Robert B. Parker's Fool me twice: a Jesse Stone novel

When a movie crew comes to Paradise, Massachusetts, it's a boon to the local economy but a major headache for Police Chief Jesse Stone and his understaffed department. And that's if everything goes well. But the star of the movie, Marisol Hinton, is terrified that her estranged and meth-addicted husband will try to harm her. Since the Paradise PD can't provide around-the-clock protection, Jesse arranges to have Crow, an old friend and professional tough guy, at Hinton's side. When he's not babysitting show-biz types, Jesse attempts to counsel a young, privileged teenage girl with potentially crippling authority issues. And there's also the seemingly mundane matter of curiously increasing Paradise water bills. Brandman, in his second go-round as the caretaker of the late Parker's Stone franchise, does solid job here (much better than in his earlier Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues (2011)). He nails Parker's compressionist prose this time and isn't quite as predictable in his plotting as the master had become. Parker's protagonists frequently offered tough love to wayward youngsters, but this time there's a little edge to the proceedings, as the water-department scandal adds a genuinely clever wrinkle. As for the stalker and the movie star? Let's just say tough guys gotta do what tough guys gotta do.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2010 Booklist

Brandman once again smoothly channels Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) in his second Jesse Stone novel (after 2011's Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues), though Stone's muted reaction to several dramatic events will strike some readers as inappropriate. Stone, the police chief of usually tranquil Paradise, Mass., personally witnesses a near-fatal car accident caused by 17-year-old Courtney Cassiday texting while driving. When Courtney's powerful parents stymie his attempts to make serious charges against her stick, he stakes out the girl in the expectation that she'll break the law again. Meanwhile, several Paradise residents report falsely inflated charges on their water bills-and violence threatens when a big-budget movie shoot comes to town, complete with a megastar who's afraid her estranged husband is out to kill her. More is less as the unrelated story lines compete with each other for depth, even if the larger-than-life lead is able to take them all in stride. Agent: Helen Brann, Helen Brann Agency. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Autumn brings a major new headache for Jesse Stone, police chief of that summer hot spot, Paradise, Mass., along with two supporting headaches. One of the cases seems so modest it's hardly worth mentioning. Busybody spinster Belva Radford and nursery owner Renzo Lazzeri insist they're being charged more money on their water bill even though their consumption hasn't changed. But when Jesse mildly confronts meter reader Oscar LaBrea and his diminutive boss, William J. Goodwin, they shut up and lawyer up. The second case is annoying but routine. After spoiled debutante Courtney Cassidy's texting causes a serious auto accident, Jesse keeps citing her for other phoning-while-driving violations, and her wealthy parents keep shielding her from their consequences--until a judge gives her six months' community service at the police station. The meatiest case revolves around starlet Marisol Hinton, in town to shoot A Taste of Arsenic, who tells Jesse she's scared of her drugged-up estranged husband, nothingburger actor Ryan Rooney. In between bedtime rounds with the film's line producer, Frances Greenberg, Jesse persuades Frankie to hire his friend Wilson "Crow" Cromartie as Marisol's bodyguard. When trouble predictably arrives, Crow plays a refreshingly unexpected role. Though one of the three cases shows Jesse at his most annoyingly sensitive, the other two both reveal welcome and unexpected complications. Not bad for Brandman, who's only on his second installment of the Paradise franchise (Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues, 2011).]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

When a movie crew comes to Paradise, Massachusetts, it's a boon to the local economy but a major headache for Police Chief Jesse Stone and his understaffed department. And that's if everything goes well. But the star of the movie, Marisol Hinton, is terrified that her estranged and meth-addicted husband will try to harm her. Since the Paradise PD can't provide around-the-clock protection, Jesse arranges to have Crow, an old friend and professional tough guy, at Hinton's side. When he's not babysitting show-biz types, Jesse attempts to counsel a young, privileged teenage girl with potentially crippling authority issues. And there's also the seemingly mundane matter of curiously increasing Paradise water bills. Brandman, in his second go-round as the caretaker of the late Parker's Stone franchise, does solid job here (much better than in his earlier Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues (2011)). He nails Parker's compressionist prose this time and isn't quite as predictable in his plotting as the master had become. Parker's protagonists frequently offered tough love to wayward youngsters, but this time there's a little edge to the proceedings, as the water-department scandal adds a genuinely clever wrinkle. As for the stalker and the movie star? Let's just say tough guys gotta do what tough guys gotta do. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Paradise, MA, is no paradise for Marisol Hinton, who's there to film a movie even as she anguishes over the unrelenting jealousy of her estranged husband. Then she receives a death threat, and Jesse Stone swings into action. Brandman wrote 2011's best-selling Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues and has written and/or produced a bunch of Parker adaptations for CBS.

The town may be Paradise, MA, but it's no paradise for star Marisol Hinton, who's there to film a movie even as she anguishes over the unrelenting jealousy of her estranged husband. Then she receives a death threat, and Jesse Stone swings into action. Brandman wrote 2011's best-selling Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues and has written and/or produced a bunch of Parker adaptations for CBS (next up in May 2012: Benefit of the Doubt). So this will have an audience. - "Fiction Previews, September 2012, Pt.2" LJ Reviews 3/15/2012 (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Brandman once again smoothly channels Robert B. Parker (1932–2010) in his second Jesse Stone novel (after 2011's Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues), though Stone's muted reaction to several dramatic events will strike some readers as inappropriate. Stone, the police chief of usually tranquil Paradise, Mass., personally witnesses a near-fatal car accident caused by 17-year-old Courtney Cassiday texting while driving. When Courtney's powerful parents stymie his attempts to make serious charges against her stick, he stakes out the girl in the expectation that she'll break the law again. Meanwhile, several Paradise residents report falsely inflated charges on their water bills—and violence threatens when a big-budget movie shoot comes to town, complete with a megastar who's afraid her estranged husband is out to kill her. More is less as the unrelated story lines compete with each other for depth, even if the larger-than-life lead is able to take them all in stride. Agent: Helen Brann, Helen Brann Agency. (Sept.)