Do you want to read Jesse Stone’s books in order? then this guide is exactly what you need. From the first book, Night Passage, to the latest novel, A Stone’s Throw Away, we’ve got all the information you need to get started with this best-selling series.
Before we dive into the list of jesse stone books in order, let’s take a closer look at the main character.
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who is jesse stone?
jesse stone is the protagonist within the series that bears the same name. This series was initially created by bestselling author Robert B. parker.
We meet Stone when he finds himself disgraced from the LAPD after his divorce and subsequent alcohol addiction. he then he becomes the new chief of police in the city of paradise, massachusetts. however, this new concert is much less idyllic than it seems.
stone also suffers an injury that cut short his career in minor league baseball.
writing the jesse stone series was a game changer for parker in more ways than one. it was the first series he wrote in the third person. In addition, Parker describes Jesse as a much more damaged individual than his other protagonists.
Following Parker’s death in 2010, his estate and the publishers made a joint decision to continue the series.
The first three were written by Parker’s old friend, Michael Brandman. The helm was then taken over by Reed Farrel Coleman. however, the most recent change in authorship sees mike lupica writing the last two jesse stone novels.
jesse stone screen adaptations
there is a collection of jesse stone tv movies starring tom selleck as the lead. in fact, there are nine.
The first Stone Cold movie, based on the second book in the book series, premiered in 2005 on CBS. It was quickly followed by Night Passage and Death in Paradise in 2006. The series continued with five more movies on CBS before the network ended the movie series in 2012.
Have no fear though, as the films were selected by Hallmark and the ninth film in the series, Lost in Paradise, aired in 2015. In addition to Tom Selleck, it stars Luke Perry, Mackenzie Foy and william devane. . It was filmed in Lunenburg and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
While it’s been a while since the last installment, Selleck confirmed in September 2021 that the next film is still in active development, though it may not be a hallmark again and nothing is set in stone. Michael Brandman, author of Books 10-12, is an executive producer on the show.
list of jesse stone books in order
This list provides all of Jesse Stone’s books in order. below is a summary of each book. Whether you’re a fan of mystery, crime, or just a good read, reading Jesse Stone’s books in order is a great choice for you!
jesse stone books in publication order
- night passage (1997)
- trouble in paradise (1998)
- death in paradise (2001)
- cold stone (2003 )
- sea change (2006)
- high profile (2007)
- stranger in paradise (2008)
- night and day ( 2009)
- split image (2010)
- kill the blues (2011) (written by michael brandman)
- fool me twice (2012) (written by michael brandman)
- damn if you do (2013) (written by michael brandman)
- blind spot (2014) (written by reed farrel coleman)
- the devil win (2015) ) (written by reed farrel coleman)
- debt to pay (2016) (written by reed farrel coleman)
- the hangman’s sonnet (2017) (written by reed farrel coleman)
- colorblind (2018) (written by reed farrel coleman)
- the bitterest pill (2019) (written by reed farrel coleman)
- fool’s paradise (2020) (written by mike lupica)
- throwing stone (2021) (written by mike lupica)
- fal lout (expected: September 6, 2022 by mike lupica)
summary of jesse stone books in order
in the jesse stone series, a police chief is trying to make his small town paradise, massachusetts, a better place. The books in this series are easy reads and perfect for anyone who likes crime drama novels. he continues reading to find out all about the jesse stone books in order.
1. night passage
After a failing marriage accelerates his drinking problem and the LAPD cop unceremoniously dumps him, thirty-five-year-old Jesse Stone’s future looks bleak. So he is surprised when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise recruits him as police chief. He can’t help but wonder if this job is a real opportunity to start over, the kind of offer he can’t refuse.
once aboard, jesse doesn’t have to look for trouble in paradise: it’s all about him. Because what on the surface is a sleepy New England community quickly proves to be a melting pot of political and moral corruption. It’s chock-full of triple homicide, close ties to the Boston mob, bizarrely errant spouses, crazed militiamen, and a city psychopath who has set his vicious gaze on the new lawman.
against all this, jesse is completely alone, with no one to trust; even he and the woman he is seeing are like ships passing in the night. he discovers that he must test his mettle and his powers of command to emerge as a local hero. or the deadest of fools.
