A series of novels by Creator/RobertBParker following police chief Jesse Stone, starting with ''Night Passage'' in 1997.

A former Los Angeles cop, Jesse winds up in the sleepy town of Paradise, Massachusetts. But he has a way of attracting trouble...

A series of nine TV movies have been made starring Creator/TomSelleck. The movies stay relatively true to the characters despite some alterations to the plot and the omission of some characters.
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[[folder:Novels in this series]]
* ''Night Passage'' (1997).
* ''Trouble in Paradise'' (1998).
* ''Death in Paradise'' (2000).
* ''Stone Cold'' (2003).
* ''Sea Change'' (2006).
* ''High Profile'' (2007).
* ''Stranger in Paradise'' (2008).
* ''Night and Day'' (2009).
* ''Split Image'' (2010). Last novel by Parker; the author died months prior to its publication.
* ''Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues'' (2011) by Michael Brandman.
* ''Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice'' by Michael Brandman.
* ''Robert B. Parker's Damned If You Do'' by Michael Brandman.
* ''Robert B. Parker's Blind Spot'' (2014) by Reed Farrel Coleman.
* ''Robert B. Parker's The Devil Wins'' by Reed Farrel Coleman
* ''Robert B. Parker's Debt To Pay'' by Reed Farrel Coleman
* ''The Bitterest Pill'' by Reed Farrel Coleman
* ''Fallout'', by Mike Lupica

