Jesse Stone has just been fired from his job as a L.A. homicide detective. His drinking and erratic behavior had been tolerated for a little bit, but after a couple of questionable incidents and his partners asked to reassigned, he becomes a liability. He gets a new start on the other side of the country in Paradise, Massachusetts where the people hiring him know his past. In fact, he was drunk during the job interview. They don't seem to mind, and he is grateful for the job. They think they are hiring a drunk, washed-out (albeit young) has been. The thing is, Jesse is a very good police officer when sober, and he's working on that. So, their new police chief probably isn't going to the one turning a blind eye to the illegal goings on in their town like they hoped. Add an ex-wife that he still loves, and she may still love him, and it's an all around solid adventure.
I went back to the beginning, and I'm glad I did. Like most authors of successful series, the early books are the best and definitely show the most effort. While I'm not one who craves description of every rock, leaf and gully, I do like to see some thought put into the surroundings of the characters and not just dialogue. Best part of Jesse's driving trip to the east coast is his stop at (and reverence of) Busch Stadium. He's an ex-ballplayer whose career was ended by an early injury. He idolizes Ozzie Smith, a fellow shortstop. One part of the series I don't think I'm going to enjoy is the ex-wife aspect. It seems to clutter up the story when she shows up.
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