Customer Reviews

Dead Wrong (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 12)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Prolific is too weak a word to describe New Times bestselling author J. A. Jance. Her store of scenarios for mysteries is seemingly as vast as the Arizona desert (a state in which she has a home). She has penned the popular Joanna Brady series, the J. P. Beaumont series plus three thrillers with the Walker family as lead characters. Much to her credit each story is fresh and new, with characters bearing little similarity to others she has introduced.

With Dead Wrong Joanna Brady takes the spotlight. She has just been re-elected Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona and is about to have her second child. Impending motherhood has to be set aside when a man is found murdered in the desert. He's one of those nameless unfortunate souls with no identification. The only thing that differentiates him from other unidentified bodies is that all of his fingers have been cut off.

As it turns out, he was a pretty despicable character - served prison time for the killing of his pregnant wife. And once released from jail he apparently stalked a young woman. Joanna's persistent digging turns up a connection between this man and one of her late father's cases.

However, before she has a chance to pursue that any further Animal Control Officer Jeannine Phillips is beaten near death during a stakeout. Obviously, all hands and energy are poured into discovering who did this to one of their own.

Leave it to Jance to craft another can't-put-down mystery and leave it to voice performer Susan Ericksen to deliver a five star narration. She's a stage and television actress whom many may remember for her readings of the J. D. Robb stories. Mysteries seem to be her bailiwick and she narrates them with sureness and an articulation that emphasizes suspense.

- Gail Cooke

It's always a treat to open a new Joanna Brady novel! Author Jance keeps getting better, maintaining suspense right to the end, melding elements of past volumes with Joanna's present.

Authors who marry off their heros take a risk: our edgy favorites tend to get tamer and we lose the twists and turns of romance. Jance has avoided this trap by giving Joanna a husband, Butch, who in turn gives her space while introducing his own set of obnoxious parents.

Joanna investigates two crimes: the killing of Bradley Evans, an ex-con found in a gruesome state, and a violent attack on an over-eager female animal control officer.

From the prologue, many readers will be way ahead of Joanna and her staff as she investigates the first murder. Although Joanna gets clues from her father's newly-found diaries, she rightly uses her own detective skills to elicit the truth from present-day witnesses. The second crime gets treated more like a police procedural than a detective story, allowing a very pregnant Joanna to combine her commonsense, human empathy and professional police skills.

Two odd notes in the book: Why does this family have to be so nice to the in-laws? OK, perhaps a good daughter is expected to tolerate an occasional snide reference to her looks or appearance, maybe even her child-rearing. But no family should allow any visitor to insult disabled people or dogs. Visitors who snoop should be directed to their trailer (or the nearest motel) with access to the home only when the family is present. Teenaged Jenny has the right idea.

Joanna also seems surprised to find a lesbian couple right under her nose in Bisbee. I spent four years in Silver City, New Mexico, just over the border, where gay couples lived openly and, for most of the town, it was no big deal. Everybody socialized together most of the time. I've heard Bisbee is more conservative, and police officers in most locations tend to traditional views.

So while these minor twists seemed odd to be, it's possible that Jance has captured the values and belief systems of the folks she portrays, who are indeed different from many of her readers.

This installment in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series was hard to put down. I liked the way the author had Joanna's Dad's diaries as part of the plot. We got to "know" him as well as see into the past. Joanna is a role model for all women. If you work hard enough you can have it all. You might even be able to work until you go into labor. Interesting twists and turns makes this book my favorite in the series so far. If you like action, mysteries, and reading about current social problems you will like this series and this novel.

This novel is definitely on my list of recommendations. Besides dealing with the main cases, a murder and a dogfighting investigation, there are side issues that Sheriff Joanna Brady must deal with. There are family issues such as her pregnancy, the publication of her husband's first mystery novel, and the unexpected arrival of her mil from Hell. Then there are the issues within the department including being shorthanded because of the National Guard call up for Iraq, a detective on sick leave, and the department's responsibility for animal control.

