44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tough message and a good read, August 30, 2003
Other reviewers have discussed the plot. Sheriff Brady is called to the scene of a woman's murder. Detectives discover seventeen dogs in the woman's house, all of whom suffocated to death. The dead woman turns out to be Carol Mossman, who has held a series of low-paying inconsequential jobs before ending up in this trailer owned by her grandmother.
Jance, a seasoned best-selling author, plays fair with the readers while delivering a page-turner. We look over Sheriff Brady's shoulder as she investigates. Two newswomen were murdered in the same style: is a serial killer loose? What was Mossman trying to keep quiet? And what is the role of her definitely
dysfunctional family?
Although the mystery holds attention, the real action takes place in Sheriff Brady's personal life. By marrying her off to a novelist who does the housework, author Jance has avoided the fate of most married detective heroines: losing their edge. Husband Butch cooks great meals and raises teenage daugher Jenny, while her mother continues to disapprove of whatever Sheriff Brady does, on or off the job.
And early in the book, Joanna Brady gets a surprise that will create interesting subplots in volumes to come.
Jance's novel goes down as smooth as a good scotch. She's a real pro even when she delivers a searing message. As a dog-lover, she must have had a hard time writing about the way dogs suffer, and it's not surprising that the Brady household acquires more dogs during hte course of the action. I think the author's heart was touched as much as her heroine's.
I'm not surprised by the number of women who appear here: a female sheriff, a minister, and more. It's not uncommon to experience women in those roles. By creating a superman husband, Jance allows her heroine to focus on her sheriff role, bypassing traditional female obligations.
The characters don't have the staying power of other heroines, such as Anna Pigeon or Bennie Rosato. The focus is on action, no-nonsense and get-the-job-done. This approach may be anchored in the author's southwestern roots, where tough women work on ranches, ride horseback and do their jobs. Jance herself comes across as tough and straight-shooting (I saw her sign books in Tucson). Sandra Day O'Connor is cut from the same cloth.
Heroine Joanna Brady would probably find a soul sister in Shirley McClintock, heroine of the series by B. J. Oliphant, or Texana Jones, Allana Martin's heroine . You may not agree with their southwestern values, which remain conservative in many ways. But you have to respect their grit and determination to get the job done. And you have to respect the skill of author J. A. Jance, who makes it look easy.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly the best yet in the series, August 12, 2003
Sheriff Joanna Brady has her hands full with an election campaign, unexpected pregnancy, and her house-husband Butch's frustrating career as a novelist. But when a woman is killed and her seventeen dogs die in the woman's non-air-conditioned trailer, Brady is plunged into mystery. The first murder is followed by two more--with the same weapon signature. But the deeper Brady digs, the uglier she things look. The dead woman was already a victim--of child abuse so severe it made her incapable of holding a steady job and turned her into a hoarder for dogs. Brady swears she'll find the killer, but can any punishment be enough for what has happened?
Author J. A. Jance writes a compelling and exciting mystery shot-through with authentic visions of the desert mountains of Arizona. Brady is well developed as a character--with a rich but complicated family life and the drive to serve as sheriff. A subplot involving a SUV crash that killed a number of undocumented aliens being smuggled across the border from Mexico deepens the story and adds emotional depth.
J. A. Jance has written a series of novels featuring Sheriff Joanna Brady and EXIT WOUNDS may be the best I've read so far. I couldn't put the book down and was practicaly out of breath when I finished it. EXIT WOUNDS may be read independently of the other books in the series.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sheriff Joanna Brady juggles crime & family in fine yarn, August 2, 2003
We'll admit we're big fans of JA Jance, having read every novel she's written, some two dozen to date. This tenth book (or so, depending if you count "Partner in Crime" featuring both her fictional stars) in the Sheriff Brady series sees Joanna incredibly busy with an unfortunate murder of a lonely poor woman surrounded by 17 dogs; a horrific car crash filled with 20-some illegal aliens; and family issues in abundance including morning sickness! Deaths of two reporters, a bigamist cult, and a dysfunctional family filled with incest only add to the headaches and heartaches. Joanna tends to be a workaholic anyway, personally doing much of her detective's leg work or attending trouble calls at all hours of the day and night. If you're wanting to read about a highly competent, driven law enforcement officer, you need to look no further. Indeed author Jance not only develops her plot carefully, with plenty of character work to get you hooked on the people involved (as is our leading lady), but also spins the story with enough complexity to keep you guessing 'til the end.
An ulterior motive with this book is to describe a mental illness called "hoarding", in which usually an unbalanced loner starts accumulating far more animals than they can begin to feed or care for properly. Using the ploy that the county Animal Control operation has recently been turned over to the sheriff to manage, she and we learn about the difficulty in placing animals for adoption and the surprising number being put to sleep every week. Pictured on the back cover with two dogs, it's clear Jance makes a compelling case for more awareness of the issues and the funding such shelters really need.
With a realistic cast of characters hard not to like, with family tensions and murders galore, it's hard to put down the latest Joanna Brady. Enjoy!
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