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J.P. Beaumont #21
Second Watch
Getting old is hell. J. P. Beaumont is finally taking some time off to have knee-replacement surgery. But instead of taking his mind off work, the operation plunges him into one of the most perplexing and mind-blowing mysteries he's ever faced.
A series of dreams takes him back to his early days on the force with the Seattle PD, and then even earlier, to his days in Vietnam, reminding him of people and events he hasn't thought about in years. Are they just drug-induced hallucinations? Beaumont isn't so sure. When tugging on those threads from long ago leads to present-day murders, Beau's suspicions are confirmed. Some bodies from the second watch just won't stay buried.
A masterful demonstration of J. A. Jance's superb craftsmanship, Second Watch is a thought-provoking novel that is also a poignant look at one of the most painful and divisive moments in our history—Vietnam—and a reminder of the staggering cost of war and the debts we owe to those who served then . . . and those who do now.
A series of dreams takes him back to his early days on the force with the Seattle PD, and then even earlier, to his days in Vietnam, reminding him of people and events he hasn't thought about in years. Are they just drug-induced hallucinations? Beaumont isn't so sure. When tugging on those threads from long ago leads to present-day murders, Beau's suspicions are confirmed. Some bodies from the second watch just won't stay buried.
A masterful demonstration of J. A. Jance's superb craftsmanship, Second Watch is a thought-provoking novel that is also a poignant look at one of the most painful and divisive moments in our history—Vietnam—and a reminder of the staggering cost of war and the debts we owe to those who served then . . . and those who do now.
340 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2013
813 people are currently reading
2867 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jance
117 books4,173 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 763 reviews
September 21, 2013
This has to be my favorite J.A.Jance novel yet, It is sort of a prequel, but takes place now. If you haven't read her books yet, you owe it to yourself to start NOW!!! This is book #21 of a series, but I feel it can be read as a stand alone book, as it goes back before her first J.P. Beaumont novel
September 30, 2013
I was provided an ARC of this title to review.
Authors like J.A. Jance who speak through many different characters amaze me. Each character has their own distinct and separate personality. Initially, I discovered J.A. Jance through the Joanna Brady series, but quickly went on to read her other series. If I've ever had a crush on a character, it would be J.P. Beaumont, investigator for the state of Washington. In Second Watch (which was released on September 10, 2013) Beaumont has just come out of knee replacement surgery--both knees at once! He's dreaming or hallucinating, and his past comes hurtling into the present.
J.P. Beaumont is visited by the ghost of his first homicide victim and the ghost of the man who saved his life back in Vietnam in 1966. He had made a vow to the mother of the first victim that he never fulfilled: he had never been able to discover the identity of the person who killed her and left her body in a barrel of dirty cooking grease. As memories come flooding back about Vietnam, he feels the need all these years later to contact the fiance of the man who saved his life.
While Jance tells the tale of these two ghosts, seamlessly weaving the past and present together, Beaumont is forced to face other facts. How did he get his promotion into the homicide division of the Seattle Police Department when one wasn't available? Who perpetuated the tale that his first homicide victim was killed by Ted Bundy? Who altered records and stole evidence?
This book made me cry. Jance states on her website: "Once you read it, I think you'll agree that this story belongs to so many in my generation who remain haunted by the Vietnam war." Through Beaumont, I hope she was able to put some of her own ghosts to rest.
Read this book and be prepared to live through Beaumont's ghosts. Jance has a way of making them your own.
This review originally appeared on my blog Motherhoot.com
Authors like J.A. Jance who speak through many different characters amaze me. Each character has their own distinct and separate personality. Initially, I discovered J.A. Jance through the Joanna Brady series, but quickly went on to read her other series. If I've ever had a crush on a character, it would be J.P. Beaumont, investigator for the state of Washington. In Second Watch (which was released on September 10, 2013) Beaumont has just come out of knee replacement surgery--both knees at once! He's dreaming or hallucinating, and his past comes hurtling into the present.
J.P. Beaumont is visited by the ghost of his first homicide victim and the ghost of the man who saved his life back in Vietnam in 1966. He had made a vow to the mother of the first victim that he never fulfilled: he had never been able to discover the identity of the person who killed her and left her body in a barrel of dirty cooking grease. As memories come flooding back about Vietnam, he feels the need all these years later to contact the fiance of the man who saved his life.
While Jance tells the tale of these two ghosts, seamlessly weaving the past and present together, Beaumont is forced to face other facts. How did he get his promotion into the homicide division of the Seattle Police Department when one wasn't available? Who perpetuated the tale that his first homicide victim was killed by Ted Bundy? Who altered records and stole evidence?
This book made me cry. Jance states on her website: "Once you read it, I think you'll agree that this story belongs to so many in my generation who remain haunted by the Vietnam war." Through Beaumont, I hope she was able to put some of her own ghosts to rest.
Read this book and be prepared to live through Beaumont's ghosts. Jance has a way of making them your own.
This review originally appeared on my blog Motherhoot.com
January 23, 2020
'Second Watch' is a fairly competent novel. The main character, Beaumont, is in hospital for double knee surgery, and while he is under the influence of medication, he dreams of two pieces of unfinished business from his past; his first unsolved murder case, and an event involving his Lieutenant during his time in Vietnam. The story moved from past to present, and present to past well enough, but it never really grabbed a hold of me.
December 22, 2013
At the start of the book Beau is going under the knife to have both of his knees replaced, and during his drug-induced dreams two dead people from his past appear that inspires him to make amends, even while he is recovering from major surgery.
SECOND WATCH was very moving as J.A. also deals with the Vietnam war and those who died along with the guilt of those who survived. In the last chapter, J.A. discusses the inspiration behind this particular book and it almost had me in tears while on break in the staff room.
As usual, J.A. has crafted a very well done mystery with excellent detective work and many turns along the way, and has also done a stellar job in continuing the development the characters from past books.
I adore the Beaumont books so much that after I finish one I'm left feeling a little melancholy because I know it will be about 2 years before another is published. In between I'll read the latest with Joanna Brady (and ignore the Ali Reynolds as I really can't get into them) and eagerly look forward to Beau coming back.
SECOND WATCH was very moving as J.A. also deals with the Vietnam war and those who died along with the guilt of those who survived. In the last chapter, J.A. discusses the inspiration behind this particular book and it almost had me in tears while on break in the staff room.
As usual, J.A. has crafted a very well done mystery with excellent detective work and many turns along the way, and has also done a stellar job in continuing the development the characters from past books.
I adore the Beaumont books so much that after I finish one I'm left feeling a little melancholy because I know it will be about 2 years before another is published. In between I'll read the latest with Joanna Brady (and ignore the Ali Reynolds as I really can't get into them) and eagerly look forward to Beau coming back.
April 29, 2023
Loved this one!!
This is one of my favorites in the series. I am delayed in writing the review so I won’t detail anything.
