Finished Night and Day by Robert B. Parker. This is the eighth book in his series about Jesse Stone, the police chief of Paradise, Mass.

In this one, Jesse has to deal with two problems — a peeping Tom who calls himself the Night Hawk and a school principal who made several girls show her their underwear before a school dance. The Night Hawk soon escalates to home invasions, while the principal insists she did nothing wrong. Jesse also has to deal with his ex-wife, who’s gone off with another man (for about the tenth time or so).

Jesse figures out who the Night Hawk is pretty quickly, although it takes him a bit longer to figure out what to do with the principal. There’s not a lot of mystery in Parker’s books, but he writes great dialogue. I just love his style — it’s easy to read and entertaining at the same time.

But the highlight of the book for me was the end, where Jesse finally (finally!) tells his ex-wife that he can’t be her safety net anymore and that he wants her out of his life. Huzzah! I’ve never gotten the obsession Jesse has with his ex, and I thought Jesse should have kicked her to the curb a long time ago. Let’s hope it sticks this time — and that he hooks back up with Sunny Randall, a private investigator who’s the star of one of Parker’s other series.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, pick up one of Parker’s books. Thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.