Jesse Stone
Series · 22
books · 1997-2025
Books in series
#1
Night Passage
1997
His name is Jesse Stone. He's left the LAPD in disgrace but lands on his feet as the new chief of police in Paradise, Massachusetts—a town on the Atlantic not far from Boston that's a lot less idyllic than it sounds.
On arrival, the new chief finds himself in between corrupt town leaders, a local militia group, and a murderer on the loose.
This exciting departure for the creator of Spenser, Robert B. Parker, "the reigning champion of the American tough-guy detective novel" (Entertainment Weekly), has landed Parker on the New York Times bestseller list once again but this time with Jesse Stone. Both readers and critics are thrilled.
#2
Trouble In Paradise
1998
Robert B. Parker's legendary Spenser series has long been considered the 'ne plus ultra' of detective fiction. But the critics' praise for Jesse Stone's debut in 'Night Passage' proved there was room for an addition to the Parker literary canon. "A novel as fresh as it is bold. Parker's sentences flow with as much wit, grace, and assurance as ever, and Stone is a complex and consistently interesting new protagonist. His speedy return will be welcome" (Newsday).
Let's look at Jesse Stone in number two, 'Trouble in Paradise.' Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coastal town of Paradise. James Macklin sees Stiles as the ultimate investment; all he needs to do is invade the island, blow up the bridge, and loot the place. Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons—all experts in their fields—including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. If Macklin is a very bad man, Crow is even worse. As Macklin prepares, Paradise Police Chief Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in triplicate: his ex-wife, Jenn, is in his jail for assault; he's begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell; and he's still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. With Macklin's attack on Stiles Island, both Marcy and Abby are in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it's up to Jesse to keep Paradise, and both women, from harm.
Filled with "light, shade, texture, and complexity" (The Boston Globe).
#3
Death In Paradise
2001
Robert B. Parker takes us back to Paradise, Massachusetts with Police Chief Jesse Stone.
We catch up with Stone and his buddies finishing off a great game of softball with a few brews in the parking lot. Jesse knows he should lay off but the camaraderie is so enjoyable. Then a couple of them call him from the shore of the nearby lake. They've found something and they need the Chief quick.
It's the body of a teenage girl. Very soon, Stone is looking for two things: the killer of the girl—and someone, anyone, who is willing to claim the body.
#4
Stone Cold
2003
Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone has a problem no officer of the law likes to face: dead bodies keep appearing but clues do not.
Let's take them in order. A man takes his dog out for a run on the beach, only to be discovered hours later - with two holes in his chest. A woman drives her Volvo to the store to do some grocery shopping, and is then found dead, her body crumpled behind her loaded shopping cart. A commuter takes a shortcut home from the train, and never makes it back to his house. And there's a fourth that comes close to Jesse personally.
Hunting down a serial killer is difficult and dangerous in any town, but in a town like Paradise, where the selectmen and the media add untold pressures, Jesse feels considerable heat. Already walking an emotional tightrope, he stumbles; he's spending too much time with the bottle, and with his ex-wife - neither of which helps him, or the case. The harder these outside forces push against him, the more Jesse retreats into himself, convinced - despite all the odds - that it's up to him alone to stop the killing.
#5
Sea Change
2006
Paradise police chief Jesse Stone faces the case of his career in this exciting novel from the bestselling series.
When a woman's partially decomposed body washes ashore in Paradise, Massachusetts, Stone is forced into a case far more difficult than it initially appears. Identifying the woman is just the first step in what proves to be an emotionally charged investigation. Florence Horvath was an attractive, recently divorced heiress from Florida. She also had a penchant for steamy sex and was an enthusiastic participant in a video depicting the same! Somehow the combination of her past and present got her killed, but no one is talking - not the crew of the Lady Jane, the Fort Lauderdale yacht moored in Paradise Harbor, not her very blond, very tan twin sisters, Corliss and Claudia, and not her curiously affectless parents, living out a sterile retirement in a Miami high rise.
But someone has to speak for the dead, and it may just put Jesse in harm's way.
#6
High Profile
2007
The murder of a notorious public figure places Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.
It's the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks. And its discovery hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise puts Chief Stone at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded officials and national media scrutiny too. When another dead body, that of a young woman, is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care - not a single one of Weeks' ex-wives, not the family of the girl, no one seems interested in claiming the bodies. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.
#7
Stranger In Paradise
2008
Jesse Stone is an ex LA cop who has taken the job of police chief in Paradise, Massachusetts but his drinking and his damaged relationship with his wife Jenn define him as much as his supreme skill at policing his patch.