This is one of my favorites in the series. I am delayed in writing the review so I won’t detail anything.
February 28, 2021
While undergoing double knee replacement surgery, Inspector J.P. Beaumont recalls his first unsolved case while in the hospital in which the body of a young woman was found in a barrel of cooking oil. He persuades his boss to re-open the case and things start to go bad for the officer assigned to assist him. A massive four decade coverup is soon apparent.
January 13, 2020
JP finally has both knees replaced and will on pain medicine he has dreams about one of his first murders cases that was never solved. He has to figure out what happened and gets the cold case reopened. He also comes to terms with his time in the service and a buddy's death.
October 13, 2013
First, I have to admit that I've been a Jance fan for many years. I love her Sheriff Joanna Brady series but I'm just as much a fan of J. P. Beaumont, her Seattle homicide detective. Earlier this year I read her novella about Beau called Ring in the Dead and if you also read it, you have a kind of head start on characters and locations in Second Watch. Reading that one isn't necessary before reading this one though.
The novella ended with Beau's wife, Mel Soames, driving him to the hospital to have a double knee replacement. Second Watch begins there. Since I was in the hospital part of the time I was reading this book, the part where he is gradually awakening from anesthesia and he's in that weird place where you just don't know for sure what's real and what isn't, I was laughing in empathy. During the drug-induced dreams post-op Beau is visited by two "ghosts" from his past, both of which send him on an investigation.
The first is the victim in his first murder case as a homicide detective, and while we're at it, that promotion was so sudden as to be positively hinky. The investigation is intense and pulls skeletons out of many closets.
The second visitor was his lieutenant in Vietnam. The guy had loaned him a paperback copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, insisting he read it. Later the book saved his life when schrapnel dug into the book rather than his chest. Suddenly Beau is determined to learn more about the guy and the girl Lennie D. had been engaged to.
All of the characters are, as usual for Jance, excellent but one will have you laughing out loud. Since the doctor won't let Beau go home alone and Mel is out of town on an important case, he hires a nurse his doorman knows. She is one of those old-fashioned nurses who gives you your marching orders and you had better behave, or else. It doesn't take Beau long to learn that if he wants to live, he should shut up and do what she says. You will absolutely love her.
Please read the afterword. It tells us one reason the characters in this one are obviously created from the heart. Hint: the lieutenant was from Bisbee where Jance grew up.
Recommended highly. Please do read this book. As they say, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll have a wonderful time. This is one you'll sigh and hold to your heart as you turn the last page.
Source: publisher via Partners in Crime Book Tours
The novella ended with Beau's wife, Mel Soames, driving him to the hospital to have a double knee replacement. Second Watch begins there. Since I was in the hospital part of the time I was reading this book, the part where he is gradually awakening from anesthesia and he's in that weird place where you just don't know for sure what's real and what isn't, I was laughing in empathy. During the drug-induced dreams post-op Beau is visited by two "ghosts" from his past, both of which send him on an investigation.
The first is the victim in his first murder case as a homicide detective, and while we're at it, that promotion was so sudden as to be positively hinky. The investigation is intense and pulls skeletons out of many closets.
The second visitor was his lieutenant in Vietnam. The guy had loaned him a paperback copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, insisting he read it. Later the book saved his life when schrapnel dug into the book rather than his chest. Suddenly Beau is determined to learn more about the guy and the girl Lennie D. had been engaged to.
All of the characters are, as usual for Jance, excellent but one will have you laughing out loud. Since the doctor won't let Beau go home alone and Mel is out of town on an important case, he hires a nurse his doorman knows. She is one of those old-fashioned nurses who gives you your marching orders and you had better behave, or else. It doesn't take Beau long to learn that if he wants to live, he should shut up and do what she says. You will absolutely love her.
Please read the afterword. It tells us one reason the characters in this one are obviously created from the heart. Hint: the lieutenant was from Bisbee where Jance grew up.
Recommended highly. Please do read this book. As they say, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll have a wonderful time. This is one you'll sigh and hold to your heart as you turn the last page.
Source: publisher via Partners in Crime Book Tours
May 27, 2015
Second Watch by J.A. Jance is a 2013 William Morrow publication.
In the ever evolving world of J.P. Beaumont we much face the facts and accept J.P. Is aging, and so we open the story with our favorite homicide detective going in for duel knee replacement surgery. OUCH!
Coming out of anesthesia, Beaumont has a vision or hallucination in the recovery room that has him thinking back on the first case he worked as a detective. He had promised the victim's mother he would find out whomurdered her daughter, but as the cases began piling up, Beaumont and his partner just couldn't keep up and the murder wound up being accredited to Ted Bundy although there was no real evidence to back that up, so the case went cold. Now Beaumont feels compelled to look into the matter while he is laid up. He also finds that without his wife around at the moment, and his being stationary, his memories are flooding back in regards to more than an old case. His military background also has a few open chapters Beaumont would like to see closed. His old friend Joanna Brady gives him a hand with this part of the story.
Beaumont can't work cases like he once did and so it stands to reason he might need some repairs done to his body, while his mind is still quite sharp and active. This case takes him to a place he never dreamed it would when his investigation gets someone very upset and more murders occur. Meanwhile, Mel has her hands full with a public relations nightmare, leaving Beaumont to his own devices.
I have stated many times that of the three series Jance writes, Beaumont is my favorite. ( I also like his teaming up with Joanna)
Beaumont is more complicated and ridden with more demons, and his stories are always unique and perhaps a touch darker than the other two series. Beaumont fans might find this one a little off the beaten path from what they have come to expect, but I enjoy seeing cold cases solved, so this installment was especially rewarding. I know that as Beaumont grows older his life will change and the dynamic of the series will reflect those changes, but still, Beaumont is a tough, no nonsense, old school detective and always will be. 4 stars
In the ever evolving world of J.P. Beaumont we much face the facts and accept J.P. Is aging, and so we open the story with our favorite homicide detective going in for duel knee replacement surgery. OUCH!
Coming out of anesthesia, Beaumont has a vision or hallucination in the recovery room that has him thinking back on the first case he worked as a detective. He had promised the victim's mother he would find out whomurdered her daughter, but as the cases began piling up, Beaumont and his partner just couldn't keep up and the murder wound up being accredited to Ted Bundy although there was no real evidence to back that up, so the case went cold. Now Beaumont feels compelled to look into the matter while he is laid up. He also finds that without his wife around at the moment, and his being stationary, his memories are flooding back in regards to more than an old case. His military background also has a few open chapters Beaumont would like to see closed. His old friend Joanna Brady gives him a hand with this part of the story.
Beaumont can't work cases like he once did and so it stands to reason he might need some repairs done to his body, while his mind is still quite sharp and active. This case takes him to a place he never dreamed it would when his investigation gets someone very upset and more murders occur. Meanwhile, Mel has her hands full with a public relations nightmare, leaving Beaumont to his own devices.
