Night Passage by Robert B. Parker

 Night Passage (Jesse Stone #1) by Robert B. Parker - 322 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dumps him, thirty-five-year-old Jesse Stone’s future looks bleak. So he’s shocked when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise recruits him as police chief. He can’t help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can’t refuse.

Once on board, Jesse doesn’t have to look for trouble in Paradise: it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption—replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. Against all this, Jesse stands utterly alone, with no one to trust—even he and the woman he’s seeing are like ships passing in the night. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero—or the deadest of dupes.

The only reason I read this was because it was chosen by our Mystery/Suspense Book Club. But, I'm really glad they did, because I loved it. I usually don't like short chapters, but Parker makes them work well, and the short chapters make it feel like a very quick read. I felt like I got to know the characters, and some of them are pretty unique. I look forward to reading more of the Jesse Stone series.

Some of the books in this series have been made into TV movies starring Tom Selleck. I also enjoyed the movie adaptation even though the plot had been streamlined and some character traits had been changed.

Robert B. Parker's Damned If You Do by Michael Brandman

Robert B. Parker's Damned If You Do: A Jesse Stone Novel by Michael Brandman --- 271 pages

First of all I have to say that it's only because of the wide margins and line spacing that this novel runs to 271 pages. If it was typeset properly we'd be talking about a 100 page novella here.

I loved Robert Parker's novels, particularly the Jesse Stone and the Sunny Randall series. Unfortunately, since his death, Parker's heirs and his publishers seem determined to milk his reputation for all it's worth, as they have published additional titles in several of his series written by other authors. I can't comment on the Spenser novels by Ace Atkins but I can say that this is the third Jesse Stone novel by Michael Brandman (he collaborated with Parker on various film screenplays and the scripts for the Jesse Stone made-for-television films starring Tom Selleck).

This could be made to work, but unfortunately with each successive iteration Parker's original work has been watered down to a pale and predictable imitation going through the motions. Sometimes good things should be allowed to come to an end.

Robert B. Parkers Ironhorse by Robert Knott

Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse  Robert Knott  pgs. 374

"For years, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch have ridden roughshod over rabble-rousers and gun hands in troubled towns like Appaloosa, Resolution, and Brimstone.  Now, newly appointed as Territorial Marshalls, they find themselves traveling by train through the Indian Territories.  Their first marshaling duty starts out as a simple mission to escort Mexican prisoners to the border, but when the Governor of Texas, his wife and daughters climb aboard with their bodyguards and $500,000 in tow, their journey suddenly becomes a lot more complicated." From Amazon.com

 This is another great Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch story! Robert Knott has got the dialogue of these two cowboys down pat. Great story, awesome shoot-'em-up scenes, mean bad guys, kidnapping beautiful women for ransom, all the things that you need in a wonderful  western story.

"A Catskill Eagle" by Rober B. Parker

"A Catskill Eagle" by Robert B. Parker - 368 pages

This is a Spencer novel.  Spencer gets a letter from Susan, the woman he loves, that tells him that his friend Hawk is in jail, and he is there because of her.  She had asked Hawk to help her leave her boyfriend who was very possessive.  Spencer travels to California and breaks Hawk out of jail.  Then Spencer and Hawk try to find Susan and the man who doesn't want to let go.  His father is involved in selling guns to foreign governments and after Spencer and Hawk break into his house looking for Susan, he puts a hit out on them.  The FBI ask for Spencer and Hawk's help in bringing down the father in exchange for the charges in California going away.  Will Spencer and Hawk be able to find Susan and complete the mission that the FBI has given them?

"Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice" - by Michale Brandman

 

"Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice" by Michael Brandman - 274 pages

This is a story about a movie star who comes to Paradise, Massachusetts to film a new movie.  She takes the roll to get away from her husband who she is divorcing. due to his abuse.  Chief Jesse Stone and his police department must try to protect her.  Her husband, in a drug induced state, comes up with a plan to follow and murder her.  After he succeeds, Chief Stone must help find the killer.  In the mean time, he must also teach a privileged girl that the world doesn't revolve around her and that just because dad is a lawyer and mom thinks she is above everyone else, she can't go around disregarding the laws.  

"Valediction" by Robert B. Parker

"Valediction" by Robert B. Parker - 284

This is a Spencer novel.  It is about a man who hires Spencer to find his girlfriend who has been kidnapped by a religious group.  There are many twists and turns in this book.  Was she really kidnapped, is the religious group involved in drugs and money laundering, and who is the one running the show?

"The Widening Gyre" - Robert B. Parker

"The Widening Gyre" by Robert B. Parker - 183 pages

This is a Spencer novel about a Senate candidate named Meade Alexander who is being blackmailed with a video tape of his wife.  Spencer is hired to see if he can stop the blackmailing.  In doing so, he figures out that the current Senator used a mob boss' son to make the tape so that he could keep the other candidate from winning.