Partner in Crime (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 10) [Mass Market Paperback]

J.A. Jance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2003

The dead woman on a cold slab in the Arizona morgue was a talented artist recently arrived from the West Coast. The Washington State Attorney General's office thinks this investigation is too big for a small-town female law officer to handle, so they're sending Sheriff Joanna Brady some unwanted help--a seasoned detective named Beaumont. Sheriff Brady resents his intrusion, and Bisbee, Arizona, with its ghosts and memories, is the last place J.P. Beaumont wants to be. But the twisting desert road they must reluctantly travel together is leading them into a very deadly nest of rattlers. And if they hope to survive, suddenly trust is the only option they have left ...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this chilling novel, the prolific Jance successfully brings together her dyspeptic Seattle homicide detective J.P. Beaumont (Birds of Prey, etc.) and Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff Joanna Brady (Paradise Lost, etc.). When artist Rochelle Baxter is murdered in Bisbee, Ariz., Brady's department is stunned that Baxter's next of kin is not a person but the Washington State Attorney General's Office. Baxter was Latisha Wall, an industrial whistle-blower in a Washington witness protection program pending her testimony at an important trial. Beaumont, now an investigator for the AG, is sent to Arizona to determine if Wall's cover was blown. The enraged Brady interprets his arrival as personal criticism; Beaumont feels uncomfortable with her resentment and with being in the hometown of his second wife, the serial killer Anne Rowland Corley. After a second murder, the two investigators develop mutual respect and even a physical attraction. The convoluted plot builds to a surprising solution, though the floundering romance ultimately comes off as forced. The most frightening feature is the cause of death--sodium azide, an odorless, tasteless, unregulated chemical used in automobile air bags. Jance highlights the differences between her two protagonists by alternating Beaumont's first-person narration (despite her Seattle sleuth's dislike of Arizona's desolate scenery, the author describes it beautifully) with Brady's third-person chapters, which show how Brady, her staff and family handle pressure.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Jance is famed for two series, one featuring big-city detective J.P. Beaumont and the other small-town Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady. Here, in a case involving the murder of an out-of-state attorney on Brady's turf, the two meet explosively.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380804700
• ISBN-13: 978-0380804702
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,943 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

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jance at her best!, August 10, 2002

By 

Carolyn Z. Lawrence "AdmissionsAdvice" (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Partner in Crime (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 10) (Hardcover)

When I first heard that one of my favorite authors, J.A. Jance, had written a book that had the very different characters from her two very different mystery/detective series appearing in one book, I was skeptical. How could tough J.P. Beaumont from Seattle possibly interact with Sherriff Joanna Brady down in Bisbee, Arizona? And, having read and loved all of the Joanna Brady books but only two of the J.P. Beaumont series, would I really want HIM crashing the party down in Arizona?

I shouldn't have worried: in the hands of a master like J.A. Jance, characters can and do travel to different locales and interact with each other without readers getting frustrated or feeling lost. In fact, the results in this book are simply WONDERFUL. Like all of Jance's books, this one has a strong plot, well-developed characters, and a suspenseful ending. Jance never takes the easy way out of a mystery; part of the joy of this book is watching her NOT take the easy way out of the interactions between Beaumont and Brady ---that alone is worth the price of the book. It's simply one of her best, whether you're a Beaumont fan or a Joanna Brady fan, although most of the action does take place in Arizona. Highly recommended!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars J. A. Jance did the nearly impossible!, September 7, 2002

By 

Ecinaj Dohafer "Old West Lover" (Dripping Springs, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Partner in Crime (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 10) (Hardcover)

In "Partner In Crime", the author did something almost impossible. She combined the activities of her two great series characters in one believable and intriguing story. Between the characters, their sex, age, marital status and lifestyle are different, their backgrounds about as different as can be, and even her writing style (person) differs between the two series. I delayed reading this book because I feared it would harm my enjoyment of one or both of the series. I WAS WRONG! Although I wasn't crazy about the romantic complication near the end (I didn't like Joanna's jealousy in the previous book either.), I think I could honestly say this is my favorite of all. Thank you, J. A. Jance, for another winner!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It was OK. Not what I expected., May 25, 2005

By 

Girl_Uninterrupted (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Partner in Crime (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 10) (Mass Market Paperback)

I expected suspense. Of course, if you've read the book you know there's precious little suspense to be found. In fact, you could almost say there was none at all.

I've come away from this book with the feeling that it was more about Model Trains and Family Pets than anything resembling crime and/or suspense. I'm not sure who was more bored plodding through this tale, me or (it would seem) Joanna Brady.

The denouement was obviously thrown together in a caffiene-free marathon writing session 3 hours before the publishers' deadline. Good enough that you won't want your money back, unless you have high expectations, in which case - keep the reciept.

Keep in mind that this book is part of a series, and that I haven't read the lead-ins. In any case, I believe books should be able stand on their own, not just as chapters of a larger series. This one does not.