I have stated many times that of the three series Jance writes, Beaumont is my favorite. ( I also like his teaming up with Joanna)
Beaumont is more complicated and ridden with more demons, and his stories are always unique and perhaps a touch darker than the other two series. Beaumont fans might find this one a little off the beaten path from what they have come to expect, but I enjoy seeing cold cases solved, so this installment was especially rewarding. I know that as Beaumont grows older his life will change and the dynamic of the series will reflect those changes, but still, Beaumont is a tough, no nonsense, old school detective and always will be. 4 stars
December 29, 2021
So, I wonder why I've not got around to reading this writer! But, I thoroughly enjoyed this jaunt down murder, cold case, suicide, crookedness in a police department and let's not forget getting old!I
You see, first line is "getting old"--- and having to recuperate from double knee replacement! Yep! Getting'old is a b#$4%h!!!
Enough of that.. Love the setting here and the cityscape and general area in our North sound areas! You see, I recognize all the areas described in this story and it's right on!
But I digress. The recuperating detective and his wife solve a very cold case..sadly tho a detective assigned to help was murdered. And it was because of helping to solve a case.
I found that I did enjoy reading this writer! And that she's from my neck of the woods! And because this is all part of a series, you can be assured I will be reading more!
So! Go grab yourself a snack and a drink cold or hot, and sneak a peak at this story! Perhaps you too, will come to enjoy J.A.'s writing!--P/
You see, first line is "getting old"--- and having to recuperate from double knee replacement! Yep! Getting'old is a b#$4%h!!!
Enough of that.. Love the setting here and the cityscape and general area in our North sound areas! You see, I recognize all the areas described in this story and it's right on!
But I digress. The recuperating detective and his wife solve a very cold case..sadly tho a detective assigned to help was murdered. And it was because of helping to solve a case.
I found that I did enjoy reading this writer! And that she's from my neck of the woods! And because this is all part of a series, you can be assured I will be reading more!
So! Go grab yourself a snack and a drink cold or hot, and sneak a peak at this story! Perhaps you too, will come to enjoy J.A.'s writing!--P/
September 18, 2013
There's that case that lingers in the mind of every single cop. The one that will never go away. The one in which the victim can never rest. For Detective J.P. Beaumont, that is the case that happened forty years ago. The one that was simply tagged at the Girl in the Barrel. The only reason that it remains on J.P.'s mind is that while undergoing double knee replacement surgery, he's been haunted by the ghost of Monica Wellington, the girl in the barrel. She reminds him of the promise he made to her mother, Hannah, that they would never rest until the case was solved. And they hadn't solved it.
Like another cold case, this one torments the sleeping hours while J.P. recovers in the hospital. Taken back to that time period in rich detail through his dreams he remembers the case as if it just happened. Yet something besides the ghost of Monica is plaguing his sleep. It is why they were never able to solve that case. Taking into consideration, that things like DNA testing and technology were not as prevalent as they are today, he's hoping that he can finally solve the case and lay both Monica's spirit and his conscience to rest.
Now his only issue with not being able to walk or drive is how to reopen a case that was sealed forty years ago while he remains in the hospital? Just what would be his reasoning? He knew that sharing that the ghost of Monica was haunting his dreams wouldn't pass, so he opted for the case that was never solved that every cop wants to see come to a resolved end. J.P. only ghost however isn't just Monica, he's also seeing Lt. Lennie Davis or Lennie D as his friends referred to him. Lennie has something he needs J.P. to do and he can't rest until there is peace in his life, the one he never was able to return home to after serving in Vietnam. So J.P. is once more transported back to Vietnam and that fateful day that changed both of their lives forever.
I received Second Watch by best selling author J.A. Jance compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is a first for me, reading J.A. Jance's novels but I absolutely LOVED this one. It truly is a must read for fans of crime murder mystery's or shows like Criminal Minds. In fact while reading it I heard Jack Webb (Dragnet) as the narrator's voice so it really made the novel that believable for me. The flash backs into J.P.'s past were well done and gave you insight into what is the character's motivation to find have absolution and resolution in his life in each of this situations, with one being personal with his past in Vietnam, one he hasn't even shared with his wife and fellow cop, Mel. This is one of those novels that you will think about long after it's over primarily because it's that real. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more from J.A. Vance in the near future.
Like another cold case, this one torments the sleeping hours while J.P. recovers in the hospital. Taken back to that time period in rich detail through his dreams he remembers the case as if it just happened. Yet something besides the ghost of Monica is plaguing his sleep. It is why they were never able to solve that case. Taking into consideration, that things like DNA testing and technology were not as prevalent as they are today, he's hoping that he can finally solve the case and lay both Monica's spirit and his conscience to rest.
Now his only issue with not being able to walk or drive is how to reopen a case that was sealed forty years ago while he remains in the hospital? Just what would be his reasoning? He knew that sharing that the ghost of Monica was haunting his dreams wouldn't pass, so he opted for the case that was never solved that every cop wants to see come to a resolved end. J.P. only ghost however isn't just Monica, he's also seeing Lt. Lennie Davis or Lennie D as his friends referred to him. Lennie has something he needs J.P. to do and he can't rest until there is peace in his life, the one he never was able to return home to after serving in Vietnam. So J.P. is once more transported back to Vietnam and that fateful day that changed both of their lives forever.
I received Second Watch by best selling author J.A. Jance compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is a first for me, reading J.A. Jance's novels but I absolutely LOVED this one. It truly is a must read for fans of crime murder mystery's or shows like Criminal Minds. In fact while reading it I heard Jack Webb (Dragnet) as the narrator's voice so it really made the novel that believable for me. The flash backs into J.P.'s past were well done and gave you insight into what is the character's motivation to find have absolution and resolution in his life in each of this situations, with one being personal with his past in Vietnam, one he hasn't even shared with his wife and fellow cop, Mel. This is one of those novels that you will think about long after it's over primarily because it's that real. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more from J.A. Vance in the near future.
January 21, 2015
Entertaining story of a police detective who undergoes bilateral knee replacements and, thanks to powerful narcotics, has hallucinations about "unfinished business " from his past. A few interesting twists.
October 9, 2013
This was more of an experience than a read. The title refers to Beau's second watch, his experiences and memories with things from his past left unfinished... brought on by pain meds and anesthesia based dreams. I had my own second watch, things I had left somewhat unfinished due to my ex-husband, or at least. I had not come full circle .. and .. well read on! This book was amazing, as are all of them. It was my first read in this particular series and I was totally fine with it. Bear with me as I tell you a little story.
A little over thirteen years ago, the phone rang during the chaos which was my house with five kids underfoot. I was in the middle of trying to find extra socks since we had no mittens and for some freaking reason it choose to snow over night in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. I hadn't lived in a place that snowed in so long I was caught off guard. We only had been in Arizona for one month and just had gotten our household goods two days before, so most of my life was strewn about me amidst the dust colored packing paper and boxes. Mittens? If we even had any were not in a box marked "MITTENS AND WINTER GEAR" more like, "BOTTOM OF THE BACK OF THE STORAGE SHED"
"What mother," The evilness of caller-ID. It annoys her to no end.
