‘Night and Day’ by Robert B. Parker

  Before I jump into my review of Robert B. Parker’s newest “Jesse Stone” novel, “Night and Day,” allow me first to give a big plug for the five TV movies based on the series that Tom Selleck has produced and starred in, the most recent being “Thin Ice,” which was aired by CBS on March 1. Selleck captures the role of Jesse Stone perfectly, and each movie is a slow burn, filled with excellence on every level. If you’re a fan of the novels, then you owe it to yourself to see the TV movies. Except for “Thin Ice,” the other four (“Stone Cold,” “Night Passage,” “Death in Paradise” and “Sea Change”) are out on DVD. Also, CBS tends to broadcast a “Jesse Stone” movie every so often, so keep an eye out.
  Now on to “Night and Day,” which is the eighth novel in the “Jesse Stone” series.
  Like the seven previous books, the small-town chief of police has to deal with three cases simultaneously, which keeps the story line moving along at a brisk pace and the reader from being bored. I probably should mention that while Jesse’s attempting to solve his three cases, he’s also battling his obsession with his ex-wife, Jenn, and with alcoholism, both of which are tied closely together. 
  This time around, Jesse has to deal with a rather unusual situation that involves a female high-school principal and a panty check of the young girls going to the school dance on one particular night. The principal claims that she was only doing it to make sure the girls intended to be good and not naughty by wearing thongs and other sexy lingerie underneath their skirts. The parents of the children, however, are outraged over the act and want Jesse to do something about it. He pretty much agrees with the parents and thinks that it’s definitely an invasion of privacy, but it doesn’t help matters that the principal just happens to be married to the head of Boston’s top law firm.
  Along with that problem, Jesse has to deal with a voyeur who calls himself the Night Hawk and likes to look into the windows of women as they’re undressing at night. His antics soon escalate into daytime breaking and entering, not to mention home invasion, and Jesse’s worried that someone eventually might get hurt during the commission of the crime.
  Last, but not least, a young girl approaches Jesse to complain about her swinging parents and how it’s hurting the family. Jesse doesn’t have a problem with consenting adults swinging, if that’s what they want to do, but when children are experiencing the negative side effects in this type of behavior, he feels the need to step in and do something about it before more emotional damage is caused.
  The story line and pacing of “Night and Day” are similar to the other books in the series, and the reader doesn’t really encounter anything new here. The fun of the books, however, is in getting to visit with Jesse Stone for a few hours and to see how he’s doing and to find out what’s happening in Paradise, Mass. The reader knows going into the story that Jesse will solve the crimes in one fashion or another, but it’s Jesse himself that’s the big attraction. He’s a good man, a tough man when necessary, but he still has problems like everybody else. As a reader and fan, I want to know how he’s coping with his alcoholism and with the addiction to his ex-wife. Actually, I want to see him happy and at peace with himself, which leads to one very good thing about this particular novel — private investigator Sunny Randall is back (she and Jesse decide to give it another shot), plus her best friend, Spike, is opening a new restaurant in Paradise. 
   As with most of Parker’s books, “Night and Day” is well-written with sharp, crisp dialogue that makes the reader want to try out some of the lines at work. And, like the TV movies, the novels basically follow the saga of Jesse Stone’s life to see how he’s dealing with day-to-day challenges. Most readers will identify with the chief of police on many levels, be it problems with the person you love, or the need to drink in order to escape the stress of everyday life.   
  Parker’s novels are always a delight to read and certainly entertaining in every sense of the word. “Night and Day” is no exception and is a wonderful addition to an already marvelous series.
  I’ll also add that older readers tend to enjoy Jesse Stone somewhat more than the younger ones, but Parker does have a large all-age fan base. In May fans can look for the third novel in the “Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch” Western series. Yee-haw!