What do you think?
Rate this book
J.P. Beaumont #22
Dance of the Bones
Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos's "real" killer and clear his name.
Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.
Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?
Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.
Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?
355 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2015
1308 people are currently reading
2397 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jance
117 books4,173 followersJudith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
Series:
* J.P. Beaumont
* Joanna Brady
* Ali Reynolds
* Walker Family
Series:
* J.P. Beaumont
* Joanna Brady
* Ali Reynolds
* Walker Family
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 598 reviews
September 14, 2016
Note to self:
Do NOT pick this up again. Yes, I know you are a bit desperate for a solid mystery series and thought you'd check out Jance in the hopes of rekindling the old J.P. Beaumont suspense. But it's true; you can't go home again, at least not after you've been reading competent, coherent and suspenseful stories.
I think this book was meant to be a bit of fan-bait, a melding of her J.P. Beaumont and her Brandon Walker series. I haven't checked out the Walker series; in fact, when I ended up moving on from Jance, I don't know that she (or her ghostwriters) had started it yet. I had the strong feeling that this was paying homage to the Walker character and where he was in his life at the moment--or actually, where all the people who were significant in his life were. There's a bit about a granddaughter or medicine woman or tribal friend someone who was trapped in a cave twenty years ago, and I think I recognized that book, but nothing else. Honestly, it felt like I was dropping in at the family reunion of a friend from high school: it was the dimmest of connections and little more than a list of names and biographies.
The narrative is a kaleidoscope of perspective, and I'm pretty sure I don't mean one of those cool fractal ones, but more like a screenprint of one worn for three days by an attendee at a Grateful Dead concert (no, it wasn't me). It is made worse that one of the first perspectives is that of a man who is killed. We jump forward decades into the future and get his former friend/partner, the viewpoint of the killer, Walker, the medicine woman, a sullen fifteen-year old kid, and J.P., at which point I quit. Did I mention the reunion metaphor? Actually, it's more like looking at their pictures in a yearbook than meeting them in person. You see, she's effectively removed the mystery (who was killed and why) and all that remains is puzzling out the connections between people from two different book series.
It says something that the most interesting thing about the story was the Native American myth that was doled out in pieces at the beginning of chapters. Maybe that's the hook to the Walker series; I don't know. I will say that it makes me really uncomfortable when Native stuff is written by non-Natives, particularly because most Native American cultures are very protective about their stories and rituals. It would be one thing if it was out there in more-or-less popularized sources (ala Grimm's fairy tales or Aesop's fables), but when it's clear that most southwest Native groups are very protective of their cultural history and appropriation, it just makes me as uncomfortable as fuck to see it in a best-seller that is apparently meant as fan-bait, particularly when it is only a fragment of the story and not the whole purpose as one can hardly do justice to the issues of appropriation.
I'm torn between a 'yawn' and a 'yuck' rating; the 'yawn' because it was just boring, and the 'yuck' because of the surface integration of Native culture.
Reminder: you can't go home again. And sometimes, that's okay.
Do NOT pick this up again. Yes, I know you are a bit desperate for a solid mystery series and thought you'd check out Jance in the hopes of rekindling the old J.P. Beaumont suspense. But it's true; you can't go home again, at least not after you've been reading competent, coherent and suspenseful stories.
I think this book was meant to be a bit of fan-bait, a melding of her J.P. Beaumont and her Brandon Walker series. I haven't checked out the Walker series; in fact, when I ended up moving on from Jance, I don't know that she (or her ghostwriters) had started it yet. I had the strong feeling that this was paying homage to the Walker character and where he was in his life at the moment--or actually, where all the people who were significant in his life were. There's a bit about a granddaughter or medicine woman or tribal friend someone who was trapped in a cave twenty years ago, and I think I recognized that book, but nothing else. Honestly, it felt like I was dropping in at the family reunion of a friend from high school: it was the dimmest of connections and little more than a list of names and biographies.
The narrative is a kaleidoscope of perspective, and I'm pretty sure I don't mean one of those cool fractal ones, but more like a screenprint of one worn for three days by an attendee at a Grateful Dead concert (no, it wasn't me). It is made worse that one of the first perspectives is that of a man who is killed. We jump forward decades into the future and get his former friend/partner, the viewpoint of the killer, Walker, the medicine woman, a sullen fifteen-year old kid, and J.P., at which point I quit. Did I mention the reunion metaphor? Actually, it's more like looking at their pictures in a yearbook than meeting them in person. You see, she's effectively removed the mystery (who was killed and why) and all that remains is puzzling out the connections between people from two different book series.
