Robert Parker's Trouble in Paradise imagines an old-fashioned tough guys' world where most of the women are summed up by their figures and the men are measured by their ability to intimidate. Chief Jesse Stone of Paradise, Massachusetts, is Parker's hero again in this sequel to Night Passage. When he's not thinking about what his girlfriends look like under their clothes, Stone's touring his beat, hanging out at the Gray Gull Hotel bar to get intelligence on local thugs, or interrogating teens about their destructive pranks. But he has a vulnerable side, too, and Parker adds new layers of depth and complexity to his latest series character. Jesse's still reeling from his divorce. He and his ex-wife, Jenn, are not entirely ready to let go. In fact, Jenn has followed Jesse east from L.A. and is suffering in the Boston climate as one of the anchors on the local news. Romance with Jenn is further complicated by Jesse's ongoing attraction to attorney Abby Taylor and his emerging relationship with realtor Marcy Campbell.

Jesse's domestic troubles are gradually overshadowed, however, when ex-con Jimmy Macklin arrives in town. Macklin plans to pull "the mother of all stickups" on the ritzy Stiles Island in Paradise Harbor. He has figured out that the Stiles Island bridge, with its underpinning of utility cables and pipes, is a veritable lifeline to the mainland, and he's gathered a rogues' gallery of professional crooks and killers to help him take the bridge and make the island into a thieves' paradise. The one problem: Macklin never figured that Paradise, Massachusetts, would have a police chief as tough and resourceful as Jesse Stone.

As usual, Parker's stark and facile prose perfectly complements the masculine sufferings of his hero, and the action of the novel unfolds with an effortlessness that intimates a craftsman at work. With Parker's Spenser safely canonized as a detective fiction legend, Jesse Stone's unfolding world offers a welcome new addition to Parker's ouevre. --Patrick O'Kelley


From Publishers Weekly
Tough and tight, Parker's second Jesse Stone crime novel (after last year's Night Passage) finds the chief of police of modest Paradise, Mass., battling a ruthless gang of thieves even as he jousts with personal demons. Two parallel plotlines tell the story. One follows career criminal James Macklin and his moll, Faye, and their planning and subsequent execution of the heist of all the money and valuables on super-rich Stiles Island, which is connected by bridge to Paradise. Meanwhile, there's Stone, a cool customer who's not afraid to step on wealthy toes but who can't get his love life in order and can barely control his taste for booze. The crime line is the stronger of the two, traced in prose as lean as any Parker has wrought, a grand little caper tale in its own right as Macklin collects a rogue's gallery of accomplices, isolates Stiles Island by dynamiting its bridge and harbor, then preys upon its inhabitants. Stone's romantic entanglements, particularly his troubled relationship with his ex-wife, add texture to the novel and are notably less sentimental than the amours of his Spenser stories. They manifest at times in a histrionic way, however?as when the ex assaults a woman trying to get Stone fired?that retards the surge of the crime story. Stone remains a magnetic character, as silent as Spenser is chatty but equally strong, though likely too enigmatic at this juncture to engender the sort of reader affection that Spenser enjoys. Parker fans and all who love muscular crime writing will appreciate this tale, as the Boston-based crime master once again shows how to do it well, and with style. BOMC main selection. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Parker brings back Jesse Stone, his popular new protagonist from Night Passage, in time to face a group of ex-cons intent on blowing up a bridge.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The Boston Globe, Richard Dyer
In some respects, Trouble in Paradise is technically familiar. Parker again proceeds with an incident-per-chapter form as rigorous as a Spenserian stanza. But he is also pushing the envelope a little, something he hasn't dared to do in years....


From Booklist
Jimmy Macklin is fresh from three years in prison, and he has no intention of returning. He also has no intention of living the straight life. In prison, he heard of a small, extremely wealthy island community across the bay from Paradise, Massachusetts--just the place for the kind of elaborately planned score Jimmy loves. He thinks of himself as a great general, working out his battle plan, but he's not nearly as good as he thinks. His first mistake is to assume that a small town would have a typically ineffectual police chief. Jesse Stone is neither typical nor ineffectual. A drinking problem and a painful divorce brought Stone to Paradise from the LAPD, but now his ex-wife, Jenn, has followed him east. Personal troubles aside, he's faced with Macklin and a crew of criminal experts comprising a demolition expert, an experienced ocean captain (to drive the getaway boat), and a fearless, resourceful killer known as Crow. This is the second entry in Parker's new Jesse Stone series, following Night Passage , and it builds significantly on the foundation laid in its predecessor. Stone's emotional vulnerability is more visible as he struggles to come to terms with his feelings for Jenn, but he never misses a beat as he battles Macklin and his crew to an exciting conclusion. Parker fans will also enjoy comparing the amoral, ruthless Crow to Spenser's sidekick, Hawk. This is typical Parker, which means it's an enthralling, one-sitting read--and it's guaranteed to generate great demand. Wes Lukowsky

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
September 1998

Trouble in Paradise is the best Parker in some time, not so much because of story (which is not exactly unfamiliar) but because of storytelling. Parker's into a different rhythm here — pitting his new hero, police chief Jesse Stone, against ex-con Jimmy Macklin, who is planning to invade a wealthy New England community, thereby endangering not only the fortunes of the people who live there but their lives as well.

While Stone still occasionally ruminates on his drinking problem and his crushing divorce, he is a lot more active here than in his debut, Night Passage. In fact, one might argue that this is more of a straight action novel told as only Parker could tell it, with sociological asides (some of his comments on the rich would undoubtedly please F. Scott Fitzgerald), sly glimpses of human monsters (the pecking order of bad guys), and the fascinating planning that goes into pulling off a caper of this magnitude.

