Random Acts

Joanna Brady #16.6

by J.A. Jance

From New York Times bestselling author J. A. JANCE comes an all-new novella, in which Sheriff Joanna Brady and investigator Ali Reynolds join forces to solve a crime that has hit dangerously close to home.

Sheriff Joanna Brady has a lot on her plate—she is up for re-election as sheriff, pregnant with her third child, and her eldest is packing up to leave for college. Then Joanna is woken in the middle of the night by a call reporting a motor vehicle accident. Her mother and stepfather’s RV ran off the road at high speed and hit the pillar of an overpass.

Something about the accident seems suspicious, though, and when Joanna gets a call from Ali Reynolds, a journalist turned investigator, she accepts her offer to help. They come up with a plan to find out who was responsible…even if that person is not the villain they’d expected.

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

112 pages, ebook

First published July 26, 2016

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

[MeMe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read Jance’s novella “No Honor Among Thieves.” At the end of that story Joanna Brady discovers she is pregnant. This novella picks up from the ending of the No Honor novella. Again Joanna receives the middle of the night call but this time it is personal. Her parents have been in an auto accident. Joanna thinks the accident is suspicious and begins to investigate. Ali Reynolds joins her in the investigation. I was impressed with the ending of the story.

The book is well written. J. A. Jance is a fantastic writer. I gather this novella is setting up the new book “Downfall.” Jance has an interesting way to weave her plots that keeps the reader focused. The author builds strong characters and continues to develop them from book to book. The problem with the novella is it is too short. I cannot wait to read the new book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Hillary Huber does an excellent job narrating the book. Huber has narrated a number of the Brady series books. Huber is a voiceover artist and is an award winning audiobook narrator.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Random Acts: A Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds Novella- is a 2016 Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

The purpose of most novella length stories is to serve as a prelude to an upcoming full length novel, which is the case here. While there is all the requisite fat at the end with excepts of upcoming novels and such, this one is probably worth the investment, and I do recommend reading it before beginning the next Joanna Brady novel.

Joanna suffers a huge blow in this story and Ali Reynolds steps up to offer help and support as they work together to solve a truly tragic turn of events.

While the story is quite brief, it packs an emotional punch, and will perhaps set a slightly different tone for upcoming Brady installments.

4 stars

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheriff Joanna Brady is pregnant, running for re-election, and sending her eldest daughter off to college when disaster strikes: her parents on their way to Bisbee in an RV crash with one killed and one mortally wounded. Racing across several counties, Joanna arrives at the hospital where she is provided a clue that helps her solve the mystery. Ali Reynolds makes a cameo appearance.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanna is running for re-election, pregnant with her third child and her oldest is leaving for college. She gets a call that her stepfather and mother have been in a bad car accident. Something seems off about the accident and Joanna has to find out what really happened.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short novella. Sheriff Joanna Brady receives dreadful news, that her mother and stepfather were in a serious accident in their RV and her stepfather has already succumbed to his injuries. Joanna puts her grief aside and heads to the accident scene.

[Syd · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars. I asked my mom for some mystery recommendations and this was one she gave me. It was okay honestly but it was VERY fast passed. If you enjoy mystery’s and crime then this may be for you.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds team up once again in this heart-breaking novella of random violence and double homicide. If you have read all of both series up to this point, you'll definitely want to read this one, too.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In RANDOM ACTS, Sheriff Brady suffers a terrible tragedy, so read this first if you plan on reading Jance's next book in the series (DOWNFALL, September 2016).

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really glad I could read this before "Downfall". Great message for all of the Joanna Brady fans out there. If I say more I will spoil if for the rest of you. Enjoy this little novella!

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A longish short story or a shortish novella. This one also brings together both Sheriff Brady and Ali Reynolds from the previous novella No Honor Among Thieves but this one is basically Joanna with just a minor assist from Ali. Since she found out she was pregnant in that story, this one is several months down the road as they are picking out names for the baby girl she's going to have. Joanna also has her hands full with her oldest child going off to college and a re-election campaign heating up. Into this mix falls a terrible accident - her mother and stepfather were returning in their RV and ran off the road at a high speed. The ending was so emotional and heart-wrenching.