"Honey you would save money if you didn't waste it on the need to know who was calling you!"
Yes and then I could not ignore you when you called while Bill and I were having hot sex. "Yes mother, but I am afraid it is necessary for Bill and his job." Notice I said necessary and not required, you have to work it at times with the parental units.
"I have a present to send you and I have no clue what your new address is anymore. I only have at least 5 here, do you think you can grace me with your current whereabouts? " Well crap, now I felt like poo.
"Mom I am sorry! I thought I had sent you a postcard, here...let me give it to you." Rambling off the address while wrestling a 14 month-old into his high chair while cooking oatmeal, I was doing pretty good so far, but my curiosity got the best of me.
"Well?"
"Is that Willy I hear?"
I avoided telling her how I really felt by letting out a sigh, "His name is not Willy, he is not a penis he is a William and we call him Liam do we need to go through how confusing this is?"
"A thank you would be nice!"
"Not when I haven't gotten anything yet, and then I promise to hire a quartet and sing it for you... Madre!!" I was now getting annoyed. (and as a sidebar I am sure you are wondering just what in the world this has to do with a J.A. Jance Book, I promise it is about my experience, not just my read)
I hear my mother titter, which means she is being her usual funny no filter self and I want to strangle her... with a smile and a thank you, of course."I found books for you!" she literally squeals, literally which frightens me a bit.
Oh now that was cool, this was something my mom is really good at, and she had to know I probably was going through missing my house in Texas, and my friends and I needed more of my other friends, books. But now I am feeling guilty, she has the touch, because I was contemplating death and dismemberment by then, or hanging up.
"I found an author who not only is from Bisbee, that quaint town you, Bill and the kids went to on Sunday, but she writes with Bisbee as the backdrop, and apparently she is pretty good!"
She had me at, Bisbee. I already fell in love with the town. looking back, I am really glad I didn't hang up on her because I found a new best friend in those books. And now, I am a sucker for reading books set in places I have been or are in. The big reason is my adventures with J.A. Jance and her Joanna Brady Mysteries. She weaves this world of real people. I know authors do this all the time, but you have to know Bisbee to understand what I am talking about. Bisbee was a haven in the three years we lived in Arizona. I had friends whom are part of my extended family. (Love you Li and I adore you Chris).
But more importantly, and why I am talking about it for this book, is I associate Bisbee, AZ with my strong pride as a military wife. Two years running we did Memorial Day in Bisbee, AZ. The kids and I helped serve warm Koolaid, burnt but lukewarm coffee and stale cookies at during the memorial day picnics. Bisbee is even higher in the desert than Huachuca at 5387 ft so snow there is nothing new, but it is beautiful and built into the hills. It's a functioning and historically maintained quirky mining town (well some of it, the brothel is an three-decker apartment, the steps in the black and white at the top were taken at 69 OK Corral Street. I kid you not! My friend had the top floor). It held magic for me then and I learned a lot about how Bisbee treat's the memories of it's fallen soldiers, of all manner, not just those in the military. The community itself is magical, supportive and as rock solid as the hills surrounding it.
This is how J.A. Jance writes. But this book (as I have rambled now on and on) Is a J.P. Beaumont novel. An investigator in Seattle, WA. In this, his 21st novel, he is now with the Attorney General's office in the Special Homicide Investigation Team. His group often goes by the first letters of those four words. Yes that is S.H.I.T (and no there is no real unit the closest is HITS which is Homicide Investigation and Tracking System Unit, but it could happen, you never know). I have only read the cross over novels involving Detective Beau, as he is want to be called because his real name something of a ... well.. I can't tell you, I want you to discover and smile for yourself!
I was a bit worried diving into this one because of that, and was even more worried due to the nature of it being said a bit of a departure from the normal Beaumont mysteries. I may not get the same feel as I had from my Joanna Brady Mysteries. Boy was I wrong. This was not just a read, it was a blast to my past, a blast to Beau's Past.. to the the past of many Seattle detectives, and loves lost, family members found, it is all about those six degrees of separation and the threads that you forgot you left hanging. I was left sobbing in the end. Memories of the morning I wrote out above, the taste of those stale cookies and sticky Koolaid stained faces and dancing in the streets during New Years.
But you never lived in Bisbee or have a connection with this series, so would you want to read it? Could I recommend it? Yes. I "met" the detective a few times within her other mysteries, and I was able to navigate just fine, in fact. I may go broke doing so, but I will own and read every single one of the JP Beaumont books. From Seattle homicide Detective all the way up to the Attorney General's office with S.H.I.T. (had to get that in one more time) Beau is here, even if he is part bionic with his new knees, and through a drug induced flood he is awakened to find threads and things he needs to finish and have closure with. He is also a Vietnam Vet which is where the memorial day comes in! And every cop has that one case that got away from them, this book involves that case.
I can recommend it because this book is not just about a place on the planet, but a place within you. It is not just a Mystery Novel (yes this is "A Mystery") it is several stories that flow around our characters and make you feel like you are with them. J.A. Jance has such a talent for drawing out each of our own experiences that allow us to find something from our past to associate with. I recommend this with:
5 Stars and then some
Chuckling, I have to do a sidebar, in the last Joanna novel she finds out she is pregnant and is hugging the toilet and her morning habits are so funny to read and I remember remembering all of my mornings.. yes that SIMPLE of a moment. Such a small part of the story, but I stress this is part of why J.A. Jance is such an amazing author. She didn't let me down with this one in the least. If you have only her other series, this is different, but still with the same flavor, her color of ink and style. Did I figure it out? No, and her trick? OMG if you read it get in touch with me, I want to know if you had the same thought I did because MAN she had me going!
A little over thirteen years ago, the phone rang during the chaos which was my house with five kids underfoot. I was in the middle of trying to find extra socks since we had no mittens and for some freaking reason it choose to snow over night in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. I hadn't lived in a place that snowed in so long I was caught off guard. We only had been in Arizona for one month and just had gotten our household goods two days before, so most of my life was strewn about me amidst the dust colored packing paper and boxes. Mittens? If we even had any were not in a box marked "MITTENS AND WINTER GEAR" more like, "BOTTOM OF THE BACK OF THE STORAGE SHED"
"What mother," The evilness of caller-ID. It annoys her to no end.
"Honey you would save money if you didn't waste it on the need to know who was calling you!"
Yes and then I could not ignore you when you called while Bill and I were having hot sex. "Yes mother, but I am afraid it is necessary for Bill and his job." Notice I said necessary and not required, you have to work it at times with the parental units.
"I have a present to send you and I have no clue what your new address is anymore. I only have at least 5 here, do you think you can grace me with your current whereabouts? " Well crap, now I felt like poo.
