Kiss of the Bees

Walker Family #2

by J.A. Jance

In Tucson, twenty years ago, a psychopath named Andrew Carlisle brought blood and terror into the home of Diana Ladd Walker and her family. When Carlisle died in prison, Diana and her husband, ex-county sheriff Brandon Walker, believed their long nightmare was finally over. They were wrong. Their beloved adopted daughter Lani has vanished -- a beautiful Native American teenager destined, according to Tohono O'othham legend, to become a woman of great spiritual power. A serial killer is dead, but his malevolence lives on in another - and now the fiend holds Lani's innocent life in his eager hands. Before he snuffs it out completely, he intends to make his young prisoner -- and, more importantly, her parents -- suffer a slow and agonizing torture. For only this will avenge his friend and mentor, his dark god, Andrew Carlisle.

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

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 14, 2000

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

[Lobstergirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

A highly intelligent rapist and murderer rapes or murders about half of an Arizona woman's family and friends, over the course of several decades. (I think; it was confusing all around. There were so many friends who were like adopted family, and so many flashbacks, it was impossible to tell without creating a timeline and a chart, which I didn't do.) Then, knowing he is going to die in prison of AIDS, the rapist/killer trains his cellmate to take over his rage and hatred of this same family and terrorize them again, so it will seem to them as if he is acting from beyond the grave. This was interspersed with a constant heavy trickle of Indian folklore and tribal beliefs, which I ignored (the story by itself with all the flashbacks was complicated enough). I noticed many other reviewers also ignored all this, so I felt less racist.

What could trigger readers: a lot of damage to nipples and breasts, plus a weird insistence on giving people many, many names. One of the protagonists was named Diana Ladd Walker. And this was not usually shortened; she was usually referred to by these three names. Then the author gave her a fourth name: "Diana Cooper Ladd Walker." Finally the ultimate ridiculousness was when the five-named characters began to pop up:

"Brian's mother, Janie Walker Fellows Hitchcock Noonan, had been Brandon Walker's first wife."

"It was fine," Diana said. "Myrna Louise Carlisle Spaulding Rivers couldn't have been more gracious."

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time deciding between one and two stars; I decided on two for the thread of the book that I enjoyed. This book was a big disappointment for me, a big J.A. Jance fan. Perhaps it would have made more sense if I'd read the first book of this series first, but reading books out of sequence doesn't usually hinder my enjoyment of a novel. I finally learned to just skip the gobbeldy-gook in italics, and the most of the rest of the novel made sense and even became pretty interesting. The constant switching between time frames and settings without cluing in the reader was very disconcerting. If I'd tried reading this on my Kindle, I would have given up -- I was constantly having to flip back to previous pages to find out who was speaking or when the time jumped back or forward (or in or out or beside or inside or outside - or...). That is hard to do on an electronic reader. Overall, the major plotline of Kiss of the Bees was a good one, but it just took too much work and effort to ferret it out of all the Indian lore and sideplots.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiss of the Bees is the second in J.A. Jance's Walker-Ladd family series. Because the book is so plot driven, this is a spoiler-free review so as not to spoil the book for anyone. It's therefore brief.

This story jumps ahead 20 years from the first book, Hour of the Hunter. The first part of the book is used to catch the reader up on the happenings of the family but then the story from the first book continues, against expectations, into this one. Like the first installment, this book is slow to start then becomes a page-turned about mid-way.

Jance continues to introduce each chapter with a bit of Papago Indian folklore. This helps cement a sense of place within the desert of Southern Arizona amongst the Tohono O'Odham people.

I'm a fan of Jance's writing but I'm becoming particularly fond of this series. The plots in her other works are always interesting and have plenty of twists, but the characters are a bit shallow. In this series, she's taking the time to thoroughly develop her characters. Quite a bit of this story is internal dialogue and you get to experience the growth of characters and better understand their viewpoint as a Native Americans. There are quite a few interesting heroes being developed for future works in this series and I'm looking forward to diving into the next book, Day of the Dead.

[Bruce Snell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thru the first 300 pages of this book I wanted to grab the author - J.A. Jance - by the throat and scream, "Just tell the story, damn it!" She couldn't go a full page at a time without digressing into a flashback, or a flash-forward, or a flash-sideways, or even a flashback within a flashback, and even though I could see there was no other way to tell this particular story, it was driving me nuts. On the other hand, the last hundred pages finally tied up all the loose ends leading to where we were, and the story was told with alacrity, leading to the end that fate determined must come. If you can stick with it long enough to get to the story, it is a pretty good read.

