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)

Great story, not so great narration

I enjoy Robert Parker's mysteries, and the Jesse Stone series, and this one is as good as I expect. But the reader is distracting - the phony, excessive Boston accent and the annoying emphasis on 'he said' (a frequent phrase in Parker's writing) makes it difficult to enjoy the story. I am from the Boston area, and so am qualified to critique the accent!

high Profile

Mr. Parker did an excellant job blending this book with his past books. I like the all 3 of his Boston Area detectives. keep up the good work

More of the same old same old

I was hopeful. After all Booklist said it was great. They must be reviewing a different book. Mr. Parker has a real gift for characters but after a while goes down this psychological blackhole of love, loss and martyrdom. Yuck.

Taming a Seahorse this is not.

Made worse is that Mr. Parker tells his stories via dialogue not buckets of imagery, so the whole he said, she said, he said thing on Audiobooks passes annoying and moves to turn this crap off after about thirty minutes.

May be better in print, lousy and repetitive in audio

great book

Just like all the others in series very good all the way to the end

Hard to listen to..........

To many "he saids...she saids...Jesse said...etc"
we know who is talking , they don't have to keep telling us. It makes the story very hard to listen to. A good story but.............

Detective story with bizarre parallel love stories

You're going to witness the depth of character development that we are used to by Mr. Parker! As Jesse investigates falls in love with another woman and trains his adorable love connection to his ex-wife, Jen. Best if listened in doses. When your scene slows, take a break. Do your task or chores. Then come back in a reasonable time and listen to the next scene. (Just don't wait 'til you forget where you are!) It is a long investigation but Suit and Mollie add comedic and critical commentary to help ease the way. A skilled tome worth the read!

Best Parker in a while

I'm a big Parker fan and this is his best in quite a while. I've rated recent books from 3-4 but this one I give a 5. There are two interesting plots woven into this book. Also, Jesse Stone has apparently overcome one addiction only to succumb to a worse one. And in keeping with Parker's recent trend, action is given the back bench to detection, character development, and dialog.

as always

another good read. Don't even look at the synopsis any more, just buy them, their's never a bad one from this guy!!

Jesse Stone

I truly enjoyed the fourth book in the Jesse Stone series by Robert B Parker. I found this as interesting as the other Jesse Stone books.

Enjoyed this book in this Jesse Stone series

Liked and enjoyed this book with the exception of the he said, she said, he said. can get annoying when audiobook. Enjoyed the narrator reading this book. made the difference