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J.P. Beaumont #16
Partner in Crime
The dead woman on a cold slab in the Arizona morgue was a talented artist recently arrived from the West Coast. The Washington State Attorney General's office thinks this investigation is too big for a small-town female law officer to handle, so they're sending Sheriff Joanna Brady some unwanted help -- a seasoned detective named Beaumont. Sheriff Brady resents his intrusion, and Bisbee, Arizona, with its ghosts and memories, is the last place J.P. Beaumont wants to be. But the twisting desert road they must reluctantly travel together is leading them into a very deadly nest of rattlers. And if they hope to survive, suddenly trust is the only option they have left...
386 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 6, 2002
835 people are currently reading
2244 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jance
117 books4,161 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
October 4, 2018
There were things I liked about this book and things I didn't. So I think 3 stars would be fair. This is only my third J A Jance book. I like the Arizona small town setting and the author can create a great story. Those two things are always greatly appreciated.
I also like great characters. The main female MC was Joanna Brady, the sheriff of the town. I liked her for the most part. She is a great female character that can carry a story. However, I think that it is high time for her to progress and shed the redneck stereotype of being a woman in power always having to prove herself. I also liked JP Beaumont, the male MC. He was also a strong character, in his own right. They worked well together and having 2 strong characters didn't detract from the story. I'd like to see these two work together more often. But that little thing at the end, a spontaneous moment of passion, was weird, awkward, and unnecessary....not to mention, unbelievable.
I also like great characters. The main female MC was Joanna Brady, the sheriff of the town. I liked her for the most part. She is a great female character that can carry a story. However, I think that it is high time for her to progress and shed the redneck stereotype of being a woman in power always having to prove herself. I also liked JP Beaumont, the male MC. He was also a strong character, in his own right. They worked well together and having 2 strong characters didn't detract from the story. I'd like to see these two work together more often. But that little thing at the end, a spontaneous moment of passion, was weird, awkward, and unnecessary....not to mention, unbelievable.
January 21, 2023
Judging by the reviews you are either a Beau person or a Joanna person. In case there is any question I am a Beau person, and as such Joanna annoyed the hell out of me at the start of this book. I forced myself to get over, and once I did that I started to really enjoy the story.
This is Beau's first assignment as a member of the special investigation team. The mystery was fantastic and I have to say I did not see that ending coming. Beau is also forced to confront the demons left behind by his second wife Ann. I hope Beau gets the closure he needs in this book as I am getting a little tired of reading about it.
This is one oy my favorite series to read so on to the next one.
This is Beau's first assignment as a member of the special investigation team. The mystery was fantastic and I have to say I did not see that ending coming. Beau is also forced to confront the demons left behind by his second wife Ann. I hope Beau gets the closure he needs in this book as I am getting a little tired of reading about it.
This is one oy my favorite series to read so on to the next one.
May 27, 2025
Good story and nice introduction to J.P. Beaumont. I will definitely give that series a try.
March 6, 2009
I listened to this one as an audio book... I liked the fact that a male read for the male protagonist and a female for the female protagonist. The 'crime' was not very well developed, but I nonetheless enjoyed the story. The relationships established through the process of capturing the killer kept the story moving forward.
November 8, 2011
This book was not absolutely horrible but I can't think of much good to say about it. I guess there were a few interesting parts, but I never got into the story. I haven't read any other books by J.A. Jance so it is possible I am missing the depth of the characters because this is part of a series, although it seemed like the novel was written so it could stand alone. My major complaint is one of the two main characters: Sheriff Brady. Why is it that any time a woman is law enforcement that she has to snap at everybody and bite their heads off in a demonstration of how tough she is? And why do 90% of men who come into contact with her disrespect her and treat her like she isn't up to the job? I'm not saying this kind of thing doesn't happen, but it is greatly exaggerated all the time. I'm tired of that setting and circumstance and was annoyed by it throughout the book. My second complaint is that the storyline just kind of rolled along. The book was never really boring but it was never really exciting either.
January 15, 2020
An artist is killed right before her career is taking off. The big city establishment doesn’t have any faith in the small town where Joanna Brady is the sheriff so they send JP Beaumont to help. The town happens to be the same town where his second wife lived. While solving the crime, he also learns more about his second wife’s past. interesting turn about who the person behind the crime really is.
November 22, 2016
At the beginning of the prologue in this crossover novel between Jance’s Joanna Brady series and her J. P. Beaumont series, we meet a talented female artist, Rochelle Baxter, who is on the eve of her first-ever showing. This inaugural event just so happens to be scheduled at a gallery in Brady’s town of Bisbee, Arizona. And, by the end of that prologue, the woman is dead, murdered in a most ghastly and painful manner.
In the course of notifying the next of kin identified in the woman’s DMV records, the listed phone number leads straight to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. That next-of-kin identity is actually a code name that alerts the Attorney General himself that one of their ops has gone horribly and irreversibly south.
For two days, the Attorney General’s office ignores Brady’s detective’s request for information. When Brady herself makes the request, that office stonewalls her for two more days, saying that the information is classified, must come physically by courier from Washington State and that the courier will be required to supervise the use of said information until the case is resolved. And J. P. Beaumont will be that courier and watchdog.
Beaumont is chosen because he’s new to the state investigative team and prefers to work without a partner. However, he is primarily chosen because he was briefly married to the infamous and deceased Anne Corley, a vigilante-type serial killer originally from Brady’s county. And the fact that Beaumont himself was forced to kill his own wife in a shoot-out makes the Attorney General confident that the detective can easily control some young, backwoods, Annie Oakley-type figurehead of a county sheriff.
Unfortunately for both Beaumont and the Attorney General, what you presume to be true, as opposed to what is actually true, can come back to bite you and bite you badly.
