Rating: 
Summary: Read about the highly appealing Jesse Stone
Review: Jesse Stone is the beleaguered chief of police in tiny Paradise, Mass. He has ended up there after his job as a cop in Los Angeles, alcohol, and his ex-wife have forced him to redirect his life. Parker's Stone is an appealing character. He takes it one day at time, is a man of principle, and takes his new job seriously.
It is Stone's calmness and instincts as a cop that serve him well in investigating a series of seemingly linked killings in Paradise - something new in this small town. Though the strong, silent type, his sensitivity is evident in his handling of a sexual assault case in the local high school.
Stone has managed to get his alcohol abuse under control, but his ex-wife Jenn, a local TV personality, continues to bedevil him. He simply cannot move on without her, and this is despite his obvious appeal to other attractive and smart women.
The character of Jesse Stone is the reason to read this book, though it is mildly disappointing that the author really gives us little of his background. In addition the perpetrators of the murdering spree remain mostly a puzzle. How did they get to this point? Basically the book is a quick and enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Trouble in Paradise
Review: Jesse Stone, the police chief in Paradise MA, is fighting the urge to booze even as a serial killer or killers stalk his small beach community. Jesse's job is on the line as the national press arrives to set up camp. Never losing his cool or his focus Stone is proves the equal of the killers and the bottle.
Evenly paced and dramatic, Parker shows why he is a national treasure.
Rating: 
Summary: An immensly enjoyable read
Review: Just a joy to read an author who uses words with so much economy in this age of overbloated novels. Reads like a breeze,and an interesting character in Jessie Stone. Spenser accepted his fallabilies and marched on. Stone has similar faults but, allows these faults to define him and, as a result lacks in self confidence and can get alternately whiney or abusive. Might have been what Spenser would have wound up like if he had not met Susan. I would like to see what Parker does with this character in the future
Rating: 
Summary: Long Live The Formula!
Review: One does not read Robert B. Parker for deep intellectual insights into the human condition, complex characters, or intricate plots. Parker serves his purpose in providing his readers with sheer escapist reading. Books containing just enough action to entertain and keeping the reader interested while not boring anyone with that messy character development stuff. This certainly is true of his latest effort involving his recently developed character Jesse Stone.As the novel opens, Paradise Massachusetts Police Chief is called to the scene of a dead body on the beach. The man, dressed in warm-ups was shot twice in the chest at fairly close range and while his identity is quickly determined, nothing else is. Jesse and his small Department have no suspects, no motive and virtually no evidence other than the fact that he was shot with two different guns, both twenty-two caliber. At almost the same time, a local teenager is brutally gang raped by several of her classmates. Afraid to come forward and with a Mother more concerned about her own public image than of her daughter's well being, the case seemingly goes nowhere. That is until Jesse begins to circumvent the parents in a bid to make sure that the three he suspects did it are arrested and punished. Jesse begins to split his time and resources between both cases and it quickly becomes apparent that in the case of the murder, he has a pair of thrill killers working in his town. They are very skilled at what they do and their targets are completely at random with nothing linking them at all. At the same time, his efforts in the rape case begin to slowly pay off and he inches ever closer to making the parties responsible pay. Despite the very misleading book jacket copy, Jesse is never out of control and if anything, is in better emotional shape than normal in this novel. While his battle against alcoholism goes on with little change, as does his personal situation with his ex-wife Jenn, these aren't new problems as they have been around in each preceding novel and addressed throughout. Nothing is new or different in these situations and in fact, is rather expected as they point to established weaknesses in the character as originally created. However, there are two major problems with this book beyond the formulaic issues. First the gratuitous use of the f word as well as its accompanying descriptions of casual sex. Jesse in this novel beds several women all of whom have successful careers and know of his many times stated love for his ex wife and seemingly don't care. As one character so eloquently puts it, she is happy as long as Jesse and her can be "...f*** buddies." One is reminded of the studly actions of Stuart Wood's character Stone Barrington and one is not impressed. The other major problem is the appallingly open ending for this novel. While the cases are resolved, other issues are suddenly raised in the last two pages and not addressed. While I can't go into detail without ruining this book for potential readers, it is extremely hard to determine whether or not this is the last of the Jesse Stone novels or if the author is just trying to shake things up for his readers. If it is the former, it should have been made clearer to the reader. If the latter, it is a cheap trick and his readers deserve better. In either case, it would have been nice if a little thought had been given to which implication was correct so that it could have been better clarified for the reader's sake. Fans happy with the type of books Robert B. Parker churns out these days will be ecstatic with this one. The formula doesn't change and since it works so well, why change now?
