"KILLING THE BLUES," by Michael Brandman, G.P. Putnam's Sons, $25.95, 274 pages (f)
Jesse Stone knows a bitter ex-con is likely to be coming after him.
He's also trying to figure out who is setting up a chop shop in Paradise while keeping a thumb on the mean girls at the local high school.
He knows one of the male teachers is hiding a secret.
All the while, he continues to wrestle with his personal demons as he steadily enforces the law in the small town that has plenty going on.
"Killing The Blues" is a good fit in the series made popular by Robert B. Parker who recently died.
It has humor and a consistently clever dialogue.
The characters are real from the town's Council of Selectmen to the high school principal who loses her way. The situations are believable. The solutions feel plausible.
Stone is a likable hero with flaws and bad habits that he's trying to overcome. He moves on without his exploitive ex-wife and he moves into a new home, a sign that he's finally putting down roots in Paradise.
He takes in a stray cat, a simple move that surprisingly adds depth and interest to a story about fighting the kind of crime that can take over a small town if left unchecked.
Stone doesn't take any guff and he's insightful, seeing where the bad guys are and where the good guys can shine. He's a vulnerable, yet tough, lawman.
As Parker did, Brandman keeps the chapters short and breezy, the story engaging.
When Rollo Nurse comes to town to exact his revenge, the wagons circle and the tension rises, but the story remains light and human.
It's easy to like.
It's also a good sign that there'll be more of Jesse Stone to come.
Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with 35 years experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.
Email: haddoc@desnews.com