22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Complex, compelling and fulfilling thriller!, July 23, 2011
This review is from: Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel (J. P. Beaumont Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)
This is a complex and engaging thriller in more ways than one. The characters are believable and the author shows a great empathy with the human psyche and condition as well as being able to weave a complicated plot. In the latest in the series Beaumont finds himself leading a sensitive investigation involving the Governor, his grandson and snuff films. Beaumont begins to reflect on his own upbringing as similarities to his childhood stir old memories and emotions. The reader is drawn into the detective's world and his character development throughout the series makes him a real and likeable hero. All this combined with excellent description and flowing writing make this very difficult to put down and extremely easy to recommend. I can't wait for the next in this compelling line of thrillers from J.A. Janice!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
60 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Is How You Write A Series!, July 6, 2011
Take note, Janet Evanovich, THIS is how you write a series, full of character development, non obvious bad guys, pages that take longer than 10 seconds to read, and descriptions that make you feel like you're right there in the thick of it. I LOVE reading these books. I picked up Breach of Duty in high school for an SSR book because the cover had the Space Needle on it and being from Seattle and no longer living there, this gave me some attachment of home. I loved that book and continued to pick up more via the library and book stores. I didn't read the series in order, he was a drunk in some and already sober in others, but I read them all and have read some several times over. I LOVE this series and was bummed when Jance started focusing on some other series' more than this one. I love that the books take place where I'm from and love J.P. Beaumont and being in his shoes a few hundred pages at a time. I am so glad that I picked this book up on pre-order. Jance does not disappoint and continues to add little bits of information here and there from Beau's past so you're always learning something new about him. I've started to wonder what else we had to learn about him, but this book gives you pieces that you've always kind of wondered about, but didn't necessarily think was possible to access because even he didn't know those answers. Keep 'em comin', I can't wait for the next installment in the series!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Many Faces of Betrayal, July 7, 2011
This review is from: Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel (J. P. Beaumont Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)
"Betrayal of Trust" is the latest in J.A. Jance's J.P. Beaumont series. This time Beaumont, who 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 (who is also J.P.'s third wife) 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. Jance also, I believe, seems to say that time betrays us all.
As Beaumont and Soames look into the matter, they find themselves dealing 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. Beaumont is physically hampered by the deteriorating condition of both of his knees, which makes it difficult for him to carry out some normal activities.
I became a fan of J.P. Beaumont as soon as I read the first book in which he first appeared, "Until Proven Guilty". "Betrayal of Trust" is not the best of these novels, but it is a nice entry into the series, continuing Jance's logical and sympathetic development of her character. Beaumont's musings on the way some people from privileged backgrounds treat those who are less fortunate, his longing to know about his father and his father's family, his reluctance to admit to the physical toll that aging is taking on him, and his reflections on prejudging people based upon flimsy reasoning make it a worthwhile read. Beaumont reflects more on his own life and its meaning than he does in other most entries in the series.
I did correctly suspect at least one of the culprits fairly early on in the book. I didn't feel the sense of urgency to finish the novel as I have with other, earlier entries. Also, I missed some of the recurring series characters who are absent in this novel, such as Beaumont's disabled, former partner. His entertaining boss and his lawyer make only very brief appearances.
I recommend this book for the issues it addresses, its sympathetic presentation of Beaumont, and its depiction of some of the problems teenagers face and of some of the games they play. I also recommend that, if you haven't done so, you read the entire series, starting from book one. One of the best qualities of the book is how Beaumont has developed as a "person" as the series progresses.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
