ROBERT B PARKER’S COLORBLIND by Reed Farrel Coleman
When Reed Farrel Coleman writes his stand alone novels he is gritty, dark and melancholy. When he writes for the Robert B Parker Jesse Stone series he is bright, funny and optimistic. It is a contrast in styles and a credit to Coleman’s immense talent as a writer. COLORBLIND is Coleman’s latest Jesse Stone novel and it is a winner all the way.
This novel starts with Jesse coming out of rehab and back to his job as the police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts. He is hoping to transition back into a calm setting but that is not going to happen. Shortly after Jesse returns there is an attack on a young black woman, followed shortly thereafter by the burning of a cross at the home of a racially mixed couple.
Jesse immediately starts an investigation into it all. He is especially interested in a group known as the Saviors of Society, a group with white supremacist ties. One of Jesse’s officers is an African-American young woman named Alicia Davis. Jesse hand picked her to be in his team and thinks highly of her skills. That confidence in her is tested when she shoots a white man who it appears was defenseless.
All of this plays out over Jesse’s initial attempts to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He will not attend meetings in Paradise but he does go to meetings one town over. Jesse also gets involved in the life of a young homeless man who is in Paradise under mysterious circumstances. The relationship that develops between the two of them provides real heart to the story.
Fans of the Jesse Stone series will be more than happy that the care and providing of new Jesse Stone stories have fallen into the hands of Coleman. He not only writes these stories beautifully but also appears to care so much about the characters. Just as Tom Selleck will always be the face of Jesse Stone for most readers, thanks to the TV movies made about the character, Coleman is now the official author of books about the man.
Reed Farrel Coleman and Jesse Stone are a match made in literary heaven. They go together hand in glove.
ROBERT B PARKER’S COLORBLIND is published by G P Putnam’s Sons. It contains 368 pages and sells for $27.00.
