Rating: 
Summary: Stone Cold
Review: "Stone Cold" is the fourth Jesse Stone novel by Robert B. Parker, who is best known for his Spenser novels. Jesse is the police chief of the small seaside town of Paradise, Massachusetts. This novel has Jesse working on two important police cases and examining his personal life. A serial murderer is killing people at random with two shots from two .22 caliber guns. The reader learns that there are 2 murderers and why they are killing people. Jesse's life is very much in danger as it becomes apparent to him that he is to become a victim if he doesn't act fast. The other case involves the rape of a teen girl by three punks. Jesse also examines his personal life, and his love for Jenn, his ex-wife whom he still loves. This was my favorite Jesse Stone novel to date and it was a very satisfying read.
Rating: 
Summary: Spenser: Make Room For Stone
Review: I like Robert Parker's way of writing, view of life and knack for weaving interesting stories about as much as anyone writing today. I am totally captivated by Spenser but find myself growing more and more fond of the Jesse Stone novels.
In this case, a couple that is entirely ruthless and gets their kicks from killing strangers has moved into Stone's small town. As police chief, Stone is faced with tracking down very smart people who have developed a method for identifying and killing people that does not require them to make any significant mistakes or leave any evidence.
The couple begins to be fascinated with the idea of killing Stone; the plot thickens.
In the middle of all this, Stone continues to long for his ex-wife and continues to date without the ability to commit. He struggles with the amount of alcohol he uses to compensate for the emptiness he feels from living without his ex-wife.Parker has written a number of times about the power of being committed so deeply to someone that you have no choice but to live it out (most powerfully in Love and Glory). Stone Cold takes a deep step into that territory and does it while spinning a very good mystery story.
Rating:
Summary: Serial killers running wild..........
Review: Robert Parker has created an enigma with his character Jesse Stone. Just when you are sure that you know what Jesse will choose to do next, you are surprised.
In this novel, a pair of serial murderers is running rampant in Jesse Stone's small town. The motive is unfathomable, but then, they ARE serial killers. While Jesse and his police force track the killers, not only the why, but the who will be next question hangs densely in the air.
While the investigation proceeds, Jesse becomes more or less involved with a couple of different women, when his ex-wife enters the picture.
In the center of this novel is the third line of the story involving a young girl who claims to have been raped by some of the jocks at her school. The way Jesse handles this investigation is a wonderful new facet to this character.
The mix of emotions is nearly volatile, and as another murder occurs, you begin to wonder how will Robert PArker bring the story together. I thought the serial killers were a little vague, as characters, but still the surprising twists and turns of this author never fail to capture the readers full attention.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty lightweight reading
Review: As others have noted, this is not a big book. Lots of white space - I think it was a one day read for me. I have enjoyed the other Jesse Stone novels, but I guess the author needs to come up with something new. This is same-old-same-old. 1) Stone can't get over the ex-wife not matter what she does are how bad she treats him 2) Every good looking woman Stone meets wants to take him to bed, and almost without fail Stone goes along. There is no mystery in the book as the author shows you "who done it" at the start. Nor is there much drama or excitement when the guilty are caught. Might be worth a read at the cost of a paperback, or free from the library.
Rating:
Summary: A Stone's Throw from Normal
Review: The new Jesse Stone book by Robert Parker seems to be the best of this series, with the Paradise chief of police becoming a deeper, if darker, figure for readers to understand. As usual, about 90 percent of what we know from reading the new book comes from tight dialogue and spare description. Writing this tight and lean requires an enormous amount of skill, which Parker has in abundance. This time around, Jesse must cope with serial killers who get sexual pleasure from staging and anticipating their killings. In short order, they select Jesse himself as their next victim, and he moves ever closer to a brutal showdown for someone. Meanwhile, Jesse is trying to come to grips with his ex-wife, Jenn, still tugging at his heart, if not his brain. Razor-sharp dialogue as usual, with Jesse Stone more and more becoming a strong figure we care very much about. A good read.
Rating:
Summary: Back to the Basics
Review: "Stone Cold" is one of the better, if not the best thing, Parker has written for a while. His Spencer novels are still great, but much of the allure of that series lies in the readers' love for Spencer, Susan, Hawk, and (of course)Pearl the Wonder Dog II. In "Stone Cold" the characters are still interesting--especially Rita--but it is the story and the action that drives the novel and keeps the reader turning the pages even, in my case, when I knew I should have been sleeping. You can feel the heat that Stone is under from the killing spree that he is trying to stop along with the tension of his mixed-up love life. The best part, however, lies in the readers being allowed to see some form of violence acted out on such characters--and here Parker does not spare the reader. In a world that has such monsters in it, it is good to feel Jesse hitting the bastards--and you do feel it--the writing is that damned good. This is Parker at his best, folks, don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: More fun in Paradise
Review: I should probably have gone for five stars, but I'm a tough grader. I have found the Spenser series to be very good, but after so many years I wonder if it's run its course. The new character of Jesse Stone has much in common with Spenser while remaining an individual. My only quibble with the book, and it's much the same as my feelings about his novel "Shrink Rap," is that there's a bit too much psych-babble. That may not be entirely fair, but the scenes where his characters are undergoing psychotherapy are too neat, too contrived. It is a minor aggravation, though, as the book succeeds extremely well. The plot is clever, I love the dialogue and the manner in which he developes new characters. Do women like Rita Fiore really exist? Now that Jesse's and Spenser's world are intermingling, I cannot wait to read the next Spenser (already ordered from Amazon) where they finally meet!