"Mom I am sorry! I thought I had sent you a postcard, here...let me give it to you." Rambling off the address while wrestling a 14 month-old into his high chair while cooking oatmeal, I was doing pretty good so far, but my curiosity got the best of me.
"Well?"
"Is that Willy I hear?"
I avoided telling her how I really felt by letting out a sigh, "His name is not Willy, he is not a penis he is a William and we call him Liam do we need to go through how confusing this is?"
"A thank you would be nice!"
"Not when I haven't gotten anything yet, and then I promise to hire a quartet and sing it for you... Madre!!" I was now getting annoyed. (and as a sidebar I am sure you are wondering just what in the world this has to do with a J.A. Jance Book, I promise it is about my experience, not just my read)
I hear my mother titter, which means she is being her usual funny no filter self and I want to strangle her... with a smile and a thank you, of course."I found books for you!" she literally squeals, literally which frightens me a bit.
Oh now that was cool, this was something my mom is really good at, and she had to know I probably was going through missing my house in Texas, and my friends and I needed more of my other friends, books. But now I am feeling guilty, she has the touch, because I was contemplating death and dismemberment by then, or hanging up.
"I found an author who not only is from Bisbee, that quaint town you, Bill and the kids went to on Sunday, but she writes with Bisbee as the backdrop, and apparently she is pretty good!"
She had me at, Bisbee. I already fell in love with the town. looking back, I am really glad I didn't hang up on her because I found a new best friend in those books. And now, I am a sucker for reading books set in places I have been or are in. The big reason is my adventures with J.A. Jance and her Joanna Brady Mysteries. She weaves this world of real people. I know authors do this all the time, but you have to know Bisbee to understand what I am talking about. Bisbee was a haven in the three years we lived in Arizona. I had friends whom are part of my extended family. (Love you Li and I adore you Chris).
Living as YOU was what Bisbee, AZ was about for me... MEMORIES
But more importantly, and why I am talking about it for this book, is I associate Bisbee, AZ with my strong pride as a military wife. Two years running we did Memorial Day in Bisbee, AZ. The kids and I helped serve warm Koolaid, burnt but lukewarm coffee and stale cookies at during the memorial day picnics. Bisbee is even higher in the desert than Huachuca at 5387 ft so snow there is nothing new, but it is beautiful and built into the hills. It's a functioning and historically maintained quirky mining town (well some of it, the brothel is an three-decker apartment, the steps in the black and white at the top were taken at 69 OK Corral Street. I kid you not! My friend had the top floor). It held magic for me then and I learned a lot about how Bisbee treat's the memories of it's fallen soldiers, of all manner, not just those in the military. The community itself is magical, supportive and as rock solid as the hills surrounding it.
This is how J.A. Jance writes. But this book (as I have rambled now on and on) Is a J.P. Beaumont novel. An investigator in Seattle, WA. In this, his 21st novel, he is now with the Attorney General's office in the Special Homicide Investigation Team. His group often goes by the first letters of those four words. Yes that is S.H.I.T (and no there is no real unit the closest is HITS which is Homicide Investigation and Tracking System Unit, but it could happen, you never know). I have only read the cross over novels involving Detective Beau, as he is want to be called because his real name something of a ... well.. I can't tell you, I want you to discover and smile for yourself!
I was a bit worried diving into this one because of that, and was even more worried due to the nature of it being said a bit of a departure from the normal Beaumont mysteries. I may not get the same feel as I had from my Joanna Brady Mysteries. Boy was I wrong. This was not just a read, it was a blast to my past, a blast to Beau's Past.. to the the past of many Seattle detectives, and loves lost, family members found, it is all about those six degrees of separation and the threads that you forgot you left hanging. I was left sobbing in the end. Memories of the morning I wrote out above, the taste of those stale cookies and sticky Koolaid stained faces and dancing in the streets during New Years.
But you never lived in Bisbee or have a connection with this series, so would you want to read it? Could I recommend it? Yes. I "met" the detective a few times within her other mysteries, and I was able to navigate just fine, in fact. I may go broke doing so, but I will own and read every single one of the JP Beaumont books. From Seattle homicide Detective all the way up to the Attorney General's office with S.H.I.T. (had to get that in one more time) Beau is here, even if he is part bionic with his new knees, and through a drug induced flood he is awakened to find threads and things he needs to finish and have closure with. He is also a Vietnam Vet which is where the memorial day comes in! And every cop has that one case that got away from them, this book involves that case.
I can recommend it because this book is not just about a place on the planet, but a place within you. It is not just a Mystery Novel (yes this is "A Mystery") it is several stories that flow around our characters and make you feel like you are with them. J.A. Jance has such a talent for drawing out each of our own experiences that allow us to find something from our past to associate with. I recommend this with:
5 Stars and then some
Chuckling, I have to do a sidebar, in the last Joanna novel she finds out she is pregnant and is hugging the toilet and her morning habits are so funny to read and I remember remembering all of my mornings.. yes that SIMPLE of a moment. Such a small part of the story, but I stress this is part of why J.A. Jance is such an amazing author. She didn't let me down with this one in the least. If you have only her other series, this is different, but still with the same flavor, her color of ink and style. Did I figure it out? No, and her trick? OMG if you read it get in touch with me, I want to know if you had the same thought I did because MAN she had me going!
November 1, 2014
Let me begin by saying that it takes a LOT--I mean A LOT--for me to not finish a book I start reading. As of right now, I am debating finishing 'Second Watch.' I'm about 100 pages into it and perhaps, based on the numerous 5 star reviews, I will conclude it. But I doubt it.
I read one other book by JA Jance, from the Allie Reynolds series. That one was...decent. I believe I gave it 3 stars. However, so far (and I've never written a review while still reading a book) this book is torture.
I find the characters utterly boring. They are cardboard cut-outs of each other. No emotion and I do not connect with any of them. (I felt this way with the other Jance book I read also) but this is too over the top. After 100 pages, I find myself not caring at all.
In my opinion, there are TWO main issues with this book:
1) Name overload. A good writer, I believe, is someone who introduces you to the protagonist slowly. It's not necessary to tell the reader the main characters entire life story in the first few pages. Yet, Ms. Jance does exactly this. Every person--including unimportant secondary characters--are given names and backgrounds. WHY???
I'm not joking but here is proof--Try and follow:
The main character, JP Beaumont, his wife Melisa, his surgeon Dr. Merritt Auld, his daughter Kelly, Kelly's husband Jeff Cartwright, his grandkids Kayla and Kyle, his daughter-in-law Cherisse, his son Scott, his friend Ron Peters, Ron Peters' daughters Heather and Tracy, and also Monica Wellington. AND THIS IS JUST IN THE FIRST FOURTEEN PAGES!!!!