The cinematic intercutting works beautifully and sets up the final confrontation with a nice inevitability. And since Parker is never without some second-act surprises, there are enough plot twists in the middle to keep you slapping those pages back. Parker's got the knack, and it seems he's never going to lose it.

The rich man's community is set up well, too. Although Parker doesn't seem crazy about rich folk in general, they are sketched honestly. He resists cheap shots and parody, which a number of recent bestsellers have indulged in too readily. Yes, there are a lot of nasty rich people, but I could name you a longlistof rather nasty poor people, too.

One has the sense that Parker needed Jesse Stone not so much for his career — which is running along quite nicely, thank you — but to keep himself from suffering series-itis. When you sit at the writing machine everyday, you get tired of using the same muscles. Although one may find similarities between Spenser and Stone, the series are sufficiently different to please both reader and Parker alike. I'd forgotten, for instance, how deft his third-person can be, especially in describing action. The opening of Wilderness, for example, is extraordinary in the simple way it sets up and foreshadows everything that will follow. One sees this again in his mainstream novel All Our Yesterdays, where he uses short chapters in the way silent-film directors used fade-ups and fade-downs.

Trouble in Paradise is one of those books that both men and women will like. Stone is a more believable character (for me) than Spenser, and the people he meets (good and bad) are more familiar to me than the typical cast of a Spenser novel. I think Parker's really on to something with these Stone books. These are damned exciting books, and Stone is a memorable and likable hero.

Oh, yes — and there's a character named Suitcase Simpson. Now how can you dislike a book with a guy named Suitcase?

——Ed Gorman

Ed Gorman's latest novels include Cold Blue Midnight, now available in paperback, Harlot's Moon and Black River Falls, the latter of which "proves Gorman's mastery of the pure suspense novel," says Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. ABC-TV has optioned the novel as a movie. He is also the editor of Mystery Scene Magazine, which Stephen King calls "indispensable" for mystery readers.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees the island as the ultimate investment opportunity: all he needs to do is invade it, blow the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his scheme, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons - all experts in their fields - including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise police chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in triplicate: his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise Jail for assault, he's begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell, and he's still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin's attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it's up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.

SYNOPSIS

Robert B. Parker's new hero, police chief Jesse Stone, made his debut in the memorable Night Passage. Now he returns in the action-packed Trouble in Paradise, which author and Mystery Scene editor Ed Gorman calls "the best Parker in some time." Trouble in Paradise pits Stone against ex-con Jimmy Macklin, who is planning to pull off the caper of the century.

FROM THE CRITICS

Entertainment Weekly

Not for nothing is Parker regarded as the reigning champion of the American tough-guy novel, heavyweight division. Over a 25-year career, the man has rarely composed a bad sentence or an inert paragraph. His 30th novel, which features brand-new protagonist Jesse Stone, proves no exception.

Publishers Weekly

Tough and tight, Parker's second Jesse Stone crime novel (after last year's Night Passage) finds the chief of police of modest Paradise, Mass., battling a ruthless gang of thieves even as he jousts with personal demons. Two parallel plotlines tell the story. One follows career criminal James Macklin and his moll, Faye, and their planning and subsequent execution of the heist of all the money and valuables on super-rich Stiles Island, which is connected by bridge to Paradise. Meanwhile, there's Stone, a cool customer who's not afraid to step on wealthy toes but who can't get his love life in order and can barely control his taste for booze.

The crime line is the stronger of the two, traced in prose as lean as any Parker has wrought, a grand little caper tale in its own right as Macklin collects a rogue's gallery of accomplices, isolates Stiles Island by dynamiting its bridge and harbor, then preys upon its inhabitants. Stone's romantic entanglements, particularly his troubled relationship with his ex-wife, add texture to the novel and are notably less sentimental than the amours of his Spenser stories. They manifest at times in a histrionic way, however -- as when the ex assaults a woman trying to get Stone fired -- that retards the surge of the crime story.

Stone remains a magnetic character, as silent as Spenser is chatty but equally strong, though likely too enigmatic at this juncture to engender the sort of reader affection that Spenser enjoys. Parker fans and all who love muscular crime writing will appreciate this tale, as the Boston-based crime master once again shows how to do it well, and with style.

Entertainment Weekly

Not for nothing is Parker regarded as the reigning champion of the American tough-guy novel, heavyweight division. Over a 25-year career, the man has rarely composed a bad sentence or an inert paragraph. His 30th novel, which features brand-new protagonist Jesse Stone, proves no exception.

Kirkus Reviews

Parker's 30th novel brings back Jesse Stone, alcoholic police chief of Paradise, Mass., whose customary round-robin of sorrows (the mother of a pair of anti-gay arsonist teenaged boys who's determined to break him for harassing her poor kids) and joys (the sometime return to Jesse's bed of his actress-ex, Jenn, now reading the weather forecast on Channel 3, and the welcome presence of several other ladies with clingy pants and short skirts), is interrupted by plans for a big score. The plans are made by Jimmy Macklin, a con who's got his eye on Stiles Island, Paradise's wealthiest and most easily isolated enclave.

Generously borrowing earlier capers, everywhere from Hammett's The Gutting of Couffignal to Sanders's The Anderson Tapes, Macklin, who seems more excited to be planning the score than to be counting the take, methodically gathers his troops (a crooked sailor, a crackerjack electrician, an explosives expert, and a killer) and prepares for an all-day assault on Stiles Island. Meantime, a couple of tell-tale clues (as in the amusing episode when Macklin, suitably disguised as a prospective buyer on Stiles Island, pays a visit to Jesse to check him out, and the two men compete in a race, as it were) put Jesse onto the gang with satisfyingly predictable results. All right, it's no Asphalt Jungle. But Parker writes so economically—even the women this time out have caught Jesse's terseness—that he almost has you believing this old, old story is happening for the first time.