Books by J A Jance

Book SynopsisA stunning and suspenseful mystery featuring Seattle homicide detective J. P. Beaumont, from New York Times bestselling author J.A.JanceTrade Review‘J. A. Jance does not disappoint her fans.’ Washington Times ‘The best thing in J.A. Jance's books…is the way she can move from an exciting, dangerous scene on one page to a sensitive, personal, touching moment on the next’ Chicago Tribune ‘Taut, entertaining.’ Entertainment Weekly ‘Jance delivers a devilish page-turner.’ People

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance, a suspenseful mystery from the creator of Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle homicide detective J. P. Beaumont.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling author brings back the Walker family in a multilayered thriller in which murders past and present connect the lives of three families

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Book SynopsisThe murder of an ex-drug dealer ex-con—gunned down on his mother''s doorstep—seems just another turf war fatality. Why then has Seattle homicide investigator J.P. Beaumont been instructed to keep this assignment hush-hush? Meanwhile, Beau''s lover and fellow cop, Mel Soames, is involved in her own confidential investigation. Registered sex offenders from all over Washington State are dying at an alarming rate—and not all due to natural causes.A metropolis the size of Seattle holds its fair share of brutal crime, corruption, and dirty little secrets. But when the separate trails they''re following begin to shockingly intertwine, Beau and Mel realize that they have stumbled onto something bigger and more frightening than they anticipated—a deadly conspiracy that''s leading them to lofty places they should not enter . . . and may not be allowed to leave alive.

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Book SynopsisAt first glance, it appears to be an accident . . .A car carrying an elderly couple goes off the side of a mountain and tumbles into oblivion on a beautiful sunny day in the Coronado National Monument. A note pulled from the twisted wreckage suggests the tragedy may have been a double suicide—but an autopsy later suggests something different. A deadly fire and a fatal home invasion may or may not have some connection to the terrible crash. And miles away in the desert, a savage rain has revealed something grisly and terrifying: two trash bags filled with human remains.It''s just another day in the life of Cochise County sheriff Joanna Brady, who must somehow balance the rigors of police work with a newborn, a teenager, a writer-husband, and a difficult mother. But Joanna will not allow murder to go unpunished in her jurisdiction—even if her path to the truth is twisting and dangerous . . . and leads to shocking revelations about those entrusted with caring

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Book Synopsis“In the gripping Fire and Ice, Jance showcases both Beaumont and Brady….The prolific Jance…is in fine form.”—Fort Lauderdale Sun-SentinelNew York Times bestseller J.A. Jance reunites two of her most popular series characters—Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont—in Fire and Ice, as the separate investigations into grisly homicides in two different states shockingly intertwine. As Jance proved in her previous Beau/Brady pairing, Partner in Crime, when these two join forces, fireworks happen. Fire and Ice is not to be missed.

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Book Synopsis“Murder, teenage bullying, sleazy adults, and good police work add up to another fine entry by Jance.”—The OklahomanBetrayal of Trust is the twentieth mystery by New York Times bestseller J.A. Jance to feature Seattle p.i. J. P. Beaumont—and it is another surefire winner from the author the Chattanooga Times calls, “One of the best—if not the best.” When Beau discovers a snuff film recorded on a smart phone—a horrific crime that has a devastating effect on two troubled teens—his investigation unleashes a firestorm that blazes all the way up through the halls of Washington state government. Betrayal of Trust is certain to win this phenomenal crime fiction master (“In the elite company of Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell”—Flint Journal) a wealth of new fans while enthralling the army of devoted readers already addicted to the potent Jance magic.

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Book SynopsisWhen drug dealers murdered her lawman husband, Joanna Brady vowed she would carry on his good work no matter what the cost. With grit, courage, and dogged determination, she challenged the status quo—and won. Now, as newly elected Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, she must battle the prejudice and hostility of a mistrustful, male-dominated police force and solve a grisly double homicide that threatens to tear the sleepy desert community to pieces. For the two bodies baking in the harsh Southwestern sun are connected by sinister threads that reach back generations—and by devastating family secrets of greed, hatred, and shocking abuse that could destroy the innocent along with the guilty.

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Book SynopsisA woman is cruelly cut down in a remote corner of Arizona, killed on her nineteenth wedding anniversary by a drunk motorist.? A year later, the driver himself dies badly, and all suspicions point to the slain woman''s still-grieving husband as his murderer. But the truth is rarely black and white in the long Southwestern shadows, and one law officer is not rushing to condemn the tragic widower so quickly: Joanna Brady, Sheriff of Cochise County. Brady''s convictions, however, are leading her on a twisted trail through inhospitable country—and setting her on a path that will bring her face-to-face with cold, calculating death in the high, lonely desert.