2. trouble in paradise
stiles island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from paradise city on the massachusetts coast. james macklin sees stiles island as the best investment opportunity. all you have to do is invade the island, blow up the bridge and loot the island.
To realize his investment, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, gathers a group of fellow ex-cons. They are all experts in their fields, including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache.
but james macklin is a very bad man. and wilson cromartie, known as crow, is even worse.
As macklin plans his crime, paradise police chief jesse stone has his hands full. he faces romantic entanglements in triplicate.
his ex-wife, jenn, is in paradise jail for assault. He has started a new relationship with a Stiles Island real estate agent named Marcy Campbell. And he’s still working out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor.
When macklin’s attack on stiles island gets underway, both marcy and abby are in danger. As casualties mount, it’s up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.
3. death in paradise
Paradise Men’s Softball League has wrapped up another game, and Jesse Stone is lingering in the parking lot with his teammates. they’re drinking beer and exchanging stories of double games and beautiful women in the late-summer twilight.
but then a frightened voice calls to him from the shore of a nearby lake. there, two men squatting at the edge of the water. in front of them, face down, was something that used to be a girl.
local police haven’t seen anything like this, but jesse’s l.a. past has made him too familiar with floats. this girl had not committed suicide and had not drowned. she had been shot and thrown away, discarded like garbage.
It soon becomes clear that he liked wildlife. her own parents can’t be bothered to report her missing, or even admit that she was once their child. all Jesse has to do is a young boy’s school ring with a gold chain and a hunches or two.
4. cold as a stone
jesse stone has a problem that no law enforcement officer likes to face. the bodies keep turning up, but the clues don’t.
A man takes his dog for a run on the beach, only to be discovered hours later with two holes in his chest. a woman drives her volvo to the store to do some shopping and is later found dead, her body huddled behind her loaded shopping cart. a traveler takes a shortcut home from the train and never returns to his house.
hunting a serial killer is difficult and dangerous in any city. But in a city like paradise, where councilors and the media add untold pressure, Jesse feels considerable heat. Already walking an emotional tightrope, she stumbles.
He spends too much time with the bottle and his ex-wife, none of which helps him or the case. And the more these outside forces push against him, the more Jesse withdraws into himself. he is convinced, despite all odds, that only he must stop the slaughter
5. change of sea
When a woman’s partially decomposed body arrives in paradise, massachusetts, police chief jesse stone is forced to take on a much more difficult case than it initially appears. Identifying the woman is just the first step in what turns out to be an emotionally charged investigation.
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florence horvath was an attractive recently divorced florida heiress. she also had a penchant for steamy sex and was an enthusiastic participant in a video showing the same thing. Somehow the combination of her past and her present got her killed, but no one talks.
nor the crew of the lady jane, the fort lauderdale yacht moored in paradise harbor; not her twin sisters, very blonde and very tanned, corliss and claudia; and not her parents curiously indifferent to her, living a sterile retirement in a miami skyscraper. But someone, Jesse, has to speak for the dead, even if it puts him in danger.
6. high profile
When the body of controversial talk show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of paradise, Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a very public case. forcing him to contend with narrow-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. when another body, that of a young woman, is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.
Two victims in less than a week should provide plenty of clues, but all Jesse finds are dead ends. but what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care. not one of weeks’ ex-wives, nor the girl’s family.
and when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two deceased souls, the mystery deepens. Despite the weeks-old reputation and the girl’s tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects. Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it’s the malevolence behind them that makes them even more terrifying.
Forced into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon realizes that knowing who he can trust is a matter of life and death.