It says something that the most interesting thing about the story was the Native American myth that was doled out in pieces at the beginning of chapters. Maybe that's the hook to the Walker series; I don't know. I will say that it makes me really uncomfortable when Native stuff is written by non-Natives, particularly because most Native American cultures are very protective about their stories and rituals. It would be one thing if it was out there in more-or-less popularized sources (ala Grimm's fairy tales or Aesop's fables), but when it's clear that most southwest Native groups are very protective of their cultural history and appropriation, it just makes me as uncomfortable as fuck to see it in a best-seller that is apparently meant as fan-bait, particularly when it is only a fragment of the story and not the whole purpose as one can hardly do justice to the issues of appropriation.
I'm torn between a 'yawn' and a 'yuck' rating; the 'yawn' because it was just boring, and the 'yuck' because of the surface integration of Native culture.
Reminder: you can't go home again. And sometimes, that's okay.
September 28, 2015
What a rip-off. At least 1/3 of the book is the retelling of Indian lore. Another 1/3 is spent in retelling all of her previous books. The title states it is a J. P. Beaumont book. Beau takes up less than 20 pages and most of them are rehashing the last 21 J. P Beaumont books. What is left is fluff
September 17, 2015
Not her best by a long shot.
The novel is quite convoluted. In the end it did tie together, but getting there took far too much time. By bringing in Beau, Jance added an unnecessary layer of information where it was not needed. Adding in the native American storyline was also unnecessary. The backstory of the Walkers and Beaumont took a significant amount of the novel as well. Once the layers of fluff are pulled back there just is not much substance. I rated it a two, but I won't read another.
The novel is quite convoluted. In the end it did tie together, but getting there took far too much time. By bringing in Beau, Jance added an unnecessary layer of information where it was not needed. Adding in the native American storyline was also unnecessary. The backstory of the Walkers and Beaumont took a significant amount of the novel as well. Once the layers of fluff are pulled back there just is not much substance. I rated it a two, but I won't read another.
October 22, 2015
Gave up before I reached 100 pages. I have read almost all J.A.Jance books and really have liked them. NOT THIS ONE! All the chapters.start with Indian lore and then followed by very boring story line.
October 14, 2015
Dance of the Bones by J.A. Jance is a 2015 William Morrow publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I have read books from three of Jance's series, Beaumont being my all time favorite character. I have not read any of the books about the Walker family , this being my first introduction to the characters from that series.
This book is marketed as a Beaumont novel- listing it as the 22nd in that series, but that is a little bit misleading, since Beaumont makes little more than a cameo appearance here. This is definitely Brandon Walker's show.
There are several threads running through this novel, but the main story line involves a man convicted of a crime he may be innocent of, a man Brandon Walker put behind bars. So, after all these years, Brandon finds himself once more embroiled in what is most likely a cold case, and after discovering a connection to another old case, Brandon reaches out to J.P. Beaumont, who just happens to have a little time on his hands.
There are a lot of characters in this story and at times I felt a little lost. This could be due to my lack of familiarity with the Walker series, but I usually find it difficult to keep up with a large cast of characters, no matter what. However, the plot is not all that complicated, so it wasn't that hard to follow, actually. However, the story doesn't flow smoothly, is jagged and disjointed all the way up to the midway mark. There are too many flashbacks, for lack of a better word, for one thing, which made it hard to maintain my focus on the main thread.
The Native American story that began each chapter was a nice touch, and is very interesting and I liked the way the reservation traditions was woven into the story, especially concerning Gabe. Once I got familiar with all the characters, and their roles, I was able to relax into the story more and once I reached the halfway point, I could see things starting to come together and the writing tightened up a great deal in the last half of the book, enabling me to became more engrossed in the story.
This was not my favorite book by this author, but it did introduce me to the Walker's and I liked them well enough to want to catch up with them someday. Although, it got off to a pretty rocky start, the story ended up being enjoyable enough, in the end.
3 stars
I have read books from three of Jance's series, Beaumont being my all time favorite character. I have not read any of the books about the Walker family , this being my first introduction to the characters from that series.
