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List Price: $24.95 | | Publisher: Putnam Adult
Salesrank: 213297
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| Media: Hardcover |
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Editorial Review:
The murder of a notorious public figure places Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.
When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body-that of a young woman-is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care-not a single one of Weeks's ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.
Despite Weeks's reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects. Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing whom he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.
High Profile (Jesse Stone) Reviews:
Not one of his best 
2008-11-18 - When a bullet-ridden body is found hanging from a tree in a public park in Paradise, Massachusetts, Police Chief Jesse Stone is called in to investigate the death. When he finds out the body is that of controversial talk show host Walter Weeks and that there was a second murder of someone close to Weeks, Jesse wants to solve the case quickly before the national media gets too much involved. He is also trying to help his ex-wife, Jenn, who claims she was raped. Jesse has plenty of suspects in the Weeks case and as he struggles to untangle the messy case he is also trying to untangle the messy relationship he has with Jenn and wonders just what his relationship with Sunny Randall is.
Although I usually enjoy reading Robert Parker's books, "High Profile" just didn't do it for me. All of his usual elements are in the book - his pitch perfect depiction of Boston and a story driven mostly by witty dialogue (if only I could think up comebacks as quickly as each character in the book does). The mystery aspects are okay - the plot of who killed the victims and why is interesting but not developed enough. Instead, most of the book is about Jesse and his complicated relationship not only with his ex-wife Jenn but Sunny Randall. Jesse spends way too much time dwelling over his relationship with Jenn and far too little time investigating the case. This might have been forgivable except for the fact that Jenn is one of the most unlikable characters I've come across in a book and it is hard to understand why Jesse is continually drawn to her. Sunny's character isn't much better as she is involved in a similarly conflicted relationship with her ex-husband Richie. Finally, when Parker does get back to the mystery of Weeks murder, while there are some nice plot twists, the scene where Jesse confronts the murderer ends in a totally unbelievable way.
"High Profile" is not one of Robert Parker's better books.
Typical Jesse Stone 
2008-11-13 - If you like Jesse Stone, you'll like this book. I like including Sunny Randall and mixing her with Jen. The story line doesn't tax you brain, but it is a quick enjoyable read.
Could have been better
2008-10-17 - When I was in school, I was taught to write words that expressed the emotion. I did not make it past the first 3-4 chapters in this book. Even when a character was asking a question, the author insisted on writing, the words, "he said" or "she said". Honestly, when a character is asking a question, it would make more sense for the author to write, "he asked", "she queried", or something similar. He said, she said is simple, elementary school writing. If it hadn't been for this, the book may have kept my attention.
A quick and pleasant read 
2008-08-03 - High profile opens with the body of a man found, riled with bullet holes and hung from a tree, in the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts. When the body is identified as famous talk-show host Walton Weeks, police chief Jesse Stone and his team work to find the killer. They soon discover his young pregnant lover, murdered in the same fashion and thrown into a dumpster, sending the police into a more complex and wild plot. This high profile crime becomes engrossed with media attention and political pressure leading to a long list of colorful characters and suspects. While the mystery of the crime remains weaved throughout the novel, the focus is more on the relationships between Jesse, his ex-wife Jenn and current girlfriend Sunny. The strong emotional conflicts and drinking scenes seem to drag on and ultimately fill up space on the pages. The quirky dialogue and personality of the characters is interesting and fun often providing some laugh out loud moments. The mystery in itself is intriguing providing some great scenes and twists to the plot along the way; however, the ending is too predictable and lacks the luster it needed. Overall, High Profile simply a quick and pleasant read. Valerie Jones mrsvaljones@netzero.net
Yuck 
2008-07-05 - What happened to RBP? He used to write good books - this one is just a mess. (Speaking of which, isn't Jenn a little OLD to be modeling? Gotta be in her 40's, right?) It's not so much a mystery as an excuse to whine over Jesse's ex-wife. Do any of these man have a backbone at all? Talk about women leading them around by there...noses. They reminded me of women who are beaten by men again and again, but they never leave. Why? "Because I LOVE him." Gag, puke. I have zero respect for Jesse.
The mystery was way too easy to figure out. All of the characters speak in the same voice! Try to delinate a bit, Parker, it would make for much more interesting characters. Of course that would take a little thought and work. Also, what's with all the illiteratve character names? How amature is that? I've known, I think, three people in my entire life that have illiterative names - the are NOT that common.
Never again will I waste time on a Parker book. Perhaps if we all stop buying these poor excuses for a novel, he'll get back on track and write a good book for a change.
