Failure to Appear: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery [Hardcover]

J.A. Jance (Author)

Book Description

Series: J. P. Beaumont Mysteries | Publication Date: October 1993

Seattle sleuth J. P. Beaumont seeks a killer in the theatrical world, a search that plunges him into the seedy and deadly world of kiddie porn, where an insane revenge play comes to life. 75,000 first printing. $45,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seattle police detective J. P. Beaumont makes his 11th appearance, following Without Due Process , in this expertly crafted tale that turns on child pornography and revenge. Although Beau is working in the small tourist town of Ashland, Oreg., this time out, fans won't miss the rain and mist of Seattle: Beaumont, a recovering alcoholic, carries plenty of his own cloud cover. The detective goes to Ashland, which is hosting a Shakespeare Festival, with his lady friend while searching for his runaway daughter Kelly, whom he discovers pregnant and about to marry an actor. Shortly, a PI from Seattle is stabbed with a knife that may have come from the Festival's prop room and the action takes off. Subsequent revelations are shocking but fit right in with what we've learned of the characters, including assorted thespians, producers and the detective's ex-wife who charges in as though auditioning for Lady Macbeth. Beau is neither hard-boiled, fast-talking nor oversexed; his A.A. experiences are not gloss but prove central to key scenes. Jance's artistry keeps readers guessing--and caring--until the resolution, which rings with lasting, credible resonance.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Seattle sleuth J. P. ("Beau") Beaumont has reassembled his life after a painful divorce, the tragic death of his second wife, and a bout with alcoholism. All that's left to do is locate his runaway daughter Kelly, whom he tracks down at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival in Ashland. But Beau is in for a shock--not only is Kelly a bride to be, she's also quite pregnant. Then an old acquaintance of Beau's is brutally murdered after turning up at the festival, and there seems to be a definite connection between his death and a kiddie porn videotape featuring the festival's biggest star. Before the trouble ends, there's another murder, Kelly is seriously injured in a fall, and the house where the festival actors are staying blows up. Jance has written a well-crafted, entertaining story featuring a nice blend of humor and tragedy and some pithy comments on the ironies of life. But it's hero J. P. Beaumont--tough, principled, kindhearted, and well acquainted with the vagaries of human nature--who is the star attraction. Emily Melton

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 269 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068812674x
• ISBN-13: 978-0688126742
• ASIN: 068812674X
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.A. Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome addition to the J.P. Beaumont series, June 21, 2000

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Failure to Appear (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first book of the series that I read and it hooked me and spurred me on to read the rest of them. Although the author, J.A. Jance is a woman, she writes very convincingly about a male character, J. P. Beaumont. We see the struggle between his personal and his professional life as he is summoned to a Shakespeare Festival where his daughter is pregnant and soon to be married. After his arrival, two actors are murdered and Beaumont uses his professional skills as a policeman to solve the murder while trying to be civil to his prospective son-in-law and his daughter's artsy friends. Beaumont has a wry way of looking at his own foibles which endears him to readers. If you enjoy this book, there are several more in the series.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss this Book, December 21, 2003

By 

C. T. Mikesell (near Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Failure to Appear (Mass Market Paperback)

In "Failure to Appear" lone-wolf Seattle homicide detective J.P. "Beau" Beaumont finds himself a fish out of water surrounded by family in southern Oregon and on the outside of a murder investigation.

Quite often, when a mystery author tries to fit so much of a protagonist's personal life into a book, the plot drags to a halt and the investigation into the crime is treated superficially because the focus is on massive character development. Jance manages to keep things moving at a fast clip and provide a mystery that is as multi-faceted as her lead character's personal difficulties. Beau has a lot to deal with in this book: a daughter who starts out a missing person and winds up pregnant and about to be married, a re-married ex-wife and her husband, a new girlfriend, a murder suspect that awakens painful memories, the siren song of a bottle of MacNaughton's, and a couple police officers out to nail his hide to a wall - not to mention the book's three murder victims or the loved one Beau loses in the course of the investigation.

There are a few nits that could be picked (Oregon vanity plates don't have 8 letters, for instance), but the quality of the rest of the book more than compensates. All in all, a great read.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book that hooked me on J.A. Jance, May 4, 2003

By 

"camip" (Ashland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Failure to Appear (Mass Market Paperback)

This was the first Jance book I encountered. I decided to read it because it takes place in the town I live and work in. As much as I enjoyed reading about the places and cities I know well what I really enjoyed was the character of JP Beaumont. He is an ordinary man (a Seattle Cop wih an extraordinarily inherited fortune) who is caught between his work and his family. The characters seem very real and Jance's writing gives them a life and humanity that appeals strongly and makes you really care about them. The story never lets up either and you will find yourself hard pressed to put the book down. I have read every book Jance has written now and she is always on the top of my list of series that I am waiting for the next installment of!