Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise (A Jesse Stone Novel Book 19)

I have seen & own all the Jesse Stone movies & enjoyed all. This is the first Jesse Stone novel I’ve read & now will start re-saving all I can. Kept me guessing & total absorbed. Loved it.

This book read so good and so intensely that I picked it up, and I never put it down until I finished it

Mike Lupica succeeded Michael Brandman/Reed Farrel Coleman as the forth writer of a Jesse Stone novel. On “Fool’s Paradise,” Lupica touches upon roughly whole original works by Parker, as if he tries to sorting out Jesse’s past career. Everybody has his/her own past. It can’t be dispensed with. Rather, it keeps a tight grasp on us. Mostly, the past is mere our personal history, and we can generate a future from there. However, for some people, an unforgettable happy memory captivates them, and hinders their growth. For others, it becomes a trauma. It crushes their future. He/She is under heavy pressure of selecting a way either to escape from, or face up to the past incidents. “Fool’s Paradise” depicts how every character coped with their past. The book starts with a symbolic event, the relighting of marquee above the entrance to the burned theater. On that night, a floater was discovered at the lake, he was shot from the back. Concurrently, Jesse, Molly, and Suit, all were assaulted by an invisible enemy separately. What is an identity of the dead person? Is there any connection with their being targeted? Was he/she looking to settle things with Paradise PD? Through his usual persistent pursuit, Jesse identified the body. He was an orphan, left in a dumpster. For invisible aggressor, Lupica picks up a rape case from “Stone Cold.” Both assailants and a victim, they similarly felt like being pulled back into the past. They were all suffered from the urge to make amends of the past incident. In the meantime, another victim was found in the lake. He was one of assailants in the rape case. Jesse barely saved a victim from an aggressor, and found no relation with the first murder case. Nietzsche’s words, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, expresses Candace Pennington’s matured present state, who wants to fight back to the past. Jesse repeats ‘day at a time’ several times. It’s like he invigorates us ‘don’t rush it, accept the present, and move on.’ Jesse finally reasoned the first murder case as being little like a Cain murdering Abel, and specified the suspect. Paradise’s royal and ruling class family, who lead the rebuilding of the theater, was also annoyed by a phantom from the past. However, Jesse understood he could not stand up in court with only circumstantial evidence. He spewed to the suspect that there’s all kinds of jail for him. The suspect never could be freed from his past.From this episode, Molly and Suit got promotion to a deputy chief and a detective, respectively. They seemed to become vigorous. Lupica also revived a relation between Jesse and Sunny Randall as being nontransactional, without expectations or boundaries, or commitment. They would flourish the future episodes.

Assigning a reputable author to assume the mantle left by another author’s death must surely be one of nerve-wracking responsibility. Not only does the new author have to maintain a credible sense of the late author’s writing style and principle characterization of the lead characters, they have to balance that preservation with the unavoidable intrusion of their own style and meld their own as seamlessly as possible into what only be a new path.Mike Lupica is the latest creator of Robert B. Parker’s universe inhabited by Chief of Police, Jesse Stone, head cop of Paradise, Massachusetts. A highly regarded mystery author himself, Lupica captures the hard edge of Parker’s vision accurately and succinctly. He does, in fact for this writer, resolve some ongoing issues I had with Parker’s original portrayal of Stone, one being, that despite being some 3,500 miles from his ex-wife Jen, and seeing a shrink whenever the urge to drink and the urge to sink himself into alcoholic oblivion couples with frustration on a case, his improvement and growth is glacially slow. I think Lupica perhaps thought the same thing; his Jesse Stone has stopped drinking, although still dealing with those demons in job and in his personal life, such as the latter exists.Following Parker’s lead, Lupica brings other Parker characters into his version of Chief Stones’ universe, including the beautiful private detective, Sunny Randall.Stylistically, Lupica is more “literary” in writing than Parker’s spare narrative , ala Hemingway. The differences are slightly distracting at first. To be clear, that’s not a criticism, but an observation that the contrast is apparent when one first starts reading Fool’s Paradise, or other Lupica rendition of a Jesse Stone story.That all being said, one begins to suspect that Chief Jesse Stone might have some hope for himself, as a man, a chief cop, and maybe even a permanent love partner.Now, if only Sunny Randal Could get her stuff together.-30-

For heavens sake, Hasty Hathaway got parole years ago, opened a used car lot and helped Jesse with a case. Rosie was put down by Sunny years ago. Perhaps this is a successor. These false hiccups throw one off. Digging up an old case and beating it to death seems futile! Get a new editor who has actually read the series and appreciates the Parker Legend.

I am amazed reading some of the other reviews, have the writers actually read all the previous Jesse Stone novels?I’m sorry but Mike Lupica has just not captured the flavour of the Jesse Stone books at all. I’ve been a huge fan and read every book in the series but unless the reins are handed back to Reed Farrell Coleman, I won’t be reading any more.One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is the constant swearing in the book, lots of f*** and s***. I’m no prude but Jesse Stone and the other leading characters don’t use that language, or hardly ever.I actually went back to the previous couple of books to check I was right and sure enough, the only times these words were used was by the ‘bad guys’.To me this makes a huge difference, because Mike Lupica has changed the nature of the characters, having them casually swear in a way they never have before. It’s just not the same people.And why do it? Does the author think he’s being clever and modern by doing this? Or making sure he’s put his own stamp on the series?Aside from the language, as other reviewers have mentioned there’s far too much introspection, especially in the early pages. It’s like the author seems to think he has to remind everyone about Jesse’s alcoholism, not to mention his (and Molly Crane’s) love life.Anyone like me, who’s read all the books, doesn’t need a refresher on what’s gone before, it just comes over as boring and repetitive.It’s also rather clumsily done in some cases, especially the reference to Molly Crane’s past indiscretion. And, unless Mike Lupica plans to do the same in the next book, it’s just so obviously a new writer to the series thinking he has to remind everyone of key bits of information, instead of seamlessly following on from the previous author.I don’t just blame Mike Lupica. What on earth were the publisher’s editor’s doing? The author includes an acknowledgment at the end of the book to “my guide through the world of Robert B. Parker”. Well I’m sorry, but they didn’t do a very good job!I’m really sad about it because getting the new Jesse Stone has become an annual event for me; the start of Autumn, the new Jesse Stone. And as it often combines with my taking some leave from work the timing’s perfect.However, unless there’s a return to the previous author, who always did a superb job and in my view is a better writer anyway, then I won’t be buying any more of the Jesse Stone series.Thanks Mike Lupica, you’ve ruined a fabulous character

Looks good but haven’t listened to it yet.

Divertissement!

Good book

Keeps you on the edge all through the book Love it