Cross-over novel or not, this book is primarily an entry for the Joanna Brady series. Beaumont’s scenes, while crucial to the ongoing storyline within his own series, only occupy about a quarter of this book. The rest is all Joanna Brady and that “rest” turns into a real mess by the end of the book.
Now, don’t mistake that sentence to mean that the murder investigation is handled sloppily by the author or that a cliffhanger has graced the final page. Neither of these are true. Nevertheless, the only reason I rated this book as high as a 3 is because of the excellent manner in which the murder and its subsequent investigation is written.
In my opinion - and without providing any spoilers as justification - the sharp decline of the book is caused by the last scene that includes both Brady and Beaumont (which, by the way, is not the final scene of the book). In that scene, J. A. Jance creates a heretofore unwritten and never before implied aspect to Joanna Brady’s character. Not in nine previous entries has this critically negative aspect surfaced and no explanation or justification for its appearance is provided after the scene transpires.
Now, over the last several books, Jance has written Brady as becoming more of a workaholic. She is also being portrayed as becoming more selfish and irresponsible towards her family responsibilities. And we are seeing more and more passive-aggressive actions taken by her husband and daughter in order to adapt to and counter Joanna’s selfishness. None of this has been pretty to read, but it has been understandable, particularly since Joanna has gone from being an insurance agency’s office manager to being the widow of a county sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty to being the top cop in that same county, as well as being a new wife, in the space of only 3 years.
But the actions in the aforementioned scene go well beyond selfishness, irresponsibility or being a workaholic. These actions even transcend being hypocritical, particularly in light of a specific and nasty subplot in the previous book.
To have J. A. Jance write a flawed character is one thing. Having her suddenly change a relatively normal main character into someone who, for no visible reason, is on the edge of becoming unrepentantly irredeemable is something else entirely. And that makes me think twice about spending either the time or money to read the remaining novels in the series.
If Jance’s point in that scene between Brady and Beaumont is to shock the reader, she certainly achieved her goal with me. To be fair, Beaumont’s part in the scene comes off cleanly in character. It is Brady’s part that left the taste of ashes in my mouth.
In the course of notifying the next of kin identified in the woman’s DMV records, the listed phone number leads straight to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. That next-of-kin identity is actually a code name that alerts the Attorney General himself that one of their ops has gone horribly and irreversibly south.
For two days, the Attorney General’s office ignores Brady’s detective’s request for information. When Brady herself makes the request, that office stonewalls her for two more days, saying that the information is classified, must come physically by courier from Washington State and that the courier will be required to supervise the use of said information until the case is resolved. And J. P. Beaumont will be that courier and watchdog.
Beaumont is chosen because he’s new to the state investigative team and prefers to work without a partner. However, he is primarily chosen because he was briefly married to the infamous and deceased Anne Corley, a vigilante-type serial killer originally from Brady’s county. And the fact that Beaumont himself was forced to kill his own wife in a shoot-out makes the Attorney General confident that the detective can easily control some young, backwoods, Annie Oakley-type figurehead of a county sheriff.
Unfortunately for both Beaumont and the Attorney General, what you presume to be true, as opposed to what is actually true, can come back to bite you and bite you badly.
Cross-over novel or not, this book is primarily an entry for the Joanna Brady series. Beaumont’s scenes, while crucial to the ongoing storyline within his own series, only occupy about a quarter of this book. The rest is all Joanna Brady and that “rest” turns into a real mess by the end of the book.
Now, don’t mistake that sentence to mean that the murder investigation is handled sloppily by the author or that a cliffhanger has graced the final page. Neither of these are true. Nevertheless, the only reason I rated this book as high as a 3 is because of the excellent manner in which the murder and its subsequent investigation is written.
In my opinion - and without providing any spoilers as justification - the sharp decline of the book is caused by the last scene that includes both Brady and Beaumont (which, by the way, is not the final scene of the book). In that scene, J. A. Jance creates a heretofore unwritten and never before implied aspect to Joanna Brady’s character. Not in nine previous entries has this critically negative aspect surfaced and no explanation or justification for its appearance is provided after the scene transpires.
Now, over the last several books, Jance has written Brady as becoming more of a workaholic. She is also being portrayed as becoming more selfish and irresponsible towards her family responsibilities. And we are seeing more and more passive-aggressive actions taken by her husband and daughter in order to adapt to and counter Joanna’s selfishness. None of this has been pretty to read, but it has been understandable, particularly since Joanna has gone from being an insurance agency’s office manager to being the widow of a county sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty to being the top cop in that same county, as well as being a new wife, in the space of only 3 years.
But the actions in the aforementioned scene go well beyond selfishness, irresponsibility or being a workaholic. These actions even transcend being hypocritical, particularly in light of a specific and nasty subplot in the previous book.
To have J. A. Jance write a flawed character is one thing. Having her suddenly change a relatively normal main character into someone who, for no visible reason, is on the edge of becoming unrepentantly irredeemable is something else entirely. And that makes me think twice about spending either the time or money to read the remaining novels in the series.
If Jance’s point in that scene between Brady and Beaumont is to shock the reader, she certainly achieved her goal with me. To be fair, Beaumont’s part in the scene comes off cleanly in character. It is Brady’s part that left the taste of ashes in my mouth.
May 9, 2025
This was one of the better stories in the series. The mystery was interesting. The teaming up with J.P. Beaumont was fun, even if I haven't read any of his novels yet.
The weird little romance was unnecessary, though, unless Jance plans to do something with it.
The dog... I cried so hard. That feeling when you know it's time, and it's just devastating.
4 Stars
The weird little romance was unnecessary, though, unless Jance plans to do something with it.
The dog... I cried so hard. That feeling when you know it's time, and it's just devastating.