In addition, Stone has had CrossOver appearances in one Literature/{{Spenser}} novel (''Back Story''-2003) and two Literature/SunnyRandall novels (''Blue Screen''-2006, ''Spare Change''-2007).
[[/folder]]
!!Contains examples of:
* TheAlcoholic: Jesse skirts close to this and knows it. Although he gets it more or less under control, his alcoholism was the reason he had to leave the LAPD. It also led to his current job as police chief; because he showed up to his interview drunk, the town's selectmen thought he would serve as a figurehead they could easily manipulate. [[spoiler:Of course, Jesse was self-aware enough to think it suspicious; why hire a drunk...?]]
* AmicablyDivorced: Jesse and Jenn, for the most part. It really depends on the day, but while their feelings for each other can vary they both recognize that they're better off not being married to each other for now.
* ArtisticLicenseLawEnforcement: It's often stated that the Paradise Police Department has about 10 officers, with the population of the town being 20,000. On average there are 2-2.5 officers for every 1000 civilians, which should put the size of the department closer to 40-50.
* AssholeVictim: Normally, an officer performing a [[spoiler:[[GroinAttack kick to the balls]]]] on an unarmed civilian who's not attacking would be a major KickTheDog moment. Unless said civilian is Jo Jo Genest, who just got done bragging about how Jesse can't do anything to stop him from raping his ex-wife. Then it's this trope.
* AuthorAppeal: Jesse Stone's weapon in the movies is changed from a .38 revolver to a 1911-style pistol. This is because Tom Selleck is an avid fan of that type of pistol.
* TheBeard:
** In ''Stranger in Paradise'' [[spoiler:Miriam Fiedler turns out to be one for her gay husband, who spends all their money on his boyfriend, though Jesse eventually "convinces" the husband to get a quiet divorce]].
** At one point Jesse investigates a man who seduces beautiful women with rich husbands, then blackmails them by threatening to go to their husbands with evidence of their infidelity. One of the victims reveals that she serves as the beard to her gay husband; they have an open relationship but must appear to be a conventional heterosexual couple for the sake of his political career.
* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Jesse and his ex-wife Jenn, who cheated on him to further her career. They have an on-again off-again relationship.
* TheCasanova:
** Crow exudes an effortless sexuality that captures the hearts of many women, [[spoiler:including Molly, who has a no strings attached one night stand with him that doesn't seem to do any damage to her relationships in the long run]].
** Suitcase Simpson when it comes to middle-aged, married women.
** Jesse himself; in addition to his on again off again relationship with his ex-wife Jenn, Jesse has FriendsWithBenefits relationships with several women
* CareerEndingInjury: Jesse was a promising baseball prospect working his way up the minor leagues when a shoulder injury forced him out of baseball and into law enforcement.
* CastingCouch: To further her career Jenn slept with her producer, which played a large part in her and Jesse's divorce.
* CowboyCop: Jesse, who used to work in South Central LA, has a considerably different idea of how to dish out justice than the selectmen in Paradise. Often enough that Jesse regularly points out that the contract he signed allows for "recourse with the selectmen if they are dissatisfied with my performance".[[note]]''Night Passage'', after his first encounter with [[spoiler:[=JoJo=] Genest]].[[/note]]
* CrossOver: Jesse and his crew have shown up in Literature/{{Spenser}}'s series, and Literature/SunnyRandall has appeared as well.
* DeadpanSnarker: Jesse, Molly Crane, Simpson and others.
* DomesticAbuse: Jo Jo Genest regularly terrorizes and even rapes his ex-wife, and mocks the fact that the restraining order can't do anything about it. (And JerkassHasAPoint... technically. [[BotheringByTheBook It doesn't do anything on its own]], but if someone called the police stating he was in violation of the Order, however, it would help give extra legal backing to any other charges. The problem would be actually bothering saying anything.)
* DestructiveRomance: Jesse and Jenn's marriage, due to her infidelity and his alcoholism.
* EnemyMine: In ''Night Passage'', [[spoiler:Jo Jo Genest agrees to help Jesse once he realizes that the Horsemen will want him dead too]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: Crow doesn't have many, but he does stick to them like glue.
* {{Expy}}: Wilson Cromartie aka Crow is similar to the character Hawk of the ''Literature/{{Spenser}}'' series in that they're quiet, dangerous, and largely amoral badasses, and they both have bird nicknames as well.
* FriendsWithBenefits: In the TV movie ''Stone Cold'', Jesse and Abby have this kind of relationship [[spoiler:until she's murdered by a serial killer]]. He has several other relationships of this type in the novels, [[SexWithTheEx including with his ex-wife Jenn]].
* FromNewYorkToNowhere: Forced out of the [=LAPD=] due to his alcoholism, Jesse finds a job as the police chief of a sleepy New England town.
* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Discussed between Jenn and Molly and their respective adulteries. Jenn's was bad because it was a means to an end (to further her career), and contributed to her divorce from Jesse. Molly's one night stand with Crow was "good", as it was a one time thing that her husband will never know about so nobody got hurt.
* GroinAttack: In ''Night Passage'' [[spoiler:Jesse, to Jo Jo Genest]]. Who totally deserved it.
%%* {{Jerkass}}: Jo Jo Genest, big time.
* KickTheDog: In ''Night Passage'', [[spoiler:Jo Jo Genest kills Captain Cat]] to get back at Jesse.
* LawOfInverseFertility: In ''High Profile'' [[spoiler:Walton Weeks always wanted to have a child but was unable to because he had trouble ejaculating, and when he finally conceived with his mistress they were both murdered.]]
* LikesOlderWomen: Suitcase Simpson frequently ends up in relationships with older women, and they're usually ''married'' older women too.
* LoveTriangle: Jesse, Jenn and Sunny, and Jesse even lampshades it when he realizes they're actually sitting in a triangle.
* MacGuffin: Referenced in ''Fallout'' - "Jesse, or Sunny--it was sometimes difficult to remember which one of them had said what when they were still together--had referenced [=MacGuffin=]s more than once. From the old Hitchcock movies. A thing that drove the story. The plot. Sometimes a thing, sometimes a person, sometimes missing, sometimes hiding in plain sight."
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Sunny and Jenn actually get along very well, much to Jesse's relief since he's having Sunny guard Jenn.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Jo Jo Genest thinks they'll protect him, but Jesse and others know better.
* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: Paradise is loosely based on the town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and even has a Yacht Week like the real town.
* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: Jo Jo Genest claims this when his ex-wife tries to get him charged for assaulting her repeatedly. Jesse's response is to [[spoiler:GroinAttack]] Genest.
* OffTheWagon: Jesse was fired from his job in L.A. for drinking on the job, and frequently struggles with alcohol. In fact, his divorce from Jenn was not due to Jesse leaving her because she cheated on him, but ''her leaving him'' for his drinking.
* OlderThanHeLooks: In ''Night Passage'', one of the selectmen says this about Jesse: "He's young, and looks younger than that."
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: It takes nearly half of ''Night Passage'' before we find out that Suitcase Simpson's real first name is Luther.
* PlayingHamlet: Jesse in the books is about 35, while Creator/TomSelleck was in his mid-sixties when he played him, but [[WordOfGod Parker himself]] says that Selleck nailed the role.
* RaceLift: Molly Crane, who's Irish Catholic in the books, is played by an African American woman in the TV movies.
* ReallyGetsAround:
** Suitcase Simpson, who has a way with the middle-aged women of the town.
** As well as [[spoiler:Cissy Hathaway]], who was sleeping with the above.
** Not to mention Jesse, to the point that in one novel he is jokingly given vitamins by his fellow officers to help keep up his...stamina.
* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: Jesse and his ex-wife Jenn periodically give their relationship another try, never being able to make it work long-term but also never being able to fully move on from each other.
* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: The Horsemen in ''Night Passage'' are a group of these, with plans to stockpile weapons
and ammunition and oppose the US Government.
* RunningGag:
** Jesse will get out of a tedious or distasteful task by reminding everyone that he's the chief of police.
** Molly will say something disrepectful and Jesse will jokingly reprimand her; she will then repeat the disreptectful statement with "sir" or "chief" added to the end, and Jesse will approve.
* SpringtimeForHitler: Jesse, who was drunk during his job interview, was hired because the aldermen of Paradise thought he'd be too incompetent to figure out what they were up to. Unfortunately for them he turns out to have more iron in him than they thought [[spoiler:and brings down their entire scheme]].
* StockholmSyndrome: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:Crow and the women he kidnapped]] had a bit of this going, partly because [[spoiler:he made sure that none of them were hurt]]. It's also possible that he developed LimaSyndrome, [[spoiler:and even has a one-night stand with one of the women years later]].
* SuicideByCop:
** [[spoiler:Lutz]] in the climax of ''High Profile'', and Jesse even calls the trope by name when he realizes what's going on.
** [[spoiler:The Nighthawk]] from ''Night And Day''. He had previously stated that he had no intention of being captured, and when he is cornered by three cops with guns drawn he still raises his own gun and is killed.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted, since Jesse sees one regularly, and he encourages Jenn to see one after they break up. This is also a regular aversion in most of Parker's works.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Crow may be a heartless bastard by most counts and doesn't bat an eye at gunning teenage gangbangers down in broad daylight, but he will ''not'' [[EvenEvilHasStandards hurt women]]. The main plot of ''Stranger In Paradise'' kicks off when this leads him into conflict with his employer, who wants him to kill his ex-wife.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: [[spoiler:Jenn]] in ''High Profile'' has a variant of this: [[spoiler:she was threatened and terrorized, but wasn't actually raped, but says she was to get Jesse to help her. Sunny tells her to get help as soon as she figures out what really happened]].

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