Publication Day Review: Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth

 

Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone is on the night shift as Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot: A Jesse Stone Novel begins and he likes it. He really likes it. It is something he does from time to time as they are an eleven member police department. There Is plenty of money in Paradise, Massachusetts, so the sight of the McLaren sports car on its own is not surprising. At the same time, summer is over and that means the summer people are gone. So, it is something to look at as it is just parked at the side of the road.

 

When Jesse looks closer he realizes the driver is passed out in the car. Woken up by Jesse, he comes out of the car belligerent and very intoxicated. Not only does he refuse to cooperate, he takes a swing at Jesse. Before long, he is in cuffs and on his way to the jail.

 

It isn’t until late in the morning of the next day that Molly informs him that he arrested and jailed a notorious celebrity. The man is Ramsey Devlin. The same Ramsey Devlin that beat the federal fraud case, moved out of NYC, and into a newly constructed mansion monstrosity in the area. The same house that many of the neighbors complained to the police about as the eyesore was being constructed even though the situation had nothing to do with the police.

 

Like his client, his attorney, Gordon Wilkes, is arrogant and aggressive. The attorney claims that the arrest is nothing more than police harassment at the behest of the federal government. Neither he nor his client see that Devlin was out of line. Instead, they plan to sue the department into oblivion.

 

Unfortunately, that first incident is not the last. All too soon, Jesse is accused of murder and gets another lesson regarding actual friends.

 

Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth is a mighty good read. As author Reed Farrel Coleman did with the series years ago across several books, and as Mr. Farnsworth did in the last novel, Buried Secrets, he again captures the voice and spirit of the series as written by Robert B. Parker. The book comes alive for the reader. It only takes a handful of pages before that the tale is from somebody other than the original author. He has every aspect of those reads down and this new tale just flows for the reader.

 

Strongly Recommended.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/48ZTwtx

 

 

My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a positive review. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets

Publication Day Review: Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth

 

Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth is a breath of fresh air. This book in the long running Jesse Stone series reads like a Jesse Stone novel. One forgets that this is not done by Robert B. Parker and that is a very good thing.

 

The Paradise Police Department is very short handed. The normal situation has been made worse by the fact that three officers are out with Covid. Things are so bad that Molly Crane is working dispatch and Chief Jesse Stone has been doing patrols. After a long day, Jesse is looking forward to going home. Instead, after some back and forth with Molly, Jesse heads to an address for a welfare check.

 

On arrival, he finds a young man by the name of Matthew Peebles. He is a bit agitated and explains that the man inside the aging house is a friend of his parents. His mane is Phil Burton. Mr. Peebles says he and Phil Burton talk by phone on a semi regular basis and that he comes out from the city (New York City) now and then to visit and check on him as he is elderly. He says that he has not heard from him in awhile and is worried.

 

Jesse manages to eventually get inside the house through the back as a sliding glass door is partially open. It is very clear as he steps inside that Mr. Burton is a very serious hoarder. At least, he was. He clearly been dead on his couch for quite some time.

 

Jesse makes his way back out of the house with the intention of breaking the news to Mr. Peebles and alerting the coroner, having the house cleared out, and more. Once he gets to the front of the house, he realizes that Mr. Peebles is long gone.

 

Soon Luther “Suitcase” Simpson arrives and he and Jesse go back into the house. Everything in the massive piles of stuff in the house is very unstable. Simpson accidentally brushes a tower of carboard boxes and the tower collapses and falls spilling some of the boxes open. Other stuff slides around them making walking very difficult. When Simpson regains his footing, Jesse spots a polaroid picture on the floor.

 

It, and many more that can now be seen, showcase what appears to be dead people at various locations and conditions. Whatever Phil Burton was involved with, it was bad.

 

As that investigation gets underway, Jesse also welcomes the newest officer, Derek Tate, to the force. This was a hire forced on him by the Mayor, Gary Armistead, and Jesse isn’t totally comfortable with him. Due to the workload in recent days, Jesse has not been able to do a deep dive into him as much as he would with any new officer. On paper he looks good. But, there was an incident when he worked in Philadelphia.

 

Tate owned up to it, expressed some remorse, and claims to want a fresh start in Paradise, Massachusetts. Paradise certainly was a fresh start for Jesse many years ago and it could be for Tate as well. So, he brings him onboard and puts him out on patrol unsupervised as Tate has experience. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that things are not going to go well.

 

What follows is a fast moving read as Jesse deals with the Burton investigation, Tate and his version of police work, and other personal and professional issues. The author does a masterful job of pulling the reader along at a fast clip in the Jesse Stone world. It has been some time since an author could make the characters in the series come alive in the right voice and Mr. Farnsworth definitely pulls that off in Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jesse Stone Novel.

 

Strongly Recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42WtvtV

 

My reading copy came from the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, by way of NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025