High Profile

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case. When another dead body, that of a young woman, is discovered just a few days later, the pressure to solve the crimes becomes almost unbearable.

Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care: not a single one of Weeks' ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing whom to trust is indeed a matter of life and death.

©2007 Robert B. Parker (P)2007 Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

“Crisply etched characters…smooth, lean prose. There is a level of narrative tension - and plain polished professionalism - below which Parker is incapable of descending. High Profile will repay a quick read with…the wit, suspense, and psychological sophistication readers who know Parker's work happily associate with him.” (The Boston Globe)

“It’s easy to overlook how fine the writing is because Parker’s style rarely calls attention to itself, going down so easy that you can forget you are reading. His books are not so much read as inhaled.” (Associated Press)

"Parker's most complex, ambitious novel in years....Great reading from an old hand who hasn't lost his touch." (Booklist, starred review)

Action packed

Parker does it again

Terrible.

The plot was ok, but the book was not designed for listening. The author over-relied on the phrases "He said.." or "she said." If I heard the word "said" one more time I was going to scream. After 15 minutes, it was like fingernails on a blackboard, I couldn't take it anymore!

Jesse said

This was one of the rare books I stopped listening to. Every line of speech ended with 'Jessie said' or 'Molly said'. The narrator only made it more obvious. They never replied, answered, or exclaimed, only 'said'. So distracting I couldn't pay attention to the story.

HE Said

If you want to hear these words every 30 seconds this is the book for you,

I enjoy Jesse Stone novels, but NOT for listening.

My husband and I have enjoyed the Robert B. Parker novels, particularly the made-for-TV series with Tom Selleck, so we decided to try one as an audiobook. Big mistake! By the end of the third chapter, we were going crazy listening to "Jesse said," "Molly said," "Suitcase said." AD NAUSEUM!
Trying to listen is not a fun exercise, even though the plot was interesting and there was plenty to think about. We won't try another Parker novel in audio again.

I have read most of this series and this was bad

What disappointed you about High Profile?

The story and the reader were bad

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert B. Parker again?

Yes

How could the performance have been better?

The reader was not right

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from High Profile?

I quit reading after the first chapter

Any additional comments?

NO