Rating: 
Summary: Why do we care?
Review: Our hero,amoral in his love life, refusing to kick his unfaithful ex-wife to the curb, and making mystery solving boring, why continue? Parker can write like no one else, but his recent plots suggest the well may be dry.
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Summary: Great Stone novel!
Review: Parker's latest Jesse Stone (in my opinion his best series...) novel is a must-read by RBP fans. Parker proves he can still spit out two novels a year that prove to be entertaining and exciting reads. Stone Cold definitely has its share of surprises that will make you want to keep flipping the pages! If you like a simple, not-too-intricate novel, straight-forward, yet breahtaking novel -- go to Parker - and especially Stone Cold!
Rating:
Summary: Appropriately Titled
Review: Parker's writing leaves me stone cold. This is the first Robert Parker novel I've read, and it did not impress. The writing is flat, arch at times, and a plot twist toward the end of the book...uhhh, did we forget one? This is a boring march through two cases: (1) the gang-rape of an underage high-schooler and (2) a serial killing couple who kill for the thrill. Neither case has much dimension or plot, and worse, they are highly predictible. Then we throw in the love-life storyline of the Jesse Stone, our protaganist, police chief. He struggles to reconcile with his ex-wife and to keep off the bottle. This is creative writing? Sorry, Parker fans...<yawn>.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, an exceptional read.
Review: Parker, I suspect, has finally past his prime. His Spenser character needs to retire. But Jesse Stone is something else. Just maybe Parker is actually starting to get on course with Stone. This book is actually worth reading without being disappointing. Try it, you will certainly like it.
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Summary: Serial killers running wild..........
Review: Robert Parker has created an enigma with his character Jesse Stone. Just when you are sure that you know what Jesse will choose to do next, you are surprised.
In this novel, a pair of serial murderers is running rampant in Jesse Stone's small town. The motive is unfathomable, but then, they ARE serial killers. While Jesse and his police force track the killers, not only the why, but the who will be next question hangs densely in the air.
While the investigation proceeds, Jesse becomes more or less involved with a couple of different women, when his ex-wife enters the picture.
In the center of this novel is the third line of the story involving a young girl who claims to have been raped by some of the jocks at her school. The way Jesse handles this investigation is a wonderful new facet to this character.
The mix of emotions is nearly volatile, and as another murder occurs, you begin to wonder how will Robert PArker bring the story together. I thought the serial killers were a little vague, as characters, but still the surprising twists and turns of this author never fail to capture the readers full attention.
Rating:
Summary: Good Guy Wins! Good Guy Wins!
Review: RObert Parker writes good page-turning mysteries and this one is in his upper echelon. Jesse Stone is a big-time L.A. cop who comes to be the chief of police in a small Massachusetts town. In this novel he solves two crimes - one a local rape and the other a serial killer. Along the way he has relationships with several women including an ex-wife he can not surrender. (Somehow, this middle-aged taciturn guy keeps getting the babes, but somehow it works.) The reader will find himself rooting for Stone in the rape matter and being very satisfied with its conclusion. In the serial killer plot, Stone's adversary is extremely unique and interesting. To tell more would be to ruin the first third of the book but suffice it to say Parker has masterfully created a challenging nemesis for his hero. Parker's writing, as always, is clean, concise and keeps the story moving. A good page-turner of a mystery.
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