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Book Synopsis[Jance] continues to grow in her art. It's no mystery why this writer is a hit.Seattle TimesA premium edition reissue of the third electrifying Joanna Brady novel by New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance.A prisoner languishes in a Phoenix jail cell accused of slaying his estranged wife. No one believes the man is innocent, except the new female sheriff of Cochise County, in town for a crash course in police training. Joanna Brady is out of her jurisdictionand possibly out of her league. For a human monster is on the prowl, hiding the grisly evidence of his horrific crimes in the vast emptiness of the Arizona desert. And an impromptu investigation, with no official sanction, and no back-up, is drawing a cold, ingenious serial killer much too close to Brady for comfortand closer, worse still, to her little girl.

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Book SynopsisThe smash New York Times bestselling author continues the chilling tale begun in Kiss of the Bees and Hour of the Hunter with this shocking new tale of knife-edge suspense The Walker family survived the atrocities perpetrated by a serial killer and his crazed acolyte in both Hour of the Hunter and Kiss of the Bees. But can they escape the vengeance of a new enemy whose target is their precious daughter, Lani? Told they're traveling to a loving adoptive family in southern Arizona, young girls are being spirited away from an orphanage deep in Colonial Mexico. But the fate that awaits them is truly horrifying. And when death comes, it will be a blessing. Former Sheriff Brandon Walker is a reluctant retiree. Golf just can't replace the action and sense of purpose his job provided. When he's invited to join The Last Chance Club to review and long-cold unsolved cases, he has no idea that the first case to cross his path will be one he may have botched as a young

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Book Synopsis A critically acclaimed master of suspense, J. A. Jance, the New York Times bestselling author of Fire and Ice, transports readers into the beauty and mystery of the American Southwest . . . and into the very heart of terror. The hunter is free to kill again—and hour by hour, he draws nearer . . . The brilliant psychopath Andrew Carlisle spent only six years in prison for the brutal torture-murder of a young girl of the Tohono O''odham tribe. The testimony of Diana Ladd—a teacher on the reservation—put Carlisle behind bars, and now she can''t ignore the dark, mystical signs that say a predator has returned to prowl the Arizona desert. Because no matter where Diana and her young son hide . . . he will find them.

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Book Synopsis From critically acclaimed master of suspense J. A. Jance, the New York Times bestselling author of Fire and Ice, comes a nerve-shattering tale of rage and retribution, and a nightmare even death cannot end. Twenty years ago, a darkness rose up out of the blistering heat of the Arizona desert and descended upon the Walker family of Tucson. A personified evil, a serial killer named Andrew Carlisle, brought blood and terror into the Walkers'' world, nearly murdering Diana Ladd Walker and her young son, Davy. Now much has changed. The family has grown larger.There''s Lani, the beloved adopted daughter—a beautiful Native-American teenager kissed by the bees and destined, according to Tohono O''odham lore, to become a woman of great spiritual power. And now the psychopath Carlisle has died in prison, so Brandon and Diana Walker believe they and their loved ones are safe at last.They are wrong.The mo

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Book SynopsisThe little girl was a treasure who should have been cherished, not murdered. She was only five-too young to die-and Homicide Detective J.P. Beaumont of the Seattle Police Department isn't going to rest until her killer pays dearly. But Beaumont's own obsessions and demons could prove dangerous companions in a murky world of blind faith and religious fanaticism. And he is about to find out that he himself is the target of a twisted passion . . . and a love that can kill.

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Book Synopsis“In the elite company of Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell.”—Flint Journal  Injustice For All—riveting crime fiction from J.A. Jance featuring Seattle Homicide Detective J.P. Beaumont—offers fans of Jance’s Sheriff Joanna Brady books a golden opportunity to enjoy a different side to the perennial New York Times bestselling author. Here a dead body on the beach and a screaming woman ensnare Beau in a case that gets darker and darker the deeper he investigates. Injustice for All, now in a Premium Plus edition, is classic Beau—proving the assertion by the Washington Times that “J.A. Jance does not disappoint.”

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Book Synopsis“Jance paints a vibrant picture, creating characters so real you want to reach out and hug—or strangle—them.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer With Trial by Fury, classic crime fiction featuring Seattle Homicide Detective J.P. Beaumont, fans of the author’s enormously popular Sheriff Joanna Brady books can discover another side to the incomparable Jance. This masterful tale of murder, passion, race, and rage, plunges the intrepid Beau into an investigation where the secrets uncovered may be more terrible than the crime. Read Trial by Fury, now in a Premium Plus edition, and discover why the Chattanooga Times calls Jance, “One of the best—if not the best.”

