Night and Day (Parker novel)

Last updated
Night and Day
Night And Day (Robert Parker).jpg
First edition
Author Robert B. Parker
Country United States
Language English
Series Jesse Stone
Genre Crime novel
Publisher Putnam
Publication date
2009
Pages304
ISBN 978-0-399-15541-3
Preceded by Stranger in Paradise  
Followed by Split Image  

Night and Day is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the eighth in his Jesse Stone series. It was the last in the series to be published before his death in 2010.

Contents

Plot summary

Night and Day begins with the investigation of a middle school principal accused of molestation. Several girls accuse Principal Betsy Ingersoll of making them pull their dresses up so she can see their panties. The principal claims that she did this to ensure they were wearing proper attire for the school dance. She also claims that her job is not only to ensure they get a proper education, but that they also grow into proper ladies and do not become sluts. She sends several girls home for wearing slutty panties. Although there is no crime to charge her with, Jesse determines to make trouble for her until he can find something to charge her with as he is convinced the girls’ civil rights were violated.

He begins interviewing the principal along with her high powered attorney husband, as well as the girls. Later one of the girls comes to see Jesse at his office. She tells him that her parents are swingers, and often host parties for that purpose at their home. She and her little brother hate it and she asks Jesse if he can help. With swinging not illegal, Jesse finds his hands tied, but decides to investigate anyway. He has Suit talk to two of the women, one of whom he knew in high school, to get more information on the swingers club. Suit discovers that the girl’s mother is not into it, but only does it because her husband wants to. Jesse has Spike threaten her husband about the swinging, and she later leaves him.

The main plot of the novel involves the investigation of the Night Hawk. The Night Hawk starts as a peeping tom, and the Paradise police get several calls about him. Later the Night Hawk escalates his voyeuristic attacks by breaking into homes while women are home alone, forcing them to undress at gunpoint, and then taking nude photos of them. He then begins writing Jesse detailing his exploits, and includes the nude photos. He writes that he cannot stop himself; he must discover these women’s “secret.” He also writes that he does not know what he will do next and fears that he will escalate further.

Jesse begins to combine his investigation of the swingers with his investigation of the Night Hawk. Since the Night Hawk never touches anyone, he questions the swingers to find out if there is anyone in their club that only likes to watch and never touch. The women in the club all identify Seth Ralston. Ralston is a professor of English at a nearby university. He is married to a young grad student who is working on her doctorate. Jesse discovers that Ralston's wife used to teach a Wednesday night class, which corresponds with all the peeping tom reports. He also discovers that the peeping tom reports stopped at the same time that Ralston’s wife quit her teaching job to begin doing her doctoral work full-time. Jesse questions Ralston’s wife about the swinging to see if she will inadvertently reveal something about her husband that will confirm he is the Night Hawk, and even hints to her that her husband may be the Night Hawk. She responds by belittling Jesse for being a dumb cop, and singling them out for their lifestyle.

Meanwhile, Jesse continues to pressure Betsy Ingersoll, who then reports that she is a victim of the Night Hawk. Soon after Jesse receives a nude photo of Betsy, however he and Molly become convinced that she is posing in the photo and suspect the attack was staged. The local media request an interview concerning the attack, and Jesse uncharacteristically agrees. He gives details of the attack and later receives a letter from the Night Hawk who demands that he never attacked Betsy Ingersoll. Jesse believes that the Night Hawk is telling the truth, as he has never denied an attack before, but always been honest about his attacks. Jesse confronts Betsy with this and she admits that she staged the attack. She says that she did it to get some attention from her husband, but that he did not even care. She was acting out because her husband cheats on her constantly with young women, which also explains her obsession with teenage girls not growing up to be sluts. Jesse agrees not to charge her with any crimes if she agrees to see Sunny Randall’s shrink, Dr. Silverman (the long-term love interest of another Parker character Spenser), which she does.

A few days later Seth Ralston’s wife comes to Jesse to report that her husband is missing. They begin searching for him, and soon after Jesse receives another letter from the Night Hawk blasting him for speaking with his wife, and ruining his life. He writes that he is going to leave town, but only after he discovers one more woman’s secret, as he calls it, and warns that this woman will be someone close to Jesse. Jesse thinks that he is trying to hint that the woman will be Betsy Ingersoll, but Jesse believes he is actually targeting Molly. They set a police unit in front of Betsy’s house as a decoy, but then stake out Molly’s house. Molly waits at home with a gun strapped to her thigh, and a wire so Jesse can hear her. The Night Hawk breaks in on her and forces her to begin stripping at gun point. Suit and Jesse then break in to arrest him. Surprised that they figured out he was after Molly, he raises his gun to shoot her, but Molly, Suit, and Jesse all shoot and kill Seth Ralston, putting an end to the Night Hawk. Suit is left with a moral dilemma that it was his shot that killed Ralston, but since all three fired, Jesse is able to diffuse the situation by convincing Suit that it could have been any one of the three. [1]

Subplots

The main subplot involves the further deterioration of Jesse’s relationship with Jenn. Jenn takes a job on a syndicated news program in New York, and moves in with the producer in Manhattan. Jesse takes the news hard and begins drinking heavily again. He finally comes to the realization that Jenn only uses him when she needs him. Jesse begins seeing Sunny Randall again. Sunny is single again as Richie returned to his wife after their son was born. Realizing that Richie will never leave his son, Sunny finally believes the relationship is over. The novel ends with Sunny at Jesse’s apartment having drinks when Jenn calls. She gets up to leave, but Jesse asks her to stay as he wants her to hear the conversation. Jenn tells Jesse that her show was canceled, and she broke up with the producer. She asks if she can move back in with Jesse and tells him that she needs him. He tells her no and hangs up. Jesse and Sunny toast each other as the novel ends. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Peep Show</i> (British TV series) British sitcom television series

Peep Show is a British television sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It was written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb, among others. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 2003 until 2015. In 2010, it became the longest-running comedy in Channel 4 history in terms of years on air.

