Betrayal of Trust

Beaumont now works as a detective for the Washington State Attorney General's Special Homicide Investigation Team (yup, the acronym for this entity is a crappy one), and fellow detective Melissa Soames are sent to investigate what is possibly a snuff video. The Governor of the State of Washington found the video on her step grandson's cell phone. This makes the inquiry very sensitive. It also presents several thoughtful examples of betrayal, whether it is adults betraying their responsibilities to youth and to each other, youth betraying their responsibilities to adults and to each other, or characters betraying their responsibilities to themselves and to society.

As Beaumont and Soames look into the matter, they find themselves dealing show more with people from opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum, teenagers with enormous problems, bullying, and the exploitation of vulnerable youth. Much of what they see reminds Beaumont of his own adolescence, which reminds him of growing up with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet and being looked down upon by classmates who had more money and social status. An unexpected email from a woman claiming to be his dead father's niece disturbs him. The email also persuades him he might finally discover who his father was.

Having read dozens of her books, this is right up there at the top ! It got me so involved - I read it in 24 hours. Accolades to the author and 5 bright and shining stars for the book. show less

I've been reading J.P. Beaumont novels for decades, and reading this one was like coming home to a favorite character. The crimes and police procedural parts of the book were intriguing, as well as, of course, the relationships involved and Beaumont's take on everything.

This series continues to provide good solid police procedurals, well drawn character, and a well-paced strong plot. Jance is adept at weaving several crimes in different jurisdictions into a seamless story. I've been reading this series in order now for the past seven months. This one is one of the best, from an intricate plot, to a portrayal of a very human aging detective, to the introduction of new characters, it keeps the reader-- whether new to the series or an old fan--turning pages and trying to outguess what's next.

I love J. A. Jance's several series, but the one featuring homicide detective J. P. Beaumont is my favorite. For some reason I can identify with him. He's had a tough life beginning with a childhood in poverty and no father. His mother was rejected by family when she discovered she was pregnant shortly after her sailor boyfriend died. His family refused to have anything to do with her either, so she struggled to raise him alone. (My childhood was lovely, thank you.)

Only recently has he had a wonderful life, since he married Mel Soames, another homicide detective. They work for the Special Homicide Investigative Team with its unfortunate acronym, as partners. Their skills complement each other's.

In this case they are assigned to a show more hush-hush problem in the governor's mansion. Josh, the governor's step-grandson, had been brought to live in the mansion after his mother died of an overdose. Obviously he has had a horrid life, and he's a troubled teen. The governor's two teenage daughters have differing reactions to his presence, but he ignores them anyway. He is caught coming home after a night out without permission. The guv confiscates his phone as punishment and discovers a snuff film on it. She immediately calls the Attorney General.

Thus begins a story of two sorts of teens, the rich kids who get away with anything, and the poor kids from terrible homes who frequently are their victims. Also there is Janie's House founded by a woman who desperately wants to lift the poor kids out of the cycle of poverty they were born into. The house provides washers and dryers, computers, cell phones, and other necessities of modern life that those kids lack. It's meant as a safe place where they can improve their lives.

I don't want to give away anything else because this is an excellent homicide case and our detectives are both shrewd and compassionate throughout. We also learn something surprising about Beaumont's background that will totally floor him.

Highly recommended
Source: purchased from amazon.com show less

At first glance, the video appears to be showing a childish game: a teenage girl with dark wavy hair smiles for the camera, a blue scarf tied around her neck. All of a sudden things turn murderous, and the girl ends up dead.

It’s as bad as a snuff film can get, and what’s worse, the clip has been discovered on a phone that belongs to the grandson of Washington State’s governor. However, the boy, who has a troubled background, swears that he’s never seen the victim before.

It has been a while since I have read a J.P. Beaumont book and this one didn't disappoint me. It was like catching up with an old friend. Beau's style of police work is more laid back, he is dealing with aging and bad knees and you can sympathize with him. He show more is still dealing with his past and not knowing who his father was. But his fathers family reaches out to him in this book.

I will say that I missed some of the people like his ex-partner Ron Peters, and although Ralph Ames is in the book he is not in it long. Maybe the next book we will get them.

I would definitely recommend this book and can't wait for the next J.P. Beaumont book to come out. show less

The governor, an old friend of Beau’s, turns to him for help when a very disturbing video shows up on the cell phone belonging to her husband’s grandson. It appears to be a snuff film, and she wants him to find out if this grandson is involved some how. There are several complications in this case. With the governor’s blended family and her position as well as her husband’s compromised health, Beau has to tread carefully. Things go south, and everyone will have to deal with the aftermath. As usual, J A Jance has written another thriller that will keep her readers flipping pages to the very end.

I'm a big J.A. Jance fan, but I have to say this one fell a little flat for me. I haven't read a J.P. Beaumont book in awhile and have to admit I picked this up because I was craving Joanna Brady but the library didn't have any I hadn't read yet so, yes, I may not have had the best attitude going into it. Mystery-wise it was fine; sad in a bunch of ways, but not bad. And, well, maybe that was the problem -- the subject [snuff film, cyberbullying], the kids... It was a little bit too close to home for this mom.

The big positive was the (very) side story of J.P. Beaumont's Texas family. I really loved that part and might seek out the next in the series just so that I can see how that plays out.