A series of novels by Robert B. Parker 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 eight TV movies have been made starring 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.

In addition, Stone has had CrossOver appearances in one {{Spenser}} novel (''Back Story''-2003) and two SunnyRandall novels (''Blue Screen''-2006, ''Spare Change''-2007).
[[/folder]]
!!Contains examples of:
* TheAlcoholic: Jesse skirts close to this and knows it.
* AmicablyDivorced: Jesse and Jenn, for the most part. It really depends on the day.
* AuthorAppeal: Jesse Stone's WeaponOfChoice 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.
* AuthorExistenceFailure
* 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]].
* 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]].
** Jesse himself doesn't suffer in this area.
* CastingCouch: To further her career, Jenn slept with her producer, which played a large part in their 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.
* CrossOver: Jesse and his crew have shown up in {{Spenser}}'s series, and SunnyRandall has appeared as well.
* DeadpanSnarker: Jesse, Molly Crane, Simpson and others.
* DomesticAbuser: 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.
* 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 ''{{Spenser}}'' series in that they're quiet and dangerous 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]].
* GroinAttack: In ''Night Passage'' [[spoiler:Jesse, to Jo Jo Genest]]. Who totally deserved it.
* HurtingHero: By Parker's own admission, Jesse is a very damaged individual compared to Spenser.
* {{Jerkass}}: Jo Jo Genest, big time.
* KickTheDog: In ''Night Passage'', [[spoiler:Jo Jo Genest kills Captain Cat]] to get back at Jesse.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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 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.
* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: The Horsemen in ''Night Passage'' are a group of these, with plans to stockpile weapons and ammunition and oppose the US Government.
* 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]].
* [[spoiler:SuicideByCop]]: [[spoiler:Lutz]] in the climax of ''High Profile'', and Jesse even calls the trope by name when he realizes what's going on.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted, since Jesse sees one regularly, and he encourages Jenn to see one after they break up. This is also a regularly 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 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]].