<i>Score</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Radley Metzger

Score is a 1974 erotic romance film directed by Radley Metzger. One of the first films to explore bisexual relationships, it was part of the brief porn chic fad of the Golden Age of Porn in the early 1970s that also included Behind the Green Door, The Devil in Miss Jones and Deep Throat. The film was based on an off-Broadway stage play that ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 through November 15, 1971 and featured Sylvester Stallone in a brief role. The theatrical version of Score was written by Jerry Douglas, who later became a mainstream screenwriter. It was set in a shabby Queens tenement, while the film was set in an elegant, mythical land and sported a relatively high budget for an independent film of that era.

<i>Tuck Everlasting</i> American childrens fantasy novel

Tuck Everlasting is an American children's novel about immortality written by Natalie Babbitt and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1975. It has sold over 5 million copies and has been called a classic of modern children's literature.

<i>Night Passage</i> (novel) 1997 novel by Robert B. Parker

Night Passage is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the first in his Jesse Stone series.

<i>Trouble in Paradise</i> (Parker novel)

Trouble in Paradise is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the second in his Jesse Stone series.

<i>Death in Paradise</i> (novel)

Death in Paradise is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the third in his Jesse Stone series. It was made into a film in 2006.

<i>Stone Cold</i> (Parker novel) Novel by Robert B. Parker

Stone Cold is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the fourth in his Jesse Stone series.

<i>High Profile</i>

High Profile is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the sixth in his Jesse Stone series.

<i>Spare Change</i> (novel)

Spare Change is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the sixth and final novel in his Sunny Randall series published before his death.

<i>Jesse Stone: No Remorse</i> American TV series or program

Jesse Stone: No Remorse is a 2010 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, and Kohl Sudduth. Written by Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman, it is based on the Jesse Stone novels written by Robert B. Parker. This film is about the police chief of a small New England town who investigates a series of murders in Boston for a state police colleague and uncovers evidence that leads to a notorious mob boss. Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, the story is set in the fictitious town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

<i>Stranger in Paradise</i> (novel)

Stranger in Paradise is a 2008 crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the seventh in his Jesse Stone series.

<i>Split Image</i> (novel)

Split Image is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the ninth and final novel in his Jesse Stone series. It was published a month after his death.

<i>Jesse Stone: Thin Ice</i> 2009 television film directed by Robert Harmon

Jesse Stone: Thin Ice is a 2009 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, and Kohl Sudduth. Based on the characters from the Jesse Stone book series created by Robert B. Parker, the film is about the police chief of a small New England town who investigates a cryptic letter sent to the mother of a kidnapped child who was declared dead. Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, the story is set in the fictitious town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

<i>Spiderhole</i> (film) 2010 British film

Spiderhole is a British 2010 horror film written and directed by Daniel Simpson. The film is Simpson's feature film directorial debut and is distributed by IFC.

<i>Jesse Stone: Stone Cold</i> 2005 US television crime drama film by Robert Harmon

Stone Cold is a 2005 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Jane Adams and Reg Rogers. Based on the 2003 novel Stone Cold by Robert B. Parker, the film is about the police chief of a small New England town who investigates a series of murders that occur with the same modus operandi. Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, the story is set in the fictitious town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

<i>Jesse Stone: Night Passage</i> American TV series or program

Jesse Stone: Night Passage is a 2006 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Saul Rubinek and Viola Davis. Based on the 1997 novel Night Passage by Robert B. Parker—the first novel in the Jesse Stone series—the film is about a former Los Angeles homicide detective who is hired as the police chief of a small New England town and finds himself immersed in a series of mysteries. Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, the story is set in the fictitious town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

<i>Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise</i> American TV series or program

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise is a 2006 American made-for-television crime film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Viola Davis, and Kohl Sudduth. Based on the 2001 novel Death in Paradise by Robert B. Parker, the film is about a small town police chief and struggling alcoholic who investigates the murder of a teenage girl whose body is found floating in a lake. The case brings the former LAPD homicide detective into the affluent world of a bestselling writer who exploits troubled teens, and the violent world of a Boston mobster. Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, the story is set in the fictitious town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

<i>Tuck Everlasting</i> (musical) 2016 musical based on the American childrens novel

Tuck Everlasting is a musical based upon the American children's novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It features music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and a book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, with direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw. The musical had its premiere at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2015. It began Broadway previews on March 31, 2016; and opened on April 26, 2016, at the Broadhurst Theatre, in New York City. The production closed on May 29, 2016, after 39 performances.

References

  1. 1 2 Parker, Robert B. (2009). Night and Day. New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN   978-0-399-15541-3