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Joanna Brady #6
Rattlesnake Crossing
Death has come to Bisbee, Arizona, and shattered the small desert town's fragile peace. A gun dealer has died violently, and his stock of high-powered weapons has been cleaned out. Suspicion falls upon an armed separatist at war with the federal government and the local law. Although Sheriff Joanna Brady suspects the solution is not so simple, the toll on her private life may be more than she can manage.
Audio CD
First published August 1, 1998
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About the author
J.A. Jance
117 books4,158 followersJudith 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
Series:
* J.P. Beaumont
* Joanna Brady
* Ali Reynolds
* Walker Family
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews
December 28, 2017
Joanna Brady is the sheriff of Cochise County in Arizona. She has a serial killer on the loose and her personal life is taking a turn. Can she find the killer and balance her personal life all at the same time? It is a good read of a lady sheriff who does not give up.
Joanna has an eleven year old daughter and is going thru the last phase of grief for her dead husband. When it seems as though everyting is starting to turn for the good, in one week, five people are murdered and a feud between two ranchers start to brew. With the faithfulness of her deputies and her determination as a law enforcement officer who has sworn to protect and serve the citizens of Cochise County, she does all this and more without fail.
Quote
Water had been so plentiul that summer that even in the high heat of mid-August, the hillsides were dressed in lush green robes of grass and waist-high weeds.
....What if there were more than two slaughtered victims hidden here in the wilds of the Triple C? Maybe the ledge beneath the cliffs-maybe the cliffs themselves-held other cairns and other multilated bodies.
Joanna has an eleven year old daughter and is going thru the last phase of grief for her dead husband. When it seems as though everyting is starting to turn for the good, in one week, five people are murdered and a feud between two ranchers start to brew. With the faithfulness of her deputies and her determination as a law enforcement officer who has sworn to protect and serve the citizens of Cochise County, she does all this and more without fail.
Quote
Water had been so plentiul that summer that even in the high heat of mid-August, the hillsides were dressed in lush green robes of grass and waist-high weeds.
....What if there were more than two slaughtered victims hidden here in the wilds of the Triple C? Maybe the ledge beneath the cliffs-maybe the cliffs themselves-held other cairns and other multilated bodies.
April 21, 2025
4 Stars for Rattlesnake Crossing: Joanna Brady, Book 6 (audiobook) by J. A. Jance read by C. J. Critt.
Cochise County Sheriff, Joanna Brady is really out gunned this time. There’s a killer on the loose and he just robbed a gun store in Bisbee and made off with the whole inventory. Including several 50 caliber sniper rifles. It also looks like he’s been practicing with the rifles, a woman was shot from a great distance along the a cow and an irrigation pump. What kind of maniac would do such a thing.
Cochise County Sheriff, Joanna Brady is really out gunned this time. There’s a killer on the loose and he just robbed a gun store in Bisbee and made off with the whole inventory. Including several 50 caliber sniper rifles. It also looks like he’s been practicing with the rifles, a woman was shot from a great distance along the a cow and an irrigation pump. What kind of maniac would do such a thing.
February 4, 2019
J.A. Jance has become a favorite author of mine. I came late to this series and this is the sixth book in the series. It might be my favorite so far.
Since this book was published in 1998 and there are umpteen reviews of it, I will not give a synopsis but will write what I like this book and series.
First of all, the characters are being developed. I am getting to know the work force that reports to Joanna, her friends and her family. Joanna, who is recently widowed, and has been elected sheriff of Cochise County in Arizona is really coming into her own at her new job. She is becoming more confident as she settles into the job.
Another reason, is the pacing. The middle of the book is as interesting as the beginning and end of the book. Also, the all the different feelings the reader can find in the plot line from sadness to tension. It was a book that I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Also, the location of Arizona is beautifully written about. The plot was very good. I am looking forward to the next book. I have a lot of good reading ahead to catch up with the series. I would like to try her other series too.
Since this book was published in 1998 and there are umpteen reviews of it, I will not give a synopsis but will write what I like this book and series.
First of all, the characters are being developed. I am getting to know the work force that reports to Joanna, her friends and her family. Joanna, who is recently widowed, and has been elected sheriff of Cochise County in Arizona is really coming into her own at her new job. She is becoming more confident as she settles into the job.
