J. A. Jance

It's been three long years since the last Joanna Brady mystery, Field of Bones, so I couldn't wait to pick up Missing and Endangered. J.A. Jance's series set in Cochise County, Arizona, is one of my all-time favorites and never disappoints. Jance grew up in Bisbee, and her setting is so true-to-life you can almost follow her descriptions like a road map. (Yes, I've been there many, many times and have followed those descriptions.)

Written over twenty-eight years, this series-- so far-- show more describes nine years in the life of Joanna Brady, from her first becoming sheriff to now when her eldest daughter is a college sophomore. Jance's smooth pace and narrative chops draw readers right into the story, and one of the things I admire most about it is how well it shows the daily lives of law enforcement in one sparsely populated county with an area larger than some states. We see how budget cuts affect the department, how the sheriff's office interacts with other law enforcement agencies, and what parts paperwork and the media plays in it all. Joanna has worked hard in her job as sheriff, gaining knowledge and experience, and one of the ways that experience pays off is in her networking skills. She may not know the answer to something but chances are one of her contacts does-- and she does it all while juggling an extremely busy family life.

One thing that I admire even more about this series than the way it portrays the daily life of a sheriff is the "people angle." As Jenny tells her mother, "Your job is about way more than just catching bad people; it's about helping good people, too, and about putting broken lives back together." You may be pleased to know that, in this series, Jance concentrates more on the good people and putting lives back together than she does on the criminals. In Missing and Endangered, readers can feel a sense of dread crawling up their spines at Beth Rankin's naivete. Their hearts can break over two little children who face becoming lost in a system of bureaucracy. But they can also rest assured that Joanna Brady is going to do everything in her power to make things right.

It was three long years since the last Brady mystery, but I found that I hadn't forgotten a thing. This is the type of series with the kind of characters that sticks with you. If you doubt you'll pick this book up because it's book number nineteen and you just don't want to invest that kind of time in a long-running series, well... as much as I want you to read all nineteen books, I will say that you can pick this one up and read it as a standalone. The subplot concerning an officer-involved shooting has Joanna thinking about many incidents from her past, so the backstory is there and you won't feel confused.

Missing and Endangered is vintage Jance, and now I'm back to cooling my heels until my next visit with one of my favorite sheriffs, Joanna Brady. But no matter how long, I know it will be worth the wait. show less

The venerable J. P. Beaumont, Jance's signature hard boiled Seattle detective, takes on a new dimension as he recovers from knee replacement surgery, and he is haunted by the first homicide case he ever worked, one with potentially lethal consequences. In his quest to solve a forty-year-old homicide, he sets a chain reaction in motion that keeps the reader glued to page after page. As part of his personal retrospective, Beaumont, takes himself back to his time serving in Vietnam and show more unfinished business that has never left him.

It is the war of my generation, and its images will never leave those who served, those who watched it on T.V., and the 58,000 who never made it home, wherever they are. The story has many twists and turns. When the reader is pretty well assured a situation has been resolved, the story veers off in a different direction. The author masterfully injects her real-life thoughts into the Vietnam portion. This might well be the best of J.A. Jance's many novels. One senses that the author has a personal stake in this one. show less

J.A. Jance's Sheriff Joanna Brady series is one that I've loved for years. It's set in Cochise County, Arizona, an area I know well and love, and Jance (who lived in Bisbee) brings the Arizona desert to life. Any reader who loves a cast of characters who grow and change over the years should dive right into these books, starting with the first, Desert Heat. In no time at all, these characters will feel like family.

The Girl from Devil's Lake is a fast-paced dive into how a prolific serial show more killer can live undetected for decades. Jance doesn't dwell on his crimes, but on how he's managed to blend in-- and how Sheriff Joanna Brady manages to bring him to justice. One of the ways she does it is by occasionally letting readers see things from the killer's point of view.

Joanna has come a long way over the years. Now a seasoned and well-respected sheriff, she has worked hard to develop friends and knowledgeable contacts in law enforcement. I wondered how the series would change as she aged, and having her eldest daughter, Jenny, graduate from the police academy and join the Pima County Sheriff's Department is the perfect choice to keep these stories fresh.

Reading this book was like catching up with what's been happening with family. The book title also added spice and anticipation to the killer's downfall. From her first appearance, I knew that the girl from Devil's Lake would make her mark. Now I can't wait for the next installment. Seriously, if you are a character-driven mystery-loving reader and you haven't read these books, do it!

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) show less

Sheriff Joanna Brady is busy with her family preparing for the holidays and the upcoming marriage of her daughter. All that is put on hold when the body of a young child is discovered. Clues suggest that this is not the first time the perpetrator has killed. As the mystery unfolds, Brady uncovers a nationwide trail of murders spanning decades.

I haven’t read a Jance novel in years, and despite this being the twenty-first Joanna Brady story, it is the first in the series that I have read. show more Credit the author that despite what must be a lot of background history for the repeating characters, this worked well as a standalone, and I really liked it.

This fast-paced and riveting read is a journey through different timelines, providing insight into the background and mind of a serial killer. That narrative parallels the police procedural, solving a murder that unexpectedly spirals into a much larger and more complex mystery. Throughout the story, the humanity of the victims and their families is never forgotten.

This reads like a true crime novel. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction. A five star read for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @WilliamMorrowBooks for the DRC. show less