4 Stars
September 17, 2018
Um… Well… That’s time out of my life I’ll never get back. I wish I had been paying better attention when I borrowed this from the library so I could have been caught up in both series before reading this book. I picked it because it was next in the Joanna Brady series but there are definitely some Beaumont spoilers that I wasn’t prepared for. The story itself was only ‘okay’. The characters were a sad disappointment to me. I like who it appears JP is developing into, but I’m tired of the shrewish, snappish, hypercritical, hypocrite Joanna has been written to be.
November 13, 2016
I enjoyed this partnering of Johanna Brady and J.P. Beaumont jointly solving a crime. Jance writes a good mystery. As I have been working my way through the Sheriff Brady series, I feel as though she is a real person. One of these days I'll try the Beaumont series, though they are set in Seattle and I'm not as familiar with that area as I am with Southern Arizona. And I do think the audio versions of this series are very good.
May 26, 2019
This Joanna Brady tale is spiced up a little with an appearance by J. P. Beaumont. Reading this is like watching a speeding train go from point A to point B. We get some of J. P.’s wife’s back story since she grew up near Bisbee, AZ
July 23, 2010
Her stars Beaumont & Brady united in Jance fan club Dream!
Think how much fun it would be if Grafton's Kinsey Millhone went to visit Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and they solved a crime together. Jance has done it with her two leading characters! After 15 Seattle-based (Jance's home) Detective-extraordinaire J.P Beaumont stories, and 9 Arizona-based (Jance's former home) feisty Sheriff Joanna Brady stories, our author has brought the two crime solvers together in a suspenseful and complex plot spanning both locales, with most of the action in Bisbee AZ.
Early on, "Rochelle Baxter", an aspiring Bisbee artist getting ready for her first exhibit, suddenly turns up dead. As Sheriff Brady's team deploys, before long foul play is suspected. Soon it turns out Baxter is really Latisha Wall, in the witness protection program of the Washington State Attorney General. Enter Beaumont, who is now a member of the AG's special homicide team - he's sent to "observe" the proceedings in Bisbee and protect the interests of the Washington case. Of course, this goes over like a cement cloud with the whole Brady team and at first the hostilities between Jance's co-stars are pretty hilarious. Then as the investigations proceed, and another murder crops up, together with some sinister implications of a mole having led to the witness to begin with, Brady and Beaumont unite out of mutual respect and form an effective team. Some rather surprising developments at the end of the book, including a moment of pretty high romantic tension between our two leads, is plenty to keep even the skeptics entertained and turning pages rapidly throughout.
As icing on the cake, Beaumont's brief marriage to a woman hailing originally from (coincidentally) Bisbee is discussed and illuminated in considerable detail as a very intriguing human-interest sub-plot. Reprised from Jance's (and Beaumont's) "Until Proven Guilty" is Anne Rowland Corley. In "Partners", we get to learn all the background of this fascinating and unusual woman and what lead to the deaths she caused, including her own.
As yet another gem, the murder "weapon" turns out to be sodium azide, a horrible and deadly poison found in unexploded car air bags. Jance uses her story to lobby for controlling this substance, which at the moment is totally uncontrolled and hence readily available for acts of terror. She doesn't beat us over the head with this issue, but does create a compelling case for action, with a short plea in an "Author's Note" as an afterward that gets our attention.
We think this is one of Jance's greatest efforts. The only worry is that it looks a little like a swan song, bringing together her great stars, her great locales, and weaving a story hard to put down. Little wonder we hail this as a dream gift to the Jance fan club, which must number in legions anyway! Those that haven't spent 24 or so books rev'ing up for this one may not be quite as enthused, but we suspect we speak for those same legions in telling Jance thank you again and again for this 5-star outing!
Think how much fun it would be if Grafton's Kinsey Millhone went to visit Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and they solved a crime together. Jance has done it with her two leading characters! After 15 Seattle-based (Jance's home) Detective-extraordinaire J.P Beaumont stories, and 9 Arizona-based (Jance's former home) feisty Sheriff Joanna Brady stories, our author has brought the two crime solvers together in a suspenseful and complex plot spanning both locales, with most of the action in Bisbee AZ.
Early on, "Rochelle Baxter", an aspiring Bisbee artist getting ready for her first exhibit, suddenly turns up dead. As Sheriff Brady's team deploys, before long foul play is suspected. Soon it turns out Baxter is really Latisha Wall, in the witness protection program of the Washington State Attorney General. Enter Beaumont, who is now a member of the AG's special homicide team - he's sent to "observe" the proceedings in Bisbee and protect the interests of the Washington case. Of course, this goes over like a cement cloud with the whole Brady team and at first the hostilities between Jance's co-stars are pretty hilarious. Then as the investigations proceed, and another murder crops up, together with some sinister implications of a mole having led to the witness to begin with, Brady and Beaumont unite out of mutual respect and form an effective team. Some rather surprising developments at the end of the book, including a moment of pretty high romantic tension between our two leads, is plenty to keep even the skeptics entertained and turning pages rapidly throughout.
As icing on the cake, Beaumont's brief marriage to a woman hailing originally from (coincidentally) Bisbee is discussed and illuminated in considerable detail as a very intriguing human-interest sub-plot. Reprised from Jance's (and Beaumont's) "Until Proven Guilty" is Anne Rowland Corley. In "Partners", we get to learn all the background of this fascinating and unusual woman and what lead to the deaths she caused, including her own.
As yet another gem, the murder "weapon" turns out to be sodium azide, a horrible and deadly poison found in unexploded car air bags. Jance uses her story to lobby for controlling this substance, which at the moment is totally uncontrolled and hence readily available for acts of terror. She doesn't beat us over the head with this issue, but does create a compelling case for action, with a short plea in an "Author's Note" as an afterward that gets our attention.
