Genre: Mystery
Series: Joana Brady #16
Format Read: print ARC
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 22, 2014
Number of Pages: 400
ISBN: 0062134701 (ISBN13: 9780062134707
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | goodreads
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Sheriff Joanna Brady must solve two perplexing cases that may be tied together in New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s thrilling tale of suspense that brings to life Arizona’s Cochise County and the desert Southwest in all its beauty and mystery.
An old woman, a hoarder, is dying of emphysema in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In cleaning out her house, her daughter, Liza Machett, discovers a fortune in hundred dollar bills hidden in the tall stacks of books and magazines that crowd every corner.
Tracing the money’s origins will take Liza on a journey that will end in Cochise County, where Sheriff Joanna Brady is embroiled in a personal mystery of her own. A man she considers a family friend is found dead at the bottom of a hole in a limestone cavern near Bisbee. And now there is the mystery of Liza and the money. Are the two disparate cases connected? It’s up to Joanna to find out.
Bea's Thoughts:
I discovered this series years ago, glommed all of my library's copies, then after a while, stopped reading it. Partly, it was because I was getting bored with it and partly I got busy with other authors. When I got the email about this tour, the blurb was appealing and it seemed like a good time to jump back in. I am so glad I did! I was not the slightest bit bored nor did I have any trouble keeping up despite being several books behind.
Part of the book's appeal for me was that a portion of the story occurs in Massachusetts; even better, Jance got the details right. That story line ties into the story unfolding out in Arizona. The two story lines, seemingly unrelated at first, quickly intersect though it's near the end of the book before Liza and Joanna actually meet.
Jance takes several plots and story lines and weaves them together in a realistic and compelling fashion. She tackles serial killers, mobsters, mental illness, families, domestic abuse, animal abuse, the choices we make and the consequences that result, and wraps them all up into a compelling, twisty, story that never lets up or lets go. It sounds like a lot but Jance ties them all together neatly and makes it work. Joanna has come a long way from her early days as sheriff and her growth has been believable. I enjoyed the close up look at police procedure, small town life, and small town politics. Joanna's family life plays a smaller part in this story than in some of the earlier ones but it's essential to the story and lets the reader know her better.
If you like a clever mystery, can stomach some graphic detail of animal abuse, and want an engaging, compelling story that will keep you reading and make you think while being fully wrapped in what's happening, pick up "Remains of Innocence". You won't regret it.
Author Bio:
A voracious reader, J. A. Jance knew she wanted to be a writer from the moment she read her first Wizard of Oz book in second grade. Always drawn to mysteries, from Nancy Drew right through John D. McDonald's Travis Magee series, it was only natural that when she tried her hand at writing her first book, it would be a mystery as well.
J. A. Jance went on to become the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family, and Edge of Evil. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
Find Jance Online:
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GIVEAWAY
Thanks to the publisher, William Morrow, I have a print copy to give away to one US reader. The publisher is providing the book. Please read my Giveaway Policy. The Giveaway ends September 3rd, 2014 at 11:59PM EST.
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Tour Participants:
Ahh thanks for the heads up on the abuse. Guessing this is not the one for me. Are all of hers like that?
ReplyDeleteNo and it's only a little part of the story but she does describe the injuries. You could easily skip over the descriptions without it affecting the story.
DeleteWe read and enjoyed this latest Joanna Brady mystery too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it with us.
ReplyDeleteMy sister just read and reviewed this book and loved it. We both read books by this author and I'm looking forward to this one!
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten about this one but I do remember enjoying it quite a bit. It was a little darker than her previous ones. I really need to look for the ones I missed in this series! I always enjoy reading them. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning, I don't like animal abuse either, but I'll read the book anyway :)
ReplyDeletethis looks very intriguing :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteA book that sounds captivating. Many thanks for this giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and the chance to win a copy. It sounds like a very intricate plot line with the two different locales and so many subjects involved. I think I'd enjoy it a great deal.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a book I would really enjoy! Thank you for the chance to win it!
ReplyDeleteI love Jance's work, and I would love to read her latest book—thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
ReplyDeleteskkorman AT bellsouth DOT net
sounds like its going to be a good book i would enjoy thanks for the chance
ReplyDeleteInteresting blurb
ReplyDelete