7. stranger in paradise
the last time jesse stone, police chief of paradise, massachusetts, saw wilson “crow” cromartie, the apache indian hitman racing away in a speedboat after executing one of the world’s most lucrative and deadly heists in the history of the city.
crow was part of a team of ex-cons that planned to capture stiles island by blowing up the connecting bridge. residents were kidnapped, some were killed, and the crow managed to escape with a boat full of cash. he was never seen again, until now.
so when the raven shows up at jesse’s office some ten years after the crime, it’s not to turn himself in. Raven is on another job, and this time he’s asking Jesse for help. asking you to stay out of his way.
Crow’s mission is simple: find young Amber Francisco and bring her to her father, Louis, in Florida. It should be an easy payday for a professional like Raven, but there are complications. Now living in poverty with his mother, Fiona, Amber mixes with members of a Latino gang.
and when louis orders raven to kill fiona before returning with amber, he can’t continue. the raven may be a bad guy, but he doesn’t kill women. it’s up to jesse to provide protection.
Meanwhile, Jesse’s on-and-off relationship with his ex-wife Jenn gains momentum when Jenn investigates the gang problem for her TV station. as they dig deeper, the danger increases. A girl’s life hangs in the balance, and saving Amber could be the miracle Jesse and Jenn need for themselves, too.
8. night and day
Things are getting weird in paradise, massachusetts. Police Chief Jesse Stone is called to the high school when reports of lewd behavior by the school’s principal, Betsy Ingersoll, leak into the station. Ingersoll claims that she was protecting the decency of the students from her when she inspected the underwear of each girl in the locker room.
Jesse would like nothing more than to see Ingersoll punished, but her husband, a powerful lawyer, stands in the way. At the same time, the women of paradise face a threat to their sense of security with the appearance of a tormented voyeur, nicknamed “the nighthawk.”
At first, he is content to look through windows, but as time goes on, he becomes more reckless. he soon forced his victims to strip naked at gunpoint, then photographed them at their most vulnerable. And according to the notes he’s sending Jesse, he’s not content to stop there.
It’s up to Jesse to catch the nighthawk before it’s too late.
9. split image
The body in the trunk was just the beginning.
Turns out the stiff was a foot soldier for local tough guy Reggie Galen, and is now enjoying a comfortable “retirement” with his beautiful wife, Rebecca, in the best part of paradise. living next door are knocko moynihan and his wife robbie, who is also rebecca’s twin. But what initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on a whole new meaning when a high-ranking criminal figure is found dead on Paradise Beach.
Stressed about the case, his failing relationship with his ex-wife, and his ongoing battle with the bottle, Jesse needs something to keep him from spiraling out of control. When private investigator Sunny Randall comes to town on a case, she asks Jesse for help. As their professional and personal relationships intertwine, both Jesse and Sunny realize they have a lot in common with both their victims, their suspects, and each other.
10. killing the blues
This book was written by Michael Brandman following Robert B. parker’s death.
paradise, massachusetts is gearing up for the summer tourist season when a series of carjackings disrupts what is usually a quiet time in the city. In a sudden escalation of violence, robberies turn into murders, and Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself facing one of the toughest cases of his career. pressure from the city’s politicians only increases when another crime wave makes residents nervous.
Also, Jesse faces a personal dilemma. a blossoming relationship with a young public relations executive, whose plans to turn paradise into a summer concert destination may have her in conflict with the law.
When a mysterious figure from Jesse’s past comes to town, memories of his last turbulent days as a cop in Los Angeles… threaten his ability to keep order in paradise. especially when it seems the stranger is out for revenge.
11. fool me twice
This is the second Jesse Stone novel written by Michael Brandman after Parker’s death.
summer in paradise, massachusetts is usually an idyllic season, but not this time. A Hollywood film company has come to town and brought with them a great cast, crew and a struggling star.
marisol hinton is very beautiful, reasonably talented, and scared that her ex-husband’s jealousy could take a dangerous turn. When she becomes the subject of a death threat, Jesse and the rest of the Paradise Police Department are put on high alert.