In chapter 2, the name overload and madness continues: Beaumont's partner Rory MacPherson (who goes by Mack), Mack's wife Melody, Beaumont's first wife and mother of his children Karen, believe it or not Karen's boyfriend from college, Maxwell Cole, Donnie Dodd, Frankie Dodd and Doc Baker, the medical examiner.
In Chap 3, more characters are added: Detective Larry Powell, Detective Watty Watkins, Mrs. Jerome Fisk.
To me, to introduce 23--yes, TWENTY THREE characters--in the first 36 pages is ridiculous. I'm not an idiot, but I found myself looking back by page 30, asking, "Okay, who is that again?"
We also learn that Beaumont's ex-wife, Karen, was a Simon and Garfunkel fan. Her favorite song was 'Sounds of Silence.' Okay, I like Simon and Garfunkel too and 'Sounds of Silence' is a classic. However, who the heck cares what the favorite song of the main characters ex-wife was??? It has no bearing on the story. Yet, these trivial tidbits are thrown in for no reason at all
And it doesn't let up much. Soon, we find the protagonist gets reassigned and now we are introduced to yet more new characters. We're also introduced to the protagonists nurses, Nurse Jackie and Nurse Keith. And so on and so on.
To add to this insanity is the fact that several characters go by nicknames. Sure, why not. The main character is names Jonas Piedmont Beaumont. But he goes by JP Beaumont. However, his wife calls him "Mr. B." his friends mostly call him Beau but some of his other friends call him 'Mont.' HIs wife is named Melissa, but he calls her Mel. However, sometimes he refers to his own wife by her full maiden name: Melissa Soames.
The book is also completely disjointed and skips around. It starts in 2010 with the main character going in for knee replacement surgery. While he is recovering, he starts thinking back to a case--his first case--from back in 1973. Why? Because he is visited by the ghost a murdered girl. The segues are not smooth and transitional and it frequently takes you several paragraphs to realize what year you're in: 1973 or 2010?
And then, just for S's and g's, the main character also gets visited by the ghost of his dead lieutenant from Viet Nam. Ooops. Time for more flashbacks and since these flashbacks involve his platoon buddies, lets introduce some more characters.
Another issue I have as an example is from page 42: (the main character, Beaumont, who is telling the story in first person, is recovering in a hospital bed and bothered by the fact that nurses wake you up while you are sleeping:
*** "Why do they do that? People are in hospitals for a reason--to get better from an illness or to recover from surgery. If patients are sleeping peacefully, why wake them up to see if they're alright? Why not let them sleep until they wake up on their own, at which time they can ring the bell and let someone know is more medication is in order? But let's not even go there, because that's not the way hospitals work" ****
Think about this for a second. You (the author) just wrote a paragraph and then finished it by saying, 'Let's not even go there.' HUH??? So, why the heck did you bother writing it????
This novel is filled with numerous sections like this as well. I don't need to know the history of the restaurant where the main character had lunch, I don't need a street by street description of how to get from the main characters house to the hospital and why it's easier to take the bridge rather than an interstate because the bridge has a toll but less traffic so most people forego the toll and take the interstate which causes gridlock. Who cares???? None of this is relevant.
One scene I just found laughable and literally had to stop reading and debate even continuing. In 1973, "Beau" and his partner are investigating a murder. There are 2 kids who witnessed a pick-up truck dumping a body. The kids were out after curfew smoking a cigarette somewhere they should not have been. The detectives learn that the kids have a father who beats them. Since the detective himself had an abusive father, he decides NOT to question the kids anymore so they don't get in trouble. Are you kidding me??? Can you REALLY picture a detective possibly letting a murderer get away and go unsolved for THAT reason??? Insane.
The ONLY positive is the book is fast moving. But that's it. I'm giving it one star only because I cant give it less. I doubt I will go back to finish it. I simply don't care about the victim, the crime, or feel anything for any of the characters.
This is the second book by Jance I've read. The first one was decent at best, though I find myself reading it only to see if it got better. I really didn't care. I'm not making that same mistake with this book. I doubt I'll read any more of her work.
I read one other book by JA Jance, from the Allie Reynolds series. That one was...decent. I believe I gave it 3 stars. However, so far (and I've never written a review while still reading a book) this book is torture.
I find the characters utterly boring. They are cardboard cut-outs of each other. No emotion and I do not connect with any of them. (I felt this way with the other Jance book I read also) but this is too over the top. After 100 pages, I find myself not caring at all.
In my opinion, there are TWO main issues with this book:
1) Name overload. A good writer, I believe, is someone who introduces you to the protagonist slowly. It's not necessary to tell the reader the main characters entire life story in the first few pages. Yet, Ms. Jance does exactly this. Every person--including unimportant secondary characters--are given names and backgrounds. WHY???
I'm not joking but here is proof--Try and follow:
The main character, JP Beaumont, his wife Melisa, his surgeon Dr. Merritt Auld, his daughter Kelly, Kelly's husband Jeff Cartwright, his grandkids Kayla and Kyle, his daughter-in-law Cherisse, his son Scott, his friend Ron Peters, Ron Peters' daughters Heather and Tracy, and also Monica Wellington. AND THIS IS JUST IN THE FIRST FOURTEEN PAGES!!!!
In chapter 2, the name overload and madness continues: Beaumont's partner Rory MacPherson (who goes by Mack), Mack's wife Melody, Beaumont's first wife and mother of his children Karen, believe it or not Karen's boyfriend from college, Maxwell Cole, Donnie Dodd, Frankie Dodd and Doc Baker, the medical examiner.
In Chap 3, more characters are added: Detective Larry Powell, Detective Watty Watkins, Mrs. Jerome Fisk.
To me, to introduce 23--yes, TWENTY THREE characters--in the first 36 pages is ridiculous. I'm not an idiot, but I found myself looking back by page 30, asking, "Okay, who is that again?"
We also learn that Beaumont's ex-wife, Karen, was a Simon and Garfunkel fan. Her favorite song was 'Sounds of Silence.' Okay, I like Simon and Garfunkel too and 'Sounds of Silence' is a classic. However, who the heck cares what the favorite song of the main characters ex-wife was??? It has no bearing on the story. Yet, these trivial tidbits are thrown in for no reason at all
And it doesn't let up much. Soon, we find the protagonist gets reassigned and now we are introduced to yet more new characters. We're also introduced to the protagonists nurses, Nurse Jackie and Nurse Keith. And so on and so on.
To add to this insanity is the fact that several characters go by nicknames. Sure, why not. The main character is names Jonas Piedmont Beaumont. But he goes by JP Beaumont. However, his wife calls him "Mr. B." his friends mostly call him Beau but some of his other friends call him 'Mont.' HIs wife is named Melissa, but he calls her Mel. However, sometimes he refers to his own wife by her full maiden name: Melissa Soames.
The book is also completely disjointed and skips around. It starts in 2010 with the main character going in for knee replacement surgery. While he is recovering, he starts thinking back to a case--his first case--from back in 1973. Why? Because he is visited by the ghost a murdered girl. The segues are not smooth and transitional and it frequently takes you several paragraphs to realize what year you're in: 1973 or 2010?
