Rattlesnake Crossing (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 6) [Large Print] [Paperback]

J. A. Jance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

A gun dealer is the first to die, his entire stock of weapons cleaned out. But the killer isn’t finished yet, as a series of brutal, blood-chilling murders paralyzes the small Southwestern community the maniac has chosen to feed upon. Every stranger is suspect, every house the possible sanctuary of a monster who skillfully eludes each move of his pursuers. With fear electric and crackling in the bone-dry Arizona air, Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County knows that she is the one who must protect the town she was chosen to serve. But her desperate hunt for a murderer is leading her into terrifying places . . . and it threatens to take a terrible personal toll on the people she most dearly loves.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rattlesnake Crossing is J.A. Jance's sixth novel in the acclaimed Joanna Brady series (readers may also be familiar with her Seattle-based J.P. Beaumont series). Brady is no tough-talking V.I. Warshawski or Kat Colorado; her appeal lies in her willingness to admit that her Cochise County sheriff's uniform is often an uneasy fit. As the single mother of a young daughter, Brady is prey to the pain and loneliness that have resulted from her husband's brutal murder, and she struggles to prove to herself and others that she is capable of bringing a cold-blooded killer to justice.

When Clyde Philips, a local gun dealer, dies violently, his stock of high-powered assault weapons vanishes, and two sniper slayings follow soon after, suspicion falls upon Alton Hosfield, an embittered rancher at odds with the federal government, the environmentalists, and anyone else he sees as a threat to his isolation. Sheriff Brady, however, suspects that the solution may lie elsewhere, and her investigation takes her into the bizarre practices of a local resort whose appeal is equal parts New Age spiritualism, Native American pantheism, and cold-blooded materialism.

Jance has a talent for weaving prosaic threads into a gripping mystery narrative. As a result, Brady must--in addition to tracking a vicious killer--cope with the impossibly high standards of her insufferable mother; the spiteful comments of Marliss Shackleford, an old high school rival and current gossip columnist for the Bisbee Bee; and some rather unexpected news from Butch Dixon, her would-be ardent suitor. As with earlier Brady mysteries, the domestic context provides a deliciously ironic backdrop for the game of psychological cat-and-mouse being played in the Arizona desert. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

"Yes, indeed, folks is droppin' like flies," a crotchety witness says to Sheriff Joanna Brady. "I don't remember us havin' this kind of murder problem back when we had a man for sheriff." A killer is loose in Cochise County, Ariz., and Brady is under pressure to stop the carnage. Her sixth adventure (following Skeleton Canyon, 1997) begins with the discovery of a gun dealer's body. His stock of high-powered weapons has disappeared, and some of the later murder victims appear to have been shot with big guns. They are also scalped, throwing suspicion on visitors at a quasi-dude ranch for Apache wannabes from Europe, who dress in Indian garb and live outdoors. Then an FBI profiler tells Brady that the scalping may provide trophies for a possible serial killer. On the personal front, the widowed sheriff finds her relationship deepening with Phoenix bar owner Butch Dixon, and she suffers with her dear friend, minister Marianne Maculyea, whose faith is tested when her adopted daughter falls gravely ill. Although Joanna's private life is central to this series and is, as usual, movingly portrayed, the sheer number of bodies piling up in this case gives her professional efforts considerably more dramatic impact than her personal considerations. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568959389
• ISBN-13: 978-1568959382
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,938,078 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jance is a reliable author, August 13, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Rattlesnake Crossing (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

This Joanna Brady mystery is a good, if not outstanding, addition to the series. A local gun dealer, Clyde Phillips is dead. Was it a suicide or a murder? Clyde has an ex-wife who claims that it couldn't be suicide. Is she the murderer or could it be one of the Indian wannabes who inhabit a lodge down the road? Or could it be Alton Hosfield who has lot of animosity towards his neighbors and the federal government? Joanna works tirelessly to uncover the true culprit. Her daughter, Jenny, is on a trip with her grandparents so Joanna has more time to devote to law enforcement and to a new romance.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery, great setting, great characters!, January 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rattlesnake Crossing (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 6) (Hardcover)

I stumbled across the Joanna Brady series with Desert Heat, and enjoyed the southern Arizona setting and the very real characters. I've since enjoyed following Joanna, her family and friends through the series of novels. Rattlesnake Crossing has really developed the relationship between Joanna and Butch - I can hardly wait till August for the next novel to be released to find out how Butch's moving to Bisbee will affect them!

A good deal of the action in Rattlesnake Crossing takes place on the Pomerene Road north of Benson, and towards Redington...I was excited to read about the San Pedro Valley, the flora and fauna, and the surrounding nearly-ghost-towns, since we are planning a vacation to the area. In fact, I can hardly wait to visit Bisbee to see the real Copper Queen Hotel, and to check to see if the building housing Joanna's office really exists!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story., May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rattlesnake Crossing (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

When I first read the Kirkus review, I delayed reading the book. However, I did finally read it and I couldn't put it down. I think Ms. Jance endows her character with compassion and makes her a real person. Real police investigation is not the exciting stuff that is portrayed in some of the tough guy/gal novels. Joanna Brady is more like a real person with a real life. I enjoyed this book very much and am eagerly awaiting the next one in the series. I personally like a little romance.