by Shelley Civkin Richmond Public Library

Trouble in paradise

The jury is still out on whether or not Stone cold : a Jesse Stone novel, the new thriller by Robert B. Parker, is on par with his Spenser and Hawk books.

It takes half the book before the action and dialogue start to rev up, but once they do, the story takes off.

Jesse Stone, the chief of police in Paradise, Mass., who is the main character in Stone Cold, is no Spenser, but he's a close second. A mix of compassion, insecurity and tough-guy bravado, Stone has his hands full fighting crime in small town Paradise. Not much irony there...

Between the serial killers who get off on targeting random victims and shooting them simultaneously with .22 calibre pistols, and the recent gang rape of a high-school girl by three of her scumbag classmates, Jesse Stone is tackling the worst of the worst. Oh yeah, and on top of all that, Jesse is struggling to keep the alcohol beast at bay.

There's no mystery hereStone knows exactly who the serial killers are. It's simply a matter of nailing them before they nail him.

Following their trail of meaningless murders, we meet up with the rich couple whose killing spree brings them sexual gratification. The unlikely pairan ex-ophthalmologist and ex-lawyerseek ever more dangerous targets to get their thrills. But when they kill a friend of Stone's and then target Stone himself, the plot heats up even more.

Meanwhile, Stone shows his compassionate side while trying to help the teenage girl whose rapists threaten to expose graphic photos of her to the whole school if she squeals.

The three middle-class lowlife teens who raped her are armed with some of the most powerful lawyers in Boston. As you might expect, Stone gets "mixed up" with one of the star attorneys. And well...let's just say the plot thickens.

There's a great scene where Stone meets the juveniles and their parents, and it's pure poetic justice, albeit vigilante in flavour.

Naturally he sees it as being all for a good cause, and I couldn't help but cheer for this compassionate tough guy who's trying to protect the vulnerable victim.

Personally, I prefer the Spenser and Hawk series but this one is good for some light entertainment, especially if you're a fan of the Parker writing style.

Shelley J. Civkin is the Communications Officer at the Richmond Public Library. For other popular reading suggestions, check out Richmond Public Library's Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks.