Night Passage (Parker novel)
Encyclopedia
Night Passage is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker
, the first in his Jesse Stone
series.
. Stone, who already has a penchant for drinking, really begins to hit the bottle after he discovers his wife, actress Jenn Stone, having an affair with her agent. They divorce, and after his drinking leads to his termination from the LAPD he decides to get as far away from his now ex-wife as possible. Despite showing up to the interview intoxicated, he is hired for the job in Paradise. He later learns that this is because the corrupt Board of Selectman chair, Hasty Hathaway, is looking for a lush that they can push around. They get more than they bargain for in Stone.
The novel begins with Stone’s cross country road trip to Paradise during which the disintegration of his marriage is detailed through flashbacks. Shortly after arriving in Paradise, he meets Jo Jo Genest while responding to a domestic dispute. Genest is a huge body builder, who assists local gangsters in a money laundering operation and also provides muscle for Hathaway. During the confrontation, Stone kicks Genest in the balls. He proceeds to taunt Stone by vandalizing a police car and murdering the station cat and writing the word "slut" on both.
Hathaway, along with being the Board of Selectman chair, is also a wealthy bank owner, and the leader of a local militia called the Freedom’s Horsemen. It is Hathaway who orchestrates the payoff and termination of the previous police chief, Tom Carson, after Carson learns of the money laundering operation. Carson then moves out west. Hathaway later becomes concerned that Carson will talk and dispatches corrupt police officer Lou Burke to kill Carson. Hathaway also orders Jo Jo Genest to murder his mistress, Tammy Portugal, after she demands he leave his wife for her. However, Genest can’t help but leave his calling card by writing the word "slut" on Tammy’s corpse to further taunt Jesse.
Jesse begins to investigate Tom Carson’s murder, and discovers that Lou Burke had traveled out west at the time of the homicide. He responds by suspending Burke while he continues to investigate. Fearing that Jesse is learning too much, Hathaway orders Genest to kill him, but Genest convinces Hathaway to let him kill Burke instead. Hathaway agrees, and Genest throws Burke off a cliff in an attempt to make it look like suicide.
While all these events are taking place, Genest organizes a weapons deal between Hathaway’s militia and gay Boston mob boss Gino Fish. When Fish rips off Hathaway, he responds by blaming Genest and demands that he get his money back. Genest doesn’t like this at all, and responds by sending nude Polaroids of Hathaway’s wife (and town slut), Cissy, to her priest, town selectmen and others. When the priest calls Chief Stone about the photo, Stone confronts Cissy about it. Cissy admits to having an affair with Genest, among others, and confirms that he took the photos. She also reveals that Genest confessed murdering Tammy Portugal to her. Stone then arrests Genest.
Later that evening, Cissy tells her husband what she confessed to Chief Stone and Hathaway panics. He organizes the militia and convinces them to storm the police station, kill Chief Stone and free Genest, whom he intends to kill also. During the standoff, Chief Stone refuses to release Genest and the militia retreat when local and state police arrive. Hathaway is then arrested.
The novel also details Jesse’s relationship with local DA, Abby Taylor. They begin a sexual relationship, but she becomes frustrated with him and breaks it off by the end of the novel. His relationship with her and his Scotch consumption are basically attempts to forget Jenn. However, Jenn does not make this easy as they talk regularly on the phone. Jenn becomes fearful for Jesse’s life as the events in Paradise unfold and she realizes she still loves him. The novel ends with Jesse coming home to find Jenn in his apartment.
