In one of the small old bungalows from the 1950s era at the
down at the heels Surf and Sand Motel, a young prostitute
has been stabbed. As Jesse Stone, Chief of Police in
Paradise, Massachusetts investigates the murder of the
unidentified woman, he thinks he has seen her before and
vows that he will not let her just be another Jane Doe.
Meanwhile, Donnie Jacobs, an old friend of his suffering
from dementia, has gone missing from the nursing home where
his daughter had placed him. Jess suspects where he is and
goes to find him. As Chief Stone returns Donnie to the
Golden Horizons Retirement Village, he doesn't like what he
sees. What exactly is going on? Why does Donnie have
bruises on him? Seeking more evidence, he is shocked by
what looks like medical overdosing of patients to keep them
compliant. What can he do to protect his friend and the
other residents?
As Jesse works to get the faintest of leads into the
murder, he discovers that two rivals, Thomas Walker and Fat
Boy Nelly, are trying to corner the local prostitution
market. Do they have anything to do with the death? Can
he find any evidence that would help to identify the dead
girl and bring the killer to justice?
DAMNED IF YOU DO is the twelfth book in the well-known
Jesse Stone Series and is written by Michael
Brandman, a
well-known and experienced author and screenwriter. Based
on the style and characters of the late Robert B. Parker, a
famous and prolific crime writer and with whom Brandman had
worked in the past, DAMNED IF YOU DO is sure to be a
satisfying new read for their fans.
While the style is sparse with little descriptions, its
conciseness still conveys a full-bodied sense of who the
characters are and what their motivations while making it a
quick and easy read. My only quibble is that at times it
seems to read more like a TV script than a novel. Still,
it is an entertaining story and I love how Stone manages
to investigate what is happening at Golden Horizons.
DAMNED IF YOU DO also reads very well as a stand-alone
story and fans, new and existing, will enjoy Chief Stone's
interactions with his loyal Deputy "Suitcase" Simpson and
Molly. Jesse Stone is definitely a likeable protagonist and
I loved his quips and the snappy dialogues between him and
the other characters, especially with Molly. Fans who like
this genre will definitely want to read this latest
addition to the series!
The woman on the bed was barely out of her teens. She
wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she’d tried to make the most
of her looks. And now, alone in a seedy beachfront motel,
she was dead.
Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone doesn’t know her name.
Whoever she is, she didn’t deserve to die. Jesse starts
digging, only to find himself caught in the crosshairs of a
bitter turf war between two ruthless pimps. And more blood
will spill before it’s over