Dissapointing and hopefully not a trend

books:


	• Stranger in Paradise (Jesse Stone Novels) Robert B. Parker Putnam Adult, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
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Stranger in Paradise

Entertaining, easy to listen to, but not as well developed as some of his other works. Well worth buying.

Dissapointing and hopefully not a trend

I have been a life long reader of Parkers work, and find "Stranger in Paradise" to be very disappointing, and hope this is not a trend. Back in the mid 90's Parker's books (referred by a Mystery Bookstore owner as "Dick and Jane books") tended to have short, snappy, funny dialogue and a very trim plot. In recent years, thankfully Parker found his writer's voice again and the books have been good to great.

Yet, I find with this book and the recent Spenser novel: "Now and Then" that the author is taking a turn. I am not sure of the cause of this, but Stranger in Paradise is one of Parker's worse (though a "bad" book by him, still earns 3 stars, in my humble opinion).

In short there are sooo many unexplained, plot/character points that make this book a nothing. We do not get a clear sense of a young runaway's problems, we see characters come in and out; some die, others mysteriously disappear and so much happens, to new, and ongoing characters that are explained in the book via "a person's got to do what a person's got to do."

LIGHT SPOILERS THIS PARAGRAPH ONLY: A woman voluntarily sleeps with a man who was part of a nightmarish situation years ago; another woman, happily married with children, sleeps with a criminal...just once; a man whose wife and child left him years ago suddenly wants one back and one killed; the reason behind these and more plot points and character moves? "A person has to do what a person has to do?"

Through this the author lazily escapes from having to come with reasons for actions, back-story and a fuller plot. Finally, my disappointment goes to the fact that like Jesse is a darker version of Spenser, I was interested to read about Crow who was a darker side of Hawk (from the Spenser books), but nothing panned out.

My advise to Mr. Parker, is finish the deal about delivering so many books by so many dates...take a year off and put the pen down, and do not write until you have a story to tell. I would rather have no more books from this author than a treasure trove of bad ones.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10

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