Another reason, is the pacing. The middle of the book is as interesting as the beginning and end of the book. Also, the all the different feelings the reader can find in the plot line from sadness to tension. It was a book that I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Also, the location of Arizona is beautifully written about. The plot was very good. I am looking forward to the next book. I have a lot of good reading ahead to catch up with the series. I would like to try her other series too.
November 6, 2019
I am a J.A. Jance fan. This is novel #37. Joanna Brady is one of my favorite characters ~ This is #13 for me in a series of 18. Having read some of the more recent novels, I decided to go back and read earlier stories. Did like reading more on how Joanna and Butch got together. Also enjoy the recurring characters.
I know authors do a lot of research but wonder how many Catholic grandmas would turn their back on a grand daughter who is dying just because their mother turned away from the church.
Additionally……
J.A. Jance’s novels are listed on the “ Cozy Mystery site (A cozy mystery is a story of ordinary people in difficult situations. No explicit sex and little or no profanity. True not a lot of profanity but I just don’t like that Joanna needs to talk like a tough guy in order to get local respect. Nasty talk loses my respect!
Plus this story has more than the usual group of nasty characters and SOB not the initials is thrown around way too much for me.
Needless to say, ……I believe I need a break from this series.
I know authors do a lot of research but wonder how many Catholic grandmas would turn their back on a grand daughter who is dying just because their mother turned away from the church.
Additionally……
J.A. Jance’s novels are listed on the “ Cozy Mystery site (A cozy mystery is a story of ordinary people in difficult situations. No explicit sex and little or no profanity. True not a lot of profanity but I just don’t like that Joanna needs to talk like a tough guy in order to get local respect. Nasty talk loses my respect!
Plus this story has more than the usual group of nasty characters and SOB not the initials is thrown around way too much for me.
Needless to say, ……I believe I need a break from this series.
March 2, 2016
I've read a few books in this series. This author seems to hover between 3 and 4 stars for me. Here novels are clean, content wise, and she seems to weave in a fair amount of adventure with the action to back it up, but this book was a little on the tame side for my liking (even though there was scalping in this one.) But that isn't really what I'm referring to. I liked this book, but it wasn't really a page turner for me.
I like the ease the author puts into her characters. They are well drawn and they are like the nice people next door. I also like that Joanna, the MC, is normal. She is flawed but yet still has many strengths. I also liked the way she writes dialogue, which is something I admire when it is done well.
Her stories are also not about a singular thing which I like. She had a hodge-podge quality though in this book but yet managed to make it all sound cohesive by the end.
I like the ease the author puts into her characters. They are well drawn and they are like the nice people next door. I also like that Joanna, the MC, is normal. She is flawed but yet still has many strengths. I also liked the way she writes dialogue, which is something I admire when it is done well.
Her stories are also not about a singular thing which I like. She had a hodge-podge quality though in this book but yet managed to make it all sound cohesive by the end.
September 24, 2019
Rookie sheriff Joanna Brady is challenged by the appearance in her county of a serial killer who scalps his victims. Also a naked female hitchhiker is luring truckers into robbery ambushes. Add in a missing arsenal from a gun shop. All this gives us a police procedural that holds the reader's attention and is hard to put down. Another good story from J.A. Jance.
August 13, 2020
Don't you just love it when you finally decide to swallow your pride and reach out for help, and the person "helping you" prefaces their advice with a comment to the effect that you are so messed up you don't know how messed up you are? Cochise County Arizona Sheriff Joanna Brady gets a dose of that medicine in "Rattlesnake Crossing", J. A. Jance's 6th Joanna Brady novel. She faxes information on recent murder victims to the FBI Profiling Section to get their take on the kind of killer she's after. The agent tells her that the perpetrator is "liable to stage one hell of a grand-exit spectacle" when the law closes in on him.
"Rattlesnake Crossing" is my second Joanna Brady novel. Jance has created a compelling and likeable heroine in Brady. We follow her directing department personnel, trying to stay no more than one step behind criminals, parenting her 11 year-old daughter Jenny, dealing with Bisbee's adversarial town reporter, and taking cautious steps into her first dating relationship as a youngish widow.
Specifically, in this iteration, dead bodies are turning up around Cochise County, many of them with a frightening calling card - they have been scalped. The title refers to a local dude ranch. One of the owners went out for a long walk after an argument with her husband, and became the latest fatality. There have been simmering tensions between two local ranchers over grazing rights - might one of them have gone over the edge? One of the older male victims is found to have been having sex with young men. And one town's police chief has a black sheep son whose behavior has been reckless and erratic. Brady has to borrow a medical examiner from the neighboring county, as hers is on his honeymoon. Will she be able to piece clues together fast enough to prevent more killings, including the big blowout the FBI predicted?
