Web Of Evil

Ali Reynolds #2

by J.A. Jance

New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance is back with another masterful thriller featuring Ali Reynolds, an ex-television journalist who finds herself in a twisted web of mystery and murder.

Fired from her dream job as a Los Angeles new anchor and still recovering from the truth about her cheating husband, Ali is content to lick her wounds far away in Sedona, Arizona. But before she can leave the past behind, she must return to her ex, Paul, is in a hurry for a divorce so he can marry his very young, very pregnant fiancée.

But the day before the final proceedings, Paul’s bound and broken body is found in the Palm Springs desert. Ali finds herself the sole heir to his wealthy estate—and the prime suspect in his brutal murder. As the evidence piles up against her, she must navigate a torturous path strewn with danger—and bodies—to expose the real cold-blooded thriller.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 9, 2007

About the author

Judith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

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

Reviews

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romanul a aparut in 2007 si face parte din colectia 'Suspans' a editurii Nemira. Titlul cartii "Web of evil" face referire la faptul ca personajul principal detine un blog online in care isi povesteste viata.
In prolog suntem martorii unor evenimente cumplite in care un barbat se trezeste legat fedeles in portbagajul unei masini care se deplaseaza pe autostrada Los Angeles - Palm Springs. Soferul lasa masina pe sinele de tren si barbatul din portbagaj, constient si infricosat, aude trenul venind, neputand sa faca nimic ca sa se salveze. Ultima imagine pe care o avem cu el este cand acesta e taiat in bucatele.
O cunoastem apoi pe Ali Reynolds, care are un blog numit "Cutlooseblog.com". Ea povesteste acolo ca este pe cale sa se definitiveze divortul de sotul ei si ca va trebui sa conduca pentru asta 8 ore de la Sedona pana la Los Angeles. Acesta o parasise pentru o femeie mai tanara care urmeaza sa-i nasca un bebelus cat mai curand. Ali mai povesteste ca si seful ei a dat-o afara, pierzandu-si postul de reporter de stiri pentru a gasi pe cineva mai tanar care da mai bine pe camera. Ea marturiseste ca incearca sa depaseasca situatia, sa nu se lase coplesita de amaraciune si ca doreste sa inceapa o noua viata.
Pe drum spre Los Angeles Ali vede accidentul feroviar si se bucura in acel moment ca nu mai este reporter. Ajungand la tribunal, fostul ei sot nu se prezinta la infatisare si curand aflam ca a murit.
Detectivii ancheteaza cazul si pentru ca Ali il mosteneste, acestia considera ca a avut suficiente motive ca sa-si omoare sotul. Din acel moment devine suspecta principala.
Mi s-a parut amuzant ca fiul personajului principal, Cristopher, preda "sudura artistica" la liceul din Sedona. Initial nu stiam ce inseamna acest lucru sau daca traducerea a fost neinspirata, insa cartea precizeaza destul de clar ca trebuie sa termini UCLA pentru asta. Iata asadar ca trebuie sa mergi la facultate ca sa inveti sa sudezi si sa predai sudura. Documentandu-ma apoi am descoperit ca exista destule asemenea cursuri (artistic welding) si reprezinta un fel de sculptura in metal ale carei rezultate arata chiar foarte interesant.
De asemenea, la pagina 26 aflam ca in California cel care doreste sa obtina un verdict rapid la procesul sau poate sa angajeze un judecator privat. Tribunalele private functioneaza paralel cu tribunalele de stat doar ca judecatorii solicita onorarii.
"Reteaua raului" este un roman bun dar intriga politista mi s-a parut subtire, protagonista este foarte naiva bagandu-se singura in tot felul de necazuri si sunt prea multe discutii nerelevante cu foarte multe personaje secundare care nu au nicio pondere in solutionarea cazului. Am ajuns la concluzia ca putea fi mai scurt de 430 de pagini.
In incheiere este un roman pe care-l puteti incerca, nu va va impresiona din cale afara, insa nu este nici plictisitor sau foarte slab. O sa va dati la final seama ca-i lipseste sarea sau piperul. Dupa gust.

[Erin L · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finally quit. I had to. Ali had just become so ridiculous I couldn't stand it for another second. I wanted to punch her.

I think the theme of "don't tell me what to do!!!!!!!" is an unintentional one by the author, but two of the main characters have meltdowns around people giving them completely sensible advice. And, really, Ali had no cause to get all angry since she NEVER listened to any advice that anyone ever gave her, even while whining about how much money she was spending on lawyers to get said advice.