Quote to remember:

She had responded to a random act of violence with a random act of kindness. She had returned good for evil. Somehow that was as it should be.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheriff Joanna Brady has a lot on her plate—she is up for re-election as sheriff, pregnant with her third child, and her eldest is packing up to leave for college. Then Joanna is woken in the middle of the night by a call reporting a motor vehicle accident. Her mother and stepfather’s RV ran off the road at high speed and hit the pillar of an overpass.
Something about the accident seems suspicious, though, and when Joanna gets a call from Ali Reynolds, a journalist turned investigator, she accepts her offer to help. They come up with a plan to find out who was responsible…even if that person is not the villain they’d expected.
So I don't care for Ali Reynolds, and don't read it. I felt this book was unnecessary and more violent than most of Joanna's stories. It was also just side, nothing good came out of the story.

[Reni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a little quickie in between books! Not too shabby.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good novella.

[annapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheriff Joanna Brady is woken up in the middle of the night by the type of call that one most dreads - her mother and stepfather have been in an accident. Later Joanna is given cause to believe there was more to it than chance, and she sets out to investigate. This is the second crossover story between Joanna and Ali Reynolds. I liked that this novella gave us more than the usual glimpse into the relationship between Joanna and her mother, though I would still prefer a more in-depth story. I think it could have been fleshed out into a full-length novel, with perhaps a different motive for the guilty party, which to me fell flat. The ending felt a little rushed and emotionally manipulative as well, but all in all it was a decent story.

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Random Acts is a suspenseful, intriguing, well-plotted short story that I couldn't put down until I finished it last night. It features my two favorites of J.A. Jance's characters, Joanna Brady (and her family) and Ali Reynolds. But I was rather surprised that such a shocking event involving major supporting characters took place in a story between novels.

I have kept up with the Ali Reynolds series as the books were published, but I still have some catching up to do on the Joanna Brady series (and the J.P. Beaumont series). Jance is an outstanding writer, and I'm glad she has written so many books!

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is a short novel with alot of punch. It starts off with alot going on in Joanna's life at this time. She is up for re-election, she is expecting her 3rd child, her oldest daughter is going to college, and her young son is running around. Something comes up which she does not expect and it turns her world upside down. So this is a good quick read and very hard to put down. I was lucky to pick it up from the library and there are already 50 people on the waiting list. J. A. Jance is still one of the best authors and very good with her writing which draws you end till the last page.

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is consistently really good. The characters are familiar old friends but the mysteries are fresh and interesting. This novella was short and well-done. It's a brief mystery but I value the insight into the characters in this situation. It has 2 of the main book heroines who are set in Arizona locations.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great novella featuring two of JA Jance's characters. Fast-paced and exciting, there's also some sadness. In the end, I was left asking myself whether or not I could respond in the same way Joanna Brady does. I love books that can make me put myself in the situation and make me learn more about myself while enjoying a well-written story.

[Melissa Triplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+++ Read

Really good book. Held my interest from the first page. I just love how Joanna gets down and dirty to do her job to fullest! I always put myself in her shoes when reading about her.

[Owlsinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh; Jance must have needed to get rid of some characters, why else go through the motions of grief, distress, a leap into action, and wrap up a homicide in one afternoon? Now I can get back to "Downfall", which I put down within the first few pages, as soon as I read about those deaths.

[Mary L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a quick read! Can't wait for the next one to come out as it starts just where this one ends. I love all of her Joanna Brady books. The characters are so real that I feel they are my friends.

[Dyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I wrote the review for J.A. Jance's latest novel titled Downfall in the Joanna Brady series, I mentioned that I was puzzled and confused and felt that I had missed something along the way. Joanna was pregnant and her parents had been killed in an RV accident. WELL, this little novella of 76 pages explains and fills in the details that I thought I had missed.

Joanna has just returned from taking her daughter on a special shopping trip to get things Jenny will need for college. Joanna is woken in the middle of the night by a call reporting that her mother and step-father have been in an RV accident. Their motor home ran off the road at high speed and hit the pillar of an overpass. George is dead and Eleanor, her mother, is on her way to surgery. The doctor reports that her mother said something about a red dot before she was wheeled into surgery. This statement leads Joanna to think that the accident might have been murder instead.

This is a crossover story and Joanna enlists the aid of Ali Reynolds, a newspaper reporter turned investigator from another series, in setting up surveillance to catch the killer who is sure to return to the crime scene to retrieve something he left there. The murderer is a surprise with Joanna trying to save his life.