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling suspense master J.A. Jance brings together her two most beloved creations: Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle investigator J.P. Beaumont. The dead woman on a cold slab in the Arizona morgue was a talented artist recently arrived from the West Coast. The Washington State Attorney General''s office thinks this investigation is too big for a small-town female law officer to handle, so they''re sending Sheriff Joanna Brady some unwanted help—a seasoned detective named Beaumont. Sheriff Brady resents his intrusion, and Bisbee, Arizona, with its ghosts and memories, is the last place J.P. Beaumont wants to be. But the twisting desert road they must reluctantly travel together is leading them into a very deadly nest of rattlers. And if they hope to survive, suddenly trust is the only option they have left . . .

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Book SynopsisA chilling story of deadly desire and cold murder from New York Times bestselling author J. A. JanceA pretty, popular teenager never returned from her secret tryst in Skeleton Canyon. Perhaps it was youthful rage or savage passion that ripped the life from a child of privilege and abandoned her broken body to the cold Arizona night. Or maybe she stumbled onto something terrible, something too dangerous to know. Now dark secrets about a future hideously destroyed are pulling Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County into a lethal nest of lies and greed, hidden in a desolate corner of the Southwestern Desert—where the next blood that feeds the parched earth could be her own.

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Book SynopsisA breathtaking story of senseless, brutal death in a desolate terrain from New York Times bestselling author J. A. JanceWhat kind of monster would savagely murder a 71-year-old and leave her battered corpse to rot in the Arizona desert? A crime so patently inhuman, it shocks even those who should be used to death—like Joanna Brady, sheriff of Cochise County. But the slaying of a complex and truly uncommon senior is only one thread in a bloody tapestry—as death follows death in horrific succession, leading one dedicated officer of the law to risk everything as she seeks answers in the lethal shadow of Outlaw Mountain.

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Book SynopsisA spellbinding story of life and death, rage and murder in the silent Arizona night from New York Times bestselling author J. A. JanceIn the desert, a Native American woman is dead—an ex-con once jailed for the murder of her husband—and her teenage daughter has vanished into the long shadows of the night-still canyons. A dedicated law officer, Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County has suffered stoically through loss and pain—yet she has never wavered in her commitment to duty and the pursuit of justice. Now, as she stands on the brink of a new life and new happiness, death is summoning her once more, calling her down a twisted trail of hatred, greed, and devastating consequence to the black heart of the Dragoon Mountains.There is no respite yet for Joanna Brady—only a terrifying excursion into a world of passion and violence, where long-buried secrets are the best reasons of all to kill . . . or to die.

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Book SynopsisA shattering tale of tragedy and terror featuring Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont.A desperate father’s search for his runaway daughter has led him to the last place he ever expected to find her: backstage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The hunt for his child has plunged former Seattle Homicide Detective J.P.

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Book SynopsisThe Statfire Breeze steams its way north toward the Gulf of Alaska, buffeted by crisp sea winds blowing down from the Arctic. Those on board are seeking peace, relaxation, adventure, and escape. But there is no escape here in this place of unspoiled natural majesty.Trade Review"BIRDS OF PREY is as much a tale of human frailty as it is a page-turning mystery." -- Tampa Tribune

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Book SynopsisWhen Cochise County, Arizona, Sheriff Joanna Brady's daughter Jenny goes off on a Memorial Day weekend girl's scout camp-out in nearby Apache Pass, Joanna trusts that her 12-year-old daughter will behave. But with boy-crazy Dora Matthews as a tentmate, Jenny is seduced into taking a late night unauthorized hike into the wilderness.Trade Review"Jance delivers a devilish page-turner." -- People "Brady comes into her own in this book...making an already appealing character even more so." -- St Louis Post-Dispatch "The plotting is up to Jance's high standards...bracing." -- Cleveland Plain-Dealer "[A] page turner...builds suspense and throws in some surprises as well. Jance's sense of place remains strong." -- Publishers Weeekly "Joanna Brady is a delightful character." -- Chicago Tribune "J.A. Jance is among the best--if not the best--mystery novelists writing today." -- Chattanooga Times "A strong appreciation for the Arizona countryside...a stronger central character." -- Dallas Morning News "In the elite company of Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell." -- *Flint Journal

