Reviews

Damage Control by J.A. Jance

javamamanc's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

judyward's review against another edition

3.0

Sometimes you just need to read a book to take your mind off what's happening around you and this weekend cried out for that type of book. Luckily, I had just checked out Damage Control by J. A. Jance from the library and it fit the bill very nicely. I think that I probably picked up this book based on the fact that it's set in the American Southwest and I'm hoping to go there in a few months, but it turned out that I was captivated by the story. I love reading about people whose lives are as scattered as mine and a woman sheriff in a rural county in Arizona who is trying to juggle her job, her relatively new marriage, a teenage daughter from a previous marriage, a four month old son, an interferring mother, and a full case load seemed to fit the bill. Part of the charm of this book is that the Arizona desert becomes a major player in the story. An easy read--I finished the book in about 3 hours (while emptying surgical drains, changing dressings, etc.), but I've thought about some of the characters and situations quite a bit since. Especially the subplot that dealt with sibling relationships. Interesting.

jsant's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

robinsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

I have to admit that I prefer the series with Seattle's brooding, hunky detective, J.P. Beaumont, but a new book in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series will do until the next Beau book is released.

This is the 13th book in the Brady series and as usual, the primary reason I like these is to find out what Joanna and her family are up to and the mystery itself is somewhat secondary. This one didn't surprise but then it didn't disappoint me either.

quoththegirl's review against another edition

1.0

Since my copy of Karenina is a massive hardcover, I thought I'd bring something lighter (both literally and metaphorically) on the plane. A friend recommended some author called J.A. Jance, and I'd never heard of them, so I grabbed a random one off the shelf at the library. Apparently she's actually really famous, I just read more of the classics than I do the contemporary popular stuff, so I didn't know. But anyway, it was incredibly tedious, dull, and trite, with poorly-written characters and an even more dismal plot. I occasionally forget how absolutely fed-up I am with the vast majority of popular literature, but I have been forcefully reminded.

dontmissythesereads's review against another edition

4.0

Book #36 read in 2016

This one really tugged at the heart-strings. Not only were the cases crazy, but so much emotional stuff going on with Joanna and her supporting cast.

psalmcat's review against another edition

3.0

A rather formulaic entry in the Joanna Brady series, this finds the Sheriff trying to deal with a new baby, the recovery of a plastic bag of bones, and the apparent murder-suicide of an elderly couple (not to mention the couple's argumentative 60-ish daughters, both of whom end up in jail for fighting in a restaurant).

I like the characters, and there are some major changes in the minor characters, but I knew what was going on with half of the plot well before I should have.

davidpaige's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I think this is one of the best Joanna Brady books I have read. The ability of the sheriff's department to handle all of the incidents which happen over a very short period of time keeps all of them very busy.

We learn some things about Joanna's father, and some things about her first husband as well.

ruthiella's review against another edition

1.0

This will be the last book in this series for me. I never warmed to Sheriff Joanna Brady and this particular book was very “paint by numbers”.

pescarox's review

1.0

Worse than I expected with lots of lazy exposition and the occasional italicized first person moment from Brady. I was still interested in how everything turned out, but barely. I almost gave up with less than 50 pages to go.