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J.P. Beaumont #14

Breach of Duty

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For the first time as a premium edition, a reissue of the fourteenth J. P. Beaumont novel by New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance.

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

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About the author

J.A. Jance

117 books4,173 followers
Judith Ann 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.

Series:
* J.P. Beaumont
* Joanna Brady
* Ali Reynolds
* Walker Family

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5 stars
2,433 (41%)
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2,388 (40%)
3 stars
954 (16%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
Profile Image for Joanne Farley.
1,250 reviews31 followers
January 5, 2023
I don't often say this but I saw this ending coming and I was so hoping that I was wrong.
JP is one of my favorite characters which I am pretty sure I have said before. Beau once again finds himself investigating not one but two murders outside of his purview and of course he solves the crime.
JA Jance has never let me down and this book is exactly why I love her writing. There is a major shift for Beau in this novel and I can not wait to see where Jance takes us next.
This is a wonderful series for mystery/crime fans.
2,939 reviews38 followers
April 11, 2020
JP and his new partner, Sue, are investigating the death of an old woman burned to death. Sue is having problems with her ex-husband that cause JP to worry. Their boss Kramer is also causing problems. A good twist at the end.
Profile Image for Cheryl Bradley.
104 reviews84 followers
December 5, 2009
In Breach of Duty, once again, Seattle homicide detective J.P. Beaumont finds himself investigating murders without his supervisor's consent.

Beaumont is working two unrelated cases--the death of a retired woman by suspected arson and a grisly Seward Park case involving role-playing gamers acting out games with real human remains.

At first, it is thought the Agnes Ferman case was another sad statistic of a person falling asleep smoking in bed, but further investigation of the scene reveals traces of accelerant. For a retired housekeeper and personal nurse, Agnes Ferman has a lot of money stashed away in her garage in an old refrigerator--$300,000. Many of the bills are uncirculated even though they were printed decades ago. Interviewing those closest to Ferman reveals others thought her a mean woman, and everyone seems to have a motive to want her dead, from her sister to her sister-in-law to the rich and powerful Considine family who used to employ Agnes.

Warned by the granddaughter of an Indian shaman, J.P. is told that the Seward park bones belong to a dead shaman and anyone handling the bones had better beware of a shaman's curse. The shaman's curse seems to be coming true as one-by-one individuals who handled the bones are suddenly striken very ill or killed. Beaumont fears for the safety of the informant who tipped the police and that of his partner, Sue Danielson, who orginally removed the bones from the park scene.

Once again, Jance brings us to Seattle in a gripping tale of murder, blackmail, and mystery. Jance's characters ring true and one can't help but root for Beau as he unravels his latest cases.
Profile Image for Dominique.
Author 33 books71 followers
May 31, 2013
I love the series but one thing I'm starting to notice is that the characters all have the same type of talk. For instance many of JA's characters say--at the end of a sentence "You see" another thing many of her characters say is "Six ways to Sunday" I'm assuming these two sayings are a Seattle thing being that the author lives there and the series is based in Seattle. But I don't think it's wise for all of her characters to occasionally say those things when most of the time her characters are from all over and from different backgrounds and ethnicity. But of course I love the series and will continue to read it. It's something I simply noticed.
Profile Image for Stephen.
474 reviews
September 2, 2020
This is a solid J.A.Jance mystery. It's one of her J.P.Beaumont series. It takes place in Seattle and it has lots of twists and surprises. I don't have to go into details for anyone who is a J.A.Jance fan. It's the type of book you want to take with you on a trip , a plane ride or just a quiet evening at home.
Please enjoy " Breach of Duty "
Profile Image for Gerard.
162 reviews17 followers
December 17, 2015
J.A. Jance is a lot better when in first person. Good read!
Profile Image for Nancy.
2,576 reviews65 followers
September 27, 2023
Hard to believe that I didn’t write a review of this book ! 9.27.23. ?!?
On a dedicated reading spree to catch up on this series .. have read about 6 in a row now.
So where is my review ???
572 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2017
Another good book in the Beaumont series. This one has a nice touch and a not at all nice touch at the end.
Profile Image for Nancy Ellis.
1,458 reviews48 followers
September 14, 2017
Probably the best book of the series so far, with an intense plot and emotional ending.
1,818 reviews85 followers
May 5, 2018
Another good entry as Beaumont and his partner investigate two cases. Action-packed and, at the end, emotionally stunning, this is Beaumont at his best. Recommended.
Profile Image for Brenda Schumacher.
28 reviews
January 23, 2018
I just really like the JP Beaumont character; he's a tough guy but has a gentleman quality ingrained in him by his single mom, his "mostly" successful struggles thru alcoholism, and of course how he always catches the bad guy. One of my favorite aspects, of course, are all the references in and around the Seattle area. I can picture just where he is one many of his adventures.

I believe this one to be my favorite so far, the plot was good and the mystery kept me guessing.

It's an older series but still I recommend for my fellow murder mystery book lovers.
819 reviews
May 3, 2019
It's usually ok to read this series in any order - or at least it has been. In this one I knew a very bad, terrible thing was going to happen because I had read a later one. :( It was hard to read/listen to this one for that reason. It was still a good story all the same.
Profile Image for Dee.
2,671 reviews21 followers
October 3, 2021
Two-haiku review:

Woman dies home fire
And guys play with native bones
Then more people die

Typical Beaumont
Clashes with new unit boss
And goes it alone
503 reviews3 followers
April 20, 2018
J.P. quit the Seattle PD. I figured it was coming at some point but I was still surprised when it happened.
Profile Image for Ladyhawk.
374 reviews37 followers
October 8, 2019
I guess I have grown to really appreciate JP Beaumont. Even if I'm driven crazy by his superiors whom are always questioning his abilities as a detective. JP always comes to the rescue, things may not always have a happy ending, but JP never lacks for integrity when it counts. As least 14 books later, he finally stood up for himself.

This series is too easy and interesting NOT to continue. I will be sad when I reach the end of it. Good thing I have 10 more to enjoy!
419 reviews
April 11, 2018
Another enjoyable read by JA Jance. Our hero, JP Beaumont, is now on the wagon and trying to stay that way, despite many reasons not to do so. I have read these off and on for many years and I don't think they have ever let me down.
Profile Image for Vannessa Anderson.
Author 0 books224 followers
May 17, 2017
J.P. Beaumont has always been one of my favorite detectives.

J.P. was raised by a single mother who got pregnant at the age of seventeen. J.P’s grandfather, who was immersed in a religion that didn’t tolerate pregnancy before marriage, threw his daughter out of the house and forbade his wife to have any contact with her. J.P.’s mother kept J.P. and raised him on her own. They lived a hard life but in spite of the hardships, J.P. grew up to be a man that made his mother proud.

The successful J.P. decided to get in contact with his grandparents and was able to make peace and establish a family with them. In this series with J.P.’s mother and grandfather dead, grandmother and grandson become close. Grandmother asks J.P. to take her to the place where his grandfather wanted his ashes scattered. He does and they have a soul-searching talk on the way.

J.P’s police captain resigned to care for his dying wife. J.P.’s partner believes he should be the next police captain while J.P’s grandmother believes he should be police chief but J.P. isn’t interested in either position. Meanwhile J.P.’s partner is stressed out because her no good, no child support paying husband wants visit their child.

J.P. is called into the office late one night to meet with a witness. The witness is an American Indian is concerned about something her father told her about the bones discovered in a case J.P. and his partner, Sue Danielson, is working on. The woman told J.P. that there are dire consequences for anyone who has touched the bones as they were moved from their resting place. Bodies are stacking up and J.P. is worried about his partner because she handled the bones. J.P. is concerned about what will happen if his partner’s ex-husband shows up. J.P. tells her about a ceremony that she can participate in that will cleanse her of bad spirits. His partner laughs.

The interim police captain removes J.P. and his partner from all but one of the connected cases. J.P. ignores him and continues working on the case. While J.P. is trying to solve the case, his partner’s kid calls him and tells him that his mother has been shot!

There is so much going on in this book that it’ll make your head swim and that’s exactly how I like my thrillers.

If you’re a fan of the J.P. Beaumont thrillers, you’ll enjoy this one. If you’re not, you’ll become a fan after reading this book.

If you’re new to audio books, I recommend reading the printed page rather than listening to it because Gene Engene was not successful in capturing the personalities nor emotions of the characters.
Profile Image for Tracie Hall.
861 reviews10 followers
June 6, 2024
“Breach of Duty”
by J. A. Jance

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
-Print: COPYRIGHT ©: 1 Feb 1999; ISBN 978-0380974061; PUBLISHER: Harper/ William Morrow; PAGES: 352 pages; UNABRIDGED (Hardcover Info Amazon)

-Digital: COPYRIGHT ©: 13 Oct 2009; ISBN: 9780061739637; PUBLISHER: Harper/ William Morrow; PAGES: 384 pages; UNABRIDGED (Digital Info from Amazon)

-*Audio: COPYRIGHT ©: 20 Jan 2005; ISBN: Not found; PUBLISHER: Books in Motion; DURATION: 10 hours; Unabridged; (Audiobook Info from Amazon)

-Feature Film or tv: No.
SERIES: J. P. Beaumont, Book 14

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
-SELECTED: I’d say the selection was a no-brainer, because we’d finished book 13, but actually, I think we need to switch to the Joanna Brady series, as we’ve gotten ahead in this series if you go by when they were written, and I don’t want to get to one where the characters meet (as I think I read will happen) without being up to speed on both of them.

-ABOUT: This one has a sea change event.

-OVERALL: Particularly moving.

AUTHOR:
J. A. Jance
“J.A. Jance is the New York Times best selling author of 46 contemporary mysteries in four different series.
A voracious reader, J. A. Jance knew she wanted to be a writer from the moment she read her first Wizard of Oz book in second grade. Always drawn to mysteries, from Nancy Drew right through John D. McDonald's Travis Magee series, it was only natural that when she tried her hand at writing her first book, it would be a mystery as well.
J. A. Jance went on to become the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family, and Edge of Evil. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
Jance is an avid crusader for many causes, including the American Cancer Society, Gilda's Club, the Humane Society, the YMCA, and the Girl Scouts. A lover of animals, she has a rescued Dachshund named Bella.” __From Amazon.com

NARRATOR:
Gene Engene
“Gene Engene is an award-winning reader with an astounding catalog of audiobooks to his credit. He is best known as J.P. Beaumont in the J.A. Jance mystery series. Gene is a veteran stage actor, director, and is a retired Professor of Drama at Eastern Washington University. Gene Engene Audiobooks at http://www.booksinmotion.com” __From Books in Motion’s Facebook

GENRE:
Mystery; Thriller; Police Procedurals

TIME FRAME:
Contemporary (1999)

SUBJECTS: (not comprehensive)
Partners; Dysfunctional family; Spousal abuse

DEDICATION:
"For the silent witnesses
and for Kathy Williams, my guide to Everett"

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
Excerpt from Prologue:
“That’s it, then, Jonas,” Beverly Piedmont said to me, watching as the last of my grandfather’s ashes disappeared from view, slipping silently away and into the slate-gray depths of a dead-flat Lake Chelan.
The Lady of the Lake was moving slowly north and west from Chelan to Stehekin at the far end of the lake. Eastern Washington is supposedly the sunny side of the state. That wasn’t true though on this mid-April day. The sky overhead was as dim and gray as it no doubt was back home in downtown Seattle.
When my grandmother had called me two days earlier to ask if I could take her to Lake Chelan to dispose of my grandfather’s ashes, I had taken a look at the weather report and attempted to dissuade her. There was a storm blowing in off the Pacific. In Seattle proper, it most likely wouldn’t be anything more serious than rain, but in the mountain passes that lay between Seattle and Lake Chelan—Snoqualmie and Blewett or Stevens—it might well turn into new snow to make the passes treacherous if not impassable. Initially, I suggested we wait a week or two until the weather improved. After all, what was the rush? In the months since my grandfather died, the box containing his ashes had languished on the floor of my entryway closet. It seemed ironic to me that Jonas Logan Piedmont and I had spent far more time together after he died than we had in all the years he was alive.
My suggestion of a delay, however, fell on deaf ears—both literally and figuratively. “No, Jonas,” Beverly had insisted firmly. “Now that Mandy’s gone, it’s time.”
Jonas Piedmont Beaumont is my legal name, but it’s not the name I go by. Friends and the people I work with down at the Seattle Police Department call me Beau or else J.P. My mother, long deceased, used to call me Jonas when I was little. Now that I have mended a family rift and reestablished contact with my long-estranged grandparents, my grandmother calls me that as well. It still sounds odd to my ear—both strange and pleasing at the same time.
“Mandy’s gone?” I asked. “Why didn’t you call me? When did this happen?”
Mandy was my grandfather’s silver-haired golden retriever. Pining for the old man, Mandy had slipped into a slow decline once he was gone. I had known she was failing, but I hadn’t realized things had deteriorated that far. I had taken the dog to the vet on two separate occasions and had been prepared to take the poor old girl on her final trip there.
“Last week,” my grandmother said. “When she stopped being able to get up and down by herself, I didn’t want to bother you. After all, you’re much too busy to be worrying about an old woman and her sick old dog. I called on the phone and found a mobile vet who came to the house and took care of things here. That way Mandy didn’t have to be loaded in and out of a strange car—she didn’t much like going for rides, you know. Besides, I was able to be here with her when she went. But that’s why I’m calling today, Jonas. The vet stopped by this afternoon and dropped off her ashes. It’s what I’ve been waiting for. Mandy was so devoted to Papa, you see. I wanted to be able to sprinkle their ashes together.”
Weather be damned, there was no arguing with that. “What day do you want to go?” I asked.
“Wednesday,” she said at once. “I already checked. That’s the day The Lady of the Lake starts making daily trips up and down the lake from Chelan to Stehekin. I thought we’d drive as far as Chelan on Wednesday, catch the boat and stay overnight at the lodge in Stehekin on Thursday, and then come back Friday. If you can get off work, that is. If not, I suppose we could always go over the weekend.”

RATING:.
4

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
5/10/24 to 5/19/24
Profile Image for Barbara Schultz.
4,167 reviews303 followers
May 28, 2017
Whenever I am between degital downloads, JA Jance usually comes to the rescue. I am a fan especially of Joanna and Ali but have not been a Beaumont fan until now ... this one got me :) Did notice some time/date issues and had to remind myself that this was written in 1999. The twists and turns kept me interested.
Profile Image for Dan Smith.
1,802 reviews18 followers
August 6, 2017
Beaumont and Sue Danielson are working two crimes.. One a death by fire where A lot of money was located in the burned ruins.. another that deals with traditions of the Native Americans.

This story is also the scene of how Beaumont left the Seattle police department and started his career the the State.
Profile Image for Deborah D..
562 reviews12 followers
September 2, 2017
JP Beaumont finally found the last straw

After reviewing the descriptions of this series I realized I had missed this one. Now I know why Beaumont has felt such a burden. Now I also know how his AA sponsor met Beaumont's grandmother and how he was invited to join the SHI....squad.

Hated seeing Det. Daniels' career & family have such a rough end...

285 reviews3 followers
March 13, 2023
In a constantly changing Seattle Beau and his partner Sue Danielson are working two cases. A retired housekeeper is found burned to death and inexpicitly she has $300,000 in cash in an old refrigerator in her garage. When the remains of a native American shaman are found in a public park, people start dying and life gets complicated.
Profile Image for Chris.
1,863 reviews
November 23, 2017
THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY
3.5 + Didn't care for the shaman's curse part..but the rest made up for it :-)
J.P. was raised by a single mother who got pregnant at the age of seventeen. J.P’s grandfather, who was immersed in a religion that didn’t tolerate pregnancy before marriage, threw his daughter out of the house and forbade his wife to have any contact with her. J.P.’s mother kept J.P. and raised him on her own. They lived a hard life but in spite of the hardships, J.P. grew up to be a man that made his mother proud.
The successful J.P. decided to get in contact with his grandparents and was able to make peace and establish a family with them. In this series with J.P.’s mother and grandfather dead, grandmother and grandson become close. Grandmother asks J.P. to take her to the place where his grandfather wanted his ashes scattered. He does and they have a soul-searching talk on the way.

J.P’s police captain resigned to care for his dying wife. J.P.’s partner believes he should be the next police captain while J.P’s grandmother believes he should be police chief but J.P. isn’t interested in either position. Meanwhile J.P.’s partner is stressed out because her no good, no child support paying husband wants visit their child.


Beaumont is working two unrelated cases--the death of a retired woman by suspected arson and a
At first, it is thought the Agnes Ferman case was another sad statistic of a person falling asleep smoking in bed, but further investigation of the scene reveals traces of accelerant. For a retired housekeeper and personal nurse, Agnes Ferman has a lot of money stashed away in her garage in an old refrigerator--$300,000. Many of the bills are uncirculated even though they were printed decades ago. Interviewing those closest to Ferman reveals others thought her a mean woman, and everyone seems to have a motive to want her dead, from her sister to her sister-in-law to the rich and powerful Considine family who used to employ Agnes.grisly Seward Park case involving role-playing gamers acting out games with real human remains.


Warned by the granddaughter of an Indian shaman, J.P. is told that the Seward park bones belong to a dead shaman and anyone handling the bones had better beware of a shaman's curse. The shaman's curse seems to be coming true as one-by-one individuals who handled the bones are suddenly striken very ill or killed. Beaumont fears for the safety of the informant who tipped the police and that of his partner, Sue Danielson, who orginally removed the bones from the park scene.

The interim police captain removes J.P. and his partner from all but one of the connected cases. J.P. ignores him and continues working on the case. While J.P. is trying to solve the case, his partner’s kid calls him and tells him that his mother has been shot!

**
Seattle Homicide Detective JP Beaumont and his partner, Sue Danielson, are assigned the case of an elderly woman who had been burned to death. At first what appeared to be someone falling asleep in bed with a lit cigarette turns out to be a homicide when it's discovered that an accelerant was poured over the woman. For Beaumont that takes a back seat to the second case they had been assigned. That of several young men found in a park using the long bones of some body as hockey sticks and possible the skull as a puck. What happens next leads to a Shaman's vision about a friend of his who was also a Shaman and had died several years earlier. Along with the vision comes a curse and Beaumont is determined to make sure that this curse doesn't take anyone's life.

11.19
Profile Image for Heather.
2,762 reviews19 followers
April 22, 2022
Beau has struggled through a hard life of alcoholism and two failed marriages, but now, just maybe, he's pulled things together. After his return to Seattle, his new partner, Sue Danielson, bombards him with two cases and a number of leads. A 67-year-old woman named Agnes Ferman burned to death in her bed. After $300,000 was discovered in her garage, the police rightly began to suspect murder. At almost the same time, a group of teenagers discovered the long-dead body of a Native American man--possibly connected to recent hate crime. Sue and Beau plunge into both cases while they begin to learn a bit more about each other.

Heather's Notes
So the 2 investigations in this story were enjoyable and I liked reading about them. I did not like how JP decided everything was his fault. He does not usually have a guilt complex and it annoyed me that he did in this one. I liked Sue Danielson and was sorry when she dies, but she did get warned and she ignored it and she also was the one that let her ex-husband but in their lives. Those 2 things were not JP's fault.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mayda.
3,829 reviews65 followers
February 7, 2023
The investigation of the death of a woman who died in a fire leads Beau and his partner, Sue, on a rapid chase that leads to a myriad of threats, curses, and death. The recent discovery of some old bones are believed to have come from a Native American burial place. A professor at a local university comes to Beau with a cautionary tale of curses associated with their discovery. Sue is dealing with problems her ex-husband is causing. Meanwhile, Beau’s nemesis is causing him problems at work. Eventually, things circle back to the first crime he is investigating. Much happens in this thrilling edition to the series. It’s action-packed, tightly written, and quite exciting, but be forewarned: it is also quite sad, and sends Beau on a new trajectory. The audio version is very well narrated by Gene Engene. He has become the voice of J P Beaumont, and does an excellent job of performing all the other characters as well.
289 reviews
September 9, 2024
Enjoyed this JP Beaumont story. Partnered with Sue Danielson, he is assigned the case of what seems initially to be an accident. A woman dies in a fire, which appears to have started by a cigarette on her couch. It turns out to be anything but. There is jealousy, blackmail, domestic violence, greed, you name it, this story contains it. Most of it was definitely guessable, but there were some surprises. I could not believe another partner had to die, more kids ended up orphans, but at least there was also a new baby in a rather new family. Also, the captan retires halfway through the book, and the “wel-loved” character of Kramer attempts to take charge, but does so in all the wrong ways. This a actually causes Beau to resign/retire after the case is resolved, though on the last pages he is offered a different chance, at the state wide investigation unit. I’m looking forward to see whether he takes it, and how he settles in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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