When Crow, an Apache hitman, turns up in Jesse Stone's office, he is intrigued but very much on his guard. Ten years earlier, Crow had been part of a gang that had taken a woman in the town hostage when a bank raid went wrong. The hostages were released unharmed, thanks to Crow's moral view that you didn't kill women, but he also got away with enough money not to have to work again.
So why is Crow back in town? Why has he come to see Jesse? Is it true he has taken the job of kidnapping a young girl and her mother?
#8
Night And Day
2009
Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone confronts a town’s darkest secrets in this shocking novel from the 'New York Times' bestselling author and 'America’s greatest mystery writer' (The New York Sun).
Things are getting strange in Paradise. Chief Stone goes to the junior high school when reports of lewd conduct by the school’s principal, Betsy Ingersoll, filter into the station. Ingersoll claims she was protecting the propriety of her students when she inspected girls' undergarments in the locker room. Jesse would like nothing more than to see Ingersoll punished, but her high-powered attorney, also her husband, stands in the way.
At the same time, the women of Paradise are faced with a threat to their sense of security with the emergence of a tormented voyeur, dubbed 'The Night Hawk.' Initially, he’s content to peer through windows, but as times goes on, he becomes more reckless, forcing his victims to strip at gunpoint, then photographing them at their most vulnerable. And according to the notes he’s sending to Jesse, he won't be satisfied to stop there. It’s up to Jesse to catch The Night Hawk, before it’s too late.
#9
Split Image
2010
Family ties prove deadly in this brilliant Jesse Stone novel from 'New York Times' bestselling author Robert B. Parker.
The body in the trunk was just the beginning.
Turns out the stiff was a foot soldier for local tough guy Reggie Galen, now enjoying a comfortable "retirement" with his beautiful wife, Rebecca, in the nicest part of Paradise. Living next door are Knocko Moynihan and his wife, Robbie, who also happens to be Rebecca's identical twin. But what initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on new meaning when a high-ranking crime figure is found dead on Paradise Beach.
Stressed by the case, his failed relationship with his ex-wife, and his ongoing battle with the bottle, Jesse needs something to keep him from spinning out of control. When private investigator Sunny Randall comes into town on a case, she asks for Jesse's help. As their professional and personal relationships become intertwined, both Jesse and Sunny realize that they have much in common with both their victims and their suspects—and with each other.
#10
Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues
2011
The Jesse Stone stories continue nicely after Robert B. Parker’s passing with 'Killing the Blues' by Michael Brandman.
This time Stone is faced with what begins as a rash of stolen cars and escalates into arson and murder. As he steadily uncovers the details, he begins to realize how deep this crime wave really goes. All the while, Paradise, Massachusetts is preparing for summer tourism with the help of the municipality's new event planner, Alexis Richardson. Before long, she and Stone are involved in a steamy affair. Just another entry in the life of Police Chief Stone!
#11
Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice
2012
Autumn in Paradise, Massachusetts, is usually an idyllic time—but not this year. A Hollywood movie company has come to town, and brought with it a huge cast and crew, plus a troubled star. Marisol Hinton is very beautiful, reasonably talented, and scared out of her wits that her estranged husband’s jealousy might take a dangerous turn. When she becomes the subject of a death threat, Jesse and the rest of the Paradise police department go on high alert.
For Jesse Stone, there's always something else! When he witnesses a horrifying collision caused by a distracted teenage driver, the political repercussions of her arrest bring him into conflict with the local selectmen, the DA, and some people with very deep pockets.
Murder is in the air, and Jesse’s reputation as an uncompromising defender of the law—and his life—are on the line.
#12
Robert B. Parker's Damned If You Do
2013
The girl was was barely out of her teens, not exactly beautiful, but she’d tried to make the most of her looks. Now, defiled and alone in a seedy beachfront motel, she was dead.
Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone doesn’t even know her name. But when his investigation lures him into the crosshairs of two ruthless pimps, Jesse finds out more about the girl than he ever dreamed. In pursuit of justice, if anyone can see the truth in dark, dark places, it’s Jesse Stone.
#13
Robert B. Parker's Blind Spot
2014
"Coleman keeps the characters and the somber atmosphere but makes the book his own stylistically." Booklist
Police Chief Jesse Stone is back in the remarkable installment of the New York Times bestselling series. It’s been a long time since Jesse left L.A., and still longer since the injury that ruined his chances of a MLB career. When Jesse is invited to a reunion of his old Triple-A baseball team at a hip New York city hotel, he is forced to grapple with memories and regrets over what might have been.