And then, just for S's and g's, the main character also gets visited by the ghost of his dead lieutenant from Viet Nam. Ooops. Time for more flashbacks and since these flashbacks involve his platoon buddies, lets introduce some more characters.
Another issue I have as an example is from page 42: (the main character, Beaumont, who is telling the story in first person, is recovering in a hospital bed and bothered by the fact that nurses wake you up while you are sleeping:
*** "Why do they do that? People are in hospitals for a reason--to get better from an illness or to recover from surgery. If patients are sleeping peacefully, why wake them up to see if they're alright? Why not let them sleep until they wake up on their own, at which time they can ring the bell and let someone know is more medication is in order? But let's not even go there, because that's not the way hospitals work" ****
Think about this for a second. You (the author) just wrote a paragraph and then finished it by saying, 'Let's not even go there.' HUH??? So, why the heck did you bother writing it????
This novel is filled with numerous sections like this as well. I don't need to know the history of the restaurant where the main character had lunch, I don't need a street by street description of how to get from the main characters house to the hospital and why it's easier to take the bridge rather than an interstate because the bridge has a toll but less traffic so most people forego the toll and take the interstate which causes gridlock. Who cares???? None of this is relevant.
One scene I just found laughable and literally had to stop reading and debate even continuing. In 1973, "Beau" and his partner are investigating a murder. There are 2 kids who witnessed a pick-up truck dumping a body. The kids were out after curfew smoking a cigarette somewhere they should not have been. The detectives learn that the kids have a father who beats them. Since the detective himself had an abusive father, he decides NOT to question the kids anymore so they don't get in trouble. Are you kidding me??? Can you REALLY picture a detective possibly letting a murderer get away and go unsolved for THAT reason??? Insane.
The ONLY positive is the book is fast moving. But that's it. I'm giving it one star only because I cant give it less. I doubt I will go back to finish it. I simply don't care about the victim, the crime, or feel anything for any of the characters.
This is the second book by Jance I've read. The first one was decent at best, though I find myself reading it only to see if it got better. I really didn't care. I'm not making that same mistake with this book. I doubt I'll read any more of her work.
February 28, 2024
This is the first Jance book I’ve read. It was a great story - a couple of different story lines within the main mystery/crime. I will read more!
March 28, 2023
Wow what an emotional book, so emotional it moved me to tears - not something that happens often.
Beau while recovering from knee surgery is visited by two ghosts from his past. One a murder victim who's killer he never caught and the other his commanding officer from Vietnam.
What follows is a roller coaster of emotion as Beau tries to lay these ghost's to rest. If you do decide to pick this book up please read/listen to the authors notes on how this book came about.
By far my favorite Beau book to date.
Beau while recovering from knee surgery is visited by two ghosts from his past. One a murder victim who's killer he never caught and the other his commanding officer from Vietnam.
What follows is a roller coaster of emotion as Beau tries to lay these ghost's to rest. If you do decide to pick this book up please read/listen to the authors notes on how this book came about.
By far my favorite Beau book to date.
July 29, 2018
J.P. Beaumont finally admits that he needs to have a dual knee replacement. In the recovery room while still very “doped up” he has a series of dreams...... one takes him back to his first murder case as a Homicide Detective, which remains unsolved. While another dream takes him back to his time in Vietnam! Both dreams are a stark reminder of unfinished business! ‘The girl in a barrel’ case he promised the mother they would find who killed her daughter. He had promised his Lt. that he would find his fiancé & tell her how much he loved her! Both cases are resolved, with many misadventures along the way...... I especially enjoyed the character of Nurse Madge who kept him taking his meds, doing his rehab & eating properly! “The story behind the Second Watch was quite interesting & the Ring in the Dead novella was also a very interesting story! Thanks to J.A. Janice for another fantastic book!
October 1, 2013
Wow, while I have always enjoyed reading Jance's books with old J. P. Beaumont as the grumbling old man with the two sore knees, this one was far and above the best one yet!! I guess you could call it a prequel of sorts to all his other books.
The story starts with Beau going to the hospital to finally have those old knees worked on. While under anesthesia, the ghosts of days gone by come to visit him. The first ghost being the murder victim of the first case he had ever worked on, still unsolved, and the second being his Lieutenant, Lennie D., from his duty in Vietnam. The murder victim, Monica Wellington, razzing him because he never solved her murder. And his Lieutenant lamenting about the fiancee he never got to marry before he was killed.
The story is a good one with several twists and plot turns that you never see coming which is always something I like to see in a good mystery.
The best part of this book is at the end when the mysteries are solved and the fiancee learns of how Lennie D. really felt about her at an impromptu Veterans Day service. I already had to get up and leave the restaurant I was sitting at to finish this part of the book before I made a fool of myself. And, that was before I even read the Author's notes.
What a great book with a moving humanitarian ending!! Kudos, J.A. Jance!!!!
The story starts with Beau going to the hospital to finally have those old knees worked on. While under anesthesia, the ghosts of days gone by come to visit him. The first ghost being the murder victim of the first case he had ever worked on, still unsolved, and the second being his Lieutenant, Lennie D., from his duty in Vietnam. The murder victim, Monica Wellington, razzing him because he never solved her murder. And his Lieutenant lamenting about the fiancee he never got to marry before he was killed.
The story is a good one with several twists and plot turns that you never see coming which is always something I like to see in a good mystery.
The best part of this book is at the end when the mysteries are solved and the fiancee learns of how Lennie D. really felt about her at an impromptu Veterans Day service. I already had to get up and leave the restaurant I was sitting at to finish this part of the book before I made a fool of myself. And, that was before I even read the Author's notes.
What a great book with a moving humanitarian ending!! Kudos, J.A. Jance!!!!
September 28, 2013
J.P. Beaumont is my favorite Jance character. I have stuck with Beau through thick and thin. In the 21st book in the series, Beau is in the hospital, recovering from double-knee replacement surgery. While under the influence of the powerful pain-killers, Beau dreams a dream of his first homicide case, the murder of Monica Wellington. He also receives a visit from his platoon lieutenant from Vietnam, Lennie D. Beau knows there is a reason these two ghosts from his past have come calling; they both need him to finish his responsibilities to them. Beau goes back to the beginning of the investigation of Monica's murder and begins to uncover a vast conspiracy, reaching into the highest ranks of the Seattle P.D. The Murder Book is missing, evidence is missing, HR files are missing and then the detective assigned to assist Beau is murdered by his former beat patrol partner, Beau knows something is rotten. The secondary story concerns Beau's promise to his lieutenant to find his fiancee and tell her the story of how Lennie D. saved his life. It is the heart-breaking story of all the best and brightest young men who went off to Vietnam and lost their lives. the back story will take your breath away with its power. Another well-done book from Jance.
