"Night Passage"

Robert B. Parker's "Night Passage" is the first in his Jesse Stone series of novels.  After seeing some of the Jesse Stone made for TV movies based on Parker's books, I decided to start reading the novels.

"Night Passage" tells us why Jesse Stone started drinking on the job as a homicide cop in L.A. and how he ends up in Paradise, Massachusetts, as chief of police.  During his interview he was drunk and was surprised when he got hired.  That also intrigued him.

Settling into Paradise -- which seems like a nice quiet little town -- Stone discovers not all is what it seems on the outside and the people who hired him don't really want him to be a very competent cop.  When he decreases his drinking and stops drinking on the job and begins to take notice of what is going on around him, he becomes a threat.  Will he die like the last Police Chief who retired to the west and later was found blown up in his vehicle?

Parker has some mean people out to make life rough in Paradise and an ex-wife in L.A. who wanted out of the marriage but doesn't seem to want to let go of him or their relationship.  Her nightly phone calls make it hard to forget her and move on.  His problems in Paradise are putting his life in danger and he doesn't know who he can trust.  A great read!  pazt