Jance fleshes out the story with the compelling side story of a Bisbee minister's friendship with Joanna. While Brady is working overtime on the murders, her friend's young daughter has a serious health crisis and is hospitalized up in Tucson.
One of the reasons I gravitated toward Jance's Joanna Brady stories is their locale. The Southwest is one of my favorite parts of the country. Jance spends part of every year living near Tucson. She infuses these books with local knowledge. In "Rattlesnake Crossing" I learned that overgrazing gave rise to the water-greedy mesquite that outcompeted native grasses to create the current look that the area has. Give Jance a try if you haven't already.
"Rattlesnake Crossing" is my second Joanna Brady novel. Jance has created a compelling and likeable heroine in Brady. We follow her directing department personnel, trying to stay no more than one step behind criminals, parenting her 11 year-old daughter Jenny, dealing with Bisbee's adversarial town reporter, and taking cautious steps into her first dating relationship as a youngish widow.
Specifically, in this iteration, dead bodies are turning up around Cochise County, many of them with a frightening calling card - they have been scalped. The title refers to a local dude ranch. One of the owners went out for a long walk after an argument with her husband, and became the latest fatality. There have been simmering tensions between two local ranchers over grazing rights - might one of them have gone over the edge? One of the older male victims is found to have been having sex with young men. And one town's police chief has a black sheep son whose behavior has been reckless and erratic. Brady has to borrow a medical examiner from the neighboring county, as hers is on his honeymoon. Will she be able to piece clues together fast enough to prevent more killings, including the big blowout the FBI predicted?
Jance fleshes out the story with the compelling side story of a Bisbee minister's friendship with Joanna. While Brady is working overtime on the murders, her friend's young daughter has a serious health crisis and is hospitalized up in Tucson.
One of the reasons I gravitated toward Jance's Joanna Brady stories is their locale. The Southwest is one of my favorite parts of the country. Jance spends part of every year living near Tucson. She infuses these books with local knowledge. In "Rattlesnake Crossing" I learned that overgrazing gave rise to the water-greedy mesquite that outcompeted native grasses to create the current look that the area has. Give Jance a try if you haven't already.
December 24, 2024
This one starts out shocking and grossish... I can definitely see that caved in floor.
The chase to get the culprit was a good one, although a tiny bit similar to the last book in some ways.
There are still moments where Joanna Brady is SUPER old school in a cringy way that wouldn't work today.
It is nice to see her open up a bit to others in this one.
4 Stars
The chase to get the culprit was a good one, although a tiny bit similar to the last book in some ways.
There are still moments where Joanna Brady is SUPER old school in a cringy way that wouldn't work today.
It is nice to see her open up a bit to others in this one.
4 Stars
November 10, 2018
I listened to this audiobook. Joanna Brady is the Sheriff in Chochise County in the Arizona desert. She was elected to replace her husband, who was killed in the line of duty. Young, widowed, with an 11 year old daughter, Joanna often feels overwrought with all her responsibilities. In this book a sniper kills some cattle and shoots an irrigation pump on a local ranch. Looking into where someone could get a sniper rifle leads them to a local gun dealer. When Joanna finds the gun dealer dead and all his inventory missing, the search goes from livestock killing to homicide. Quickly following this is the discovery of a woman's dead body while searching for a missing woman. The body is not that of the missing woman, so that adds another homicide, but not clearly connected to the gun dealer's death. When the missing woman is found dead the urgency ramps up to connect the dots and find the killer or killers. The dead women have been scalped after being shot. The book not only focuses on the way Joanna handles the investigation with her detectives, but also on how she handles her own emotions and personal life. Joanna is smart and tough, but also realistic about her limitations. She is easy to root for.
May 24, 2020
An excellent Joanna Brady mystery.
April 4, 2021
Another in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series by J.A. Jance. Sheriff Brady is becoming more competent and self-assured in her role as Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona with each book and it is fun to see her make the progress while still handling complex cases in the sparsely populated county between Tucson and the New Mexico border.