This book is marketed as a Beaumont novel- listing it as the 22nd in that series, but that is a little bit misleading, since Beaumont makes little more than a cameo appearance here. This is definitely Brandon Walker's show.
There are several threads running through this novel, but the main story line involves a man convicted of a crime he may be innocent of, a man Brandon Walker put behind bars. So, after all these years, Brandon finds himself once more embroiled in what is most likely a cold case, and after discovering a connection to another old case, Brandon reaches out to J.P. Beaumont, who just happens to have a little time on his hands.
There are a lot of characters in this story and at times I felt a little lost. This could be due to my lack of familiarity with the Walker series, but I usually find it difficult to keep up with a large cast of characters, no matter what. However, the plot is not all that complicated, so it wasn't that hard to follow, actually. However, the story doesn't flow smoothly, is jagged and disjointed all the way up to the midway mark. There are too many flashbacks, for lack of a better word, for one thing, which made it hard to maintain my focus on the main thread.
The Native American story that began each chapter was a nice touch, and is very interesting and I liked the way the reservation traditions was woven into the story, especially concerning Gabe. Once I got familiar with all the characters, and their roles, I was able to relax into the story more and once I reached the halfway point, I could see things starting to come together and the writing tightened up a great deal in the last half of the book, enabling me to became more engrossed in the story.
This was not my favorite book by this author, but it did introduce me to the Walker's and I liked them well enough to want to catch up with them someday. Although, it got off to a pretty rocky start, the story ended up being enjoyable enough, in the end.
3 stars
September 17, 2015
A marginal story in a morass of confusion and fluff tied together with a thin thread. I've read most of J. A. Jance's books and am a fan but this was by far the worst and totally lacking the substance and readability of her other books.
September 20, 2015
I was really excited to read Jance's newest Beaumont book because out of all the characters that she writes about, he is my favorite. However, this book is really not a Beaumont book, the publishers just include this in the series because his character is in there (but not very much). It is really a Brandon Walker book and unfortunately, the book was just bad. The book deals quite a bit with Native American folklore and issues affecting the Native American community, but Jance does such a poor job writing about this that it made the book very hard to get through. To me, it felt like she had somewhere gotten a hold of a top ten list of the general challenges facing the Native American community and tried to casually include all of them somehow in her characters to make the book seem authentic. Instead, her characters just appeared very superficial and somewhat stereotypical. It is too bad because the premise of the book, with the addition of the group "The Last Chance" was an interesting one and I am curious to see what she will do with it going forward (as long as she doesn't try to tackle Native American themes as part of it).
September 8, 2015
I have been a fan of J. A. Jance since I read her first J. P. Beaumont book. This book is one of her best. It is set mostly in the Tuscon, Arizona and partly in Seattle. Beaumont is at looses ends folllowing demise of S.H.I.T. and refusing to become involve with Ralph Ames TLC group. He is asked to look into a case in Arizona that Brandon Walker is planning to added to TLC and they talk together. Meanwhile Lani and Gabe are spending the night at Tohono O'adham sacred place and they become involve with diamond smugglers. The events are brought skillfully together into one story.
September 10, 2023
Very good. I was not familiar with the Walker family books so the many new names were a bit hard to keep up with .. lots of action .. good storytelling.
I read the book .. checked out from the library.
I read the book .. checked out from the library.
September 29, 2015
3.5 Picking up the latest J.A. Jance book is like settling down on the porch to catch up on the latest with an old friend. That latest is her new book, Dance of the Bones. And the old friends? Well, this is the 22nd book for J.P. Beaumont and the 5th book featuring members of the Walker family.
Detective Brandon Walker is retired as is Special Investigator J.P. Beaumont. 1600 miles separate them, but a cold case from 40 years ago, brought to light with new evidence from The Last Chance group will have them working together. Faithful Beaumont fans, take note - Brandon has the lead role in this novel.
Prospector Amos Warren and his partner Big Bad John Lassiter had a violent argument in a bar full of witnesses. When Warren's body is found, it is Lassister who is convicted. Except - we know who the real killer is - the opening prologue details Warren's death. The reader is along for the ride as the two men try to track down the real murderer. Knowing 'whodunit' early on did not detract at all from my enjoyment of the book.