And when Jesse witnesses a horrific collision caused by a distracted teen driver, the political fallout from his arrest brings him into conflict with the local team, the DA, and some deep-pocketed people. Murder is in the air, and it’s Jesse’s reputation as an uncompromising upholder of the law, and his life, that is at stake.
12. damn if you do
This novel was also written by Michael Brandman after Parker’s death.
The woman in the bed was barely out of her teens. she wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she had tried to make the most of her appearance. And now, alone in a seedy oceanfront motel, she was dead.
paradise police chief jesse stone doesn’t know his name. but whoever he is, he didn’t deserve to die.
Jesse begins to investigate, only to find himself caught in the crosshairs of a bitter turf war between two ruthless pimps. more blood will be spilled before it’s over.
13. blind spot
With the publication of this novel there was another change in authorship. this installment in the series is written by reed farrel coleman.
It’s been a long time since Jesse Stone left the Angels, and even longer since the tragic injury that ruined his chances at a professional baseball career. When Jesse is invited to a reunion of his old triple-A team, he is forced to deal with his memories and his regrets for what he could have been.
But their time at the meeting is interrupted when a young woman is found murdered. then her boyfriend, son of one of the most prominent families in paradise, disappears and is presumed kidnapped.
Though apparently unrelated, there is a connection between the meeting and the crimes when Jesse discovers that one of his former teammates may, in fact, be his prime suspect. Sometimes danger doesn’t come from where you expect it, but from your blind spots.
14. the devil wins
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this novel was also written by reed farrel coleman after parker’s death.
In the aftermath of a major storm, three bodies are discovered in the rubble of an abandoned factory in an industrial zone of paradise known as swap. one body, that of a man, wrapped in a blue tarp, is only a few hours old.
But the skeletal remains of two teenagers who had disappeared during a July 4th celebration twenty-five years earlier were found a few feet from that body. Not only does this crime predate Jesse Stone’s arrival in paradise, but the dead girls were close friends with Jesse’s right-hand woman, Officer Molly Crane.
And things get even more complicated when the mother of one of the dead girls returns to paradise to bury her daughter and is promptly killed. It’s up to Police Chief Jesse Stone to peel back the veil on the past to see how all the murders are connected.
15. debt to pay
this book is written by reed farrel coleman.
All is quiet in paradise, except for a wave of innocuous vandalism. well, too, because jesse stone is concerned about the women in his life, both past and present. While his ex-wife Jenn is about to marry a Dallas real estate mogul, Jesse isn’t sure his relationship with ex-FBI agent Diana Evans will last.
But those concerns take a backseat when a top Boston crime boss is brutally murdered. despite all evidence to the contrary, jesse suspects that it is the work of mr. Peepers, a psychotic killer who has caused Jesse trouble in the past.
Peepers has long vowed to get revenge on the mob, Jesse and Suit for their role in foiling one of their hits. and against jenn too. and even though jesse and jenn broke up a long time ago, jesse still feels responsible for her safety.
Jesse and Diana head to Dallas for the wedding and, along with the tycoon’s security team, try to stop the onlookers before the account expires. With onlookers playing with the authorities as to when and where he will strike, Jesse is up against a wall.
Still, there is a debt to pay and blood to shed to satisfy it. but whose blood is it and how much?
16. the hangman’s sonnet
this installment in the jesse stone series is also written by reed farrel coleman.
jesse stone, still reeling from the murder of his fiancée by crazed killer mr. Peeping Tom, you must keep his emotions in check long enough to make it through the wedding day of his faithful protégé, Suitcase Simpson. On the morning of the wedding, Jesse learns that a gala party is being held for folk singer Terry Jester’s 75th birthday. Jester, once Bob Dylan’s equal, has spent the last forty years in seclusion following the mysterious disappearance of the master tape recording of his magnum opus, The Hangman’s Sonnet.
That same morning, an elderly woman from paradise dies while her home is ransacked. what are thieves looking for? And what’s the connection to Terry Jester and the mysterious missing tape?