Jesse left more behind him than unresolved feelings about the end of his baseball career. The darkly sensuous Kayla, his former girlfriend and current wife of an old teammate, is in New York too. As is Kayla’s friend, Dee, an otherworldly beauty with secrets of her own. But Jesse’s time at the reunion is cut short when, back in Paradise, a young woman is found murdered and her boyfriend, son of one of the town’s most prominent families, is missing.
There seems to be a connection between the reunion and the crimes in Paradise. It could be coincidental but, as Jesse, Molly, and Suit hunt for the killer and for the missing son, it becomes more and more clear that one of Jesse’s old teammates may be intimately involved in the crimes. They sense that there are deadly forces working below the surface. Sometimes, that’s where the danger comes from and where real evil lurks. Not out in the light—but in your blind spot.
#14
Robert B. Parker's The Devil Wins
2015
In the wake of a huge storm, three bodies are discovered in the rubble of an abandoned factory building in an industrial part of Paradise known as The Swap. One body, a man’s, wrapped in a blue tarp, is only hours old. But found within feet of that body are the skeletal remains of two teenage girls who had gone missing during a Fourth of July celebration twenty-five years earlier. Not only does that crime predate Jesse Stone’s arrival in Paradise, but the dead girls were close friends of Jesse’s right hand, Officer Molly Crane. And things become even more complicated when one of the dead girls’ mothers returns to Paradise to bury her daughter and is promptly murdered. It’s up to Police Chief Jesse Stone to pull away the veil of the past to see how all the murders are connected.
#15
Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay
2016
All is quiet in Paradise, except for a spate of innocuous vandalism. Good thing, too, because Jesse Stone is preoccupied with the women in his life, both past and present.
As his ex-wife, Jen, is about to marry a Dallas real-estate tycoon, Jesse isn’t too sure his relationship with former FBI agent Diana Evans is built to last. But those concerns get put on the back burner when a major Boston crime boss is brutally murdered. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Jesse suspects it’s the work of Mr. Peepers, a psychotic assassin who has caused trouble for Jesse in the past.
Peepers has long promised revenge against the Mob, Jesse, and Suit for their roles in foiling one of his hits—and against Jen as well. And though Jesse and Jen have long parted ways, Jesse still feels responsible for her safety. Jesse and Diana head to Dallas for the wedding and, along with the tycoon’s security team, try to stop Peepers before the bill comes due. With Peepers toying with the authorities as to when and where he’ll strike, Jesse is up against the wall. Still, there’s a debt to pay and blood to be spilled to satisfy it. But whose blood, and just how much?
#16
Robert B. Parker's The Hangman's Sonnet
2017
The stellar new novel in Robert B. Parker's New York Times bestselling series featuring Paradise police chief Jesse Stone.
Jesse Stone, still reeling from the murder of his fiancée by crazed assassin Mr. Peepers, must keep his emotions in check long enough to get through the wedding day of his loyal protégé, Suitcase Simpson. The morning of the wedding, Jesse learns that a gala 75th birthday party is to be held for folk singer Terry Jester. Jester, once the equal of Bob Dylan, has spent the last forty years in seclusion after the mysterious disappearance of the master recording tape of his magnum opus, The Hangman's Sonnet.
That same morning, an elderly Paradise woman dies while her house is being ransacked. What are the thieves looking for? And what's the connection to Terry Jester and the mysterious missing tape? Jesse's investigation is hampered by hostile politicians and a growing trail of blood and bodies, forcing him to solicit the help of mobster Vinnie Morris and a certain Boston area PI named Spenser. While the town fathers pressure him to avoid a PR nightmare, Jesse must connect the cases before the bodies pile up further.
#17
Robert B. Parker's Colorblind
2018
Police chief Jesse Stone returns in the newest novel in Robert B. Parker's New York Times—bestselling series, and his newest case hits right at the heart of the Paradise police force.
Jesse Stone is back on the job after a stint in rehab, and the road to recovery is immediately made bumpy by a series of disturbing and apparently racially motivated crimes, beginning with the murder of an African American woman. Then, Jesse's own deputy Alisha—the first black woman hired by the Paradise police force—becomes the target of a sophisticated frame-up. As he and his team work tirelessly to unravel the truth, he has to wonder if this is just one part of an even grander plot, one with an end game more destructive than any of them can imagine.
At the same time, a mysterious young man named Cole Slayton rolls into town with a chip on his shoulder and a problem with authority—namely, Jesse. Yet, something about the angry twenty-something appeals to Jesse, and he takes Cole under his wing. But there's more to him than meets the eye, and his secrets might change Jesse's life forever.
#18
Robert B. Parker's The Bitterest Pill
2019
The opioid epidemic has reached Paradise, and Police Chief Jesse Stone must rush to stop the devastation in the latest thriller in Robert B. Parker's New York Times-bestselling series.
