Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
good yarn. well done. this was my first Jance and am now looking for more.
It starts with a snuff film of a teenage girl being strangled with a blue scarf. Shocking enough, but more shocking still is where it is found - on the cell phone of the step-grandson of the governor of Washington. It was found by the governor herself who contacts her attorney general and soon J.P. Beaumont and his partner in life and on the job, Mel Soames, are being assigned to investigate.
J.P. and Mel are members of the attorney general's Special Homicide Investigation Team - that's right S.H.I.T. It gets worse. Their boss is named Harry Ignatius Ball, or Harry I. Ball. Those jokes aside, their mission is not at all funny. They are charged with investigating murders that are of a sensitive nature, and this apparent murder certainly fits the bill.
It gets even more sensitive when the grandson, Josh, is found hanging from a makeshift rope of ties in his room on the third floor of the governor's mansion. He has committed suicide, but why? Did he kill the girl and then kill himself in remorse? When they had questioned him, he denied to J.P. and Mel that he had any knowledge of what had happened. Was he lying or are the reasons for his suicide more complicated?
The book goes along with the detectives as they painstakingly follow leads and develop evidence. Their first task is to figure out who the girl in the video is and where the body is. But in checking Josh's cell phone and computer, they uncover evidence of another crime, a serious case of bullying. It begins to seem as though that might have been the motive for Josh's suicide. There appears to be a sinister clique of rich and privileged kids who enjoy making life miserable for others and they have been able to make life very miserable indeed for some and maybe even to snuff it out.
J.A. Jance knows how to write mysteries. She has created a winning team in Beaumont and Soames and she follows them step-by-step, in the best manner of police procedurals, as they unravel the complicated webs surrounding teenage culture and two unnecessary teenage deaths. She plays fair with the reader, and I had my suspicions but it wasn't until near the end, when J.P. began to figure it out, that I knew who the culprits were.
I had read a few other J.P. Beaumont mysteries, but it had been years. I've not read them all, nor have I read in sequence, but this latest one stood on its own very well. I felt that I was able to know enough of Beaumont's history to be able to easily follow along, and the book kept my interest right up to the end.
J.P. and Mel are members of the attorney general's Special Homicide Investigation Team - that's right S.H.I.T. It gets worse. Their boss is named Harry Ignatius Ball, or Harry I. Ball. Those jokes aside, their mission is not at all funny. They are charged with investigating murders that are of a sensitive nature, and this apparent murder certainly fits the bill.
It gets even more sensitive when the grandson, Josh, is found hanging from a makeshift rope of ties in his room on the third floor of the governor's mansion. He has committed suicide, but why? Did he kill the girl and then kill himself in remorse? When they had questioned him, he denied to J.P. and Mel that he had any knowledge of what had happened. Was he lying or are the reasons for his suicide more complicated?
The book goes along with the detectives as they painstakingly follow leads and develop evidence. Their first task is to figure out who the girl in the video is and where the body is. But in checking Josh's cell phone and computer, they uncover evidence of another crime, a serious case of bullying. It begins to seem as though that might have been the motive for Josh's suicide. There appears to be a sinister clique of rich and privileged kids who enjoy making life miserable for others and they have been able to make life very miserable indeed for some and maybe even to snuff it out.
J.A. Jance knows how to write mysteries. She has created a winning team in Beaumont and Soames and she follows them step-by-step, in the best manner of police procedurals, as they unravel the complicated webs surrounding teenage culture and two unnecessary teenage deaths. She plays fair with the reader, and I had my suspicions but it wasn't until near the end, when J.P. began to figure it out, that I knew who the culprits were.
I had read a few other J.P. Beaumont mysteries, but it had been years. I've not read them all, nor have I read in sequence, but this latest one stood on its own very well. I felt that I was able to know enough of Beaumont's history to be able to easily follow along, and the book kept my interest right up to the end.
3.5 🌟
The voice actor does a good job but I am still getting used to his interpretation versus the original voice actor.
While the ending is predictable I still found the story entertaining. The main story took you through two possibly connected investigations and made you wonder exactly how they were going to tie them both together. There were some unexpected surprises along the way.
Even this far into the story, J.A. Jance still finds a way to give us and Beau more insight into his family history. It adds depth to the character. I was glad to see his friend Ralph make and appearance again.
I would recommend this to anyone who has read any of Jances other books. For the most part you can even read them as a stand alone because there is usually enough recap to help you catch up.
The voice actor does a good job but I am still getting used to his interpretation versus the original voice actor.
While the ending is predictable I still found the story entertaining. The main story took you through two possibly connected investigations and made you wonder exactly how they were going to tie them both together. There were some unexpected surprises along the way.