I assume that in the remaining pages she once again went against the good advice given and ended up getting her life threatened only to make it out alive (fine, get rescued from her own idiocy) and be completely cleared of alllllllllllll charges.

PS. Who ever thinks, "hey this person is armed and crazy. The police totally are NOT the right people to send in to do this. In fact, I won't even call them. They'll just think I'm wrong anyway. So I'll go in and have a glass of water with her and tell her that she's doing everything wrong. Even when she tells me repeatedly that she's tired of people telling her what to do..." Ahem.

What a mess. My favorite part is when Ali's father and son both come to LA, but they never actually show up in the story. Or at least they hadn't when I abandoned all hope and I vaguely remember her saying they'd gone home again. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THEM GOING TO LA????????????????

Sigh.

I don't think I'll read another in this series. I have heard good things about other series by this author, but I don't think I'm ready to bite that bullet yet.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars for Web of Evil: Ali Reynolds Book 2 (audiobook) by J. A. Jance read by Karen Ziemba.
I really liked how I’ve been to nearly every place mentioned in the story and I’ve driven on every highway in the story. I really want to like this but the moral high ground coming from a former SoCal TV reporter seems a little unbelievable. Then there is all of the crazy situations the author is putting the characters through. It just seemed a bit much. And I just got done with a Dan Brown novel.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery intrigued me, but some of the actions of the main character were unrealistic and not believable.

Ali is ready to finalize the divorce between herself and her husband, Paul. Paul can't wait either, since he is planning to marry his 8 month pregnant girlfriend, the day after the divorce. Unfortunately, neither of their plans end up happening, since Paul gets up getting killed the night before the court date. Ali is named the prime suspect, as she gets quite the fortune since they never finalized the divorce (and Paul never changed his will). More events unfold and Ali is determined to find the killer.

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect. I wanted to find out who killed Paul and more importantly why did they kill him. However, Ali annoyed me, as she begins to blog about the ongoing murder investigation and following events. I also don't understand why Ali needed to be involved in everything. She is an ex-news anchor and doesn't have any detective or police experience.

I'm unsure if I want to continue this series. Could be a good beach/vacation read.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. Kind of predictable and I really couldn't get to excited about the main character. She just kept doing stupid stuff. Like hiring high priced lawyers and then completely ignoring there advice. I probably won't read this author again.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book, but boy, did I hate it. Other reviewers have covered the serious flaws around Ali Reynolds' unpleasant demeanor and the unnecessary extra plot twist at the end of the book, so I won't comment further. What I do need to talk about is THAT STUPID BLOG.

I realize the book is ten years old and blogs were less common then than they are now. Still; a woman is questioned in the murder of her soon-to-be-ex-husband, goes home and blogs about it, and the police are just like, "We wish you hadn't done that, but eh"?? What sane adult thinks it could possibly be a good idea to comment in an online public forum on these issues while they are unfolding? Does Ali Reynolds have no idea how police investigations and legal trials go? Does she just not care about contaminating the investigation? The fact that the police never arrested Ali for interfering with an ongoing investigation is mind-boggling.

I hope cutitlooseblog.com gets a virus and has to be shut down.

[Bruce Snell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second in Jance's "Ali Reynolds" series and takes place in Los Angeles after Ali's soon to be ex-husband is found murdered. I read an online review that called this story "uninspired" and described the plot developments as "clumsy," and to be honest, I think that reviewer was being kind. Ali Reynolds is the least like-able of all Jance's protagonists. There really is no reason to read this one.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a nice collection of J A Jance novels. A combo of Beaumont and Brady mysteries that I am forever intending to read. This is an Ali Reynolds mystery. Copyrighted 2005. I wasn't as familiar with this character as her other two series, and there are more Ali Reynolds books besides this one. I have to admit though that I liked this book for many reasons and then at the same time I had a hard time staying focused on it. I loved how Jance used blogging as an integral part of the story as well as featuring modern technology we use every day such as computers, laptops, GPS devices etc. These things are a part of our everyday lives and blogging is something all of us have at least read from time to time and probably subscribe to more than a few. The story is about Ali finding out her soon to be ex- husband has been murdered. She is initially a suspect and has to find the truth with the help of a her mother and friend Dave. The web is tangled indeed and there are more than a few bad guys all with their own motives. The author is very knowledgeable about the location, which in this case is LA. The story moves along at a nice clip, but I got a little bored at times for some reason. Lots of action toward the last though made up for it. Overall, not a bad 383 pages.