This story begins with a report of two cows being shot and a water pump damaged by a high-powered bullet. At the same time, a woman is reported missing from a nearby resort-type camp where guest pretend to be Apache for a couple weeks. The search for the missing woman uncovers the body of a different woman dead for at least a couple weeks. When the missing woman is also found in the same vicinity, a troubling similarity is discovered. Both have been scalped. A search for similar crimes finds a woman missing from the Phoenix area that is still older.
Could there possibly be a connection to the "Apache" camp? Could they have a serial killer loose in Cochise County?
Once again, Sheriff Joanna Brady finds herself in the thick of the hunt and dramatic conclusion all while her close friend and minister finds herself struggling. Jance weaves professional and personal issues into her characters and thus depicting real conflicts of emotion and attention and tension. She continues to hold me with this series.
This story begins with a report of two cows being shot and a water pump damaged by a high-powered bullet. At the same time, a woman is reported missing from a nearby resort-type camp where guest pretend to be Apache for a couple weeks. The search for the missing woman uncovers the body of a different woman dead for at least a couple weeks. When the missing woman is also found in the same vicinity, a troubling similarity is discovered. Both have been scalped. A search for similar crimes finds a woman missing from the Phoenix area that is still older.
Could there possibly be a connection to the "Apache" camp? Could they have a serial killer loose in Cochise County?
Once again, Sheriff Joanna Brady finds herself in the thick of the hunt and dramatic conclusion all while her close friend and minister finds herself struggling. Jance weaves professional and personal issues into her characters and thus depicting real conflicts of emotion and attention and tension. She continues to hold me with this series.
June 7, 2010
Good series set in the country area where my daughter, Jana, lives. I like the characterization and the ideals. The mysteries are good puzzles, realistic, with a hint of jeopardy and adventure. They are for mature readers, with some language and frankness about feelings and sexuality (very tasteful and not usually explicit). in this novel, Sheriff Brady must solve the mystery of a gun dealer's death, involving shady characters and a weird quasi-religious community, at the same time she balances personal issues and a suitor.
August 16, 2011
I guessed who the murderer was the moment he wandered onto the page. When the FBI profilers tells the detective that the killer is probably a white male teen...and there's only one white male teen in the story, and he happens to live ON THE SITE OF THE MURDERS...that should sort of be a clue. Sigh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2015
I enjoyed the budding romance between Butch and Joanna, it added a bit of humanity to the grizzly side of the story
December 3, 2023
I started this series on the recommendation of a former boss (and current book group member) and have really enjoyed the books I've read so far.
Joanna, the MC, is one of my favorite book characters, and I admire the way she stands up for herself in both her professional and personal lives. In addition to her job as sheriff, she is still trying to recover from her husband's death, and is raising their pre-teen daughter essentially on her own. She has a good network of support at both work and home, but she has detractors too.
The mystery in this book was really good and had me guessing throughout. Some of the descriptions of the scenes made me shudder, but they didn't overpower the story, thank goodness. There were so many twists and turns in the story that I gave up trying to figure out who the villain was until close to the end of the book. By then, it was rather obvious, although the motive wasn't clear until it was revealed in the story.
I look forward to returning to Arizona to learn what challenges Joanna will face next - and how some of the personal events in this book work out for her in the future.
Joanna, the MC, is one of my favorite book characters, and I admire the way she stands up for herself in both her professional and personal lives. In addition to her job as sheriff, she is still trying to recover from her husband's death, and is raising their pre-teen daughter essentially on her own. She has a good network of support at both work and home, but she has detractors too.
The mystery in this book was really good and had me guessing throughout. Some of the descriptions of the scenes made me shudder, but they didn't overpower the story, thank goodness. There were so many twists and turns in the story that I gave up trying to figure out who the villain was until close to the end of the book. By then, it was rather obvious, although the motive wasn't clear until it was revealed in the story.
I look forward to returning to Arizona to learn what challenges Joanna will face next - and how some of the personal events in this book work out for her in the future.
January 5, 2024
It seems impossible that the small, rural county where Joanna Brady is sheriff could be the home of a serial killer, but impossible things become increasingly possible with the passage of time and the changing of circumstances. Before the book ends, one young man will be responsible for the mutilating deaths of five people at least. You see, not only does he kill his victims, but he also scalps them.
Among the dead is the wife of a former race car driver. Even the AIDS virus makes an appearance here, and that plotline will keep you reading. Add to it the other excellent storylines, and you have a solid book in a highly satisfactory series.