Even this far into the story, J.A. Jance still finds a way to give us and Beau more insight into his family history. It adds depth to the character. I was glad to see his friend Ralph make and appearance again.
I would recommend this to anyone who has read any of Jances other books. For the most part you can even read them as a stand alone because there is usually enough recap to help you catch up.
Book #67 read in 2016
Love the Beaumont series!
Love the Beaumont series!
Beaumont and his wife Mel are asked to investigate the Washington State governor's step-grandson's activities when the governor finds an apparent snuff video on the kid's cell phone.
From that, the case explodes into the death of the boy, the death of the girl in the video, the intermixture of the rich and poor at a teenage sort-of-halfway-house, and politics. Not a strong plot, but the characters are so well-drawn that it feels like more than it is. And I do like Beau, even as he gets old and creaky and his knees get more and more painful. Oh, and he gets to meet his father's side of the family finally, too.
From that, the case explodes into the death of the boy, the death of the girl in the video, the intermixture of the rich and poor at a teenage sort-of-halfway-house, and politics. Not a strong plot, but the characters are so well-drawn that it feels like more than it is. And I do like Beau, even as he gets old and creaky and his knees get more and more painful. Oh, and he gets to meet his father's side of the family finally, too.
This is another great book for J.A. Jance. Beau and Mel are selected by the Attorney General to investigate a case involving the Governor. It's sensitive, so it can't be handled by the local police. Along the way we get to see more interaction between Mel and Beau.
There is also a nice surprise at the end of the story.
There is also a nice surprise at the end of the story.
This thriller set in Washington state involves many issues. The state governor is shocked when she finds what appears to be a snuff video on her young ward's cellphone. She realizes she needs to know more, but she wants to avoid a media onslaught.
She calls the Attorney General for assistance and he brings in two officers from his Special Homicide Investigation Team, J.P. Beaumont and his partner (and wife) Mel Soames. These two are highly skilled, with lots of experience and work well together.
The first task is identifying the young girl in the video and a hunt is on for missing persons. The trail leads to a more remote part of the state, and back to the capital again. With a focus on young people, bullying and abuse of privilege, this is a story that speaks to an issue that is in the news more and more.
The story is told from Beaumont's point of view, and issues take him back to his own teen years, growing up with a single mother. At the same time as the case is happening, Beaumont is contacted by someone claiming to be his father's sister's daughter. Since his own mother didn't reveal his father's information to him, except to name him after his father's hometown, Beaumont, Texas, Beaumont is unsure about trusting this sudden revelation.
Another case of personal and professional development in the life of a police officer. Interesting mentions of the realities of different police working with each other, and the necessities of facing up to hard facts in order to make true progress.
She calls the Attorney General for assistance and he brings in two officers from his Special Homicide Investigation Team, J.P. Beaumont and his partner (and wife) Mel Soames. These two are highly skilled, with lots of experience and work well together.
The first task is identifying the young girl in the video and a hunt is on for missing persons. The trail leads to a more remote part of the state, and back to the capital again. With a focus on young people, bullying and abuse of privilege, this is a story that speaks to an issue that is in the news more and more.
The story is told from Beaumont's point of view, and issues take him back to his own teen years, growing up with a single mother. At the same time as the case is happening, Beaumont is contacted by someone claiming to be his father's sister's daughter. Since his own mother didn't reveal his father's information to him, except to name him after his father's hometown, Beaumont, Texas, Beaumont is unsure about trusting this sudden revelation.
Another case of personal and professional development in the life of a police officer. Interesting mentions of the realities of different police working with each other, and the necessities of facing up to hard facts in order to make true progress.
J.P. Beaumont and his wife, Mel Soames, are called by their boss, Ross Connors, to report to him immediately. They meet in a coffee shop near Ross' office and he shows them a video, that may or may not be a snuff film. The catch? It is on the phone of the governor's step-grandson. As Beau and Mel investigate, they begin to question if the film is real, but then the body of the young woman who was filmed turns up. Except she has only been dead a shorter time frame than the film indicates. The young man commits suicide. The governor's daughters appear to be involved in some manner, connected to the dead girl through their volunteer work at a local shelter for runaways in Olympia WA. Meanwhile, Beau has been contacted, out of the blue, by a woman who claims to be his cousin, from Beaumont TX, the place Beau's mother always told him his father came from before he enlisted in the Navy and got killed in a motorcycle accident before Beau was born. Jance writes nice twisty plots with few loose ends. I always enjoy checking in with Beau to see how his life is going. I am looking forward to finding out more about his long-lost family.