When Jesse Stone leaves the LAPD for a second chance in Paradise, he winds up as the police chief of a Massachusetts town with more than its share of secrets, scandals, and murders.
A former Los Angeles cop with a tragic past as minor league baseball shortstop whose career was cut short by injury, Jesse Stone arrives in Paradise, MA, with a lot of baggage, including a drinking problem and a love-life problem. Still, he takes his job as chief of police seriously. Chief Stone manages to solve difficult case after case - usually involving dead bodies with dark mysteries behind them - and command the respect of his officers. Created by best-selling author Robert B. Parker, this series revels in the intrigues of Paradise, a small New England town with big-league problems: political corruption, mob ties, entitled wealthy residents, bigotry, stormy relationships, and murder.
As the voice of Jesse Stone, James Naughton delivers the character’s staccato one-liners with ease and maintains a rhythmic cadence that allows the action to flow. A Tony Award-winning actor as well as an accomplished narrator, Naughton captures Chief Stone’s easygoing demeanor while offering glimpses into his troubled core, expertly instilling tension into each mystery. Scott Sower and Robert Forster also narrate installments in this series.
Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Robert P. Parker was widely hailed as the dean of American crime fiction and named a Grand Master at the 2002 Edgar Awards. His Spenser series, 40-plus volumes featuring a wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye, earned him a devoted following and critical acclaim. Praised for their wit, suspense, and psychological sophistication, his Jesse Stone mysteries inspired a series of nine made-for-TV movies, starring Tom Selleck in the lead role. Following his death in 2010, several authors have continued Parker’s acclaimed modern detective novels.
