Downfall

Downfall by J.A. Jance is a 2016 William Morrow publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Once more J.A Jance puts Joanna Brady into a complex and emotionally charged situation and once more I found myself glued to the pages, riveted as always as Joanna navigates her stressful professional life with her often complex home life.

In this chapter, Joanna, pregnant with her third child, is struggling with the untimely deaths of her mother and step-father, dealing with hurt feelings regarding her brother, Bob, being named executor of her mother’s estate, her election campaign, and by a puzzling double murder of two women that at first glance might suggest a show more murder/suicide.

This installment in the series finds Joanna feeling melancholy and a little tender. However, when she steps into her professional role, she’s all business. Jance tackles some controversial and disturbing issues as she works to find who murdered two seemingly unconnected women, while drawing parallels between the case and the youthful mistakes both she and her mother made and the consequences of those actions.

This is probably one of the more poignant Brady novels, although faithful followers of the series have followed Joanna on a long, emotional journey, often marred by tragedy. Still, this story has a wistful tone as Joanna looks back on her complicated relationship with her mother and mourns her loss, but also finds a way to celebrate her life.

The crime drama is explosive, shocking, and very disturbing. I was totally engrossed in this story as Joanna and Robin, her FBI partner on the case, uncover one of the most twisted and sickening cases of Joanna’s career.

Jance did a wonderful job of building suspense, keeping me guessing from start to finish, leaving me totally shocked at the outcome. But, she also tells a touching and emotional family story that proves that no matter how many books are written in the series, no matter how familiar we are with a beloved character, there is still room for growth.

Overall, this is a special installment in the series and one any fan of J.A. Jance will not want to miss. show less

I don't think I will ever tire of Jance's Joanna Brady mysteries. For me, they are the perfect blend of character, setting, and story. Joanna is independent, brave, sharp as a tack, and loaded with common sense. Her mind has a laser-like quality that can cut to the heart of a problem and come up with a solution using her available resources. I love watching her in action. The setting of Cochise County, Arizona, and the old mining town of Bisbee is one that I'm very familiar with, and so is Jance (who grew up there). As for the story, Jance is brilliant at weaving together a fast pace with various subplots that range from the personal and emotional-- like the deaths of loved ones and pregnancy-- to more topical issues that can still hit show more close to home. The trouble is, there's not much I can say about those topical issues without giving away a lot of the story.

Since I can't talk about the plot, I will say that there's a fine scene involving Joanna who's got herself into a bit of a pickle, and she finds that she's got to rely on the Little Red Hen and a dog. (Two of the best things you can depend on when you find yourself in a similar mess.) For me, the continued high quality of this series all boils down to character. Like the FBI agent Joanna is saddled with... or the chief deputy who's still a question mark in Joanna's mind. There's only one character I can do without in this entire series, and that's Marliss Shackelford the local journalist. That character works my last nerve, but I don't think Jance will ever get rid of her. Marliss is just too much fun to write.

Now, if you've arrived at the opinion that I love this series and enjoy what Jance can do with her characters and a puzzling murder or two, I'd have to admit that you have reached your destination. If you're not familiar with this series, I wholeheartedly recommend that you dive right in. You can probably start anywhere, but be forewarned: the personal lives of the characters will then be all out of sequence. show less

I've read all the Joanna Brady books and recommend reading them in order. J.A. Jance does a great job of bringing us directly into Joanna's world, experiencing her life with her. A great deal of the tension and suspense in this and other Brady books is deciding with Joanna what her next step will be, how to manage all her employees, witnesses, suspects, and family members.

As the book starts out, two women are found dead at the bottom of a climbing mountain, with no apparent connection to each other. Soon one, a debate coach, is found to have serious secrets; video cameras also show her being led away from school by someone in a school hoodie. Meanwhile, Joanna is reeling from the death of her mother and stepfather, trying to balance show more work and family, and another killing occurs on a golf course.

In this Brady novel, I especially loved sharing Joanna's struggles (and successes) as sheriff managing several homicides, as daughter preparing for a funeral, and as a mother sending one daughter off to college and about to birth another. 4.5 stars. The higher rating than usual because of the emotional complexity. show less

Good entry in this excellent series. While in mourning for her her mom and stepdad, Sheriff Brady has a double homicide to solve as two women fall to their deaths from Geronimo. Pregnant with her 2nd daughter, she uncovers serious problems at a local school with a female sexual predator identified as one of the victims. Unfortunately, the true villain is closer to home than Joanna realizes and more deaths and a kidnapping put her with her unborn child in great danger.

This book ended up growing on me. This was my first book with the series (and author), and I'm not sure if I'll go back and catch up with prior entries or not, but I might. The book has a fairly strong sense of place, and it's a landscape I'd like to return to. I'd actually like to see the setting -- the desert southwest -- play a much stronger role in the character's lives. For the most part, the people in the story seemed like they could be from Anywhere USA, which is odd in that they'd spent their lives in a place unlike the majority of America. Otherwise, I found the characters likeable enough. Plotting was meh: saw the ending coming from a ways, and it seems like there were some loose ends left dangling, and some minor plot points show more that just went nowhere. The antipathy with the newspaper reporter, while perhaps grounded in previous books, was otherwise unexplained, which made the characters and their motivations seem arbitrary. Still, overall, I did ultimately enjoy the book. show less

The last days of August would have been hard enough for Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady, as it was. She has to make funeral arrangements for her mom, Eleanor, and her stepfather, George. What was initially believed to be a simple motor vehicle accident involving their RV as they returned to Bisbee, Arizona was actually a crash caused by a sniper. George died at the scene and Eleanor was airlifted to Phoenix where she soon passed as well. The killer was taken down and dealt with just a few days ago. Now Joanna has to deal with funeral arrangements and other family matters all made more complicated by the recent arrival into her life of her adopted brother whom she had known nothing about.

When you are in charge it means your personal show more situation often has to take a backseat to your job. Moments after finalizing the numeral arrangements, she is called by her Chief Deputy Tom Hadlock. He wants to make her aware that there has been a discovery of two bodies at the base of a nearby rock formation known as “Geronimo.” It may have been a murder/suicide or a double murder. Haddock wants her to take a look. Quickly it becomes clear this was no suicide and it was a double murder. That means everyone on staff including Sheriff Brady, the FBI, and law enforcement in neighboring counties are hard at work on a case that escalates in complexity seemingly by the hour as evidence is uncovered.

The latest in the series, Downfall: A Brady Novel Of Suspense, is a really good read by author J. A. Jance. The author works the heartstrings of the reader to great effect as Brady is faced with a number of personal issues. At the same time, the overarching mystery is complicated with tentacles that go off in many directions. The result is a mighty good book that powers along on all levels to one very suspenseful conclusion.

Downfall: A Brady Novel of Suspense
J. A. Jance
http://www.jajance.com
William Morrow (Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
http://www.harpercollins.com
September 2016
ISBN# 978-0-06-229771-6
Hardback (currently also available in audio and eBook formats)
400 Pages (more like 385)
$26.99

I was able to read and review this book because I was able to get it by way of the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016 show less

Between unexpected family deaths, a re-election campaign, a daughter heading off to college, and a baby on the way, Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady has her hands full.

When two women fall to their deaths from a small peak, was it an accident, a murder/suicide, or a double homicide? Can Joanna find the connection between the two women? If the women were murdered, can she find the perpetrator before another there’s another victim?

The twisting plot in this whodunit is compelling; the tension builds with the unveiling of each new secret, and the strong sense of place adds to the impact of the tale. Readers will find it difficult to set this one aside before reaching the final page.

Highly recommended.