We think this is one of Jance's greatest efforts. The only worry is that it looks a little like a swan song, bringing together her great stars, her great locales, and weaving a story hard to put down. Little wonder we hail this as a dream gift to the Jance fan club, which must number in legions anyway! Those that haven't spent 24 or so books rev'ing up for this one may not be quite as enthused, but we suspect we speak for those same legions in telling Jance thank you again and again for this 5-star outing!
February 19, 2019
An artist is ready to have her first show in Bisbee but ends up dead the night before the exhibit. It turns out she was in a witness protection program and she was hiding out in Arizona, away from the Seattle area. As Joanna and her officers begin to follow the trail of the crime, they bump up against the County Attorney from Washington State who wants to find out what happened to their star witness in an important case. Naturally they act as if everyone in Arizona is too incompetent to do the work needed to solve the case, especially a woman sheriff. So we have J.P. Beaumont shipped down to help them out. His past comes out to haunt him and we see Joanna struggle to include him in the ongoing investigation.
I enjoy Joanna and was curious to see how she would interact with J.P. Beaumont. It was about what I expected, like water and oil. I had read 3 of the Beaumont books years ago and never continued because I didn't like his swarmy approach to women, this book doesn't change my opinion. Even though it appears he has joined AA and is trying to live a better life, he still is the same character that has to bring his sexuality into everything. Enough said.
As usual, Joanna's life is complicated and that impacts her actions in dealing with the case. I am less impressed with Butch as the series continues, he is beginning to sound a bit whiney when she has to leave to do her job. It doesn't help matters that Jance is making Joanna a bit of a shrew, why so much screaming at others? I thought she was a level headed lady, hopefully this is just a phase. Quick read as usual, stayed up late to finish.
One warning to those reading the e-books, beware the excerpts at the end from upcoming books. I inadvertently read a couple of paragraphs of a book that is 5 volumes down the line. Now I have been spoiled by details that I would like to have found out on my own. Very very annoying to say the least.
I enjoy Joanna and was curious to see how she would interact with J.P. Beaumont. It was about what I expected, like water and oil. I had read 3 of the Beaumont books years ago and never continued because I didn't like his swarmy approach to women, this book doesn't change my opinion. Even though it appears he has joined AA and is trying to live a better life, he still is the same character that has to bring his sexuality into everything. Enough said.
As usual, Joanna's life is complicated and that impacts her actions in dealing with the case. I am less impressed with Butch as the series continues, he is beginning to sound a bit whiney when she has to leave to do her job. It doesn't help matters that Jance is making Joanna a bit of a shrew, why so much screaming at others? I thought she was a level headed lady, hopefully this is just a phase. Quick read as usual, stayed up late to finish.
One warning to those reading the e-books, beware the excerpts at the end from upcoming books. I inadvertently read a couple of paragraphs of a book that is 5 volumes down the line. Now I have been spoiled by details that I would like to have found out on my own. Very very annoying to say the least.
September 19, 2016
Excellent story.
Two characters she writes about are met in this book, J. P. Beaumont works for Washington State Attorney General, send to Bisbee, Arizona to find out how the investigation to murder going. Sheriff Joanna Brady doesn't need anybody looking over her shoulder. She is described as latter-day Annie Oakley, she is trying to find the killer of very talented artist, they don't know much about her past. Rocky relationship with Beaumont from the beginning turns friendly and help each other to solve these murders. Learned about Sodium Aside in every air bags and how deadly this chemical is, and how easily can be accessed. Is Homeland security doing anything about this? Don't worry after airbags deployed it's not harmful.
Two characters she writes about are met in this book, J. P. Beaumont works for Washington State Attorney General, send to Bisbee, Arizona to find out how the investigation to murder going. Sheriff Joanna Brady doesn't need anybody looking over her shoulder. She is described as latter-day Annie Oakley, she is trying to find the killer of very talented artist, they don't know much about her past. Rocky relationship with Beaumont from the beginning turns friendly and help each other to solve these murders. Learned about Sodium Aside in every air bags and how deadly this chemical is, and how easily can be accessed. Is Homeland security doing anything about this? Don't worry after airbags deployed it's not harmful.
August 27, 2021
An interesting case involving an artist in Bisbee with connections to Washington. Also a deadly chemical is exposed. The teamwork of Beaumont and Brady gave some new interest to crime solving, but I totally did not feel the sudden personal attraction made any sense! I lost some faith in the admirable character of Joanna Brady.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2020
I loved this combination of J.P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady. There were two narrators: one female and the male one was my favorite, Gene Engene.
December 27, 2021
Ten down! I'm officially halfway through. I enjoyed the collaboration with Joanna and JP Beaumont.
October 24, 2019
This was just ok for me. I don't like to criticize talented authors. Sadly, I just never got into the Joanna Brady series and after this one, can't say I'm any more interested in it. But I do still love Ali Reynolds and am enjoying JP Beaumont. Even if he wasn't given the sense to wear appropriate footwear despite decades in the field.
May 26, 2019
What a way to tie in two of J A Janice’s major characters! JP Beaumont and Johanna Brady in the same story! You must realize I’m a fairly new reader. I read a lot of older books that a lot of people have read decades ago. Therefore I’m fascinated by what I’ve missed over the years. A book has to be really bad for me not to finish. This story twisted and turned all the time. Bisbee really is in the middle of not too much and not too close to much either.
November 11, 2020
In Partner in Crime Arizona Sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont find themselves teamed up to investigate the murder of a witness protection client. The victim was hidden away in Naco, AZ by the WA Attorney General's office. Beaumont has retired from the Seattle Police and is working for the Washington State Attorney General as a special investigator. After initial clashes and distrust the two begin to work together. Will they find out who killed the witness, and who had her killed?
July 19, 2020
Putting Beau and Joanna in the same story, combining two of her well loved series really works in this dangerous mystery.
