DVD Review: Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 17, 2007, 12:52 GMT

Chief Stone (Selleck) settling into his new life in Paradise when he becomes obsessed with finding the killer of a teenage girl.  His quest to solve the murder unearths facts indicating there is more to the girl’s history than originally suspected and the new clues lead him to probe the Boston underworld.  ...more

Tom Selleck continues the fine telefilm series about Robert B. Parker’s series of novels.  This latest edition finds Stone in the middle of the murder of a young girl and no shortage of suspects. 

What the back of the box says:
“Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Tom Selleck (Three Men and a Bay, Magnum P.I.) returns as police chief Jesse Stone in another thrilling chapter in the Stone Cold series based on the best-selling Jesse Stone murder/mystery novels by Robert Parker. Settling into his role as the new Chief of Police in the town of Paradise, Massachusetts, Stone investigates the brutal murder of a troubled teenage girl found floating in a local lake. He soon discovers that she was once a straight-A student, but somehow wound up on a path of self-destruction, leading to her early demise.

With hardly any clues, the case leads the former LAPD cop to the city, where the local Boston mob does not respond too kindly to him. To make matters worse, he must also deal with a case of domestic violence that ultimately turns deadly, while struggling with his ongoing alcoholism, his ex-wife and a truly disastrous love life. As Stone learns more about the girl's unhappy past, he begins to suspect that the affluent world of Boston might be involved and increasingly becomes obsessed with the case. Persistent in his determination to bring the killer to justice, Stone will do whatever it takes to finally solve this Death In Paradise.”

Stone is a haunted man.  His usual haunts are his ex-wife and his reliance on scotch, but a body floating to the surface in a local lake finds him haunted by the murder of a young girl.  He finds that she was a troubled young lady and was having trouble at school.  He finds romance with the girl’s headmistress, Lilly Summers (Orla Brady).  He also has a roster of suspects and has started seeing a chain-smoking psychiatrist (William Devane) to help him deal with his failed marriage and dependence on scotch. 

Selleck plays our anti-hero to perfection.  He’s a great deal older and grayer than Magnum P.I. and has a world weary demeanor, but Selleck is aces as Jesse Stone.  The mystery wasn’t too difficult to figure out but a last minute twist livens things up a bit.  Some plot elements are left hanging involving a character in the film series that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next entry.  This entry only builds on the excellence put forward in Night Passage.

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  The only mystery is why there are no special features. 

Tom Selleck continues to shine in the role of Jesse Stone and Death in Paradise is another fine entry in the series.  The open entry ending regarding one of the characters will have you anxiously awaiting the next entry to see what happens to them.  I know that I can’t wait to see what the outcome is. 

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.