Michael Brandman “Killing The Blues” A Jesse Stone Novel

I think like many fans saddened by the passing of Robert Parker, we were left with a question in our heads. Is this franchise going to be carried on and if so by whom?  I have included Michael Brandman’s bio after the synopsis so if you have not heard of the author or his creds, now you do. I have to admit and have done so many times that I am a huge fan of Parker’s and his many franchises. Jesse Stone, the king of dialogue, is one of my favorites. I saw that this was set for release and I was of two minds. Can they pull it off, can they even come close, and where are they going to this universe that I enjoy so much called Paradise?

The answers came for me rather quickly. I carefully read the jacket and the new author’s bio. I liked that they chose him to do this. I need to say this even though I am a book reviewer. I enjoy Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone; he carries it off pretty well. So when you mix the two, the writer that puts the words into Tom Selleck’s mouth and drives the television action with just the written word, how much closer can you get than to someone like Michael Brandman that has been inside of Robert Parker’s head and carried it off so many times in another media. I was happy, not euphoric, but happy. Now what is between the covers?

I saw a pattern and an agenda here. Was I happy with all of it? No. I was happy I was getting something that was as close to the original as possible, almost but not quite, but then again the guy that invented the brand, the universe, is no longer here. Let’s face facts, as readers and consumers, something was going to change, the visceral feel, that sameness, the fabric of the whole thing, there are a few new wrinkles in it. Are they all bad? No. I was happy to get the read in on a set of characters that I enjoy and hold dear. I think maybe too many “reviewers” took things a bit too seriously when they penned their reviews. A new sheriff is in town, and I am going to guess that includes a new direction and new media tie in as both are being written by the same guy. My question to you as a reader is, do you think that it is good for the same person to have control over both the written work as well as the visual one? Do you think that this franchise would be better carried off by having a different author?

Here is the synopsis and the author’s bio:

“Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone returns in a brilliant new addition to the New York Times-bestselling series.

Paradise, Massachusetts, is preparing for the summer tourist season when a string of car thefts disturbs what is usually a quiet time in town. In a sudden escalation of violence, the thefts become murder, and chief of police Jesse Stone finds himself facing one of the toughest cases of his career. Pressure from the town politicians only increases when another crime wave puts residents on edge. Jesse confronts a personal dilemma as well: a burgeoning relationship with a young PR executive, whose plans to turn Paradise into a summertime concert destination may have her running afoul of the law.

When a mysterious figure from Jesse's past arrives in town, memories of his last troubled days as a cop in L.A. threaten his ability to keep order in Paradise-especially when it appears that the stranger is out for revenge.

About the Author

Robert B. Parker was the author of more than fifty books. He died in January 2010.

Michael Brandman is uniquely qualified to carry the Jesse Stone series into the future. An award-winning producer of more than thirty motion pictures, he collaborated with Robert B. Parker on more than a dozen of them. Together they wrote the screenplay for Tom Selleck's TNT movie Monte Walsh. Brandman produced and Parker wrote three Spenser films for A&E, and their collaboration continued with the Jesse Stone TV movies currently broadcast on CBS. Brandman lives in California.”

   Check out the newest releases from Trestle Press: April Pohren ”Welcome to the Land of Insanity” , Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom ”Thirty -1: Salvation”, B.R. Stateham ”Insatiable” from the “Drunk on the Moon” series by Paul D. Brazill, David Hoof ”Sharpshooter”, Karen Anna Vogel “The Amish Knitting Circle”, Lisa Taylor “Shana Black: The Invention” , Mark Cooper “Infection” ,Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother: First Date”, De Miller “12 Steps” volume 2 of the “One” series by Mark Miller, Sam Lang “Reprisal: Shadow Boxing” volume 3, Michelle Vasquez “’Til Death Do Us Part”, Darren Sant ”Community Spirit” volume 2 of “The Tales of the Longcroft Estates”, J.E. Seymour “Pale Horse”, Tom Sumner “All I wanted was a Haircut #5”, Jeffrey Martin & Giovanni Gelati from The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series “Forsaken”, CQ Scafidi “Time Couriers” (Barnes & Noble’s Nook version), Darren Sant “Flashes of Revenge”,S.L. Schmidtz “Mina’s Daughter…The Harker Chronicles, Vol.1”, Chantal Boudreau “Weird,Wicked & Wonderful: Technopathy ,Volume 2”, Werner Lind & Giovanni Gelati from The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series “Mrs. G’s Vampires” , Sam Lang & Giovanni Gelati “Two John’s” from The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series.