Robert B. Parker: Night Passage (UK 2013)

From the Publisher:
After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problems into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dump him, 35-year-old Jesse Stone's future looks bleak. He is shocked, however, when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise hires him as their police chief. Once on board he doesn't have to look for trouble in Paradise - it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption - replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero - or the deadest of dupes.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage. The First Jesse Stone Mystery. No Exit Press; ISBN 9781842435212 (April, 2013), 338 p., £8.99.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage (USA 2001)

From the Publisher:
After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dumps him, the thirty-five-year-old Stone's future looks bleak. So he's shocked when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise recruits him as police chief. He can't help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can't refuse. Once on board, Jesse doesn't have to look for trouble in Paradise: it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption - replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen, and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage. A Jesse Stone Novel. Berkley Publishing Group, ISBN 0425183963 (July, 2001), 402 p., $7.99.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage (UK 1999)

From the Publisher:
After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dump him, 35 year old Jesse Stone's future looks bleak. He is shocked however when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise, hires him as their police chief. Stone can't help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can't refuse. Once on board he doesn't have to look for trouble in Paradise: it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption - replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. Against all this, Jesse stands utterly alone, with no one to trust; even he and the woman he is seeing are like ships that pass in the night. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero - or the deadest of dupes.

Fresh and wry, meditative and action-packed, Night Passage is first-rate Parker and a welcome flagship volume in a new series.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage. The First Jesse Stone Novel. No Exit Press, ISBN 1901982572 (May, 1999), 324 p., £5.99.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage (UK 1998)

From the Publisher:
After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dump him, 35 year old Jesse Stone's future looks bleak. He is shocked however when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise, hires him as their police chief. Stone can't help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can't refuse. Once on board he doesn't have to look for trouble in Paradise: it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption - replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. Against all this, Jesse stands utterly alone, with no one to trust; even he and the woman he is seeing are like ships that pass in the night. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero - or the deadest of dupes.

Fresh and wry, meditative and action-packed, Night Passage is first-rate Parker and a welcome flagship volume in a new series.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage. John Murray, ISBN: 0719556619 (June, 1998), 322 p., £16.99.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage (USA 1997)

From the Publisher:
The author of two dozen Spenser novels as well as numerous other works of fiction, Robert B. Parker is no stranger to either critical or popular acclaim. With his hallmark sharp wit and taut action, Parker has created in the Spenser series the standard against which all contemporary detective novels are measured, and a character considered the paragon of private eyes. In Night Passage, Parker sets the bar even higher, with the introduction of Jesse Stone, a hero cut from different cloth.

After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dumps him, the thirty-five-year-old Stone's future looks bleak. So he's shocked when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise recruits him as police chief. He can't help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can't refuse.

Once on board, Jesse doesn't have to look for trouble in Paradise: it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption -- replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. Against all this, Jesse stands utterly alone, with no one to trust; even he and the woman he's seeing are like ships that pass in the night. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero -- or the deadest of dupes.

As the flagship volume in a new series featuring a complex and engaging sleuth, Night Passage is cause for celebration.

Robert B. Parker: Night Passage. A Jesse Stone Novel. Berkley Publishing Group, ISBN 0399143041 (September, 1997), 322 p., $21.95 .