[Toni Kania · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could hardly believe that J.A.Jance could have possibly written this. I've read all of her Beaumont and Joanna Brady books, which while very different from each other in locale and protagonists, both were literate, intelligent and complex in stories and characters. Not true here. The language was simplistic and the protagonist was at best adolescent in her behavior and actions. I was reading #2, because I knew I had read #1 a long time ago and didn't want to re-read it. It must have been all right, because you'd think I would have remembered thinking it was sub-par. Or my reading criteria have considerably evolved!

[Kimberly A Griffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't buy it.

I purchased their his book for my kindle. I regret it. If you have read any of the other 1 star reviews, you will know why this story is blah. I don't know how a suspect could continue to disregard an attorney's advice and stay out of jail.
I didn't read the whole book. I skipped to the end to find out who did it. Don't waste your time.

[CD {Boulder Blvd} · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've liked a number of books by Jance in her Joanna Brady series but so far this series doesn't seem to be working for me. Ali felt way to TSTL and many of the situations felt eye rolling or contrived.

May try the next book but...

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a few books by this author. They have been in the three to four star range. This one however, was not. I struggled with the dialogue. It was excessively wordy. I also usually like the characters that this author creates, but the MC in this one was a little annoying. When the police step in to save her life, she throws a temper tantrum right in the middle of a restaurant because they moved her things to a safer place. Scenes like this detract from the story line. She is a grown woman but acts like she is 12. Her judgement calls in this one, left me questioning the characters and the plot. Overall, this was just okay for me.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank goodness in future books, both Ali and her mother become more savvy in thinking about their safety and when to talk to the police and when not to. They were both pretty naive in their thinking in this book.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its funny that a book published 15 years ago can seem dated but that's my biggest complaint with this book. The emphasis on the heroine's blog and various other tech features (a gps tracker e.g.) distracted from a well crafted mystery. Aside from that minor irritant I enjoyed this book.

[Sandie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although WEB OF EVIL by J. A. Jance is an okay read there is nothing really special or unpredictable about it. While the opening chapter is one that hooks you, the narrative progresses into just another mundane who-dunnit and why tale of the "dumped" wife suspected of murdering her husband for financial gain while the flaky pregnant girlfriend bemoans her fate.

Ali Reynolds, the wife, is an ex television news-reporter who appears to have about as much common sense as a turnip. When told by her lawyer to maintain a low profile and keep her mouth shut she immediately "spills her guts" in her internet blog and then seems surprised that the police have read it and consider her a prime suspect. Her reaction to and interaction with some of the other characters in this book is also a little hard to swallow as is the fact that she ever held a responsible job in the real world. I don't know about other readers of this book, but I found it difficult to relate to, let alone bond with, a woman as stubborn and obtuse as she appears to be. Even her homicide detective friend Dave Holman is a cardboard cutout of a super hero, always johnny-on-the-spot with a solution when things get rough for Ali. The only "real" characters in this book are Ali's parents an amusing couple who run a diner in Sedona and appear to lead a normal life - - - or could if it weren't for their daughter.

I have read a couple of other books by this author and this is definitely not one of her best. The word that most accurately describes it would be mediocre.

[Patrick Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading ‘Dead Wrong’ I decided to jump right into another Jance mystery just to see if she is as good as I suspect or perhaps I hit upon the one and only good book in her canon. Alas, she seems to be an excellent “Mmmm” writer. (Stands for Many Magnificent Murder Mysteries—or, whatever you want.)

A woman drives from Phoenix to L.A. along I-10. At the Palm Springs exit she sees in the distance the psychedelic cluster of police car, EMS, and Fire Department lights. She is on her way to sign her divorce papers the next day. He soon to be ex-husband is getting re-married the day after. Only, things don’t go well. The observed accident turned out to be a car placed on the railroad tracks with her husband shackled in the trunk.

It’s a terrific set up. Things keep getting more and more complicated.
What struck me with this novel (and the previous) is the author’s ability to make improbable events seem logical. I am reading along thinking, oh yes, this is exactly what would happen. As if I would know.

Jance’s novels are really satisfying—and this has me a little worried. I don’t LIKE murder mysteries. Here is what I will do. I will try another after this, and then perhaps one more, until I find that slacker novel below her abilities and then spout, “Ha! I told you so. Mmmms are not literature, and she’s a hack!” Then I am off the hook. Don’t have to read any more.

