The Hangman’s Sonnet

Jesse Stone, still reeling from the murder of his fiancée by crazed assassin, must keep his emotions in check long enough to get through the wedding day of his loyal protégé, Luther “Suitcase” Simpson. The morning of the wedding, Jesse learns that a gala seventy-fifth birthday party is to be held for folk singer Terry Jester, has spent the last forty years in seclusion after the mysterious disappearance of his magnum opus, The Hangman’s Sonnet.

That same morning, an elderly Paradise woman dies while her house is being ransacked. What are the thieves looking for? And what’s the connection to Terry Jester and the missing tape? Jesse’s investigation is hampered by hostile politicians and a growing trail of blood and bodies, forcing him to solicit the help of mobster Vinnie Morris and a certain Boston area PI named Spenser. While the town fathers pressure him to avoid a PR nightmare, Jesse must connect the cases before the bodies pile up further.