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Book SynopsisIn an airless trailer, a woman is lying dead,and a bullet hole in her chest. Why someone would murder a harmless loner with a soft spot for strays is only one of the questions nagging at the local police; another is why the killer used an eighty-five-years-old, bullet fired from the same weapon that slaughtered two other women.Trade Review"A fine addition to a lively series." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Brady fans won't want to put this one down." -- Booklist "Another first rate page turner." -- Library Journal "Sheriff Brady operates on full throttle throughout...compelling." -- Arizona Capitol Times

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Book SynopsisThe Seattle that Beau knew as a young policeman is disappearing. Beau and his partner Sue Danielson, a struggling single parent, are assigned the murder of an elderly woman torched to death in her bed. As their investigation proceeds, Beau and Sue become embroiled in a perilous series of events that will leave them and their case shattered.Trade Review"Jance has brought us yet another winner!" -- Dallas Morning News "One of the country's most popular mystery writers." -- The Oregonian (Portland) "A dillusioned, cynical hero in the classic hard-boiled tradition." -- Journal-American Praise for J.A. Jance:"Jance delivers a devilish page-turner." -- People "J.A. Jance does not disappoint her fans." -- Washington Times "Suspenseful, action-packed." -- Dallas Morning News "Taut ... entertaining." -- Entertainment Weekly "Credible and entertaining." -- Orlando Sentinel

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Book Synopsis“Murder, teenage bullying, sleazy adults, and good police work add up to another fine entry by Jance.”—The OklahomanBetrayal of Trust is the twentieth mystery by New York Times bestseller J.A. Jance to feature Seattle p.i. J. P. Beaumont—and it is another surefire winner from the author the Chattanooga Times calls, “One of the best—if not the best.” When Beau discovers a snuff film recorded on a smart phone—a horrific crime that has a devastating effect on two troubled teens—his investigation unleashes a firestorm that blazes all the way up through the halls of Washington state government. Betrayal of Trust is certain to win this phenomenal crime fiction master (“In the elite company of Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell”—Flint Journal) a wealth of new fans while enthralling the army of devoted readers already addicted to the potent Jance magic.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"As the dual story lines crisscross and the body count mounts, Jance hits her stride with a suspenseful plot that will keep readers flipping pages until the surprising... finale." -- Publishers Weekly on REMAINS OF INNOCENCE

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Book SynopsisNew York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance's heartrending collection of poetry and essays recounts a dark chapter of her own life, her first marriage to an alcoholic—a powerful look at the emotional cost of addiction and an inspiring story of courage and triumph in the wake of crushing defeatBefore she found fame as a bestselling mystery author, Judith Jance wrestled with the anguish of being married to an alcoholic. For years she channeled her pain into words, composing the poems in this moving volume, first published in 1984, a year before her debut novel.In searing and direct language, After the Fire chronicles the collapse of Jance's first marriage under the weight of her husband's addiction—and her own unwitting denial and codependence while she struggled to find herself. "I will not be the price of your redemption," she wrote then. "I will not pay my life to ransom yours."An intimate, deeply pers

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Jance satisfies fans of both series with an energetic plot resplendent with believable twists, leaving readers eager for Beaumont and Walker's next outing." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on DANCE OF THE BONES

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Book SynopsisWhen Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing.Trade Review"Jance satisfies fans of both series with an energetic plot resplendent with believable twists, leaving readers eager for Beaumont and Walker's next outing." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on DANCE OF THE BONES

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Book SynopsisButch Dixon has been taken for a ride …Not a jump in the car, see the sights kind of ride. He''s been taken for everything he has. He''s lost his house, his restaurant business, his savings, his car, his best friend, his faith—all to his conniving ex-wife. But that was seven years ago. He picked himself up, left Chicago, and started over in Peoria, Arizona, running the Roundhouse Bar and Grill. He doesn''t look back on those bad years; there''s no point. Not until two curious cops show up at the Roundhouse.Faith, Butch''s ex-wife, has been murdered, and the evidence points to him. Stunned, Butch quickly realizes that the black-hearted woman is going to ruin him again, from her grave. Lucky for Butch, the Old Blue Line, a group of retired—but still sharp and tenacious—former legal and law enforcement coots, have taken it upon themselves, as a favor, to make sure he doesn''t cross that thin line. After the dust settles, Butch''s life is again upen

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Book SynopsisAn e-original novella from New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance. Life has shifted for J. P. Beaumont. After a tragic accident that devastated—and ultimately disbanded—his Special Homicide Investigation Team, he accepts that he has left homicide detection behind at this point, but he has a lot of unanticipated free time on his hands. He''s keeping busy with renovations on the new house that he and his wife, Mel Soames, the newly appointed chief of police in Bellingham, Washington, have bought. But new fixtures and paint palettes can occupy only so much of Beau''s daily life, and Mel is encouraging him to return to where he is needed: investigating crimes.In the meantime, she is struggling to gain control of her new situation, cast into a department where some are welcoming—and some are not. It''s been a few months, and the tension in the police department is rising, but Beau realizes Mel has to tackle things

