Reed Farrel Coleman brings his “A” game to DEBT TO PAY, his third and latest installment in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone canon. This offering is the most ambitious novel in the series to date, by any author (yes, including the late Parker), as Coleman takes the reins of the series firmly in hand while adhering respectfully to the parameters of the character established by Parker almost two decades ago.

Jesse Stone is the capable, if flawed, police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts. He has an interesting background, having had the promise of a major league baseball career that was derailed by an injury. He is an alcoholic, a condition that he fights against and succumbs to with regularity. He also has been somewhat unlucky in love, having been married and divorced. Coleman takes all of those elements, and some others, and plays with them a bit here, creating what might be called the perfect series novel, given that it stands on its own while being based on what has gone before and, when all is said and done, making the wait for the next volume an excruciating one.

"One can hear Parker’s spirit, if not his voice, echoing across the pages. Coleman has infused a new vitality into this mythos, and it is one you should be reading."

DEBT TO PAY opens with the return of Mr. Peepers, a contract killer who was introduced in BLIND SPOT, Coleman’s first entry in the Stone series. Peepers (a nickname that he detests) is seeking revenge upon all who have caused him injury, and he begins counting coup in a very big way by being the motivating force in taking a significant secondary character off of the radar. This event has the potential to resonate outside of the Stone mythos and alone makes DEBT TO PAY worth reading. Stone owed a favor to the victim, and it is a chit that is picked up by an associate of the victim. With some stone-cold sobriety and solid observation, Stone figures out that Mr. Peepers is behind the death, as well as a mysterious trio of seemingly senseless murders and a string of vandalism occurrences in the Paradise area.

While this is going on, Stone is also experiencing some emotional turmoil. He has received an invitation from Jenn, his ex-wife, to her wedding. He is deeply in love with Diana Evans and does not doubt his feelings, but he has a long list of reasons why he does not want to attend Jenn’s nuptials, a call from Hale Hunsicker, Jenn’s intended, notwithstanding. Stone’s attitude changes, however, when he receives a cryptic message from Mr. Peepers indicating that Jenn may be his next target. A hair-raising incident in Paradise seems to demonstrate that Peepers’ threat has been negated. Or has it? Stone can’t be sure, so he and Diana travel to Houston, a place very different from his familiar environs of Paradise...or Boston, for that matter. Events in Houston range from interesting to deadly, as Stone confronts the past on a number of levels, even as a major potential tragedy is brewing at home. It’s one that Stone, for all of his steadfastness, may not be able to walk away from.

While there was some initial resistance to Reed Farrel Coleman taking over the Jesse Stone franchise, I would hope that those doubts have evaporated by this point. While he does not match Parker’s style, he is true to the core of the characters he has been given to work with. One can hear Parker’s spirit, if not his voice, echoing across the pages. Coleman has infused a new vitality into this mythos, and it is one you should be reading. The work, franchise or not, stands on its own.