Cruel Intent

Amazon received

Of late I've been really souring on the insane overabundance of serial killer novels. They have been so overdone of late that it was hard to trudge through yet another one. Still, Cruel Intent was a pretty easy read and had a lighter tone than some of the others I've read lately. In Cruel Intent, ex TV journalist Ali Reynolds gets involved in a murder case when the contractor working on her case is investigated and later arrested for murder. In the process, she comes across a website devoted to married people hooking up and gets in the crosshairs of the killer. My biggest problem is that their was so much extraneous information that was neither pertinent to the story or remotely interesting. I think Jance could have cut a quarter of the novel out and not missed a beat. The whole side story where Ali was in charge of giving a scholarship was pointless. With a better editor this novel would have improved greatly.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity ( )

Enjoyable CD book for a long drive. Slow in places and frustrating when the excitement is there and she decides to describe the surroundings in great detail instead of getting on with the plot. The internet stuff about how one captures private data and reuses parts to recreate personas is interesting and worrisome if it is half true. ( )

Cruel Intent by J. A. JanceAli Reynolds just wanted to get into her house and make Thanksgiving dinner. Little did she know that a serial killer would thrust his ugly way into her hopes for a pleasant holiday. This mystery really moved. Jance put the pedal to the metal and never let up. Ali is a likeable heroine who cares about people around her. She is tolerant of others and their differences. Her butler, Leland, provides her with a steady hand when she lets her emotions run away. Her relationship with her Mother and Dad came off as authentic and familiar. I found her a very believable character. Peter Winters, the psychopathic serial killer was almost stereotypically evil. He had no redeeming characteristics. Jance populated the book with characters that are entertaining and believable. The tension in the story and the action will provide every adrenal junkie a great rush. I liked the book enough to go out and get the two Ali Reynold’s novels that preceded it. I highly recommend the book. ( )

This is the fourth book featuring Ali Reynolds and her family and friends in Sedona, Arizona. While remodeling her recently purchased home Ali runs into a major complication; the contractor's wife turns up brutally murdered and he's looking like the chief suspect to the local law enforcement officer. It's up to Ali and her family and friends to solve the crime and bring down a clever serial killer. Along the way her Mom starts carrying a Taser and she finally meets another recent returnee to Sedona, B. Simpson, computer genius and hacker extraordinaire who is a great help in ferreting out the essential information on the real killer. Recommended for fans of Jance's other mystery/suspense books set in Arizona.