Readers not familiar with the Walker clan and their friends may find the first few chapters a bit busy - there are many characters and the relationships go back many years. (Dr. Lani Walker is my favourite) But, Jance does provide enough backstory that the reader will be quickly brought up to speed.
The Walkers live in Pima County, Arizona. Every chapter opens with lore and legends from the Tohono O'odham, people of the desert, that mirrors much that is happening in the book. I really enjoyed these and the way that Jance wove First Nations culture into her book.
Jance's mysteries are not cozy, but they're not difficult overly difficult to suss out either. For me, it is the characters that draw me to Jance's writing. It's comfortable and comforting to reconnect with characters I've enjoyed over the years. And I'm always curious as to their lives will evolve from book to book. This melding of two series with a new cold case group may provide many opportunities for other crossovers.
Detective Brandon Walker is retired as is Special Investigator J.P. Beaumont. 1600 miles separate them, but a cold case from 40 years ago, brought to light with new evidence from The Last Chance group will have them working together. Faithful Beaumont fans, take note - Brandon has the lead role in this novel.
Prospector Amos Warren and his partner Big Bad John Lassiter had a violent argument in a bar full of witnesses. When Warren's body is found, it is Lassister who is convicted. Except - we know who the real killer is - the opening prologue details Warren's death. The reader is along for the ride as the two men try to track down the real murderer. Knowing 'whodunit' early on did not detract at all from my enjoyment of the book.
Readers not familiar with the Walker clan and their friends may find the first few chapters a bit busy - there are many characters and the relationships go back many years. (Dr. Lani Walker is my favourite) But, Jance does provide enough backstory that the reader will be quickly brought up to speed.
The Walkers live in Pima County, Arizona. Every chapter opens with lore and legends from the Tohono O'odham, people of the desert, that mirrors much that is happening in the book. I really enjoyed these and the way that Jance wove First Nations culture into her book.
Jance's mysteries are not cozy, but they're not difficult overly difficult to suss out either. For me, it is the characters that draw me to Jance's writing. It's comfortable and comforting to reconnect with characters I've enjoyed over the years. And I'm always curious as to their lives will evolve from book to book. This melding of two series with a new cold case group may provide many opportunities for other crossovers.
August 20, 2015
Received a copy of the book through Goodreads first reads giveaway.
The was the first J.A. Jance book that I have read. It is #22 in the series but I thought that it stood very well as a stand alone novel for me! I know that most of these characters were in other books and some of them I would have loved to have learned more about their back story but that did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. If anything, it made me want to read previous books in the series!
I especially enjoyed the Indian stories/folklore that began each chapter.
In short, the very beginning scene of the book sets up the mystery that 2 seasoned lawmen have to solve. Prospector Amos Warren and Big Bad John Lassiter fight over a woman. Warren's body is found in the dessert and Lassiter goes to jail for the murder. Lassiter did not commit the crime and the two lawmen come together to solve the cold crime and recent homicides in Seattle. As the reader, we know who killed Amos Warren and we get to watch as the events in the book unfold. I wont give anything away. Sometimes I like know who the killer is and sometimes I do not. In this case, I think it is a nice touch for the story as there is more going on with this character and we get to see that as the book unfolds.
I thought this was a solid read. I enjoyed it.
The was the first J.A. Jance book that I have read. It is #22 in the series but I thought that it stood very well as a stand alone novel for me! I know that most of these characters were in other books and some of them I would have loved to have learned more about their back story but that did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. If anything, it made me want to read previous books in the series!
I especially enjoyed the Indian stories/folklore that began each chapter.
In short, the very beginning scene of the book sets up the mystery that 2 seasoned lawmen have to solve. Prospector Amos Warren and Big Bad John Lassiter fight over a woman. Warren's body is found in the dessert and Lassiter goes to jail for the murder. Lassiter did not commit the crime and the two lawmen come together to solve the cold crime and recent homicides in Seattle. As the reader, we know who killed Amos Warren and we get to watch as the events in the book unfold. I wont give anything away. Sometimes I like know who the killer is and sometimes I do not. In this case, I think it is a nice touch for the story as there is more going on with this character and we get to see that as the book unfolds.
I thought this was a solid read. I enjoyed it.