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Book SynopsisSheriff Joanna Brady’s best intentions to stay on maternity leave take a hit when a serial homicide case rocks Cochise County, dragging her into a far-reaching investigation to bring down a relentless killer in this chilling tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author J.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Fans of police procedurals with a Southwestern flair will love Joanna’s determination to manage marriage, motherhood, and policing in this 19th Joanna Brady book.” — Library Journal “The two parallel cases provide plenty of action, while keeping a premium on character studies and violence to a minimum. Once again, the compassionate, intelligent Joanna balances a busy home life and a complex job with aplomb. This long-running series consistently entertains.” — Publishers Weekly “What is refreshing is the way [Jance] shows how law enforcement are not just numbers and robots but people with families and a personal home-life. As with all her novels, readers will not be disappointed.” — MilitaryPress.com

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Book SynopsisSheriff Joanna Brady’s best intentions to stay on maternity leave take a hit when a serial homicide case rocks Cochise County, dragging her into a far-reaching investigation to bring down a relentless killer in this chilling tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance.This time Sheriff Joanna Brady may expect to see her maternity leave through to completion, but the world has other plans when a serial homicide case surfaces in her beloved Cochise County. Rather than staying home with her newborn and losing herself in the cold cases to be found in her father’s long unread diaries, Joanna instead finds herself overseeing a complex investigation involving multiple jurisdictions.Filled with the beloved characters, small town charm, vivid history, intriguing mystery, and the scenic Arizona desert backdrop that have made the Joanna Brady series perennial bestsellers, this latest entry featuring the popular sheriff is sure to pleas

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Book SynopsisIn the end, Beaumont’s plea and Jared’s quick action saved the two boys from their father’s murderous rage.Now, almost twenty years later, Jared reappears in Beau’s life seeking his help once again—his younger brother Chris is missing.Trade Review“[A] mystery with heart . . . readers . . . will savor every word . . . Jance should win new fans with this one.” — Publishers Weekly on Sins of the Fathers “J. A. does an outstanding job of delivering a very emotional book, wrapped up within a mystery that keeps the reader on edge to the very end.” — Suspense Magazine on Sins of the Fathers “J. A. Jance is one of the best at combining mystery and family dynamics. J. P. Beaumont . . . is a character occasionally afflicted with angst, depression, and guilt, but not so much that he becomes tiresome. Rather, he becomes human, with all the temptations, missteps, failures, and ultimately successes, large and small, that most share.” — New York Journal of Books on Sins of the Fathers “Fans of police procedurals with a Southwestern flair will love Joanna’s determination to manage marriage, motherhood, and policing in this 19th Joanna Brady book.” — Library Journal on Missing and Endangered “The two parallel cases provide plenty of action, while keeping a premium on character studies and violence to a minimum. Once again, the compassionate, intelligent Joanna balances a busy home life and a complex job with aplomb. This long-running series consistently entertains.” — Publishers Weekly on Missing and Endangered

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Book SynopsisIndigenous women have become his target of choice, knowing law enforcement’s history of ignoring their disappearances.A cold case has just been assigned to Dan Pardee, a field officer with the newly formed Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Task Force.Trade Review“Fans of police procedurals with a Southwestern flair will love Joanna’s determination to manage marriage, motherhood, and policing in this 19th Joanna Brady book.” — Library Journal on Missing and Endangered “The two parallel cases provide plenty of action, while keeping a premium on character studies and violence to a minimum. Once again, the compassionate, intelligent Joanna balances a busy home life and a complex job with aplomb. This long-running series consistently entertains.” — Publishers Weekly on Missing and Endangered “This is the J.A. Jance I love. Her characterizations and ability to spin a tale keep you turning pages well into the night.” — Book Reporter on Nothing to Lose “J. A. does an outstanding job of delivering a very emotional book, wrapped up within a mystery that keeps the reader on edge to the very end.” — Suspense Magazine on Sins of the Fathers “Bestseller Jance’s enjoyable 25th J.P. Beaumont mystery…J.P. is a fully developed character, and his frequent calls to [his wife] Melissa to discuss the case are both touching and insightful. They make a good team even at a distance. New readers will happily join the ranks of longtime fans.” — Publishers Weekly on Nothing to Lose

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