[Merrilee Buroker · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. I started reading this book many years ago, but only got through 50 pages or so, and couldn't finish it. However, I have a steadfast rule that once I begin a book, I MUST FINISH it, no matter what, out of respect for the author's hard work in having penned it in the first place. Therefore, the book has been on my shelf ever since then waiting for me to fulfill my pledge, and so with time on my hands I dove into the thing once again, this time determined to tough it out. Everyone tells me that J.A. Jance is a very good author, and I must not have been in the right mood or something the first time around, so I felt sure that my failure to finish it the first time was all my fault, and I just hadn't given it the proper attention. But....NOPE. It really was/is that bad. It's confusing (somebody's aunt's sister-in-law does something to the cousin of the brother's best friend's step sister twenty years ago...what??), disjointed and vague. One major problem is the frequent use of Native American language, which is difficult to pronounce and really gums up the flow of the story. Many characters are referred to by 3 or 4 different names; their White Man name, their Indian name, their Spirit name, and the White Man translation of their Indian and Spirit name. The plot is muddled, but we know that there is a creepy serial killer on the loose, but just when we get a glimpse of him, we get waylaid by yet another new character's introduction and subsequent flash back memory. Whether there was some bad editing, or the author was under some sort of contractual deadline duress, nevertheless, this book is a BIG FAIL.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really like J.A. Jance but this is one book I couldn't get through. The main reason is that I can't stomach the threat or description of torture. Another reason is I didn't think it was very well written. Yes, the Native American descriptions were interesting but it took away from the other story line, instead of enhancing it.

[Abby Stopka · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5. dnf at about 4 hours. Just could not get in to the audio narration of this book, or the storyline.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to average 1 star and 5 stars and came up with 3. Technically, it probably deserves more because it is extremely well written with great character development, intricate story lines (which may push the limits of believability), and a plus for the inserts of native folklore, as well as the beautiful Arizona setting! I did find myself hating it in parts, though, because of the intensity, graphic violence, and the fact that it was a bit too "rough" for me in several parts, making it disturbing to read. It really pushed my limits personally, although it is possible that I just read it too soon after finishing the first book, Hour of the Hunter. In spite of that, she remains one of my top favorite authors, and I'm moving on to the next book in the series.....

[Momma-Bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for action and mystery, but a bit too much of Indian folklore and the push of " witch doctor" and the spirits of the dead in their beliefs. Other than that J.A. Jance did a good job of capturing the psychological aspects of a killer and revenge.

[Patricia Hoesel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gripping story combining old-fashioned evil and Indian lore, which lures you in while demystifying many old Indian stories.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Teenage girl kidnapped
For revenge on her parents
Medicine woman

Complicated and
Very violent story
Ways of the natives

[Bob Hernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like this book to much violence, murder and mayhem. I liked the old J.A. Jance style of writing. To Much about torture and serial killing in this book and lowlifes. Disappointed. I had to force myself to finish reading book.

[Kara Jorges · Rating 2 out of 5]

JA Jance attempts to steep us deeper in her beloved Southwest, this time including some Tohono O’otham culture. She plays fast and loose with the timeline to give us bits and pieces of the lives of the characters until we reach the climax. But, instead of being intriguing, this is confusing. All the characters know details we don’t until by the time we’ve already figured them out, they’re tardily revealed.

Diana Ladd Walker and Brandon Walker have a very modern family. Both divorced with children of previous marriages, one adopted daughter, and one tossed-in stepson, plus assorted close friends, make this group diverse. Brandon has two sons, Quentin and Tommy, though Tommy is missing and presumed dead. Brandon’s ex-wife remarried and had another child, Brian Fellows, who spent time with the Walkers while growing up. Diana’s son from her first or second marriage is Davy Ladd. Then Diana and Brandon adopted a Tohono O’otham girl, Lani. Lani and Davy were both raised by an old Indian woman, Rita Antone. Rita and the tribal medicine man, Fat Crack, or Gabe Ortiz, had been close to Looks At Nothing, a blind medicine man, now dead.

Every chapter begins with a piece of an Indian legend, poorly told. The legend ties in at the end, but I hadn’t really been paying attention. But, it’s supposed to tie Indian medicine in with the events in the story.

Twenty years back, Diana Walker was attacked and raped by Andrew Carlisle. He would have killed her, but she flung a pan of hot bacon grease in his face and her dog attacked. Andrew Carlisle, now blind, went to prison. He was joined a few years later by Mitch Johnson, a trigger-happy immigrant hater who gets sent up by then-Sheriff Brandon Walker. Andrew and Mitch form an unholy alliance of hate against the Walkers. Andrew dies in prison, but he and Mitch formulated a plan for Mitch to carry out on his release. The two also met Quentin Walker, Brandon’s eldest, loser son, in prison, and use him as a pawn.

Mitch kidnaps Lani and prepares to put her through an Andrew Carlisle-type murder on tape and blame Quentin, thereby utterly destroying Brandon and Diana Walker. Davy arrives from Chicago just in time to help Lani. Fat Crack uses divining crystals and goes to the scene, leading the others there. In the end, Lani uses her Indian teachings to defeat the enemy.