February 13, 2014
I this 21st J.P. Beaumont is having double knee replacement, and after surgery starts having vivid "dreams" in which he talks to dead people, first a young girl, his first homicide case, he did not solve, and then hid platoon leader from Vietnam. He is upset by this, but keeps it to himself while at the same time trying to do something about it. He ends up getting a 30 year old case reopened, and proceeds to work it from his hospital bed & then from home with a nurse & a walker. The Vietnam story, especially at the end, kept bringing me to tears, I kept telling myself, this is fiction. Then, at the end Jance tells us he was not fiction! Love the shirt story behind the story at the end! Thank you J.A. Jance.
October 9, 2013
I love j p Beaumont and have read every one of his books. I don't, however, remember being so weepy while reading other books in the series. It could be the double knee surgery I just endured and like jp have been caught up in pain meds, or it could be that the topics explored are, by definition, emotionally draining. Vietnam? Friendship? Family? Relationships? Unfinished business? Love? Anyway, it was a great read with expected twist resolved nicely.
September 30, 2013
Following a double knee replacement operation, state homicide investigator J. P. Beaumont is inspired by drug-fueled dreams to reopen a forty-year-old unsolved murder case, the one that led indirectly to his promotion from patrolman to detective. To his great surprise and dismay, four decades later there's still someone willing to kill to prevent the truth coming out.
January 29, 2014
What can you say about A. J. Jance's writing. She has done it again. The story flows through even though she blending 3 different periods of time. 1966, 1973 and the presence time in doing so she has honour the Vietnam Vets. There were tears in my eyes as I finished the story. Had to read it again at once. I have like her stories from the time I read the first one. This one is one of her best.
May 28, 2015
This was better than most of Jance’s recent novels. Maybe because she was writing from personal history.
Following the novel, the author takes about 18 pages
to explain that one of the characters was a real person
from her high school years
Following the novel, the author takes about 18 pages
to explain that one of the characters was a real person
from her high school years
November 1, 2017
Beau is feeling his age and finally goes in for knee replacements. While recovering, he has disturbing drug-induced dreams which urge him to act on two unresolved issues from his past: his first homicide case which remains unsolved and his experience in Vietnam with the loss of his commanding officer. Driven to resolve these matters, he has the old case reopened, thereby opening a violent can of worms affecting the case in its original time as well as extending all the way to the present, and he also manages to reconnect with his Army buddies and find the former fiancee of his Lieutenant in a powerful story based on Jance's personal experiences in Bisbee, Arizona, in the 1960s. There is a lot going on in this book, and it moves along quickly. My favorite part, though, was her extended note at the end telling how the idea for the story was born and developed. Another great read from one of my favorite authors!
September 4, 2017
J.P Beaumont is finally having the knee replacement and as he comes out of surgery the drugs are playing tricks on his memory. We get to see him on his first days as a detective on a case that was never solved and take a visit back to his tour in Vietnam. As a result he opens a cold case and looks up the fiancée of his Lieutenant who was killed and did not come home. All of this is woven around his recovery from the knee replacement. One of the really fun characters in this book is the retired nurse who he hires so he can get out of the hospital. She is one of a kind and is his match. That cold case seems to be solved but something is just no right and just when you think the book in ending it takes off in a new direction.
July 27, 2019
'Second Watch' is both thought provoking and well-conceived.
Jance has written a 'quite good' detective novel which will appeal to both long-term fans and first time readers. The writing style is conversational and this makes the book easy to read. Jance has skillfully mixed past and present to create an interesting story that held my attention. She has also worked closely with various contacts to incorporate actual people into this work in a convincing way.
The underlying story is appealing but the ending was not as good as it could have been. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
This is worth 3.5 stars rounded up.
Jance has written a 'quite good' detective novel which will appeal to both long-term fans and first time readers. The writing style is conversational and this makes the book easy to read. Jance has skillfully mixed past and present to create an interesting story that held my attention. She has also worked closely with various contacts to incorporate actual people into this work in a convincing way.
The underlying story is appealing but the ending was not as good as it could have been. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
This is worth 3.5 stars rounded up.
September 8, 2023
There is lots packed into this plot. I read a copy from my local library .. but hope to buy my own copy as I would like to highlight all the good things I found in this read :)
May 4, 2025
This the first I read anything by this author. . It is a wonderful mystery and gives back story to the main character. I am now excited to try other books in this series as well as the authors first series. So happy to find a new page turner mystery series with many books to enjoy . Spent some late nights reading this one as I couldn’t put it down . Highly recommend!!
May 21, 2014
“roared out of the garage”
“drove hell-bent for election”
“moving heaven and earth to”
“came waltzing in” . . . “having the time of his life” . . . “sending me off to never never-land”
These are all from the first couple pages of a novel that, characteristically for this author, contains every cliché in the book. (Pardon, I couldn’t resist.) There’s something to be said for characters speaking informally, as real people tend to do, but nobody really talks like these characters. Sometimes it almost seems like meaning is tortured to accommodate the use of another cliché. For this reason, in books by J.A. Jance, I find it hard to forget that I’m reading fiction.
On the other hand, it may be that her presence as author is part of Ms. Jance’s appeal. On her web page, at book signings, and in addenda to her books (such as the statement entitled “The Story behind Second Watch”), she tends to be very transparent about her concerns and her thought processes. In Second Watch, she even uses real names of real people and a true story as a major subplot, then explains how the story and the people she names became entwined with her life. It’s an interesting approach to writing fiction that sometimes crosses the line between a made-up story and creative nonfiction.
In any case, I went out to my local independent book store yesterday and picked up Ms. Jance’s most recent addition to the Ali Reynold’s series. So for me, at least, books by this author satisfy my need for entertainment and distraction from my everyday concerns.
“drove hell-bent for election”
“moving heaven and earth to”
“came waltzing in” . . . “having the time of his life” . . . “sending me off to never never-land”
These are all from the first couple pages of a novel that, characteristically for this author, contains every cliché in the book. (Pardon, I couldn’t resist.) There’s something to be said for characters speaking informally, as real people tend to do, but nobody really talks like these characters. Sometimes it almost seems like meaning is tortured to accommodate the use of another cliché. For this reason, in books by J.A. Jance, I find it hard to forget that I’m reading fiction.
On the other hand, it may be that her presence as author is part of Ms. Jance’s appeal. On her web page, at book signings, and in addenda to her books (such as the statement entitled “The Story behind Second Watch”), she tends to be very transparent about her concerns and her thought processes. In Second Watch, she even uses real names of real people and a true story as a major subplot, then explains how the story and the people she names became entwined with her life. It’s an interesting approach to writing fiction that sometimes crosses the line between a made-up story and creative nonfiction.
In any case, I went out to my local independent book store yesterday and picked up Ms. Jance’s most recent addition to the Ali Reynold’s series. So for me, at least, books by this author satisfy my need for entertainment and distraction from my everyday concerns.
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