differs from the novel in several ways. First, although Hathaway is still a money launderer, he is portrayed as an unwilling accomplice in the other crimes, as opposed to the hard-nosed extremist he is in the novel. Lou Burke and Tom Carson are blended into the single character Lou Carson, and it is Genest who murders him on his own in an attempt to extort more money from Hathaway. Furthermore, instead of throwing Lou off a cliff, Genest uses a van to push Lou’s car of the cliff sideways with him in it. It is these car tracks that cause Chief Stone to conclude Lou was murdered and lead him to investigate further. The investigation leads to Hathaway who organizes a late night meeting with Stone. During this meeting Hathaway murders Genest by shooting him in the back with Stone’s police revolver that he had stolen earlier. He then plans to murder Stone to make it look like Stone and Genest killed each other. However, Jesse brings backup to stop Hathaway and he arrests him. The backup is Luther "Suitcase" Simpson, who is given the nickname "Suitcase," or "Suit" for short, by Jesse in the film. However, in the novel the nickname is bestowed by his coach in high school. Next, the novel describes Jesse several times drinking Johnnie Walker
Black Label scotch, while in the film the character is shown drinking Red Label. It is also stated several times in the novel that there are no black people in Paradise; however in the film Molly’s character is portrayed by Academy Award nominee Viola Davis
who is black. There is no mention of Tammy Portugal or the Freedom’s Horsemen, and Jesse’s relationship with Jenn is not detailed as much. In the film their relationship is relegated to short phone calls, and she does not come to Paradise in the end.
Another significant difference in the film is that Jesse was not drunk in his interview. He makes a point several times of clarifying that he had too much to drink the night before, and made the mistake of having one scotch in the morning to steady himself. This is portrayed in the film when he initially arrives in Paradise. However, in the novel the initial interview is in Chicago, well before Stone travels to Paradise. Furthermore, Stone is extremely intoxicated during the interview and this is what draws Hathaway to him. Hathaway figures if he's drunk during the interview he'll be drunk on the job and easy to push around.
In the film there is a subplot about Jesse having an old dog that he puts down. Jesse does not have a dog in any of the novels. Also, in the novel, the police department already employs a medical examiner. In the film Jess recruits the local pediatrician for this position, and has him put down his dog because he doesn't like the local vet. Finally, in the novel Jesse lives in a condo on the beach, while in the film Jesse buys an old house on the water.
Robert B. Parker
Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also...
, the first in his Jesse Stone
Jesse Stone novels
Jesse Stone is the lead character in a series of detective novels initially written by Robert B. Parker. They were among his last works, and the first series in which the novelist used the third-person narrative...
series.
Plot summary
After being fired from his job as an LA homicide detective for being drunk on the job, Jesse Stone is hired as chief of police for the small town of Paradise, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Stone, who already has a penchant for drinking, really begins to hit the bottle after he discovers his wife, actress Jenn Stone, having an affair with her agent. They divorce, and after his drinking leads to his termination from the LAPD he decides to get as far away from his now ex-wife as possible. Despite showing up to the interview intoxicated, he is hired for the job in Paradise. He later learns that this is because the corrupt Board of Selectman chair, Hasty Hathaway, is looking for a lush that they can push around. They get more than they bargain for in Stone.
The novel begins with Stone’s cross country road trip to Paradise during which the disintegration of his marriage is detailed through flashbacks. Shortly after arriving in Paradise, he meets Jo Jo Genest while responding to a domestic dispute. Genest is a huge body builder, who assists local gangsters in a money laundering operation and also provides muscle for Hathaway. During the confrontation, Stone kicks Genest in the balls. He proceeds to taunt Stone by vandalizing a police car and murdering the station cat and writing the word "slut" on both.
Hathaway, along with being the Board of Selectman chair, is also a wealthy bank owner, and the leader of a local militia called the Freedom’s Horsemen. It is Hathaway who orchestrates the payoff and termination of the previous police chief, Tom Carson, after Carson learns of the money laundering operation. Carson then moves out west. Hathaway later becomes concerned that Carson will talk and dispatches corrupt police officer Lou Burke to kill Carson. Hathaway also orders Jo Jo Genest to murder his mistress, Tammy Portugal, after she demands he leave his wife for her. However, Genest can’t help but leave his calling card by writing the word "slut" on Tammy’s corpse to further taunt Jesse.
Jesse begins to investigate Tom Carson’s murder, and discovers that Lou Burke had traveled out west at the time of the homicide. He responds by suspending Burke while he continues to investigate. Fearing that Jesse is learning too much, Hathaway orders Genest to kill him, but Genest convinces Hathaway to let him kill Burke instead. Hathaway agrees, and Genest throws Burke off a cliff in an attempt to make it look like suicide.
