Stranger in Paradise

By: Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: James Naughton

The last time Jesse Stone, police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts, saw Wilson "Crow" Cromartie, the Apache hit man was racing away in a speedboat after executing one of the most lucrative and deadly heists in the town's history. Crow managed to escape with a boatload of cash, never to be seen again. Until now.

When Crow shows up in Jesse's office some ten years after the crime, it's not to turn himself in. Crow is on another job, and this time he's asking for Jesse's help--by asking him to stay out of the way. Crow's mission is simple: find young Amber Francisco and bring her back to her father Louis, in Florida. It should be an easy payday for a pro like Crow, but there are complications. Amber, now living in squalor with her mother, Fiona, is mixed up with members of a Latino gang. And when Louis orders Crow to kill Fiona before heading back to Amber, he can't follow through. Crow may be a bad guy, but he doesn't kill women. It's up to Jessie to provide protection.

Meanwhile, Jesse's on-again, off-again relationship with ex-wife Jenn picks up steam as she investigates the gang problem for her TV station. As she and Jesse dig deeper, the danger escalates. The life of a teenage girl hangs in the balance, and saving Amber could be the miracle Jesse and Jenn need for themselves, too.©2008 Robert B. Parker; (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Jesse and Crow - the next Spenser and Hawk?

I thought of this at the end of the first appearance of Crow, not entirely unlike the first meeting in a novel of Spenser and Hawk. This was a good story, better than the last crossover with Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. Crow is a bad guy, but you like him for his autonomy, a hallmark characteristic of all Parker characters. Stone is more of a smartass in this book, much like a well loved Boston PI. James Naughton is a very good reader and you eventually stop noticing the endless "he said she said" overlays that are invisible on the paper page but really stand out in the audible book.

Best narrator of the Spenser series.

This was one of the better Spenser stories (although theyre all pretty good). Unlike the other, more celebrity narrators, this guy was a much better dramatic reader. What I really liked was that the narrator nailed the Mass accent like a native! Its a pet peeve of mine when alleged professionals attempt the Mass accent and butcher it. He also came in and out of it effortlessly. Loved it.

Could have been better

Like the other reviewers mentioned, the narrator's 'he said, she said' drove me to distraction.
How did this get past an editor?
It's awful enough to ruin a good book.

Enjoyed a lot........

.....but.....a little too many F words for my tastes. Otherwise, I loved it! Too bad Mr. Parker did not live longer as he could have written a series of books just on Crow.

great book

love all the books, the narrators voice, the only thing I don't like is how the are always saying he said she said