Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise (Jesse Stone Novel, #19)

by Mike Lupica

When an unknown man is found murdered in Paradise, Jesse Stone will have his hands full finding out who he was--and what he was seeking.

When a body is discovered at the lake in Paradise, Police Chief Jesse Stone is surprised to find he recognizes the murder victim--the man had been at the same AA meeting as Jesse the evening before. But otherwise, Jesse has no clue as to the man's identity. He isn't a local, nor does he have ID on him, nor does any neighboring state have a reported missing person matching his description. Their single lead is from a taxi company that recalls dropping off the mysterious stranger outside the gate at the mansion of one of the wealthiest families in town. . . .

Meanwhile, after Jesse survives a hail of gunfire on his home, he wonders if it could be related to the murder. When both Molly Crane and Suitcase Simpson also become targets, it's clear someone has an ax to grind against the entire Paradise PD.

• ISBN10: 0525542086
• ISBN13: 9780525542087
• Publish Date: 8 September 2020
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: G P Putnam's Sons
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780525542087

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise is the 19th Jesse Stone novel - this entry by Mike Lupica from characters originally written and created by Robert B. Parker. Due out 8th Sept 2020 from Penguin Putnam on their G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint, it's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

These books (and the allied series) are so steeped in background that they're staples of the modern police procedural and PI canon. This series focuses around small town recovering alcoholic and Chief of Police Jesse Stone and his ensemble of supporting players. The plots are labyrinthine and tightly written with several disparate plot threads which intertwine more tightly as the book goes along until they resolve into a satisfying denouement.

The continuation of the series after the author's sudden passing in 2010 first filled me with trepidation, and therafter delight. The series has been respectfully and masterfully continued by a stable of capable writers in Parker's voice (to an almost spooky degree, honestly). I'm a keen reader for pleasure, not a literary professional by any means, but I can't easily tell what's cobbled together from Parker's notes and partially finished manuscripts and what (or if all of it) is completely new.

This was a really engaging story, well told. It's tightly plotted, the characters live and breathe, and it's really well written. It's just a solidly entertaining book. The language is average for a modern procedural/PI story (rough language, used in context with a fair number of "f-bombs" and lesser curses as well as implied consensual sex). The book also has major plot threads involving sexual and physical assault, substance abuse (alcohol), and infant abandonment which could be distressing to some readers.

This would make a perfect summer read. With all the weirdness and uncertainty in real life these days, it's comforting to know there's something we can count on to pull us out of our reality for a few hours.

Five stars, a worthy addition to the series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.