Among the dead is the wife of a former race car driver. Even the AIDS virus makes an appearance here, and that plotline will keep you reading. Add to it the other excellent storylines, and you have a solid book in a highly satisfactory series.
March 5, 2020
A local gun seller has been murdered and his guns stolen. Joanna is trying to find a missing lady when she stumbles on a corpse. Brutally murdered, as she finds more bodies she figures it is a serial killer. Putting all the pieces together before he can kill again gives her nightmares. She starts a romance with Butch. These books all have good stories but it would be better to read them in order.
December 3, 2020
In Rattlesnake Crossing, Sheriff Joanna Brady is investigating a series of gruesome deaths where the bodies have been staged. Along with the crimes, Joanna's personal life and those of her family and friends continue to evolve as part of the story line. In terms of police procedurals, these books are on the lighter side; however, they are always entertaining and I love the Arizona setting. J.A. Jance includes the desert environs in her books which is an added pleasure.
June 14, 2021
Only 13 more to go!
February 15, 2025
I love the characters and this one grabbed me right away. I couldn't get the floor scene out of my head, wow!
December 10, 2020
Two-haiku review:
Long distance shooter
Shoots pump, cattle, then woman
More bodies turn up
Enjoying series
Following character growth
Some sadness thrown in
Long distance shooter
Shoots pump, cattle, then woman
More bodies turn up
Enjoying series
Following character growth
Some sadness thrown in
December 30, 2017
An earlier book in the series I missed. I liked it, a good page turner.
January 15, 2012
I don't read a lot of mysteries - I write fantasy romance and normally I read one of those two genres, but I found this on the "trade" shelf at work and thought I'd check it out. I am SO glad I did! This is not just a mystery book - this is a PEOPLE book, with complex true-to-life issues. Sheriff Brady runs the gambit from single-mom-working mom-woman boss ordering armed men around-dating after husband's death-what do in laws think of THAT? She has ISSUES - we all can relate to any of those!
Put on top of that a serial killer (and a profiler insisting it's a KID - well, barely adult ex-teen), a town's lack of faith in a woman sheriff, and a best friend w/a toddler in a desperate need of a heart transplant...
This is a multi-faceted book, with "real people" characters I LOVED. There's so much gray - no black and white for this author! There are so many things that AREN'T right-or-wrong, there are no easy answers and no easy fixes. No matter who wins, someone loses. Just like real life.
This was book six, and I haven't read the first five. No problem to follow this story line, but the history is condensed in such a way I probably won't read the first five now, since I know what's happened thus far. I WILL read future books in the series though!
Put on top of that a serial killer (and a profiler insisting it's a KID - well, barely adult ex-teen), a town's lack of faith in a woman sheriff, and a best friend w/a toddler in a desperate need of a heart transplant...
This is a multi-faceted book, with "real people" characters I LOVED. There's so much gray - no black and white for this author! There are so many things that AREN'T right-or-wrong, there are no easy answers and no easy fixes. No matter who wins, someone loses. Just like real life.
This was book six, and I haven't read the first five. No problem to follow this story line, but the history is condensed in such a way I probably won't read the first five now, since I know what's happened thus far. I WILL read future books in the series though!
June 1, 2019
J.A. Jance's best Joanna Brady book so far.
I started reading one of the most current books in this series first. Then I thought it was so good, I would start from the beginning. Each book has been special in its self. But, "Rattlesnake Crossing" is the best so far. It really kept me glided to the book longer thank any of the others. The character, Joanna Brady, really got into control over her job as the sheriff and surprised me because of her young age and limited experience.
She really is her father's daughter and her daughter, Jenny, is following right in here footsteps.
The book's main plot was extremely intense and as big a case as any serial killer story I have read and I have read some of the best. The strength of the characters really impressed me too. There was enough character development to really enrich the whole of the book.
I really didn't think I would enjoy a woman's book about a woman sheriff, since I am a man, but it has surprised me and I can only say I am ready for the next one.
I started reading one of the most current books in this series first. Then I thought it was so good, I would start from the beginning. Each book has been special in its self. But, "Rattlesnake Crossing" is the best so far. It really kept me glided to the book longer thank any of the others. The character, Joanna Brady, really got into control over her job as the sheriff and surprised me because of her young age and limited experience.
She really is her father's daughter and her daughter, Jenny, is following right in here footsteps.
The book's main plot was extremely intense and as big a case as any serial killer story I have read and I have read some of the best. The strength of the characters really impressed me too. There was enough character development to really enrich the whole of the book.
