Jesse Stone: Thin Ice

Jesse Stone: Thin Ice is the 5th entry in the Jesse Stone series of TV Movies that are based on the Jesse Stone Novels written by Robert B. Parker. It was released on 1 March, 2009. This is the first Jesse Stone movie not based on a novel by Robert B. Parker. The story was developed by Michael Brandman, Tom Selleck and Ronni Kern, and the screenplay was written by Ronni Kern.

Summary
Jesse Stone and Captain Healy are shot during an unauthorized stake-out in Boston. Meanwhile, a cryptic letter sent from Paradise leads the mother of a kidnapped child to Stone. Though her son was declared dead, she hopes he will reopen the case.

Plot
State Police Captain Healy is attacked but is saved by Jesse, who is able to get off a couple of shots at the unknown assailant despite also being wounded. At the hospital, Healy reveals to Jesse that he was spying on his nephew, who may be sleeping with his saxophone instructor. Jesse begins investigating the shooting despite protests from the Paradise town council. The town council members feel that the police department is already spread too thin, and they and Internal Affairs are concerned about six shooting incidents Jesse has been involved in. They also don’t like that Jesse ran Officer D'Angelo out of the department because he didn’t like him. The town council liked him very much because he wrote three times as many parking tickets as the other officers, and manned the speed trap into the town, bringing in substantial revenue for Paradise. Jesse refuses to have the speed trap manned, because he feels it is unethical, and cuts down the tree that blocks the speed limit sign so the speed trap won’t work anymore.

Meanwhile Jesse continues his regular phone calls with Jenn. She is contemplating moving in with Elliot, and Jesse tells her it would be unethical for her to move in with her producer. She hangs up on him. Jesse also continues his therapy, but Dr. Dix seems to be having trouble himself. He visits Jesse at his office and confesses that he misses being a cop. Seeing that Dix is in need of a friend, Jesse offers to buy him dinner.

Jesse continues to investigate the shooting of Captain Healy despite being told not to. He questions Gino Fish about the shooting, but gets nothing. He also talks to Sister Mary John, who indicates that it may have been linked to underage prostitution, and gives him three names. Once again Jesse contacts Gino Fish, knowing his distaste for prostitution, and without diming the person out directly, Fish indicates to Jesse that he would focus his investigation on the second name Sister Mary John gave him, Teddy Leaf. Meanwhile Jesse begins sleeping with the Internal Affairs officer who is investigating him, Sidney Greenstreet. He uses his influence with her to get some information on Leaf, and begins following him. When he reveals this to Captain Healy, Healy gets very upset and tells Jesse not to pursue Leaf because he is extremely dangerous. Jesse ignores this and pursues him anyway, threatening Leaf in a bar bathroom. Greenstreet warns Jesse that he had better tread carefully, because she knows how he works: he sets people up. Jesse then gets Leaf to follow him to an apartment with Suitcase's help, and blindsides him. He ties him up in the apartment and anonymously calls the police who then bust him for breaking and entering, and carrying a weapon; both parole violations that get him locked up for a long time. Jesse figures this is better than nothing, since they can’t get him on the shooting.

Subplots
The main subplot of the film concerns the search for a missing child. Elizabeth Blue comes to Chief Stone asking for help investigating the disappearance of her baby boy. The case was widely publicized seven years earlier as the disappearance of "Little Boy Blue." A body was found with the baby’s hospital wrist band, but the mother is convinced it was not her son, and even left her husband over the matter. Her conviction comes from a letter she received two years earlier postmarked Paradise that says "Your child is loved." Jesse feels compassionate towards the grieving mother, but believes the child is probably dead after all these years and that the letter could have been from anyone.

Rose disagrees and begins investigating on her own. Jesse fears investigating a cold case from New Mexico will make things even worse with the town council, but he does not stop her. Rose reaches a dead end after investigating all of the seven-year-old children in the town. But then Suitcase suggests that the person may have left town after writing that letter two years ago and that Rose should be checking school records from two years ago. She does this and is led to Stephanie Morton. They discover that Morton had a baby boy the same time that Baby Blue was born, but that he died at birth. No one knew that the baby died, because Morton went on vacation to New Mexico right after the birth. There she kidnapped Baby Boy Blue and brought him home, passing him off as her own unbeknownst to anyone else. She left her dead baby in the New Mexico desert with the stolen Baby Boy Blue’s hospital wrist band on. Chief Stone, and Rose go to Morton’s house to confront her with what they now know, but they discover that Little Boy Blue died two years earlier in an ice skating incident. He was skating and wandered out onto thin ice, broke through and died. Morton suffered hypothermia trying to rescue him, but was unable to save him. That is when she sent the letter to Baby Boy Blue’s mother. Upon returning to the police station, Jesse finds that he has been suspended without pay pending an investigation. Not wanting Elizabeth to hear the news from the media, Rose and Suitcase agree not to arrest Morton until Jesse can tell Baby Boy Blue’s mother personally. The film ends with Jesse traveling to New Mexico to give Elizabeth Blue the news.

Cast/Characters

 * Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone
 * Kathy Baker as Rose Gammon
 * Kohl Sudduth as Luther 'Suitcase' Simpson
 * Leslie Hope as Sidney Greenstreet
 * Stephen McHattie as Captain Healy
 * William Sadler as Gino Fish
 * Jessica Hecht as Stephanie Morton
 * Joanna Miles as Mrs. Steinberg
 * Fulvio Cecere as Teddy Leaf
 * Camryn Manheim as Elizabeth Blue
 * William Devane as Dr. Dix
 * Jeremy Akerman as Councilman Carter Hansen
 * John Beale as Dr. Perkins
 * Kerri Smith as Sister Mary John
 * Gary Levert as William Butler
 * Todd Hofley as Alan
 * Tom Gallant as Councilman Comden
 * Glenn Lefchak as Homeless Guy
 * Brian Heighton as Boston Doctor
 * Dawn McKelvie Cyr as Nurse #1
 * Sherry Smith as Nurse #2
 * Jonathan Brass as Michael
 * Philip Dinn as Dispatch Officer
 * Scott Owen as Teddy's Sidekick
 * Ruby Carr as Runaway Girl
 * Steve Morgan as Bartender
 * Gil Anderson as Jenn (voice)
 * Joe the Dog as Reggie (as Joe)