Although I’ve noticed this author’s books for years, this was the first one I’ve read. I also understand it’s part of a series, and knowing the backgrounds of some of the characters would have added to the story, but I found the plot more than adequate to provide an entertaining and informative read. I hope the Federal Agency—MIP, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People—headed by Dan Pardee exists in real life. I’ve heard many disturbing things about missing Native American women who never receive justice. The author’s careful blend of good-hearted, caring people with the depraved killers we all know are out there made the story of Dan’s quest to find a vile and sadistic serial killer uplifting. I thoroughly enjoyed the Native American legends the author included at the beginning of almost every chapter. I’ll definitely delve into more by J. A. Jance. ( )

I have read the Joanna Brady series since book #1, so was really happy to find that J.A. Jance not only had a new series but had also managed to bring an "old friend", Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady, into this first installment of the Walker Family chronicles. Joanna isn't the "star" of the show this time...but hey...she's there! Mostly the characters you will see the most often are Joanna's grown children who are following in their mother's footsteps. Dan Pardee, a federal agent with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force, asks for her help when the body of a young woman is discovered outside Tucson three years ago but has only now been identified as Rosa Rios, who was followed out of a local bar and strangled shortly after she had been expelled from high school. As the husband of Dr. Lanita Walker-Pardee, Dan is the main figure who ties together the many parts of a convoluted tale that combines Indigenous family history and serial homicide. It’s criminal-justice major Jenny Brady, Joanna's daughter, who realizes that the case her mother has described to her has unsettling parallels to the recent attack on Jenny’s rodeo competitor, Deborah Russell, who was lucky enough to be rescued by her worthless boyfriend with whom she’d had a meeting. Deb hasn’t reported the incident because she was afraid...and rightly so... that her Mormon family would be scandalized by both the boyfriend and the rendezvous, so she has no intention of reporting it now or ever. This means that there’s no official record of an attack ever happening, and Jenny and Dan, are the only ones that have access to the information that will ultimately unmask a killer revealed on the first page as Charlie Milton, nee Ronald J. Addison. Readers may find the manhunt lacking in much of a surprise and learn more from the updates on Lani and Dan’s complicated family life. I can't say that I liked it a lot, a little, or not enough to continue. I'll probably give this series another try before deciding...but it doesn't have the 'flavor" of the original series that fans loved...but everything eventually changes. ( )

Another character takes the lead in this Jance book but the orchestra that is the Brady/ Walker Family does not miss a beat. Jenny has a solo but important role and the sheriff is a very interested bystander. Another worthwhile entry in this long standing and very good series. ( )

Blessing of the Lost Girls: A Brady and Walker Family Novel by J. A. Jance is an engrossing read that was released on September 19th. One should make sure to read both of the afterwords as they are very important to the context of the story.

Readers are first introduced to Charlie Milton and it is clear very soon that he is a really bad guy. One of those guys that neighbors always say afterwards during media interviews that the guy was odd and just didn’t fit in right with other folks.

It is February 2019 as the book begins and Charlie Milton is in town for the Tucson Rodeo. Charlie Milton is a serial killer. He likes to hunt for the right victim. He has a type. He prefers women of color, especially those from Indian reservations. He counts on law enforcement arguing over which agency should handle the missing person case which means the case went cold long before it ever started. That works well for serial killers like Charlie Milton. Once he has killed, he soon hits the road in his RF and drifts to the next place.

What he didn’t count on was that fact that DNA from a kill he did several years ago would make its way into the system in 2022. It did. Field Officer Dan Pardee works for a new federal agency, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Task Force. Known as “MIP,” they are part of the Department of The Interior. Their mission is to work cases involving the disappearances and deaths of Native Americans.

Dan Pardee, an investigator with a background in Border Patrol, is assigned the case of Rosa Rios. With the DNA match, it makes it clear to everyone that it was her charred body was found three years ago on a rancher’s land in the jurisdiction of Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County. He is going to work the case. He will need Sheriff’s Brady’s help in bringing justice and, hopefully, a little peace to her family.

What follows is a complicated read. Dan Pardee is the focus, but Brady and her family make a number of appearances in this very enjoyable read. A tale that also, in addition to providing a complicated and enjoyable mystery, brings attention to what has been going on for decades for missing indigenous women. Complicated and fast moving, Blessing of the Lost Girls: A Brady and Walker Family Novel by J. A. Jance is well worth your time and attention.

My reading copy came by way of a NetGalley ARC with no expectation of a review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023 ( )

J.A. Jance's Sheriff Joanna Brady series set in Cochise County, Arizona, and her books about the Walker family in Tucson have been my favorites for years. There are some series that, when you read them, you feel as though you've come home, and this applies especially to Joanna Brady. Over the years, I've watched Joanna grow from a young widow and newly elected sheriff to a seasoned veteran with a new family. These characters have become my fictional family who just happen to live in one of my favorite (and well-traveled) corners of the world.

The author's Walker family books are also favorites. I love the Tucson setting and how Jance weaves Tohono O'odham legends into each book. When I learned that Blessing of the Lost Girls combined both the Bradys and the Walkers, I couldn't be happier, and I hope this is only the first book to see this blending.

From the first, readers know the identity of the serial killer. This story is about how he is caught and the people determined to bring him to justice. I am thrilled with the direction Jance is going with the character of Joanna Brady's oldest daughter, Jenny. Jenny has grown from a young girl crazy about her horse and barrel racing to a young woman about to graduate from college with a degree in criminal justice. When she realizes that she knows Rosa Rios, she doesn't hesitate to contact Dan Pardee with what she knows. She's also careful about how she helps with Pardee's investigation because she doesn't want to get her mother the sheriff in hot water.

The characters in this book are intelligent, and I enjoyed how they worked together to find a killer who'd been flying beneath the radar for years. Pardee, field officer with the newly formed Missing and Murdered Indigenous People's Task Force (MIP), is a strong presence who works hard to find the killer. I definitely want to see more of him.

This is also a book that celebrates diversity and blended families. One character faces moving into assisted living. The adjustments people had to make due to Covid are mentioned. These characters, these families, come from different cultures, different races, different physical abilities, and different ages, and they've blended into strong families that readers will feel a part of.

If you're worried about reading Blessing of the Lost Girls because you haven't read previous books about Joanna Brady or the Walker family, don't be. Jance does a skillful job of bringing everyone up to speed. Not to be missed are the two Afterwards at the end in which Jance explains her inclusion of Tohono O'odham stories in the book and her inspiration for one of the characters.

Character, story, setting... by all means, pick up a copy of this book. You will find yourself in the hands of a master... while I'm in the unenviable position of being forced to wait for more.

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