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Night PassageRobert B. ParkerPublished 2001 |
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Reviewed and Researched by Lisa Shea
Night Passage is the first in Robert B Parker's "Jesse Stone" series, set in the mythical town of Paradise, up near Lynne, Massachusetts. Jesse conveniently runs into just about every major character from the Spenser for Hire series during his adventures over the years. In essence, Parker is getting back to his roots. At this point in time Spenser is getting far too old to keep detecting, a point that many, many readers have made with a grin. Stone is picking up the mantle, and returning to the hard liquor, hard edged attitude that Spenser had back when he was a pup.
You start with Jesse Stone, aged 34, born in Tucson Arizona, staring at the Santa Monica ocean and pondering how he quit the LAPD. Divorced, 6', 175 pounds, he was a point guard in high school and almost went professional in baseball, but for a career-ending injury. Oh yes, he was in the marines, too. So he drives his Explorer cross country to the tiny town of Paradise, Massachusetts. The drive takes quite a bit of book to tell. When he gets there, to be their new police chief, he finds a mess. White Supremacists, money laundering, lots of sex. And all through it, you get soap opera scenes of Jesse and his ex-wife Jenn who can't quite live together but can't quite leave each other either.
Finally things come to a head, Jesse makes a classic western stand by his jail to protect a criminal, and the bad guys are brought down.
Interestingly, this entire story fails to mention an island visible from the Yacht Club - an island that suddenly appears in book 2 :)
The name "Night Passage" might refer to a Jimmy Stewart movie from 1957 of the same name. In it, Jimmy plays a tough ex-railroad cop who has an outlaw brother, and the problems that ensue.
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Lisa's Notes First, most of us Parker fans had expected something like this to happen. Spenser was growing ancient, but the world he lived in was quite a rich one. Why not start a young buck in the same land and take advantage of those people we knew? Also, Spenser had in many ways gotten too "golden". You knew exactly what he'd do in any situation and it was always the "exact right" thing. It is nice to have a new hero that is more like Spenser in his early days - a bit of self doubt, a penchant for hard alcohol, the film noir hero. On the other hand, some of the soap opera emotional burdens that many people (including me) really have issues with in Spenser came right along too. It seems that Parker has a personal issue to justify regarding couples who love each other but who can't live together. Spenser and Susan beat that horse to death, and Jesse and Jenn go on for page after page on the issue as well. It's starting to seem like an obsession. It is nice to have a 3d hero with good traits AND flaws. Jesse enjoys deliberately hanging out in exercise places to get good looking women in excellent shape, and uses his gun as a turn-on. You run into a burly dunce, Jo Jo Genesis, who at 6' and 283# makes enough comments about "All should fear me because I'm big" to get through even a dunce reader's head. He meets up with Gino Fish and Vinnie Morris, from the Spenser series. Jesse's parents are dead, but he does have a brother, somewhere. He learns about New England life, discovering exactly what a lobster roll is :) In any case, this town with no blacks has most of its 'upper class' belonging to a white supremacist militia, and the main guy's woman is the town slut. Finally after another dead body or two, Healy shows up. Turns out he was a pitcher for the Phillies until "the war" - Korea? Healy has been a cop for 41 years, i.e. since 1959. Jenn sees Madeline Ste. Claire and gives quotes about a 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. Finally, the whole story wraps up in about 2 seconds flat, Cissy spills the beans, Jesse has his standoff at his office, and the game is over. And yes, Jenn shows up to hold him. |
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Traveling in Jesse's Footprints * Santa Monica, Ocean Avenue by the ocean * Flagstaff on way across the US * Paradise's beachfront on Atlantic Avenue * Condo - colonial landing, grey with white shutters * Grey Gull restaurant in Paradise * Village Room restaurant in Paradise * Springfield to see the ex * Italian Submarine near wharf * Mentions of the Ritz and Loc Ober * Wharf office * South shore plaza for gun swap * Episcopalian church with reverend |
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Jesse's Menu and Drinks * Scotch on the rocks - Black Label * Coffee w/ cream and sugar * Scotch and soda at Spago restaurant * Beer * Jesse mentions his mom drank port as if it was a bad thing :) * Ham and cheese * Coffee with cream and 2 sugars * Single malt scotch with Healy * English muffin in Springfield * Scotch and soda * hates instant coffee * Coffee - half and half, 2 sugars * Coffee with cremora and sugar |
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