Trouble in Paradise (Jesse Stone Series #2) Book

I have mixed feelings about this book, #2 in the Jesse Stone series by Parker. There are many very good things: The pacing is mostly good; It's nice to see some familiar villains and heroes from Spenser's world; I like the characters of Jenn, Molly, Abby, Faye and the other strong women in the book. Healy and Belson make appearances briefly in the first two books, at least.

Note: The word "maroon" appears 9 times in this book. (Yes, it's a Parker oddity I've latched onto)

The plot is a bit formulaic, but the crime is nicely planned, the criminals are familiar but solid in character. You can see types, such as Crow = Hawk, Jenn = Susan, etc

Jesse is Spenser, but more laid back, quieter, and not a thug. That works reasonably well, but honestly, it's not as much fun as Spenser. There is some humour in the last 1/3 of the book that works well, but it's not the rapier wit we know and love from Spenser.

One serious bone to pick with Parker: In too many of his Spenser books, and in this one, some of the villains get off at the end. I was never comfortable with that. It's like Darth Vader returning to become "the redeemed ghost" Anakin Skywalker after blowing up a whole planet of human beings. Not cool.

A few nice quotes...

Jesse thinks:
It was easier to think calmly about sex when it was abundant.

Parker and Joan, redux. This is one of the central mysteries of Parker/Spenser/Stone that I very much enjoy. A puzzle, a mystery, a reflection of Parker's real-life.

All of the Spenser novels (after mid-1980s) explore Parker's emotions towards Joan (semi-Susan) after their breakup, but none really get to the core of why Joan left him, then returned but "at a distance". However, I believe this book shows, through Jesse and Jenn, what happened to Parker's real-life marriage to Joan after she recovered from her cancer.

As we know, Parker worshipped Joan from the day they first met way back in the early 1950s. After Joan's recovery from breast cancer in the late 1970s, she wanted "more of life" and experiences, and cheated on Parker. This part is mostly known and discussed in interviews, and in the book she wrote Three Weeks in Spring.

Although they both loved each other intensely, I think that Parker's worship of Joan "smothered" her, and she found living with him to be too much for "the new Joan". (Joan was so alive, so much fun, and so formidable. If you want to know more about where Spenser and Stone come from, I recommend the obituary below)

In this book, we see Jesse (Parker) struggle with his deep love for Jenn (Joan), and her need to have some space of her own. Jesse physically struggles to give her the space she needs, and does well, but it's surely painful for him. This book is the clearest work by Parker explaining what happened to them, and how they resolved their issues, and found a way to continue loving, to live in the same building, but separate apartments, etc. Fascinating.

If this interests you, please see
My review of Spenser #15 Crimson Joy

Joan H. Parker obituary 2013

Mrs. Parker, who died of lung cancer Wednesday in Massachusetts General Hospital, was 80 and lived in a large Cambridge house she had shared with her husband in an unusual, and unusually public, arrangement after a two-year separation three decades ago.

Until his death, in 2010, they lived in separate private areas, went on dates with each other every week, and pursued individual endeavors, all the better to keep his celebrity as one of the world's best-known writers from consuming them both. They did not hide the arrangement in interviews, and throughout a romantic relationship that began when they attended Colby College, in Maine, the Parkers bantered as deftly as their fictional counterparts and were often as buoyantly profane.



11.0% "... I sure do like Spenser better than Stone. I think the wise-cracks are a story-plus with Spenser."
September 20, 2017 -
12.0% "... I really dislike the alternating points of view by chapter. It sucks all the tension from the story."
September 22, 2017 -
42.0% ".... the word "maroon" appears 9 times in this book"
September 22, 2017 -
59.0% "... short but primal man-quote:
It was easier to think calmly about sex when it was abundant."
September 22, 2017 -
70.0% "... this is what's known as a "pot boiler". Maybe 4-5 plots running at once."
September 22, 2017 -
96.0% "... the Faye thing totally sucks."
September 22, 2017 -
99.0% "... this book explains more about the strange marriage of Parker and his wife, Joan, than all the 38 Spenser books that I've read. More explanation in my review."
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