Split Image

Robert B. Parker

When members of the Mob start getting killed in Paradise, Massachusetts, sheriff Jesse Stone finds things getting tricky. Then the are the Mob wives...

First a Mob hit man is killed in Paradise. Jesse starts investigating, starting with the two local "business men" who have had Boston divided between them. Their twin wives are gorgeous and devoted to their husbands. Jesse is able to walk away from them with only a few suspicions. But he finds he's jealous of them for their wives. Those two women were right there for their husbands. Why couldn't his ex-wife have been that way?

Sunny Randall returns to Paradise and asks for Jesse's help. She has been hired to find an 18-year-old girl and bring her out of the religious cult. Except it isn't a cult as far as they can see. Every member is free to come and go. They preach the love of Jesus, taking trips into town. Monogamous relations are formed. And Cheryl doesn't want to return to her sanctimonious parents.

Split Image is a quick read that twists around and bites itself in the tail. It is written in Robert B. Parker's signature terse tones. If the reader has followed the series, Jesse and Sunny both learn more about themselves. The reader doesn't have to have read previous novels in either series since enough of their history is retold to keep the reader up to date. It just helps to have a deeper knowledge of the characters' backgrounds.

Jesse was not prepared for the surprises that arise in his case. Although Sunny is hired by Cheryl's parents, she finds she wants to help the girl stay with her religious group. But things happen to Cheryl that makes Sunny, with her friend Spike, interfere in the family trying to get everything straightened into a new dynamic. Plus, Sunny and Jesse help each other with their cases, even if it's only to listen when needed.

Split Image is the last Jesse Stone and/or Sunny Randall book Robert B. Parker wrote before he died. While not one of his best, it's an easy bit of entertainment and brings a good ending to both characters' stories.

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

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)

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