May 22, 2017
I usually love J. A. Jance novels but had never read one from the Walker series. Possibly had I started with the first of the series instead of the fourth, I'd have known who the characters were and their relationship to each other from the beginning. Between numerous characters being introduced in the beginning with both ordinary and Native American names, plus a series of Native American tales and songs, I did not enjoy the book at all until I was half way through it. Finally I began skipping all the Native American tales and just read the main plot. That I truly enjoyed. I'm not at all sure if I'll tackle others from the Walker series, however.
March 15, 2016
I am probably prejudiced because I have been to J.A. book signings, her speaking and singing for charity events and she is an outstanding giver to the community.
Although this was not my favorite of her books. I loved the lore from which she wrote.
If you have not read "Hour of the Hunter" by Jance I sure recomend it. It is outstanding.
Although this was not my favorite of her books. I loved the lore from which she wrote.
If you have not read "Hour of the Hunter" by Jance I sure recomend it. It is outstanding.
August 2, 2015
Too many characters from too many J.A. Jance series to keep them all straight! But still a good story.
January 7, 2022
Two-haiku review:
Peanut butter jar
Full of diamonds left with boy
Puts him in danger
Very good story
Combines Walker and Beaumont
Two good series linked
Peanut butter jar
Full of diamonds left with boy
Puts him in danger
Very good story
Combines Walker and Beaumont
Two good series linked
March 17, 2022
I would appreciate it more had I read all the Walker Family books first. It's not just a J. P. Beaumont book. I'll give a reread when I get through the Walker Family books.
January 5, 2021
I wish the author had done her homework regarding succinylcholine, it is a neuroblockade agent that prevents muscle movement. Without ventilatory support (assisted breathing) these folks would be dead, not asleep.
September 20, 2015
Mixing Indian legend with old-fashioned sleuthing, J.A. Jance has utilized a long-time favorite character, retired detective J.P. Beaumont, with a recently introduced protagonist, retired Sheriff Brandon Walker. The two, 1,500 miles apart, work to identify the culprit. Beaumont has now appeared in 24 novels, and Walker makes his fourth appearance.
It all begins with the murder of Amos Walker, whose remains in the Arizona desert are not discovered for some years. On purely a circumstantial case, his partner, Big John Lassiter, is convicted and sentenced to life without a chance of parole. Now, 30 years later, as a result of efforts by an organization that seeks to rectify wrongful past convictions, he is offered a deal: release on pleading guilty to a lesser charge for time served. He refuses to plea guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. So, it remains for the dynamic duo to substantiate his claim.
It is a suspenseful story, supplemented by Indian lore and well-drawn characterizations. Written crisply, the plot develops swiftly continually propelling the reader forward. While there is never any doubt who the culprit is, it is a race against time before a conclusion can be reached. And it is an exciting end.
Recommended.
It all begins with the murder of Amos Walker, whose remains in the Arizona desert are not discovered for some years. On purely a circumstantial case, his partner, Big John Lassiter, is convicted and sentenced to life without a chance of parole. Now, 30 years later, as a result of efforts by an organization that seeks to rectify wrongful past convictions, he is offered a deal: release on pleading guilty to a lesser charge for time served. He refuses to plea guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. So, it remains for the dynamic duo to substantiate his claim.
It is a suspenseful story, supplemented by Indian lore and well-drawn characterizations. Written crisply, the plot develops swiftly continually propelling the reader forward. While there is never any doubt who the culprit is, it is a race against time before a conclusion can be reached. And it is an exciting end.
Recommended.
March 29, 2016
I read a couple of J.A. Jance books a couple of years ago, and they were ok, but a bit too fluffy for me. I got this one in my latest delivery of library books and decided to give it a go. Not quite as fluffy as the others I read, but lost at least 1.5 stars for the pointless Native American folk stories that took up the start of every chapter, and permeated throughout the book. I guess its ok if you are into the folklore, but it honestly just made me wanna rip my hair out.
A decent story ruined by some pointless pretentiousness.
A decent story ruined by some pointless pretentiousness.
May 10, 2016
It's complicated with an enormous amount of characters and their life stories, and by 100 or so pages in my head was full to capacity of who?, why? and what??? - I hurried to read J.A. Jance's "Dance of the Bones" (intriguing title)because I like her stories and character, J.P. Beaumont, investigator - even reading his beginning part was a twirl of figuring out characters pulled from the past. Try as I did to pull it together and sludge on, I lost interest in the abundance of story lines and characters and actually most of whom I felt no interest in - not to my liking.