While all these events are taking place, Genest organizes a weapons deal between Hathaway’s militia and gay Boston mob boss Gino Fish. When Fish rips off Hathaway, he responds by blaming Genest and demands that he get his money back. Genest doesn’t like this at all, and responds by sending nude Polaroids of Hathaway’s wife (and town slut), Cissy, to her priest, town selectmen and others. When the priest calls Chief Stone about the photo, Stone confronts Cissy about it. Cissy admits to having an affair with Genest, among others, and confirms that he took the photos. She also reveals that Genest confessed murdering Tammy Portugal to her. Stone then arrests Genest.
Later that evening, Cissy tells her husband what she confessed to Chief Stone and Hathaway panics. He organizes the militia and convinces them to storm the police station, kill Chief Stone and free Genest, whom he intends to kill also. During the standoff, Chief Stone refuses to release Genest and the militia retreat when local and state police arrive. Hathaway is then arrested.
The novel also details Jesse’s relationship with local DA, Abby Taylor. They begin a sexual relationship, but she becomes frustrated with him and breaks it off by the end of the novel. His relationship with her and his Scotch consumption are basically attempts to forget Jenn. However, Jenn does not make this easy as they talk regularly on the phone. Jenn becomes fearful for Jesse’s life as the events in Paradise unfold and she realizes she still loves him. The novel ends with Jesse coming home to find Jenn in his apartment.
Film differences
The second film in the series starring Tom SelleckTom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
differs from the novel in several ways. First, although Hathaway is still a money launderer, he is portrayed as an unwilling accomplice in the other crimes, as opposed to the hard-nosed extremist he is in the novel. Lou Burke and Tom Carson are blended into the single character Lou Carson, and it is Genest who murders him on his own in an attempt to extort more money from Hathaway. Furthermore, instead of throwing Lou off a cliff, Genest uses a van to push Lou’s car of the cliff sideways with him in it. It is these car tracks that cause Chief Stone to conclude Lou was murdered and lead him to investigate further. The investigation leads to Hathaway who organizes a late night meeting with Stone. During this meeting Hathaway murders Genest by shooting him in the back with Stone’s police revolver that he had stolen earlier. He then plans to murder Stone to make it look like Stone and Genest killed each other. However, Jesse brings backup to stop Hathaway and he arrests him. The backup is Luther "Suitcase" Simpson, who is given the nickname "Suitcase," or "Suit" for short, by Jesse in the film. However, in the novel the nickname is bestowed by his coach in high school. Next, the novel describes Jesse several times drinking Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch Whisky owned by Diageo and originated in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, sold in almost every country with yearly sales of over 130 million bottles.-History:Originally known as Walker's...
Black Label scotch, while in the film the character is shown drinking Red Label. It is also stated several times in the novel that there are no black people in Paradise; however in the film Molly’s character is portrayed by Academy Award nominee Viola Davis
Viola Davis
Viola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
who is black. There is no mention of Tammy Portugal or the Freedom’s Horsemen, and Jesse’s relationship with Jenn is not detailed as much. In the film their relationship is relegated to short phone calls, and she does not come to Paradise in the end.
Another significant difference in the film is that Jesse was not drunk in his interview. He makes a point several times of clarifying that he had too much to drink the night before, and made the mistake of having one scotch in the morning to steady himself. This is portrayed in the film when he initially arrives in Paradise. However, in the novel the initial interview is in Chicago, well before Stone travels to Paradise. Furthermore, Stone is extremely intoxicated during the interview and this is what draws Hathaway to him. Hathaway figures if he's drunk during the interview he'll be drunk on the job and easy to push around.
In the film there is a subplot about Jesse having an old dog that he puts down. Jesse does not have a dog in any of the novels. Also, in the novel, the police department already employs a medical examiner. In the film Jess recruits the local pediatrician for this position, and has him put down his dog because he doesn't like the local vet. Finally, in the novel Jesse lives in a condo on the beach, while in the film Jesse buys an old house on the water.