Dead to Rights

Dead to Rights wasn't the best J.A. Jance mystery but, I kept reading to find out who done it. Joanna grows with each episode as she not only deals with being a bureaucrat,but learns how to cop and solve crimes. It's also a good illustration of the work-life balance necessary. The book drags quite a bit in the middle and I wanted to put it down...but, stayed until the end.

When veterinarian, Bucky Buckwalter, is killed in an arson fire at his clinic, the main suspect turns out to be the husband of a woman Bucky killed in a drunk driving accident. Hours earlier, Hal Morgan was outside the clinic passing out MADD fliers. New sheriff, Joanna Brady, doesn't think Hal is the arsonist but other, more vocal, members of her staff are working hard to convince everyone he is.

Joanna continues to try to make a life for herself and her young daughter after the death of her husband, Andy. She's willing to take on risk and makes some mistakes, but usually catches the bad guy in the end. This is a character driven mystery with plenty of twists and turns and a plot that holds your interest. I enjoy this series set in my show more home state of Arizona. The location is is well researched and it's always fun to have the author include places I've visited in Bisbee. While this is the fourth book of the series, it can easily be read as a standalone since the backstory is adequately explained at the beginning of the story. show less

I enjoyed this book, but I'm not sure if I will read more of the Joanna Brady series. This particular book ended very abruptly and left me wanting a little more substance at the end..

A drunk driving accident results in the death of a woman on her 19th wedding anniversary. The driver barely got a slap on the wrist, but a year later, he, too, is dead. Signs point to the still-grieving husband, but Joanna is not at all convinced that he is guilty. This tale will take readers down a twisty road before its startling conclusion. Joanna is coming into her own as sheriff, and gaining the respect of the community as well as her staff.

I am a mystery fan and I decided I like this series not always so much for the mystery, as for the imperfect characters. Joanna's relationship with her mother just makes me laugh sometimes. I plan on continuing the series.

It’s been about 4 months since Joanna Brady’s husband was killed and 2 months since being elected Sheriff of Cochise County. The department is short-staffed since a couple of people resigned when she was sworn in and the number of homicides has increased while the budget is being slashed. Tempers are running high both at work and at home as Jenny and Joanna are still trying to cope with Andy’s death. To make matters worse, to prove herself to others, Joanna is getting involved in every work-related incident. Everyone is exhausted.

Two different homicides are being investigated and while one of them is straight forward, the consequences hit Joanna and her detectives hard. The other homicide is a great deal more twisted.

I love show more watching Joanna grow as she not only deals with being a bureaucrat, but learning how to be a cop and a detective. Her way of doing things is different than what the older guys are familiar with, so we’ve got some issues on that front. And she’s far from perfect. We do see her make mistakes. But what’s really cool is that she often finds the answers through conversations with people and small town gossip, leaving interrogations to her detectives.

Expect action, drama, a few tears, and an interesting story with secondary characters that we are slowly learning more about. Butch Dixon from the last book is in town to visit and Joanna’s mother has a secret. show less

Dead to Rights wasn't the best J.A. Jance mystery I've read but it held my interest kept reading to find out who done it. The end was a bit contrived and maybe didn't hold together the way a mystery should. There ought to be enough information provided to the reader to guess who the murderer was. But I like the characters in this series and will want to meet them again so I will surely read the next one too.