February 12, 2017
Took awhile to get to J.P. Beaumont's part in the book, but as usual Ms Jance delivers a terrific read! I don't know if the character Brandon Walker is new, but like the other 'headliners' I really like him. A Detective when he arrested Big Bad John Lassiter, Brandon is now retired. John has now had 2 trials & served 16 years in prison for the murder of prospector Amos Warren. John's daughter, Amanda Wasser, wants Brandon to find the real killer & clear her father's name.... OK, you've got the background for this good read, get the book & ENJOY!!!
March 14, 2017
Dance of the Bones combine the characters of the J.P. Beaumont and the Brandon Walker series. It starts with a antiques prospector being murdered and his protege being sent to prison for life for the crime. Thirty years latter the protege's daughter starts an investigation into the original crime. More murders, both in the past and the present, become linked as well as smuggling and corruption. A good read with a short Indian story at the beginning of each chapter.
March 9, 2019
As usual with a J.A.Jance book, the story was excellent and the characters really came to life. However - one major disappointment: The book was billed as a Beaumont and Brandon Walker novel, but J.P. Beaumont made only a couple of token appearances, barely figuring into the story. I always enjoy a Beaumont book, and I have since the around 1990, so this turned out be rather a disappointment for me. Otherwise the book was very good - for what it actually was.
September 19, 2015
I listened to the audio version. I thought it was incredibly tedious. J.A. Jance is not Tony Hillerman and the whole Little White Feather storyline was dull and written in an incredibly boring voice. I've always liked the J. P. Beaumont series. This was a huge disappointment.
August 23, 2022
I read this book in preparation for the author's next book to be published. I always had a difficult time with the Walker Family books. However, this one was easier to read. I especially enjoyed the stories of Little White Feather and her tribe at the beginning of each chapter.
February 23, 2016
I didn't care for this one as much. It was good, but not as good as the others in the series.
May 9, 2016
Not a good book.
May 27, 2022
3.5 stars rounded to 4
This is listed as #22 in the Beaumont series - which I was trying to catch up on. However it is actually more about the characters from another series (Walker). Beau does not show up until 20-25% into the novel. It is more a cross-over and where this falls in the Walker series (#5) means that there is a *bunch* of catching up on this one.
So, I did like it despite several things that detracted from this one. First, I *hate* jumping into the middle of a series. When it was apparent that this is more about the Walkers and less involved with Beaumont, it was frustrating. Did the author give the backstory on the Walkers? Sure, but there appears to be a lot of backstory. Grrr. Another thing I felt was handled poorly were the Tohono O'Odham stories which preface *every* chapter. I get that these stories kinda / sorta touch on the story that was on-going with Lani and Gabe, but every time they showed up it felt like it slowed the main story down and got in the way of the action. I think it would have been much more effective to have included a few of the stories - in their entirety - as a couple of interludes between the main action. The author took several stories and broke them into too many parts to "introduce" the next chapter.
Overall, I did like this. It's set mostly in Arizona with a few side trips to Seattle. The story involves an old murder and the convicted murderer is turning down a chance to get out of prison because it would mean that he pled to a lesser charge. He insists he is innocent. A group that handles cold cases (called TLC - shorthand for The Last Chance) gets involved. But now it appears that someone does not want it investigated and is taking measures to ensure that any witnesses are silenced. There was a lot of good action - but most of it was about Brandon Walker, a retired sheriff, and his adopted daughter Lani Walker, a medicine woman and physician, and the rest of their extended family. (And it is complex - I had to refer to the chart in the front of the book more than once to figure out how these folks were related.) I hope the next Beaumont takes us back to Seattle.
This is listed as #22 in the Beaumont series - which I was trying to catch up on. However it is actually more about the characters from another series (Walker). Beau does not show up until 20-25% into the novel. It is more a cross-over and where this falls in the Walker series (#5) means that there is a *bunch* of catching up on this one.
