put his face down against the top of her head where it lay on his chest. Her hair smelled of verbena. In time their breathing settled. "Let's play the video," she whispered. "Let's," he said. The camera stood beside the bed on a tripod. He got up, took the tape from it, put it in the VCR, got back into bed, and picked up the remote from the night table. She moved back into the circle of his arm, her head back on his chest. "Show time," he said, and clicked the remote. They watched. "My God," she said. "Look at me." "I love how you're looking right into the camera," he said. They watched quietly for a little while. "Whoa," she said. "What are you doing to me there?" "Nothing you don't like," he said. When the tape was over he rewound it. "You want to watch again?" he said. She was drawing tiny circles on his chest with her left forefinger. "Yes." He started the tape again. "You know what I loved," she said. "I loved the range of expression on his face." "Yes," he said, "that was great. First it's like, what the hell is this?" "And then like, are you serious?" "And then, omigod!" "That's the best," she said. "The way he looked when he knew we were going to kill him. I've never seen a look like that." "Yes," he said. "That was pretty good." "I wish we could have made it last longer," she said. He shrugged. "My bad," she said. "I got so excited. I shot too soon." "I've been known to do that," he said. "Well, aren't you Mr. Dirty Mouth," she said. They both laughed. "We'll get better at it," he said. She was now rubbing the slow circles on his chest with her full palm, looking at the videotape. "Ohhh," she said. "Look at me! Look at me!" He laughed softly. She moved her hand down his stomach. "What's happening here?" she said. He laughed again. "Ohh," she said. "Good news." She turned her body hard against him and put her face up. "Be careful," she murmured. "My mouth is sore." They made love again while the image of their previous lovemaking moved unseen on the television screen, and the sounds of that mingled with the sounds they were making now. --from Stone Cold: A Jesse Stone Novel by Robert B. Parker, copyright © 2003 Robert B. Parker, published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., all rights reserved, reprinted with permission from the publisher. Excerpted from Stone Cold by Robert B. Parker All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.