Oh Think Twice, It's Another Day For You and Me In ... (Trouble in Paradise - Robert B Parker)

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Trouble in Paradise - Robert B Parker
Date:	01/02/08 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, fast, extreme bad guys

Disadvantages: Too slow a build up, central character cliche

Wouldn't it be nice to be stinking rich and own your own island? Richard Branson has one; I saw it on 'MTV Cribs'. All I really remember from that episode is that he is able to poop out in the open as there is no-one around to see - that's as long as there is not a member of the paparazzi on a boat with a long zoom lens. I'm not a greedy man so I would settle for living in a large house on an island of exclusive types. It would be nice to walk around knowing that everyone you meet is a special person like yourself, or the help. However, with all this wealth situated in one area it means that the island will start to look like a good target for criminal types. Would I really want to be stuck on a piece of land with nowhere to go if the worst really did happen? Welcome to paradise.

Stiles Island in Paradise is an exclusive island for rich folks under the protection of Police Chief Jesse Stone. To him it's a place full of annoyingly opinionated power players that pretty much police themselves. However, to newly released criminal James Macklin, it may just be the mother load. Macklin begins to get a crew together to undertake a deadly plan. Can Stone get over his drink and love problems long enough to realise that something dangerous is about to go down?

In all honesty there is not much to read in 'Trouble in Paradise' as it's a short book with many chapters. This means that it will never win any literacy awards, but could still be some quick reading fun. Thankfully it achieves this lower goal because over two nights I was entertained by this book and its action antics. The praise must go to Robert B Parker himself as he is a prolific writer who has become one of the best exponents of the quick action crime thriller. He has several different characters that he returns to, but they all have similar characteristics. Jesse Stone is one such character and is perhaps the most clichéd crime fighter around. Stone is an alcoholic and is fixated on work as it's the only thing that keeps him sane. He also has an ex wife who he still loves and may still have a chance with. These elements combine to make Stone one of the most well trodden characters I have ever read. However, having an easy to recognise and strong hero at the centre of a book is never a bad thing.

More originality is found in the bad guys of the book where Parker is able to bring a Boy's Own feel to the novel. Macklin is an out and out sociopath and he is only made worse by his psychopathic henchman Crow. The book explores how Macklin enjoys the idea of a heist and the build up far more than the action itself. This parallels well with the structure of the book as Parker makes you enjoy the build up for the majority of the book, only releasing the action for the final chapters. I enjoyed the macabre nature of the baddies, but I found them far too unbelievable. They go about their work with absolute disregard for the law, killing people left, right and centre. I would like to thing that if you went around causing so much grief that you would be strapped into the electric chair before too long.

The action when it finally arrives is fun, if a little short lived. It's kind of like waiting for a meal for far too long then getting something far too small. However, as the book is so short you don't really have to wait for too long. Parker has decided in 'Trouble in Paradise' to explore the characters more than the action and this is probably for the best as you get to care about the people when they become in danger. However, as mentioned Stone is not the most original of creations and therefore feels like a thriller hero by the numbers. In the end the book becomes nothing more than a fun fast read as it never out stays it's welcome but never really engages the reader in any meaningful way.

Author: Robert B. Parker
Price: amazon uk - £5.59
play.com - £5.49

Summary: A quick read for crime thriller fans