Rating:
Summary: Mystery=Good. Ex-wife=Bad
Review: When a dead body turns up with two bullets, fired from different guns, police chief Jesse Stone knows he has a problem. When a second body has the same wounds, he knows he has a pair of serial killers on his beat. But knowing about serial killers and finding them are two different things. Especially when the killers seem to plan their strikes carefully and their escapes even more carefully. Jesse's small-town police department becomes even busier when a high school girl is gang-raped by three schoolmates. Jesse has no evidence and the rapists threaten to ruin the girl's life if she tells, but Jesse intends to bring whatever justice is possible. Jesse's professional life is busy, but his social life is packed. He can't get over his ex-wife and she certainly won't let him. And every other woman he meets, with the possible exception of one of his fellow cops, is ready to fall directly into bed with him. Jesse is willing to do the bed thing, but he makes it clear that he's waiting to resolve things with the ex-wife--and the resolution he wants is a return to their marriage. Since their relationship seems completely sick (as confirmed by their psychologists), that isn't an especially desirable thing for the reader but it is what Jesse wants. Robert B. Parker is an excellent writer. His characterization of Jesse Stone is strong and rings true. Jesse tries to live his life by a sharply defined set of rules--love is forever, justice is important, revenge is worth having, physical violence can solve problems or at least make things feel better, and talking too much is a big mistake. Jesse's treatment of the young rape victim is sympathetic and nicely handled. Fans of Robert B. Parker won't be surprised by the difficult relationship Jesse maintains with his ex-wife--this is a recurring theme in Parker's fiction. Jesse knows he would be better off if he could just get over Jenn but he can't. From a reader's perspective, I certainly wish he would. The woman simply isn't good for him. Rules and ethics or not, I find Jesse less sympathetic and more pathetic because of his hopeless love affair. STONE COLD is a short novel with plenty of white space. I wish that more had been devoted to the mystery and less to Jesse's miserable love life--especially since all sorts of attractive, friendly, and relatively healthy women are lining up to spend time with him.
Rating:
Summary: Jesse Stone...Spenser in Paradise?
Review: I really enjoyed this one. The first few Stone novels were a mixed bag, but Parker pulled it togther in this effort. Jesse is definitely not a one dimensional guy. He's complex, introspective and can be tough one moment and vulnerable the next. Did I say "vulnerable"? Oh no! Now I sound like one of Parker's interesting female characters, of whom there are a bunch in this book. Best Stone novel yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Two thumbs down
Review: I have been following Jessie Stone since his creation and was delighted to see another book come out. After reading it I would be delighted if I don't see another book come out. The book ran parallel plots which did not intersect except in time frame. A rape and a serial killer. I don't have a problem with that. I like Ed McBain's method of doing that in his 87th novels. Here is just seemed as if neither plot got fleshed out and took off. One bounced off the other until you reached the end leaving a "Thank God that is done" feeling not the satisfied feeling I expect when I close a book. Did I care about anyone? No not even Jess who I rathered liked in previous stories and Jenn managed to really get on my nerves. Jenn was one dimensional. Jess almost made it to two dimensional and everyone else were caricatures of people. They like the plots never fleshed out. Jess is still obsessing about Jenn. [Yawn Jess hint get a life. You might be more interesting. I really don't care at this point] He's still denying his drinking. Anyone who is pouring himself a third drink and getting smashed who says "Maybe I should just give it all up and be a drunk to make the little woman happy" needs a detox asap. Even when he appears to be making progress [or regression in Jenn's case] I couldn't bring myself to care.
If he had been a friend telling me this I would have responded 'yeah right blah blah blah.' Call me when you get real. That was the problem he was never real in this book. The serial killers were a laugh a second. I just couldn't buy this sex crazed couple killing people to get off. They looked like crazed bunny rabbits compared to the real thing. Shake Serial killers shake. Here comes the fluffy yuppie killers. I didn't buy the reasoning. I didn't buy Dix's diagnosis. I didn't buy Dix period. The rape didn't make it either. The scenes that should have moved me left me yawning. The scenes that should have been bitter were reduced to an oh yeah so sad too bad. The diagnosis of rape read like a male authors concept who doesn't understand the emotions involved or the fears. What the author thought would be the fears of the majority of women alive today was projected. why do I say this? I worked a rape hot line. I was almost insulted by what he wrote. Don't get me wrong. I really like Parker. I like Stone. I like Spenser. I like some of his other works. This is simply a badly written disappointing book. If you feel you must read it check out your local library. I have all the other Stone books on my library shelves but on this one? I pass. It doesn't even get houseroom. As Ms Dorothy Parker said "This is not a book to be put aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."
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