June 18, 2023
This was a teaming up of JP Beaumont and Joanna Brady. .it was ok, but I was a little disappointed in Sherrif Bradys personality in this book. It almost seemed .Ike someone else wrote this book.
Read
March 25, 2018Television series do crossovers with other shows. This is the first author, to my knowledge, to do a crossover with 2 of her characters. Interesting premise with somewhat predictable results, although I have to admit that the end result caught me a bit by surprise. Otherwise another good "2 day mystery".
April 14, 2025
“Partner in Crime” by J. A. Jance
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
PRINT:
© 2002, Aug 6; 978-0380977307; William Morrow; 370 pages; unabridged (Info from Amazon). Also available in Digital (10/13/2009, same publisher, 400 pages (Info from Amazon)).; & Audio (10/12/2009, Blackstone Publishing, 11 hours (Info from Libby)).
FILM:
No.
SERIES:
Joanna Brady Mysteries Book 10
J. P. Beaumont Book 16
CHARACTERS: (Not Comprehensive)
Joanna Brady – Protagonist The Bisbee, Arizona Sheriff
Butch – Joanna’s 2nd husband
Jenny Brady – Joanna’s daughter
Rochelle Baxter – An artist
Deidre Canfield – Owner of an art gallery
LaMar (Bobo) Jenkins – (Did we get this name from the musician?) Retired bar owner considering becoming a politician. Rochelle's love interest.
Jonas Piedmont Beaumont-J.P. Beaumont (Beau)—Seattle Washington investigator for Seattle Homicide Investigation Team
Ross Connors – Washington State Attorney General—Beau’s boss’s boss.
Harry Ignatius Ball – Beau’s boss who prefers to be called Harry I Ball (Harry eyeball)
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED:
Don and I enjoy the JP Beaumont series. Somehow we missed this one and had to go back after getting one step ahead of ourselves.
ABOUT:
Rochelle is an artist who is afraid to get to close to the man she is interested because of something in her past. Just before her grand opening at a friend’s art gallery, she is tragically poisoned.
OVERALL OPINION:
I’m less taken with Joanna’s story then with JP’s, which is why I missed 5-9 in the series. So, I was anxious through the hours that did not include Beau that his part in the story was going to be miniscule. Once he arrived on the scene, the story got more interesting.
AUTHOR:
J. A. Jance (From Goodreads)
“Judith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona”
NARRATOR(s)
1. Stephanie Brush (From IMDb)
“Stephanie Brush is known for Hangman's Curse (2003), Hanna (2019) and Dex (2015).”
2. Gene Engene (From the Chicago Tribune)
“A MASTER`S VOICE: GENE ENGENE THE LATEST TO PROVE chicagotribune.com/1990/08/30/a-maste... By Chicago Tribune UPDATED: August 10, 2021 at 4:08 PM CDT Every time I hear a great new reader, it`s like getting another friend. Gene Engene (pronounced EN-gun-ee) is my most recent acquaintance. Engene, a professor of drama at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., has a compelling, now-hear-this voice, but he still manages to sound friendly. He`s serious, yet expressive and conversational, the Walter Cronkite of narrators. He gives a dramatic, crisp delivery without being too tense or tight. A master of the pause, he creates suspense by drawing out some of the words, as in: ”aaaaaand, theeeeen, the man bit the dog.” Engene reads for Books in Motion, a Spokane, Wash., company with 100-plus titles in its most recent catalog. I listened to him narrate ”White Fang,” one of the Jack London adventure stories set in the Far North (eight hours; $10.50 rental, $29.95 purchase). The novel tells the story of a wolfdog named White Fang who is eventually domesticated. It is a counterpoint to London`s ”The Call of the Wild,” in which a family pet is stolen and forced to adapt to the frigid climate and harsh conditions of sled-dog life. At the end, he takes off with the wolves, so White Fang could very well be his son. The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard An expert at bringing out the darker elements of a story, Engene also reads some of Books in Motion`s other mystery, adventure and classic titles. They include ”The Call of the Wild,” two Ken Follett spy novels, Richard Henry Dana`s ”Two Years Before the Mast,” Rudyard Kipling`s ”Captains Courageous,” Joseph Conrad`s ”Lord Jim,” Jules Verne`s ”The Mysterious Island,” Nathaniel Hawthorne`s ”The Scarlet Letter” and Henry David Thoreau`s ”Civil Disobedience.” 3/24/25, 12:24 PM A MASTER`S VOICE: GENE ENGENE THE LATEST TO PROVE – Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/0... 1/11
A Mark Twain reader, he`s not. For the element of spine-tingling gloom and doom, Engene is right up there in my estimation with Frank Muller, who reads somberly and dramatically for Recorded Books. . . . More and more companies are discovering the power of a good reader. In fact, just this year Books on Tape began to index its recordings not just by title and author, but also by reader. Recorded Books has profiled some of its more popular readers in a newsletter to subscribers. Engene started reading for Books in Motion President Gary Challender before the company even existed. Challender had a long drive as a regional businessman, and he started out getting local readers to record books for his own use. Gradually, he accrued a stock of titles, friends began to ask if they could borrow them, and, he said, ”it just grew from there.” Engene, who is prominent in the eastern Washington acting community, seems to have prepared thoroughly. He sounds not so much as if he`s reading, but more as if he`s telling a favorite story that he knows well. Surprise! Challender said Engene is just naturally ”surefooted.” Even reading a book for the first time, his mind is about a sentence ahead of his mouth. Unlike most of the rest of us, who do it the other way around. Some guy. A cautionary note: If you send for the Books in Motion (9212 Montgomery, Suite 501, Spokane, Wash. 99206; phone 800-752-3199) catalog, don`t be put off by its appearance (it is littered with dippy little drawings). Look beyond to some pretty good titles. And some great prices. For the budget-conscious, the company offers about 40 titles that are short stories or excerpts rather than abridgments-such as some of the Mowgli stories from Kipling`s ”The Jungle Book” and ”The Trail of the Meat,” excerpted from four chapters of ”White Fang.” These titles retail for $4.95 to $8.95 and are available as rentals for $1.50 to $3. Originally Published: August 30, 1990 at 1:00 AM CDT”
GENRE:
Mystery; Fiction; Police Procedural
SUBJECTS (Not comprehensive):
Painting; Art; Poison; Sodium Azide; Police procedure; Witness protection; SuicideLOCATION:
Bisbee, Arizona
TIME PERIOD:
Current (2002)
DEDICATION:
“For Mr. Bone. For Sunny, Huck, and Zeke. For the Nickkis (both of them). For Tess and Mandy. Azalea and Scratch. Boots and Barney. Daphne and Ag. And last but not least, for Daisy Mae.”
