Trouble in Paradise

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Richard Masur

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees Stiles Island as the ultimate investment opportunity: all he needs to do is invade the island, blow the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his investment, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons - all experts in their fields - including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man - a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse.

As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in triplicate: his ex-wife Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault, he's begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell, and he's still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin's attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it's up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.

©1998 Robert P. Parker (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Tough and tight...[Parker] once again shows how to do it well, and with style.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[Parker] has another winner in Jesse Stone. The characters, good and bad, are well developed.” (USA Today)

a very worthy read.

I enjoyed the Patterson subtle humor and nicely placed pauses. Jesse Stone is a believable character. Some of the crude language distracted me a bit. At times - for certain characters - it's fine, but coming from fairly pleasant and fluent characters, it seemed inappropriate and outside what most people would actually say. Just my opinion.

if you've watched Tom Selleck as Stone, he was a natural.

KW

Good story but bad audio

Would you consider the audio edition of Trouble in Paradise to be better than the print version?

I have no basis for comparison since I haven't read the print edition.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was interesting and had a lot of good characterizations, especially of Jesse Stone.

What didn’t you like about Richard Masur’s performance?

The performance was dull, soporific, and unexciting. The performances of Jesse Stone novels by Robert Forster are MUCH more interesting and appropriate to the subject matter.

In addition, the technical audio recording was terrible. The bass was turned all the way up and there was hardly any treble. Sounded like he was talking through a pillow. I played this on my iPhone through three different systems, and the audio was easily intelligible only on a high-end stereo with the equalizer shifted all the way into the treble.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was infuriated by how hard it was to hear the audio clearly.

Any additional comments?

No. Good book but weak performance, made worse by really bad technical audio quality.

Good Story

Having watched the Jesse Stone series, I was familiar with the story and appreciated the additions in the Audible version. However, I was disappointed that the story was so brief.

boring read

mundane read. maled for a slow book.thats about all. 15 words to long for a bad review

great book

another good book in the series and very ready to get the next one in the series.

Worst narrator ever.

Love Jesse. Crow is introduced. Not sure I understand the whole Jen Jesse thing. Molly gets to rock!

Enjoyed the story line.

I listened to it all in one day. Really liked it from start to finish.

Fun Read

The voice is a little monochrome for me but enjoying the distraction. Good enough to listen to the next one in the series.

Glory of Carnage in Name of US

This is the last RBP book I will read. If you like drawn out gore and justification for torture and killing in fetid detail, this is the place for you.

Fool me once...

A friend recommended Night Passage then agreed with me that the ending was terrible. My friend said, "I agree, the malitia thing was lame, but you have to read his second book." I should have known better.

This book has a much better production than Night Passage, but the story probably feel apart even sooner. I want my time back.