The climax was gripping, but there was a long, slow, roundabout route to get there. There were too many characters and the back story was too sparsely delivered, making me feel I should have read the prequel first. Though it wasn’t bad, it could have been better.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty years ago, Diana Ladd had been instrumental in putting Andrew Carlisle in prison, as well as maiming and blinding him. After all those years, he was dead and Diana had published a book about the whole ordeal that had changed their lives. She had gone on to marry Brandon Walker (the sheriff), raised her son (Davy) and adopted an Indian child (Lani). Being part of the Walker family and having Rita Antone raise them, the children both knew the Indian customs and stories, including the ones about evil enemies. They never expected that evil ‘ohb’ to show up again, he was dead, but his cellmate had learned his lessons well and had agreed to help get revenge from the Walker family. Both Carlisle and Mitch Johnson had reasons to dislike the family and they agreed the way to the parents was through the kids. A dying request the Mitch was happy to see fulfilled.

Book 2 .…. All suspense, the mystery is in the timing. Will Brandon and Diana figure it out in time, will Davy understand what he is seeing in time, will Fat Crack (Gabe) get there in time, will Lani know what to do at the right time. We know from the start what kind of evil is coming for the family. The interactions between the family is defined by flash backs of previous events that give a better frame to the family. Liked the inclusion of Brian, even Quentin and Tommy help to show the dynamics of the family structure. Felt Brandon as a character so much more than Diana, but liked how strong Lani was. Interested to see the next one, Day of the Dead.

[Ski Croghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good sequel to Hour of the Hunter!!!!!

WOW! You have to believe in the power of the Medicine Man after you read this book. It takes place about 20 years after the 1st book and is just as terrifying and suspenseful as the first. How far will a man go for revenge? It seems as far as an insane mind can take it! As many turns and twists as any book I've ever read. It seems that 16 year old Lani will pay for the crimes he thinks her parents committed against him. Which were only surviving his despicable acts against them. Twenty years ago he killed a young Indian woman and convinced her 1st husband; now deceased; that he had done it! He committed suicide rather than face the consequences. Then he came back 6 years later to punish her for helping send him to prison. He conceives a tangle web to get another prisoner to get his revenge when he dies in prison. And from there it just gets better. Don't miss this outstanding book. Highly recommended.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was such a disappointment after reading her other books. For some reason I couldn't get into the book and would only pick it up if there was nothing else to do [sorting my socks was one excuse!]. It jumped back and forth with things from the past along with Indian legends and folklore. I was almost half thru the book before I could recognize the past from the present. I didn't find the characters as likeable as hers in the Brady or Beaumont series. When I read the Reynolds series I didn't like the characters as well as the previous two. However, Ali and that cast of characters are heads above the Walker group.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

another scary book from J.A. Jance, like this one better since it was not as gorey. #2 in the Walker Family series.

[Matthew Eargle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this volume up as an advanced reader copy over a decade ago as the title seemed interesting. I'd never heard of Jance or the Walker Family series. I'm not even a particular fan of the genre, preferring the science fiction, fantasy, and adventure genres to the sprawling murder mystery. After finally reading the book, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters are well-developed and the action is tense--especially toward the climax of the story. Unfortunately, this volume in particular suffers through "extended universe syndrome" wherein every character has a complex back-story that could stand alone as its own novel and these back stories are often dropped into the middle of a scene, breaking up the action and making the casual reading wonder where the hell he was when the scene picks back up. I understand the need for believable characters with plausible motivations, but Jance takes it all a bridge too far. If you're patient and have the time, go for it, but if you're not emotionally involved with a well-to-do and politically-connected family in Tucson, AZ, you might ought to skip it.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

When scanning the ratings for this book I saw a lot of two stars, and I am not really certain why. I really like what Jance does in her books. You cannot read any of them without being transported to Arizona. She creates heat that you can see radiating off the pavement, dust in the wind that you can taste. Her descriptions of place -- the landscape, history and culture -- is so vivid and real that you can't help but believe that you have been there with her.

b>Kiss of the Bees is the second in the Walker Family series. These books are a bit gritter than the Joana Brady series. Messier. Darker. But still not gruesome or too scary. Her stories are less roller-coaster thriller and more real. The story in this one occurs 20 years after the time described in the first book, Hour of the Hunter. That part disappointed me. I would have liked more time with the young family in those interim years. Once again each chapter is introduced with Papago mythology and folklore. I love this as it solidifies the Arizona world in which the story takes place. I hope this continues in book three.