EXCERPT
From “Prologue”:
“‘Well?’ Deidre Canfield asked, as she mopped her dripping forehead and straightened the last picture. ‘What do you think?’ Rochelle Baxter stood back and eyed the painting critically. It was one of sixteen pieces in her first-ever gallery showing. With occasional heavy-lifting help from Dee’s boyfriend, Warren Gibson, the two women had spent the previous six hours hanging and rehanging the paintings in Dee’s recently remodeled and—for anyone doing physical labor—incredibly overheated Castle Rock Gallery in Bisbee, Arizona. For Dee it was a new beginning. For Rochelle, it was something else.
‘It’s fine,’ she said. Then, seeing how her lack of enthusiasm caused a cloud of concern to cross Dee’s face, Rochelle added quickly, ‘It’s great, Dee. Really, it’s fine.’
‘I’m glad you like it,’ Dee said. ‘And don’t worry. I know this show is going to be a huge success. You heard the phone calls that came in about it just today. I’m betting we’ll have an overflow crowd for tomorrow’s grand opening.’
Deirdre Canfield may have been convinced but Rochelle wasn’t so sure. ‘I hope so,’ she said dubiously.
Dee grinned. ‘What’s wrong, Shelley? Sounds like you’re suffering from a case of opening-night-jitters.’
‘Maybe so,’ Rochelle admitted. ‘In fact, probably so.’
‘Take my word for it,’ Dee assured her. ‘I’ve been managing art galleries for years. I know what people like, and I’m telling you, they’re going to love your stuff. What worries me is that we’ll sell out so fast that some people will go away disappointed. I’m a lot more concerned about that than I am about no one showing up.’
Turning away, Dee walked over to her desk and picked up her purse. ‘Warren wants me to give him a lift to the house, and I have to stop by the bank before it closes. Want to ride along?’
Rochelle shook her head. ‘You two go ahead. If you don’t mind, Dee, I’d rather stay here. I want to be alone with the paintings for a little while.’
Dee smiled sympathetically. ‘It must seem like saying good-bye to a bunch of old friends.’
Rochelle nodded, but she kept her face averted so the tears welling up in her eyes didn’t show. Dee’s comment was far closer to the mark than Rochelle Baxter wanted to admit. ‘Something like that,’ she murmured.”
RATING:
4 stars.
STARTED-FINISHED
3/29/2024-4/12/2024
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
PRINT:
© 2002, Aug 6; 978-0380977307; William Morrow; 370 pages; unabridged (Info from Amazon). Also available in Digital (10/13/2009, same publisher, 400 pages (Info from Amazon)).; & Audio (10/12/2009, Blackstone Publishing, 11 hours (Info from Libby)).
FILM:
No.
SERIES:
Joanna Brady Mysteries Book 10
J. P. Beaumont Book 16
CHARACTERS: (Not Comprehensive)
Joanna Brady – Protagonist The Bisbee, Arizona Sheriff
Butch – Joanna’s 2nd husband
Jenny Brady – Joanna’s daughter
Rochelle Baxter – An artist
Deidre Canfield – Owner of an art gallery
LaMar (Bobo) Jenkins – (Did we get this name from the musician?) Retired bar owner considering becoming a politician. Rochelle's love interest.
Jonas Piedmont Beaumont-J.P. Beaumont (Beau)—Seattle Washington investigator for Seattle Homicide Investigation Team
Ross Connors – Washington State Attorney General—Beau’s boss’s boss.
Harry Ignatius Ball – Beau’s boss who prefers to be called Harry I Ball (Harry eyeball)
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED:
Don and I enjoy the JP Beaumont series. Somehow we missed this one and had to go back after getting one step ahead of ourselves.
ABOUT:
Rochelle is an artist who is afraid to get to close to the man she is interested because of something in her past. Just before her grand opening at a friend’s art gallery, she is tragically poisoned.
OVERALL OPINION:
I’m less taken with Joanna’s story then with JP’s, which is why I missed 5-9 in the series. So, I was anxious through the hours that did not include Beau that his part in the story was going to be miniscule. Once he arrived on the scene, the story got more interesting.
AUTHOR:
J. A. Jance (From Goodreads)
“Judith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona”
NARRATOR(s)
1. Stephanie Brush (From IMDb)
“Stephanie Brush is known for Hangman's Curse (2003), Hanna (2019) and Dex (2015).”