The cases move forward, and the murder investigation leads to some surprises. Turning over rocks can reveal a lot about the past. When some parties involved are killed, it is necessary to speculate about what actually happened. The novel is set in the present and deals with various contemporary issues.

This latest installment in the Joanna Brady mystery series was excellent, as always. Jance writes well-plotted and characterized novels that are a joy to read. I'm usually pretty cheap and wait for books to appear in my area's used bookstore before I buy them. But because Jance is one of my favorite authors I buy them new because I know I'll keep them. She is one of only two authors I always buy new (the other is Jan Karon).
The reason is simple: she consistently writes wonderful stories! I particularly like the ones featuring Joanna Brady. It's been fun to watch Joanna's character develop throughout the series. She started out a housewife and mom who worked in an insurance office. When her husband is killed in the line of duty she sets out to find the killer. In the second book she is elected sheriff (sort of a sympathy vote, but still it gets her into position) and from then on, we see her develop into a seasoned police officer and confident administrator, but always struggling with the demands of motherhood and her place in the community. She seems REAL and she's the kind of person we'd all like to know and call our friend. At the end of every book I'm left anticipating the next!

At last a new Joanna Brady book and it is a winner. J.A Jance is a master at weaving several story lines into an irresistable novel, this book is proof of that.
All of her characters are full and well rounded out in this book. The book has a number of surprise twists that make it even more difficult to stop reading it before you get to the end. And Yes, Joanna does have the baby!

What happened? An innocent man is railroaded by an inept police department and an uncaring judge, our pregnant lady sheriff is totally lacking in backbone as she takes much guff from a deputy, her mother, her mother-in-law and her teenage daughter, there is way too much left hanging, less about the in laws and the dogs and more about how the bad guy managed to do all that he did or was it someone else?

This book as are all Jance's novels is excellent.Her story lines are super and always leave the reader in suspense.She writes with a technique that always leaves the reader waiting for more.This story is five stars all the way.

DEAD WRONG is an entry in Jance's Joanna Brady series. Johanna is in her last weeks of pregnancy with her second child, her first with her new husband, Butch. Joanna had recently won a closely contested election for Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona. Joanna is eager to solve her homicide case before her baby is born. A body had been found of a man who had spent twenty years in prison for killing his pregnant wife whose body had never been found. Questions arise whether the victim was guilty of the killing of his wife. Clues lead to a rather eccentric family who rather keep their secrets hidden. In a concurrent case, a animal protection officer is badly beaten while on an off-duty stakeout.

I am a fan of both the Beaumont and the Joanna Brady series written by J.A. Jance. Each series is very different, set in different locals, the protagonists are different genders with one in law enforcement and the other is a private investigator. What they do have in common is that both series are well-written with character-driven storylines. The plots are usually fairly straight forward and are suspenseful without going over the top with surprises the way some authors do. DEAD WRONG was an engaging read and I was sorry when the story ended.

Once again, J. A. Jance doesn't disappoint in her Joanna Brady series. Sheriff Brady is juggling a homicide investigation involving an ex-con, an illegal dog fighting ring (involving an attacked member of her staff), and her own pregnancy. Of course, it all comes to a head nearly simultaneously, which is why we all know Joanna is Wonder Woman. Our hero is constantly going from one scene to another as she pulls on the thread of various leads, calling back on her cell phone to Butch to tell him not to wait up for supper. And to make matters interesting, Butch's obnoxious parents are in town for a surprise visit. How can she possibly do it all? Well she can.

I found the storyline for the main murder mystery to be very interesting and involved. Several times a character is introduced as a red herring in a clever way (my complements to the authoress). I promise you will love this well plotted story. Furthermore, kudos for writing in a way that makes it clear to the reader who the various characters are... too many books are written with a large number of ill defined characters, but J. A. Jance knows how to develop characters!

Enjoy.