[Suvojit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has two distinct halves. The serial killer, Andrew Carlisle and his lackey, Mitch Johnson - the part where their actions are being described - are brisk, brutal, at times a little chilling. Carlisle's MO sounds like the Golden State Killer plus a little bit of Bundy thrown in the mix, and Johnson's just filled with vendetta. The second half is the protagonist's point of view, that stumbles to gain momentum because there are way too many details that are simply not required. The names get confusing, the relationships get murky, and in the end, the motives get lost. The strong back connection that fuels most of the story is severely diluted in the later stages.

A few pages were genuinely interesting, but I felt that the book could have been a good 50-100 pages shorter. That, coupled with a stronger presence of the main adversary would have made this a truly unputdownable book. At its current form, it is just a casual read that gives you chills/jitters during the gory details.

[Martha Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading the old stories passed down thru time from one medicine person to a hopefully future one. The timeless traditions such as Lani having to spend 16 days in the desert alone to cleanse and renew herself are just unimaginable in today’s day and age.

We see less and less of today’s young interested in taking the time to listen or to share close family time. Our world is mostly about tv, music and internet.

It is good to read stories built around Indian folklore and their heritage. No one does that better than J. A. Jance. It’s also good to read about areas in the desert where i once lived and walked the mountains. Loved looking out the front window from Green Valley to see the beautiful mountain scenery; the unforgiving heat of Gila Bend; the beauty of the old airplanes lined up on the tarmac at Davis.Monthan AFB. So many places I see with my minds eye as JA writes about them including the vegetation .

Hope you have many more books in you JA.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have to agree with several other reviewers that this book could have left some features out and it would have been an easier read. I was glad I actually read some of those reviews at a point when I was feeling bogged down and unsure whether I would finish reading the book. I then felt free to skip all the Native American lore that may have felt important to the author, but broke up the plot. Also, there were way too many characters and relatives and "flashbacks". I wrote some of the character names in the back of my book and what their relationships were. I had to also add some of the alternate or extended names of certain characters as well. I thought the ending was good, but I also felt as though I, as the reader, really had to "work" to get there!

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good finished story, except

I did not enjoy how much of the story was from the villain’s perspective. The evil character was highly disturbing, as he was written to be. The writing was good, I just didn’t want to live in the bad guy’s head that much. If you don’t mind the torture and perversion, the book itself was very good.

I don’t at all agree with comments from other readers that it was too hard to keep track of the characters. It had a normal amount of characters with a normal level of sub-plots.

The legends weren’t my favorite in that they broke up the main story, but they ended up being woven into the plot in a meaningful way in the end.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twenty years earlier an evil person named Andrew Carlise came into the life of the Walker family. He tried to kill Dianne Ladd Walker and her young son Davey. Dianne fights back and both survive. Andrew is caught and sent to prison, while he is serving his time he meets someone else who has it out for the Walker family. Together the hatch a plot to get even with them but this time the Walkers young daughter is the target. This was an interesting story but i wasn't to keen on all the Indian stuff it kind of thru me from the story line.

[Shirley Conley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure glad I did not start reading J A Jance with the Walker Family series. I do not like this series as I did Beaumont. This one has each chapter starting with some Indian stuff that I do not understand and lots of horrible violence. I have been reading this series out of order and am just getting to the first one so it may shed light on the Indian connection. So far I have read two of this series and starting on the third which is the first. I haven't given up yet because I love the author so much in other books.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book to read. The plot is good and the cultural aspects are dealt with in a sensitive manner. Each chapter begins with a part of Indian folklore and one could read just those pieces in sequence and that would be another story in itself rather than the qualification it is. Nothing was superhuman or unrealistic as is so often the case nowadays. For a good read do not pass this author up; I shall certainly read more from her.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several of the Sheriff Brady novels and found them enjoyable. I picked this up from one of the Free Tiny Libraries on vacation. I didn't realize this was book 2 in a series. I would have enjoyed it more if I had read book 1. The main problem I had with this book is the Walker Family series concept. There are numerous main characters, too many to flesh out effectively. I did enjoy the Native American aspects of the books. I found them to be quite enjoyable and added a lot to the story.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been almost a year since I finished this book, so although I remember really liking it, and I think I thought it amazing, I can't really say why, except it must have kept me turning the pages. I offered it to a friend who likes mysteries and who grew up in Arizona like I did, but I guess just the blurb convinced her it was too grisly for her taste. Yet another reason I probably liked it. tee hee

[Shalu Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty complicated seiral killer story spanning over two generations of victims - mother and adopted daughter which starts off well but meanders there after with too many flashbacks, secondary characters and folklore tales with tribal beliefs. Quite reminscient of early Patricia Cornwell. Makes a good read in beginning while getting a little tiresome in the middle.
Quite different from regular JA Jance and JP Beaumont series.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it difficult to read this book because it had so much evil in it. The story was interesting, however, and I liked how it wove Indian legends into the modern plot. I think that it showed some of the racism that is alive in Arizona society which is very evident today. I gave it 4 stars because the plot was interesting, the setting compelling, and I did like many of the characters.