2. Gene Engene (From the Chicago Tribune)
“A MASTER`S VOICE: GENE ENGENE THE LATEST TO PROVE chicagotribune.com/1990/08/30/a-maste... By Chicago Tribune UPDATED: August 10, 2021 at 4:08 PM CDT Every time I hear a great new reader, it`s like getting another friend. Gene Engene (pronounced EN-gun-ee) is my most recent acquaintance. Engene, a professor of drama at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., has a compelling, now-hear-this voice, but he still manages to sound friendly. He`s serious, yet expressive and conversational, the Walter Cronkite of narrators. He gives a dramatic, crisp delivery without being too tense or tight. A master of the pause, he creates suspense by drawing out some of the words, as in: ”aaaaaand, theeeeen, the man bit the dog.” Engene reads for Books in Motion, a Spokane, Wash., company with 100-plus titles in its most recent catalog. I listened to him narrate ”White Fang,” one of the Jack London adventure stories set in the Far North (eight hours; $10.50 rental, $29.95 purchase). The novel tells the story of a wolfdog named White Fang who is eventually domesticated. It is a counterpoint to London`s ”The Call of the Wild,” in which a family pet is stolen and forced to adapt to the frigid climate and harsh conditions of sled-dog life. At the end, he takes off with the wolves, so White Fang could very well be his son. The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard An expert at bringing out the darker elements of a story, Engene also reads some of Books in Motion`s other mystery, adventure and classic titles. They include ”The Call of the Wild,” two Ken Follett spy novels, Richard Henry Dana`s ”Two Years Before the Mast,” Rudyard Kipling`s ”Captains Courageous,” Joseph Conrad`s ”Lord Jim,” Jules Verne`s ”The Mysterious Island,” Nathaniel Hawthorne`s ”The Scarlet Letter” and Henry David Thoreau`s ”Civil Disobedience.” 3/24/25, 12:24 PM A MASTER`S VOICE: GENE ENGENE THE LATEST TO PROVE – Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/0... 1/11
A Mark Twain reader, he`s not. For the element of spine-tingling gloom and doom, Engene is right up there in my estimation with Frank Muller, who reads somberly and dramatically for Recorded Books. . . . More and more companies are discovering the power of a good reader. In fact, just this year Books on Tape began to index its recordings not just by title and author, but also by reader. Recorded Books has profiled some of its more popular readers in a newsletter to subscribers. Engene started reading for Books in Motion President Gary Challender before the company even existed. Challender had a long drive as a regional businessman, and he started out getting local readers to record books for his own use. Gradually, he accrued a stock of titles, friends began to ask if they could borrow them, and, he said, ”it just grew from there.” Engene, who is prominent in the eastern Washington acting community, seems to have prepared thoroughly. He sounds not so much as if he`s reading, but more as if he`s telling a favorite story that he knows well. Surprise! Challender said Engene is just naturally ”surefooted.” Even reading a book for the first time, his mind is about a sentence ahead of his mouth. Unlike most of the rest of us, who do it the other way around. Some guy. A cautionary note: If you send for the Books in Motion (9212 Montgomery, Suite 501, Spokane, Wash. 99206; phone 800-752-3199) catalog, don`t be put off by its appearance (it is littered with dippy little drawings). Look beyond to some pretty good titles. And some great prices. For the budget-conscious, the company offers about 40 titles that are short stories or excerpts rather than abridgments-such as some of the Mowgli stories from Kipling`s ”The Jungle Book” and ”The Trail of the Meat,” excerpted from four chapters of ”White Fang.” These titles retail for $4.95 to $8.95 and are available as rentals for $1.50 to $3. Originally Published: August 30, 1990 at 1:00 AM CDT”
GENRE:
Mystery; Fiction; Police Procedural
SUBJECTS (Not comprehensive):
Painting; Art; Poison; Sodium Azide; Police procedure; Witness protection; SuicideLOCATION:
Bisbee, Arizona
TIME PERIOD:
Current (2002)
DEDICATION:
“For Mr. Bone. For Sunny, Huck, and Zeke. For the Nickkis (both of them). For Tess and Mandy. Azalea and Scratch. Boots and Barney. Daphne and Ag. And last but not least, for Daisy Mae.”
EXCERPT
From “Prologue”:
“‘Well?’ Deidre Canfield asked, as she mopped her dripping forehead and straightened the last picture. ‘What do you think?’ Rochelle Baxter stood back and eyed the painting critically. It was one of sixteen pieces in her first-ever gallery showing. With occasional heavy-lifting help from Dee’s boyfriend, Warren Gibson, the two women had spent the previous six hours hanging and rehanging the paintings in Dee’s recently remodeled and—for anyone doing physical labor—incredibly overheated Castle Rock Gallery in Bisbee, Arizona. For Dee it was a new beginning. For Rochelle, it was something else.
‘It’s fine,’ she said. Then, seeing how her lack of enthusiasm caused a cloud of concern to cross Dee’s face, Rochelle added quickly, ‘It’s great, Dee. Really, it’s fine.’
‘I’m glad you like it,’ Dee said. ‘And don’t worry. I know this show is going to be a huge success. You heard the phone calls that came in about it just today. I’m betting we’ll have an overflow crowd for tomorrow’s grand opening.’
Deirdre Canfield may have been convinced but Rochelle wasn’t so sure. ‘I hope so,’ she said dubiously.
Dee grinned. ‘What’s wrong, Shelley? Sounds like you’re suffering from a case of opening-night-jitters.’
‘Maybe so,’ Rochelle admitted. ‘In fact, probably so.’
‘Take my word for it,’ Dee assured her. ‘I’ve been managing art galleries for years. I know what people like, and I’m telling you, they’re going to love your stuff. What worries me is that we’ll sell out so fast that some people will go away disappointed. I’m a lot more concerned about that than I am about no one showing up.’
Turning away, Dee walked over to her desk and picked up her purse. ‘Warren wants me to give him a lift to the house, and I have to stop by the bank before it closes. Want to ride along?’
Rochelle shook her head. ‘You two go ahead. If you don’t mind, Dee, I’d rather stay here. I want to be alone with the paintings for a little while.’
Dee smiled sympathetically. ‘It must seem like saying good-bye to a bunch of old friends.’
Rochelle nodded, but she kept her face averted so the tears welling up in her eyes didn’t show. Dee’s comment was far closer to the mark than Rochelle Baxter wanted to admit. ‘Something like that,’ she murmured.”
