Paradise, revisited, is familiar ground for Parker
Stranger in Paradise
By Robert B. Parker
Putnam, 304 pp., $25.95
The prolific Robert B. Parker delivers another Massachusetts-based mystery with his newest book, "Stranger in Paradise." It's his 59th book and his seventh starring police chief Jesse Stone, top cop in the fictional North Shore town of Paradise.
The plot revolves around the return of Wilson "Crow" Cromartie, the murderous
Locating Amber Francisco proves easy enough, but nothing else in "Stranger in Paradise" is that simple. Crow, it turns out, is a fearless killer with a moral code who draws a wary Stone into an uncomfortable alliance and sends the book on a zigzag course of plot twists and ethical ambiguities.
Although Parker fills in the basic outline of Crow's first misadventure in Paradise, those who haven't read "Trouble in Paradise" might find his return less satisfying than those who have. That could lead to either frustration or enough curiosity to pick up the 1998 book and fill in the blanks.
Parker, as always, tells his story sparingly. His side plots fill sleepy little Paradise with enough shenanigans to invite comparison to Peyton Place, although the sex presented here is more straightforward than steamy.
Stone, booted from the Los Angeles Police Department for drinking, continues to try to work out his relationship with Jenn, the ex-wife he still loves. She's a TV reporter struggling to prove herself, not the equal that psychologist Susan Silverman is to Spenser, Parker's most famous protagonist. What insight Susan offers Spenser, Stone gets from Dix, his psychiatrist.
Like Spenser, Stone is a laconic macho man with a sensitive side, though with a police department to run, a personal life in shambles, and a troubled history, he's the more complicated character in many ways.
Police officers Molly Crane, married mom with a gun, and Suitcase Simpson, Romeo with a badge, round out the cast, along with troubled teenager Amber, her no-good hoodlum boyfriend, and the snobs of Paradise Neck.
Anyone writing genre fiction as long and as often as Parker has runs the risk of growing stale, and his unadorned prose, clipped dialogue, and neat turns of plot and phrase don't feel as fresh as they once did. Still, Stone is a welcome addition to Parker's stable, and "Stranger in Paradise" is a pleasant way to while away an evening or two.
Irene Sege is a member of the Globe staff. She can be reached at i_sege@globe.com. 