Paradise, Massachusetts, Police Chief Jesse Stone must deal in his own laconic way with the town's rights and wrongs, including a Peeping Tom, the Paradise Free Swingers, and a firestorm of protests at the junior high school.

"PARKER MAY BE THE FINEST PROSE STYLIST IN THE GENRE." Chief of Police Jesse Stone returns to investigate the murder of a troubled teenager in a seemingly bucolic New England town. The Paradise Men's Softball League has wrapped up another game, and Jesse Stone is lingering in the parking lot with his teammates, drinking beer, swapping stories of double plays and beautiful women in the late-summer twilight. But then a frightened voice calls out

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Paradise, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone must investigate the murder of a controversial talk-show host and a young woman, found dead a few days later. The medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the victims.

"The woman on the bed was barely out of her teens. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she'd tried to make the most of her looks. And now, alone in a seedy beachfront motel, she was dead. Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone doesn't know her name. Whoever she is, she didn't deserve to die. Jesse starts digging, only to find himself caught in the crosshairs of a bitter turf war between two ruthless pimps. And more blood will spill before it's over"--

What initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on new meaning when a high-ranking crime figure is found dead on Paradise Beach. Jesse Stone and private investigator Sunny Randall team up to solve two cases involving the gunshot murder of Petrov Ognowski and a religious cult holding an 18-year-old girl against her will.

"When a body is discovered at the lake in Paradise, Police Chief Jesse Stone is surprised to find he recognizes the murder victim--the man had been at the same AA meeting as Jesse the evening before. But otherwise, Jesse has no clue as to the man's identity. He isn't a local, nor does he have ID on him, nor does any neighboring state have a reported missing person matching the man's description. Their single lead is from a taxi company that recalls...

After his involuntary retirement, Jesse Stone investigates the suspicious death of a young friend while the Paradise police force deals with the arrogant new chief, who is the son-in-law of a town councilman.

"The town of Paradise is devastated when a star high-school baseball player is found dead at the bottom of a bluff a day after winning the team's biggest game. For Jesse, the loss is doubly difficult--the teen was the nephew of his colleague, Suitcase Simpson, and Jesse had been coaching the young shortstop. As he searches for answers, he is stonewalled at every turn. Jesse suddenly must divide his attention between two cases after the murder of former...

Jesse starts moonlighting for one of his friends after he is suspended. He investigates a series of murders in Boston that he believes are all connected to a notorious mob boss.

Stone is a quiet chief of police in a cold, gray, seaside town. When a serial killer strikes, this tough cop is in the thick of it. Add his girlfriend, an ex-wife and a sexy defense attorney, and things really heat up.