RATING:
4 stars.
STARTED-FINISHED
3/29/2024-4/12/2024
January 21, 2019
This is the first intertwined book between the Joanna Brady and Beaumont series. I thought I would love the blending of my two favorite characters but I'm not sold on it yet. They got off to a rocky start and then that very awkward moment at the end doesn't make me look forward to more intertwined books. Butch also seems to have just realized that Joanna can be called away at any time of the day or night for her job and he isn't dealing well with it. The story itself was pretty good and kept me guessing until the end.
November 28, 2014
This is the first "crossover" of Jance's Joanne Brady and J. P. Beaumont series. It mostly takes place on Joanna's turf, Bisbee AZ where J. P. is sent by the Washington State Attorney General when one of their whistle blowing witnesses sent there for her own protection turns up dead, possibly a victim of homicide. The AG's refusal to disclose pertinent information angers the Sheriff who takes it out on Beau, who then decides to investigate on his own. Their conflict and its eventual resolution is a major plot line.
Since this book is meant to appeal to Beaumont fans who might not be familiar with Brady and vice verse, there is more than the usual amount of backstory briefing, some of which followers of both series may find tedious. Many of the usual Bisbee characters who have figured in the nine previous Brady novels show up for cameo performances. Beaumont readers may recall that Beau's second wife, serial killer Anne Corley (Beaumont Book 1), grew up in Bisbee, so J.P. takes advantage of the opportunity to learn more about her past.
Brady novels are written in the third person while Beaumont's are in the first person. In this book, the person changes from 3rd to 1st from chapter to chapter depending on the viewpoint. This was a little jarring at first, but I got used to it.
Since this book is meant to appeal to Beaumont fans who might not be familiar with Brady and vice verse, there is more than the usual amount of backstory briefing, some of which followers of both series may find tedious. Many of the usual Bisbee characters who have figured in the nine previous Brady novels show up for cameo performances. Beaumont readers may recall that Beau's second wife, serial killer Anne Corley (Beaumont Book 1), grew up in Bisbee, so J.P. takes advantage of the opportunity to learn more about her past.
Brady novels are written in the third person while Beaumont's are in the first person. In this book, the person changes from 3rd to 1st from chapter to chapter depending on the viewpoint. This was a little jarring at first, but I got used to it.
August 15, 2008
This was an audio book that I wouldn't recommend, unless you really like a dramatized format. The two readers, one male and one female, were just a little over the top. I didn't like their affected voices or accents (the drunk guys were particularly bad). There were even sound effects like burping! The readers also switched off too often. When they were in conversation with each other it was like he said, she said. Ew.
I thought that this story just took itself too seriously. There was no humor or even anything very interesting going on. A very formulaic whodunnit. Not my favorite genre to begin with.
One thing that did interest me; apparently, the two detectives in this story were the main characters in two separate series by this author, and in this story she brought them together to solve a case. I had never read any of the titles in either series, but for an author to have that option seems rare and is interesting to me.
I thought that this story just took itself too seriously. There was no humor or even anything very interesting going on. A very formulaic whodunnit. Not my favorite genre to begin with.
One thing that did interest me; apparently, the two detectives in this story were the main characters in two separate series by this author, and in this story she brought them together to solve a case. I had never read any of the titles in either series, but for an author to have that option seems rare and is interesting to me.
April 21, 2023
An artist who is about to have her first gallery showing dies mysteriously. Initially, it seems to be a natural death, but further testing reveals a more sinister end. Due to the victim's identity, the state gets involved and J.P. Beaumont makes his way to Bisby. Sheriff Joanna Brady is indignant about the intrusion by another agency and keeps Beaumont at arm's length. He proves to be a more capable investigator than she imagined.
Partner in Crime is a crossover between two of J.A. Jance's series. I haven't read any of the Beaumont books, but his inclusion in the plot was quite seamless. This entry in the Joanna Brady series focused more on the crime and less on her personal life which was a nice change.
3.5 stars bumped up to 4 as the two narrators, one male, one female, were a bonus.
Partner in Crime is a crossover between two of J.A. Jance's series. I haven't read any of the Beaumont books, but his inclusion in the plot was quite seamless. This entry in the Joanna Brady series focused more on the crime and less on her personal life which was a nice change.
3.5 stars bumped up to 4 as the two narrators, one male, one female, were a bonus.
February 21, 2019
I love the Joanna Brady books. But J. P. Beaumont is horriale. Adding him to the typical Brady series just made this book unpleasant. His story involves nothing but his libido. And he manages to bring that with him to Bisbee. Not happy!
In fact, I just bagged up all 25 of the J. P. Beaumont books and took them to Goodwill this past Saturday.
Now that I have that off my chest...
This book has a good mystery element to it. Plus lots of angst and conflicts among the characters. It keeps you flipping through the pages to figure out who was behind the murders. And a creative way to cause the deaths. Something to think about and I hope the government is aware of the lethal nature of this particular chemical. Glad J. A. Jance has brought it to our attention.
In fact, I just bagged up all 25 of the J. P. Beaumont books and took them to Goodwill this past Saturday.
Now that I have that off my chest...
This book has a good mystery element to it. Plus lots of angst and conflicts among the characters. It keeps you flipping through the pages to figure out who was behind the murders. And a creative way to cause the deaths. Something to think about and I hope the government is aware of the lethal nature of this particular chemical. Glad J. A. Jance has brought it to our attention.
July 27, 2021
Introducing J.P. Beaumont into a Joanna Brady-series story by way of a second narrator may have seemed like a good idea but fell a bit flat for me. For all I know the author and publisher(s) had a deal for two books and the author saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. The story wasn't too awful but I kept wondering why the second narrator had to break in.
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