When a popular high school cheerleader dies of a suspected heroin overdose, it becomes clear that the opioid epidemic has spread even to the idyllic town of Paradise. It will be up to police chief Jesse Stone to unravel the supply chain and unmask the criminals behind it, and the investigation has a clear epicenter: Paradise High School. Home of the town's best and brightest future leaders and its most vulnerable down-and-out teens, it's a rich and bottomless market for dealers out of Boston looking to expand into the suburbs.
But when it comes to drugs, the very people Jesse is trying to protect are often those with the most to lose. As he digs deeper into the case, he finds himself battling self-interested administrators, reluctant teachers, distrustful schoolkids, and overprotective parents . . . and at the end of the line are the true bad guys, the ones with a lucrative business they'd kill to protect.
#19
Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise
2020
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.
#20
Robert B. Parker's Stone's Throw
2021
Paradise is rocked by the mayor's untimely death in the latest novel starring police chief Jesse Stone.
The town of Paradise receives a tragic shock when the acting mayor is discovered dead. It's ostensibly suicide, but Jesse's not so sure. And when the town becomes embroiled in a controversial and dodgy land deal, all signs suggest that the victim may have gotten in the way of some bad and powerful people.
#21
Robert B. Parker's Fallout
2022
When two seemingly unconnected mysterious deaths occur on his watch, police chief Jesse Stone must pull out all the stops to unravel the truth and stop a killer from striking again.
The small town of Paradise is devastated when a star high-school baseball player is found dead at the bottom of a bluff just a day after winning the team’s biggest game. For Jesse, the loss is doubly difficult—the dead teen was the nephew of his colleague, Suitcase Simpson, and Jesse had been coaching the young shortstop. As he searches for answers about how the boy died and why, he is stonewalled at every turn, and it seems that someone is determined to keep him from digging further.
Jesse suddenly must divide his attention between two cases after the shocking murder of former Paradise police chief, Charlie Farrell. Before his death, Farrell had been looking into a series of scam calls that preyed upon the elderly. But how do these “ghost calls” connect to his death? When threats—and gunshots—appear on Jesse’s own doorstep, the race to find answers is on. Both old and new enemies come into play, and in the end, Jesse and his team must find the common factor between the two deaths in order to prevent a third.
#22
Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets
2025
Police chief Jesse Stone investigates the mystery behind a dead body found strewn with photos of murder victims and placed on top of $2 million in cash, before a mob of hitmen converge on Paradise.
Just another day in Paradise . . .
Chief of Police Jesse Stone is on his way home from a long shift when a call comes in for a welfare check on an elderly resident of the wealthy seaside town of Paradise, Massachusetts. Inside a house packed with junk and trash is a man’s dead body. It’s a sad, lonely end, but nothing criminal . . . until Jesse finds the photos of murder victims strewn around the corpse, on top of a treasure trove of $2 million in cash.
Jesse takes on the case and finds a trail leading to an aging mobster who will do whatever it takes to keep the past from coming to light. Before long, Jesse has a price on his head as hitmen converge on Paradise to take back the cash and destroy any remaining evidence. But the real danger might be coming from inside his own department. Jesse Stone must unearth the truth buried under the wreckage of a dead man’s life . . . before he winds up in the ground himself.
Authors
Reed Farrel Coleman
Author · 31 books
aka Tony Spinosa Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family. A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry. Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards. A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.
Christopher Farnsworth
Author · 10 books
Christopher Farnsworth is the author of FLASHMOB (one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2017), KILLFILE, THE ETERNAL WORLD, and the PRESIDENT'S VAMPIRE series. A screenwriter and journalist, he lives in Los Angeles.
Michael Brandman
Author · 8 books
Michael Brandman is an acclaimed novelist, screenwriter, and motion picture & television producer. His Jesse Stone novels, KILLING THE BLUES, FOOL ME TWICE, and DAMNED IF YOU DO, each based on characters created by the late Robert B. Parker, are all New York Times best sellers. Together with Tom Selleck, he has written and produced nine Jesse Stone films for television, the tenth of which will premiere in the Spring of 2019. His new series of Buddy Steel mystery novels debuted in 2017 with MISSING PERSONS. The second book in the series, ONE ON ONE, made its debut in August. WILD CARD, the third in the series, will be released in April, 2019. He has produced more than forty motion pictures, including works by Tom Stoppard, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Elmore Leonard, Louis L'Amour, and Stephen Sondheim. He lives in Los Angeles and is married to the award winning actress, Joanna Miles. He is the father of two sons. (source: Amazon)