So, I did like it despite several things that detracted from this one. First, I *hate* jumping into the middle of a series. When it was apparent that this is more about the Walkers and less involved with Beaumont, it was frustrating. Did the author give the backstory on the Walkers? Sure, but there appears to be a lot of backstory. Grrr. Another thing I felt was handled poorly were the Tohono O'Odham stories which preface *every* chapter. I get that these stories kinda / sorta touch on the story that was on-going with Lani and Gabe, but every time they showed up it felt like it slowed the main story down and got in the way of the action. I think it would have been much more effective to have included a few of the stories - in their entirety - as a couple of interludes between the main action. The author took several stories and broke them into too many parts to "introduce" the next chapter.
Overall, I did like this. It's set mostly in Arizona with a few side trips to Seattle. The story involves an old murder and the convicted murderer is turning down a chance to get out of prison because it would mean that he pled to a lesser charge. He insists he is innocent. A group that handles cold cases (called TLC - shorthand for The Last Chance) gets involved. But now it appears that someone does not want it investigated and is taking measures to ensure that any witnesses are silenced. There was a lot of good action - but most of it was about Brandon Walker, a retired sheriff, and his adopted daughter Lani Walker, a medicine woman and physician, and the rest of their extended family. (And it is complex - I had to refer to the chart in the front of the book more than once to figure out how these folks were related.) I hope the next Beaumont takes us back to Seattle.
March 1, 2017
Dance of the Bones by J.A. Jance
J.P. Beaumont series Book #22 (not really)
2.5 stars
From The Book:
Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos's "real" killer and clear his name.
Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.
Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?
My Thoughts:
The J.P. Beaumont series was and remains one of my favorite series of all times...so when I saw this "new" series with a new set of characters was coming aboard but J.P was still a part of it...I said "why not?". Turns out there was several reasons "why not".
1. The book was half way over before J.P Beaumont even made an appearance. I gave the book 2.5 stars because it was only AFTER he made his appearance that the story even seemed that it had been written by the same author.
2. The new characters are all just flat. Brandon Walker could evolve into a good character if he just had an original thought in his head and would stop listening to the dopey woman.
3. The story skipped back and forth over several decades and when you threw in the Indian lore that pops up suddenly out of left field it was nearly impossible to keep the story line in any perspective.
Needless to say there won't be a book 2 for this reader.
J.P. Beaumont series Book #22 (not really)
2.5 stars
From The Book:
Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos's "real" killer and clear his name.
Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.
Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?
My Thoughts:
The J.P. Beaumont series was and remains one of my favorite series of all times...so when I saw this "new" series with a new set of characters was coming aboard but J.P was still a part of it...I said "why not?". Turns out there was several reasons "why not".
1. The book was half way over before J.P Beaumont even made an appearance. I gave the book 2.5 stars because it was only AFTER he made his appearance that the story even seemed that it had been written by the same author.
2. The new characters are all just flat. Brandon Walker could evolve into a good character if he just had an original thought in his head and would stop listening to the dopey woman.
3. The story skipped back and forth over several decades and when you threw in the Indian lore that pops up suddenly out of left field it was nearly impossible to keep the story line in any perspective.
Needless to say there won't be a book 2 for this reader.
June 9, 2025
Well, it feels like this series is losing its way. I’ve been reading it for just shy of five years, and it feels like a series in search of a reason to continue.
Beaumont’s attorney general boss died in a previous book, and the new attorney general disbanded the task force for which Beaumont worked, leaving Beaumont at loose ends with lots of time on his hands.
They’ve found a 30-year-old murder cold case in Arizona that has connections to Seattle, and Beaumont agrees to investigate the Seattle connection to the case.
Each chapter contains more of these Indian legend excerpts that I found distracting and largely irrelevant. I liberally used the 60-second jump forward facility in my book player.
Look, this is ultimately worthy of your time. You’ll want to read it to determine whether a former prostitute who callously committed murder in her younger years will get away with those murders. I liked this, but no way did I really like it or love it.
Beaumont’s attorney general boss died in a previous book, and the new attorney general disbanded the task force for which Beaumont worked, leaving Beaumont at loose ends with lots of time on his hands.
They’ve found a 30-year-old murder cold case in Arizona that has connections to Seattle, and Beaumont agrees to investigate the Seattle connection to the case.
Each chapter contains more of these Indian legend excerpts that I found distracting and largely irrelevant. I liberally used the 60-second jump forward facility in my book player.
Look, this is ultimately worthy of your time. You’ll want to read it to determine whether a former prostitute who callously committed murder in her younger years will get away with those murders. I liked this, but no way did I really like it or love it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 598 reviews