I really didn't think I would enjoy a woman's book about a woman sheriff, since I am a man, but it has surprised me and I can only say I am ready for the next one.
May 17, 2011
As always, I look forward to the next book in the series...Joanna and her department have a serial-killer in Cochise County...her romance with Butch Dixon is heating up...as always, a wonderfully paced story with great characters and sparkling descriptions of the Arizona high-desert areas...I want more!!!
April 29, 2016
Another exciting and suspenseful novel by JA Jance. I've read very few of of the books in this series in order and this is one of the early ones I just now got the chance to read. Besides following along with the crimes and how the sheriff's department solves the case, I enjoyed learning more about the family and friends of Sheriff Brady.
February 1, 2020
Fascinating lady sheriff in Arizona has to deal with sexist stereotypes, raising a child and dealing with some very bad guys. Not a huge fan of her writing style (a bit busy and detailed) but great characters and a multi-layered plot made this an enjoyable read. I'll look for more adventures of Sheriff Joanna Brady.
June 29, 2010
I like the way this author puts her mysteries together. She weaves the story together and remains true to the setting. Living in Cochise county, I can picture the setting while reading the story.
January 20, 2015
This is the 1st JA Janice book I've ever read. Awesome, Awesome. Loved the story and the suspense. Gripping and exhilarating.
July 22, 2021
I like to read series books in order, especially when there is growth in the recurring characters and a moving forward with the story lines. Such is the case with the Joanna Brady series. I savor these low key police procedurals that usually have great pacing, gripping plots, and are well written. There is plenty of fast paced suspense with twists, turns, and a thrilling ending. "Jance seasons her well-honed plot with a fine sense of place and plenty of action..."
Joanna Brady, Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona is a multidimensional character who must juggle a tough time-consuming job, a personal life which includes raising an eleven year old daughter, being a new sheriff with no experience, and functioning in a man's world. She is beginning to feel more confident in the job she inherited, by election, from her husband who was the previous sheriff and who was murdered.
This plot begins with a serial killer with a high powered sniper rifle who takes out a pump, two cows, and a woman on Alton Hosfield's ranch. Hosfield is an armed separatist who has a beef with anyone who he perceives as a threat to his independent way of life. That includes his neighbor , Martin Scorsby, who has come from California and planted pecan trees. Could Hosfield's cattle have gotten into Scorsby's pecan grove? Could this be the start of a range war?
Joanna has her team searching out dealers who sell sniper rifles. Clyde Phillips, a local gun dealer is found dead next, and his entire inventory of high powered assault weapons has been stolen. The M.E. said he also had AIDS. Then a woman, Katrina Berridge, goes missing from Rattlesnake Crossing which is a summer camp for well-heeled people who want to become an Apache Indian for a week. In searching for her, Joanna and her team find another unrelated body of a woman buried under some river rock, scalped and holding a cross tied together with her underwear. Katrina is finally located and she was mutilated in the same fashion. In searching for other similar cases in the area, a teenager from the Phoenix area is connected to the same time frame. Frankie Ramos, son of Ruben Ramos who is a Sheriff of Benson, a nearby town, becomes a prime suspect when Joanna finds out he was working for Clyde Phillips. Then Frankie goes missing. Desperate, Joanna calls Monty Brainard, an FBI profiler, for any lead that can help her to catch the killer.
Subplots include:
- Joanna's daughter, Jenny, only appears on the phone in this book. She has gone on a two-week vacation with her grandparents, Eva Lou and Jim Bob Brady to a family reunion in Enid, Oklahoma. Joanna could have gone too, but she is just coming out of her curtain of grief and hurt over Andy's loss and doesn't want sympathetic relatives to make her relive it all over again.
- Joanna has to borrow a medical examiner from Pima County as her own medical examiner, George Winfield, is on his honeymoon with Joanna's mother, Eleanor. Dr. Fran Daly from Pima County seems, at first, to be very difficult to work with. She is sure kept busy enough working for Joanna.
- Joanna's best friend and pastor, the Reverend Marianne Maculyea, and her husband Jeff Daniels adopted twin daughters from China in a previous book. Ruth is healthy, but Esther needs a heart transplant. One becomes available and Esther is taken to a Tucson hospital.
