Having missed Stone Cold, the first TV adaptation of Robert B. Parker's Jessie Stone character, and having just watched Jesse Stone: Night Passage, which was a prequel to Stone Cold, I was a little confused during the third TV movie adaptation, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, because the story picks up after the events of Stone Cold (are you still with me?). A major character in Jesse Stone: Night Passage is now dead (I assume during Stone Cold), so it took me a minute to get my bearings. But that was the only drawback I had watching Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise. Directed again by pro Robert Harmon, and starring Tom Selleck as alcoholic detective turned small town sheriff, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise is a nicely turned out, low-key mystery that tones down the agonizing of Jesse Stone: Night Passage, while concentrating more on the mechanics and procedures of Stone's job.

When the decomposed body of a pregnant 14-year-old student Billie Bishop washes up from the lake, Jesse Stone's (Tom Selleck) finds he's in the middle of a very complicated murder mystery. Suspicion initially falls on Hooker Royce (Matt Barr), a popular jock who was dating Billie. But Stone increasingly views local writer Norman Shaw (Gary Basaraba), a well-connected local denizen with ties to the Boston mob, as the prime suspect. Purportedly writing a biography of Boston mobster Leo Finn (Steven Flynn), Shaw has a predilection for young girls, as well as political connections with top state politicians - as well as with Billie's parents.

While Stone is working on solving Billie's murder, he must also deal with a particularly nasty domestic violence case, involving Jerry Snyder (John Diehl), a loser who likes to viciously beat his wife (Debra Christofferson). As Stone and Deputy Molly Crane work on getting Mrs. Snyder to leave Jerry, an explosive situation involving Jerry develops, with devastating consequences for Deputy Luther "Suitcase" Simpson (Kohl Sudduth). With both cases tasking Stone's sobriety, he turns to Dix (William Devane), a former cop and recovering alcoholic who now works as a therapist. Through his help, as well as with the romantic attentions of Dr. Lilly Summers (Orla Brady), the head mistress of Billie's private school, Stone methodically works his way through the emotional morass that is his personal and professional life.

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise is much more oriented towards telling a straightforward mystery, watching the methods and procedures that Jesse Stone employs to work his way towards a solution. There's still plenty of time for Selleck, who's excellent here again as Stone, to ponder the gray shadows that make up the human condition - as well as his own personal life. But Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise moves much quicker than Jesse Stone: Night Passage, eliminating many of the long paused scenes of Selleck brooding over his life. Plot is key to Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, and the quick, professional screenplay moves assuredly from one compact set-up to the next. Much like Jesse Stone: Night Passage, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise has the clean, unadulterated feel of an old Hollywood programmer. And like Jesse Stone: Night Passage, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise doesn't necessarily surprise you with its mystery, but that's okay. We've all seen too many detective films where action is the main focus; it's nice to see a production where emotion and thinking are the primary concern. Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise impresses with its detailed production, atmospheric feel, and the dead-on, spare thesping by the excellent supporting cast (Flynn is particularly good as the creepy mobster Finn). I understand that there will be more Jesse Stone TV movies in 2007; if they're anything like the two I've seen this weekend, I'll be watching out for them.

The DVD:

The Video:
As with Jesse Stone: Night Passage, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise looks flawless in its Hi-Def, anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 video image. Colors are deep and correctly balanced.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 5.1 stereo mix is up to the job, providing a strong, clear track, with some nice effects with ambient sound. Audio dub tracks in 5.1 are also available in French, Portuguese, and Thai (the French dub sounds the most Selleck-y). Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Thai. Close-captioning is also available.

The Extras:
There are no extras for Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise.

Final Thoughts:
More oriented on the actual mechanics of the mystery than Jesse Stone: Night Passage, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise still manages to give plenty of time for Tom Selleck to brood as Robert B. Parker's alcoholic sheriff Jesse Stone. Clean, polished, and professionally executed, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise is another winner from Selleck and director Robert Harmon. I highly recommend Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise.