High Profile

By Robert B. Parker

This is a review of an audiobook I listened to on my commute, another Parker mystery novel. To my disappointment, the library from which I borrow audiobooks was out of Spenser novels which I haven't heard. This is a bummer, because I'm kind of committed to the character, having listened to so many of the stories in rapid succession. But if they don't have them, what else am I going to do for free? So I picked up this one, one of Parker's Jesse Stone novels.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had actually read—read not heard—the first Jesse Stone novel, Dark Passage. I even saw the made-for-TV movie based on the novel (the book had more plot, but Tom Selleck nailed the character). And I thought it was okay, but not really gripping. It had a little too much introductory stuff for my tastes, and I didn't want more in this book. And I didn't get it. It's fairly similar to Parker's Spenser novels, just with a different protagonist. In fact, Stone and Spenser are very similar. The biggest difference is that one is a cop, the other a private dick (but an ex-cop). The other biggest difference is their love lives: Stone's is a mess, but Spenser's is stable. Other than that, the two characters are interchangeable.

It has a different narrator than the Spenser books, which is to be expected. The narrator is fine, but I won't go on and on about him. He did a good job, didn't suck and got the characters across. He didn't detract from the story, which is a lot more than I can say about other readers I've heard.

Once again, my review is fairly favorable and nearly identical to every Parker novel. The writing is even, easy to listen to and enjoyable. A major difference from most Spenser novels, however, is that as Stone gathers clues, the case becomes clearer, instead of more baffling as is the case with most Spenser books. But Parker is still is a little too fond of the F-word in this book too.

Stone's little town of Paradise, Massachusetts is swamped by reporters when a high-profile political talk show host is found dead hanging from a tree in town. Normally a case like this would baffle a small-town cop. But the murderer didn't count on Jesse Stone being at the helm, an ex-LA homicide detective. Jesse has to wade through the numerous suspects and find out who did it and why. And if that wasn't enough, his ex-wife has come running to him for help. Still emotionally attached to her, he feels obligated to help, despite his limited bandwidth. So he enlists the help of his occasional lover and private detective, Sunny Randall (another Parker icon).

One of Stone's faults is that he's an alcoholic. I haven't listened to these books in order, but apparently, for a while, in some book or books, he went dry. By the time this book picks up however, he drinks socially again. He never gets drunk, but drinks often. So, apparently, he's conquered his alcoholism, or at least can control it by now.

This Jesse Stone novel is engaging and well worth a listen (or read).

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