- Joanna has trouble connecting with Butch Dixon who has come to Bisbee to see her. When they finally do connect, Butch has some interesting news for her besides wanting to become an author. I think a budding romance is in the future for Joanna.
- As a Sheriff, an ongoing issue in each book is having to deal with with Marliss Shackleford, a gossipy newspaper columnist for the Bisbee Bee. Marliss is always looking for an angle to a story and Joanna's job is to enforce the law. No common ground there!
- A naked female hitchhiker is luring truckers to stop and then they are ambushed by her partner and robbed.
The recurring characters include Joanna's faithful staff: bickering Chief Deputies Dick Voland and Frank Montoya; Deputies Jaime Carbajal, Ernie Carpenter, and Eddy Sandoval; secretary Kristin Marsten; dispatcher Tica Romero; and Terry Gregovich of Search and Rescue. Others include, Angie Kellogg, Dennis Hacker, and Daisy Maxwell, owner of the local cafe. Highly recommended.
Joanna Brady, Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona is a multidimensional character who must juggle a tough time-consuming job, a personal life which includes raising an eleven year old daughter, being a new sheriff with no experience, and functioning in a man's world. She is beginning to feel more confident in the job she inherited, by election, from her husband who was the previous sheriff and who was murdered.
This plot begins with a serial killer with a high powered sniper rifle who takes out a pump, two cows, and a woman on Alton Hosfield's ranch. Hosfield is an armed separatist who has a beef with anyone who he perceives as a threat to his independent way of life. That includes his neighbor , Martin Scorsby, who has come from California and planted pecan trees. Could Hosfield's cattle have gotten into Scorsby's pecan grove? Could this be the start of a range war?
Joanna has her team searching out dealers who sell sniper rifles. Clyde Phillips, a local gun dealer is found dead next, and his entire inventory of high powered assault weapons has been stolen. The M.E. said he also had AIDS. Then a woman, Katrina Berridge, goes missing from Rattlesnake Crossing which is a summer camp for well-heeled people who want to become an Apache Indian for a week. In searching for her, Joanna and her team find another unrelated body of a woman buried under some river rock, scalped and holding a cross tied together with her underwear. Katrina is finally located and she was mutilated in the same fashion. In searching for other similar cases in the area, a teenager from the Phoenix area is connected to the same time frame. Frankie Ramos, son of Ruben Ramos who is a Sheriff of Benson, a nearby town, becomes a prime suspect when Joanna finds out he was working for Clyde Phillips. Then Frankie goes missing. Desperate, Joanna calls Monty Brainard, an FBI profiler, for any lead that can help her to catch the killer.
Subplots include:
- Joanna's daughter, Jenny, only appears on the phone in this book. She has gone on a two-week vacation with her grandparents, Eva Lou and Jim Bob Brady to a family reunion in Enid, Oklahoma. Joanna could have gone too, but she is just coming out of her curtain of grief and hurt over Andy's loss and doesn't want sympathetic relatives to make her relive it all over again.
- Joanna has to borrow a medical examiner from Pima County as her own medical examiner, George Winfield, is on his honeymoon with Joanna's mother, Eleanor. Dr. Fran Daly from Pima County seems, at first, to be very difficult to work with. She is sure kept busy enough working for Joanna.
- Joanna's best friend and pastor, the Reverend Marianne Maculyea, and her husband Jeff Daniels adopted twin daughters from China in a previous book. Ruth is healthy, but Esther needs a heart transplant. One becomes available and Esther is taken to a Tucson hospital.
- Joanna has trouble connecting with Butch Dixon who has come to Bisbee to see her. When they finally do connect, Butch has some interesting news for her besides wanting to become an author. I think a budding romance is in the future for Joanna.
- As a Sheriff, an ongoing issue in each book is having to deal with with Marliss Shackleford, a gossipy newspaper columnist for the Bisbee Bee. Marliss is always looking for an angle to a story and Joanna's job is to enforce the law. No common ground there!
- A naked female hitchhiker is luring truckers to stop and then they are ambushed by her partner and robbed.
The recurring characters include Joanna's faithful staff: bickering Chief Deputies Dick Voland and Frank Montoya; Deputies Jaime Carbajal, Ernie Carpenter, and Eddy Sandoval; secretary Kristin Marsten; dispatcher Tica Romero; and Terry Gregovich of Search and Rescue. Others include, Angie Kellogg, Dennis Hacker, and Daisy Maxwell, owner of the local cafe. Highly recommended.
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