This is the first novel that I have read by this author.

His style is very distinctive - the story is mainly told by dialogue through the main characters, with just a little descriptive writing. There is a little humour too, mainly in Jesse Stone's dealing with his offsider Suitcase Simpson who does a lot of the leg work, but is not yet accorded the title of detective.

Running in the background is Stone's own relationships with his ex-wife whom he is finding it hard to beak off relationships with, and Sunny, the woman he would like to develop a relationship with. ( )

(2007)Getting caught up with all of the Jesse Stone novels. Another very good one with 2 stories. Jesse's former wife comes to him with a story that she was raped and is being stalked by the rapist. Jesse has to work out what is true and not. In the process he must break up with Sunny Randall (not necessarily a bad thing IMHO). Other main story concerns a prominent radio talk host murdered with his assistant and bodies discovered in Paradise.(Booklist)Walton Weeks is a one-man media empire. He hosts a popular national radio gabfest, writes a newspaper column, and churns out best-selling books. At least he did until someone shot him and left him hanging from a tree in Paradise, Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, the body of Weeks' pregnant lover is discovered in a nearby dumpster. Paradise police chief Jesse Stone fends off pressure from the governor and the state police in order to solve the high-profile case with the resources of his 12-person force. The potential suspects include two ex-wives, a widow, a bodyguard, and assorted staff members. Stone's problem is determining a motive. In a parallel plot, Stone attends to the needs of his ex-wife, Jenn, who alleges she was raped and claims she is being stalked by her attacker. Unable to cope with the murders and the rape, Stone calls on private investigator Sunny Randall--a sometime lover--to help with Jenn. Obsessive, sometimes unhealthy love is a recurring theme in Parker's work. In his Spenser novels, the protagonist and his lover have come through the tough times intact. Stone and Jenn have a strong but deleterious bond and are in the midst of a trying emotional journey to an unknown destination. This is Parker's most complex, ambitious novel in years. Spenser is always the toughest, coolest guy in the room. Jesse Stone sometimes seems like the toughest, coolest guy in the room, but he knows he's not. Great reading from an old hand who hasn't lost his touch. Wes Lukowsky

Synopsis: '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 Sone 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 to solve he crimes becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. Yet 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 he 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 to trust is indeed a matter of life and death.' From the book jacket.

Review: Jesse is still drinking, Jenn is still in the picture, and things are a tangle. Interesting story. ( )

First edition as new

Another Jesse Stone mystery by Robert B. Parker, Jesse Stone #6. Murderous bad guys are caught in the end of course. I am finding the Jesse Stone series not nearly as compelling as Parker's other mysteries. A recurring theme running through the Jesse Stone stories is his ex-wife who won't go away and neither can be fully done with the other. There are books that stay in one's head for a lifetime and then there are others. High Profile is an other. ( )