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was only a "page-turner" because I was skipping over Ali's constant whining about her lawyers, the author's repetitive style of storytelling, and the bizarre relationship between Ali and her "just-an-aquaintance-friend" who took 3 weeks of vacation to help her risk their lives to play detective in LA. I was hoping to get to a critical scene where everything comes together and you are satisfied with the book. Well there were at least 5 of these and the book just kept dragging on! And then at the end the business with Jesus and Elvira and the baby... what did that add to the story? I would not recommend this book to anyone. Not only does the subpar plot drag on and on but the quality of writing is considerably lacking. The fact that we are supposed to take the concept of Sump Sudoku seriously?? really?

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Web of Evil (J.A. Jance)
Murder/Suspense/Mystery

Fast paced murder mystery. Ali Reynolds leaves her home in Arizona for California to finalize her divorce. But when she gets there her soon to be ex does not show up, soon Ali finds out why. He is found tied int the trunk of a car dead. Ali becomes the number one suspect.

Things get more complex, since her husband had a fiance and he was murdered on the eve of their wedding. His much younger bride is eight months pregnant, and finds she is not the heir to his fortune. Ali, with the help of her friend Dave, set out to find the truth and clear alis name.

Fast paces murder mystery, lots of suspects with valid motives. Suspenseful up until the end.

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Mehhhh. MEHHHHHH.

I had a few problems with this.

1.) Why hire a team of lawyers and pay out the wazoo for their services, then bitch about how much you’re spending on them while NOT TAKING ANY OF THEIR ADVICE?!

2.) Why would you have a blog and continue to write about AN ONGOING HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION (in which you are a primary suspect), WHEN YOUR LAWYERS TOLD YOU NOT TO? (And then get offended when you’re called “a loose cannon with a blog”??! B*tch please, it’s nothing but the truth!!)

3.) MC was a very irritating specimen of humanity.

4.) This book was about 150 pages too long.

This was my first by J. A. Jance and while I’ll give her another shot at some point in the future, I can tell you that it won’t be for quite awhile. Grarghhh!

[Tex · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice enough thriller with a few too many bits in the plot to feel realistic. One referral to a California highway without the "the" prefix and a "then" instead of a "than" threw me off for several chapters. Also, as in some other stories, copious spending when folks don't seem to have that kind of scratch bothers me (endless hotel rooms for multiple people, endless room service meals, endless days without anyone working).

[Connie Marx · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like J.A. Jance. The stories keep you interested, and you never really are sure if what you think will happen, will happen. They are mysteries without the gore that seems to be a must for entertainment anymore. I plan on reading more of her books...

[Jennifer Hodges Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Ladyhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say 3.5 stars. I liked it, the story possess a fairly intricate plot amid several sub-plots which makes for a great mystery! Jance knows her stuff. I'll continue with this series!

[L Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this mystery. The characters were well developed and interesting in very different ways. I look forward to more in this series.

[Marissa Picone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who really did it & why...

[Zoann · Rating 3 out of 5]

We interrupt your regular reading to bring you this not-so-special message...

I have used the food analogy before, but it rings true for me. I read for lots of reasons (just like I eat for lots of reasons): to be entertained, to learn something, to complete a list or challenge. And I usually read in a strict order--whatever library book is due back next is what I am focused on, unless I need to finish a book for book club. But yesterday, I broke all my rules and read the equivalent of a can of Pringles. Absolutely no nutritional value, in fact, probably bad for me, but I just couldn't stop reading...Web of Evil. Perfectly serviceable murder mystery, quick, easy read...nothing memorable. A bit of a surprise in that I think the story is over but the book keeps going, in two different places.

But will I buy another can of Pringles? Probably...

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an okay read. With Jance, you know you will get an interesting mystery and solid writing. I’ve read 18 of her Joanna Brady series, but only a few of her Beaumont series. I see Jance has written quite a few of the series with Ali Reynolds as protagonist. This book has a complicated plot, and it took me awhile to get into it, but overall I liked it enough to read more of the series.

[Amber Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark desert highways are dangerous... here’s another unpredictable tale of drama and crime.
I gladly spend my time recuperating from a car accident devouring Allie Reynolds’ escapades. Dependable, solid writing.

[Sally taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving this series!

[Leo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm searching for a good crime/mystery with a female lead and sadly this wasn't it, found it stupid and pointless. The main character wasn't very clever and she ran a blog about her soon to be ex husbands murder. That's just bonkers and ridiculous. Disappointed with this one