Robert Parker returns Jesse Stone for a second go around. I enjoyed the story line and like the short chapters which allow the story to move back and forth between characters more quickly.

This is the 2nd book in the Jesse Stone series, but I haven't read the first one. I've been reading Parker hit and miss for a little while now--maybe I ought to get a list and start reading them in order.

Trouble in Paradise is both a caper story and a police procedural. On the one hand, we have Jesse Stone, a small town police chief with a drinking problem and an ex-wife he can't let go of. He's also pretty much a slut, but that's okay, because his ex-wife Jenn, who's just taken a job at the town's TV station, is a slut too. Stone is, however, smarter than he looks.

On the other hand is James Macklin, who's setting up the heist of a century, a la Ocean's 11. He's going to rip off Stiles Island. The whole island--houses, bank, shops, everything. He puts together his team, and we watch him setting it up. He's a bad guy, but he's still pretty appealing--maybe because we get to see him through the eyes of his girlfriend, who understands him very well.

It's a book I could really see as a movie--the race between them to see if Jimmy can pull off the heist before Jesse can untangle his personal life long enough to figure out what's going on and stop him. It had me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down.

the jesse stone novels are some of robert b parkers best work, the charater is 3 dimensional and believable. good story lines, a good fun read

I was very pleased with my purchase and there were no problems with delivery and the product came in a timely manner.

Jesse Stone is a great character and this book is a strong second showing for him. "Trouble in Paradise" begins with Jesse on one of his midnight insomniac rambles. When a homosexual couple has their house burned down, he discovers that some teenaged trouble-makers had a hand in it. Determined to set things right, he uses some less-than-honest tactics to get them to confess. While it seems to set one of the boys on the right track, a pair of brothers from a rich family have their parents threaten first to sue for wrongful arrest and when that doesn't work, their mother tries to have Jesse removed from his position.

Also, a career crook named Macklin and his girlfriend have come to town and are planning the heist to end all heists - they plan to clean out Stiles Island, a rich community connected to Paradise by a bridge over the harbor. Never one to plan small, Macklin decides to isolate the island and rob all the homes, businesses and the bank. Can Jesse find out what is happening in time to stop it?

Well-plotted, intricate and engaging, this book is what a police procedural/thriller is all about. Don't miss it!