I have liked every Jesse Stone "movie" I have seen! Today Hallmark is re-broadcasting all six, including the most recent, which I have not seen. Unfortunately they are are in the order of the time/year they were broadcast instead of the chronological order of the books/events. Very confusing! And I wonder how much of the "movies" are being cut. The first episode; Sea Change; at noon EST not only had commercials, they essentially had infomercials. Unfortunately infomercials are everywhere disguised as regular commercials. Some 30 minute shows go 36 minutes occasionally and I hope that's so they can include more commercials in order to see the "real" full length episode, but on some blogs I've read where it's not even the case when they are given extra time. I watch Encore West for Gunsmoke and their episodes are commercial free for 25 minutes followed by 5 minutes of commercials for Encore West. I'm still not sure whether these episodes are not edited.

Selleck does not get enough credit for this series.On the one hand this whole series can be dismissed as the efforts of yet one more "older" actor to keep stirring the pot, to stay in the game, and at the same time get to play in his favorite sandbox on the planet (Nova Scotia, standing in for Maine).But if you dig deeper and consider the series as a whole what you find is remarkable control, and craftsmanship.The same people appear in every movie, both in front of and behind the camera. Ignoring the regional Canadian accents, they are not bad.Selleck is brilliant. Stone could be the best work of his career. He has trumped Clint Eastwood in his mastery of the two-word piece of dialog. He stands a fragile but unwavering force for law enforcement. There is minimal violence or action in these entries but they hold interest nonetheless.And that damn dog with the stoic face steals every scene he is in.

The music in "Sea Change" from 2007 I believe is Brahms piano music, and it's lovely and sets the mood beautifully. As with the last Jesse Stone film I saw, the mood is depression.I actually am seeing these out of order -- in the other one I saw, Jesse was off the police force. Here he is the Police Chief and talking to his ex-wife on the phone all the time. Afraid of going back to his alcoholic ways, he consults a psychiatrist (William Devane).He also dives into two cases: an old bank robbery case where a teller was killed, and an alleged rape. The town council isn't crazy about that one because of the tourist trade.I thought the script was very good, as were the production values. Unlike many on this board, I am not sold on Tom Selleck in this role. Yes, he looks weathered. This is a complicated, multilayered role and I don't see the layers in Selleck. I see him being very serious and looking miserable.Also, it plays against the qualities that made him a star, a special presence, charm for days, and a flair for comedy. And let's not forget the dimpled smile. Here he's morose. Frankly, it makes the character kind of boring even though he's obviously very smart.The other major problem for me in this episode was Sean Young, whom I never could stand.The rest of the cast is very good and top-notch: Kathy Baker, Stephen McHattie, William Devane, and Kohl Sudduth.I just wish these movies had a little more spark.

Robert Parker, like novelist Georges Simenon, was a master of his craft. Both men knew how to say just enough, and no more, allowing the reader to fill in the blanks. Parker's books are really acts of collaboration between writer and reader. It is rare for a film to capture the spirit of the book it sprang from, and rarer still for the film to be faithful to the writer's method. The Jesse Stone films are the wonderful exception. They are true to the books, and faithful to Parker's lean, spare style. Less is always more, like a Japanese line drawing. These films are beautifully crafted little gems. High marks to all who had a hand in their production.