Jesse’s investigation is hampered by hostile politicians and a growing trail of blood and bodies, forcing him to enlist the help of mobster Vinnie Morris and a certain Boston-area pi named Spenser. As the town parents press him to avoid a public relations nightmare, Jesse must connect the cases before the bodies pile up even more.
17. colorblind
colorblind is also written by reed farrel coleman.
Jesse Stone is back on the job after a stint in rehab, and the road to recovery immediately becomes bumpy with a series of disturbing and seemingly racially motivated crimes, beginning with the murder of an African-American woman.
Then Jesse’s own assistant, Alisha, the first black woman hired by the paradise police force, becomes the target of a sophisticated trap. As he and his team work tirelessly to uncover the truth, he has to wonder if this is just part of a larger plot, one with an ending more destructive than any of them can imagine.
At the same time, a mysterious young man named Cole Slayton arrives in town with a chip on his shoulder and a problem with the authority, namely Jesse. However, something about the angry twentysomething draws Jesse in, and he takes Cole under his wing. But there’s more to him than meets the eye, and his secrets could change Jesse’s life forever.
18. the bitterest pill
this installment in the series is also written by reed farrel coleman.
When a popular high school cheerleader dies from a suspected heroin overdose, it becomes clear that the opiate epidemic has spread even to the idyllic town of paradise. It’s up to Police Chief Jesse Stone to unravel the supply chain and unmask the criminals behind it.
the research has a clear epicenter: the paradise institute. Home to the city’s best and brightest future leaders and its most vulnerable teenagers, it’s a rich and endless market for Boston merchants looking to expand into the suburbs.
But when it comes to drugs, the very people Jesse is trying to protect are often the ones with the most to lose. As she digs deeper into the case, she finds herself battling selfish administrators, reluctant teachers, mistrusting schoolchildren, and overprotective parents. At the back of the queue are the real bad guys, the ones with a lucrative business they’d kill to protect.
19. fool’s paradise
This book marks another shift in authorship with Mike Lupica taking the helm of the Jesse Stone series.
When a body is discovered in Paradise Lake, Police Chief Jesse Stone is shocked to discover that he recognizes the murder victim. The man had been in the same meeting as Jesse the night before. But otherwise Jesse has no idea of the man’s identity.
is not a local, nor does it have an ID, nor does any neighboring state have a reported missing person matching the man’s description. the only clue to him is from a taxi company that remembers leaving the mysterious stranger in front of the door of the mansion of one of the wealthiest families in the city…
Meanwhile, after Jesse survives a hail of gunfire at his home, he wonders if he might be connected to the murder mystery. When both Molly Crane and Suitcase Simpson also become targets, it’s clear someone has an ax to grind against the entire Paradise Police Department.
20. stone throw
The latest installment in this series is also written by Mike Lupica.
The city of paradise receives a tragic shock when the mayor is discovered dead, his body lying in a shallow grave on a lakeside property. apparently it is a suicide, but jesse has the doubts of him. especially since the land where the man was found is the subject of a controversial and dubious land deal.
Two powerful tycoons are fighting for the right to buy and develop the best real estate, and one of them has brought in a hitman, an old adversary of Jesse’s: Wilson Cromartie, aka Raven.
Meanwhile, the city council is debating whether they want to sacrifice the majestic character of paradise for the economic boost of a glitzy new development. Tempers run high, and as the deaths begin to pile up, it’s becoming clear that the mayor may be getting in the wrong person’s way.
final thoughts on jesse stone books in order
all of jesse stone’s books are great reads. If you’re looking for a mystery full of suspense and intrigue, these books will be perfect for your reading list.
If you’re new to this series, you’ll want to start with the first book and read the Jesse Stone books in order of publication. While each book, for the most part, is a self-contained mystery, the critical theme of character development within these books makes it important that you read Jesse Stone’s books for the best reading experience.
Looking for more books in order?
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