Robert B Parker’s ‘Colorblind ‘by Reed Farrel Coleman

Published by No Exit Press,
21 November 2019.
ISBN 978-0-85730-286-1 (PBO)

Jesse Stone returns to his post of Town Sheriff of Paradise after two months in a rehabilitation clinic for alcoholics.  His key members of staff are still in post and there is only person in the jail - Cole Slayton, a young man arrested for being drunk and disorderly.  Jesse is somewhat surprised by his provocative attitude, but he issues instructions to release him.  And then his day begins.  He goes to the neighbouring town of Swan Harbor, where there has been a serious assault on an African American woman, which bears similarities to one that Jesse was involved in some years previously.  And there is more trouble brewing - a white supremacist group has arrived in the area and its leader is looking stir things up.  To add to the mix, it looks as though Alisha, one of his deputies and the first black woman hired by the Paradise Police Department, is being framed.

Jesse works with his colleagues to understand what is going on, to identify what actually happened at the scene of the assault, and to keep a grip on the activities of the white supremacists. 

This is the fifth of Reed Farrel Coleman’s novels in this long-running and multi-authored series, Though it is a well-established series, it isn’t necessary to have read any of the other books as the characters and their roles are well written.  The plot is complex with false leads and an interesting ending for Jesse (though readers may well work this out quite early on).  The short chapters help to build up the tempo and the tension develops nicely.  This is a book for fans and newcomers alike.

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Reviewer: Jo Hesslewood
Other books in this series:  The Hangman’s Sonnet, Blind Spot, The Devil Wins, Debt to Pay

Reed Farrel Coleman was born 29 March 1956. He has been called a hard-boiled poet by NPR s Maureen Corrigan and the noir poet laureate in The Huffington Post. He has published twenty-three novels, including nine books in the critically acclaimed Moe Prager series, and most recently, Where It Hurts. He is a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best Detective Novel of the Year, a winner of the Barry and Anthony Awards, and is a two-time Edgar Award nominee. Coleman lives with his family on Long Island."

http://reedcoleman.com/

  

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  Marsali also does a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.

Click on the title to read a review of her recent book Death on a Shetland Isle

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk