High Profile

Robert B. Parker

A Paradise morning is skewed when a jogger discovers a body hanging from a tree in the park. The small police department is soon working on it. The murdered man had been Walton Weeks, a political commentator in his daily radio show, twice weekly television show, and newspaper columns. His family hadn't realized he was missing and he had dismissed his bodyguard for a while when he disappeared. A day or two later a woman's body is found in a dumpster. She was Walton's personal assistant. She also was pregnant with his baby.

Jesse Stone and his department start digging. They also have to deal with the press and with the governor, a friend of Weeks'. Weeks' politics annoyed many people, but were always straight forward and appeared honest. His personal life was different. He was on his third marriage. He was a womanizer and always had other women besides his wives. These facts had been true for most of his life, so why would someone want to kill him now?

When Jesse's ex-wife Jen has a personal crisis in her life, Jesse hires Sunny Randall to watch her. Jesse and Sunny are in a relationship yet each knows the other still has deep feelings for her/his spouse. Jen demands attention. The murder demands attention. Jesse is very busy balancing the demands of his life at the moment.

Robert B. Parker is in form with High Profile. The Walton Weeks mystery is interestingly crafted. But it was quickly obvious who was involved with a clue that was never brought back into play. To me the murderer's first statement as a witness/suspect was at odds with later developments, yet it was ignored the rest of the book, even when resolved. Otherwise the detective mystery brings the clues in appropriately and keeps the reader involved.

Those of us who like Parker's books know they are not deep literature. Instead they are good detective novels that entertain. They are not too gory, do not have gratuitous sex scenes, and are plotted well. We develop an affinity for the recurring characters. High Profile fits right in and delivers the entertainment.

Notice: Non-graphic violence, Strong indecent language, Suggestive dialogue or situations

Jesse Stone:

Night Passage
Trouble in Paradise
Death in Paradise
Stone Cold
Sea Change
Blue Screen
High Profile
Stranger in Paradise
Night and Day
Split Image
Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues (by Michael Brandman)

Sunny Randall

Family Honor
Perish Twice
Shrink Rap
Melancholy Baby
Blue Screen
High Profile
Spare Change
Split Image