'STRANGER IN PARADISE" by Robert Parker

Love that Jesse Stone! I've read several of the "Jesse Stone" novels now and really like them. Unfortunately I read them in two days (they are not rocket science) and then look around for more.

It helps that I've watched Tom Selleck play Stone on some TV episodes, so my image of the Chief of Police of Paradise is a cool and handsome guy. None of the dialog is lengthy, rather short sentences that convey the story well. The other main characters are well developed and each has his/her peculiarities that we can all relate to. Paradise is a small town but there is plenty of murder and mayhem.

The author weaves together an Apache paid killer, a 14 year old foul-mouthed punker whose gang leader boyfriend kills her mother, a mob boss and his hit men from Miami, a overworked & underpaid social worker, a school bus full of pre-school kids, and assorted people sleeping around. Yet the good guys win in the end. Yay.