Imperial Purple

Robert B. Parker
Stranger in Paradise
Quercus. 2008

When you buy a Robert B. Parker novel you know what you are getting. The protagonists will be strong, internalised and with no respect for position, only for person. Spenser and Hawk are the most famous but there are others and probably the most successful of these is the Paradise series starring Jesse Stone.

Jesse Stone fits the mold. Fired from the L.A. cops for being drunk on the job he has found redemption as the Police Chief of a small town in Massachusetts called Paradise. He fits in like a barracuda in a goldfish pond but the little fish come to appreciate his strength and, on occasion, ruthlessness. This is the seventh book in the series.

A self-proclaimed Apache warrior named Wilson Cromartie (Crow) is Jesse’s main opposition. We saw him as one of the bad guys in Trouble in Paradise where his one redeeming feature was an odd chivalry towards women. Ten years later he has returned and is looking for someone. He and Jesse are of a type and the mutual respect they have transcends, up to a point, their good-guy/bad guy relationship. For Spenser fans, think Hawk and you won’t be too far out.

The plot is predictable but then you knew that when you bought the book. Parker’s style gets sparser and sparser the more he writes but it is a paring down of an already sparse style, not the style of an author who no longer cares. After ten years Jesse seems to be finally getting the sometimes tedious on-and-off relationship with his ex-wife under control which I, for one, appreciate.

The book doesn’t break any new ground but it delivers on Parker’s usual promise - a fast-paced, well-written story about tough guys and what they do. I read it and enjoyed it and moved on. Three stars.