Usually I skip little novella stories, mainly because they don't turn up at the library. This one is a must read to keep the flow of the larger novels going and not cause a stumble as I had in reading Downfall first.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a short review; if I wax too rhapsodically lengthy, you won’t need to read this, and it’s tiny. I finished it during a crispy-aired morning walk. Granted, I turbocharged the narrator to 2.625X, but the book and the invigorating, chilly walk ended around the same time.

Sheriff Joanna Brady, pregnant with her third child, is about to send her oldest daughter, Jennfer, off to Flagstaff to college. Jenny has become a remarkable, decent young woman, and you celebrate that early on in this book. After buying college dorm supplies and treating Jenny to lunch, it’s home and eventually to bed. At 3 a.m., the phone rings, and it’s Joanna’s dispatcher calling to inform her that her parents have been in a car crash on a rural highway Joanna didn’t even know they were planning to use to get home. Her stepdad, George, is dead, and paramedics transport her mom to Phoenix.

Amidst all the calls that pour in during the day expressing sorrow over the accident, Joanna unearths one from Ali Reynolds, a former TV news anchor in Phoenix. Ali offers help with lodging, and she will be even more helpful in solving crimes as this little book progresses.

So, whether you want a literary walking companion on a cold morning or whether you’re looking to boost your end-of-year reading numbers or whether you just want a quick mystery that has a magnificently uplifting ending, this checks the boxes in all those areas.

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the middle of the night Joanna Brady's dispatcher calls her, notifying her that a deputy will be at her house soon due to an MVA (motor Vehicle Accident.) Her first thought is her teenaged daughter who is preparing to leave for college. Her commotion awakens the entire household just as her deputy arrives.

Joanna cannot imagine what her deputy needs to tell her, until he explains it was her parents; her step father was killed in the crash and her mother was flown to a Phoenix hospital. Butch drives Joanna the three hours to the hospital, county Sheriffs escort them from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

They arrive at the hospital too late; but the attending surgeon tells Joanna that her mother regained consciousness long enough to leave a message for Joanna, tell her about the red dot. Realizing what her mother was trying to tell her, she has Butch take her to the Yavapai County morgue where she meets Dave Holman and tells him to look for a bullet hole.

Now the crime scene is reexamined and with the help of Ali Reynolds a trap is set for the person who took the fatal shot.

Will Joanna be able to forgive the boy who killed her parents?

[Meiwilli · Rating 3 out of 5]

J.A. Jance's Random Acts novella is spot on for life imitating art. However, the telling of the tale is predictably boring and repetitive which is also true to life.

Sheriff Joanna Brady is rudely awakened by telephone in the wee hours of the morning to be notified that her mother and stepfather were involved in a motor vehicle accident on their way to Bisbee and that her stepfather died at the scene and her mother has been rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Joanna, with her husband in tow, races to the hospital to check on her mother but along the way she checks in with local law enforcement and finds out the details of what may have caused the accident, which in fact may be no accident. When Joanna is able to see her mother, she gets the final clue from her mother that confirms the accident was no accident at all.

This ain't no page-turner rather a mundane tale of a real-life event with just a hint of a mystery. This is my first read for J.A. Jance and I was not impressed with this novella. 2.5 stars.

[Emma E Frost · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am an avid reader of JA Jance books. I had just started Downfall, and felt that I had missed a book. So I look and see that there are two novellas. between book #15 and #16. I get Random Acts, the second of the two, as it seemed to contain the information that I needed to fill in major gaps. I read it in 2 hours. So more of short story than a novella. Also, I really felt that this book was unnecessary. I felt the whole plot was unnecessary. There are many ways to not include a character in a book, and I felt that this particular way of moving them on was strange. One of the characters was a favourite of mine, and I get that authors don't always want to keep the same people in their stories, and can have them marry, move away, buy a cottage at the lake that they move to etc. etc. I also felt that Ali Reynolds was kind of slotted in to this book, not exactly sure why, will she show up in Bisbee? Either way, this book was a disappointment to me, and I feel ripped off at paying full price for a short story. JMHO.

[DeeAnn Jeschke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Obviously written by an anti gunner. I love most of the books by Jance except the Joanna Brady ones. I gave this a shot because of Ali Reynolds.
This guy was shot with a 223 and they get all uptight because it’s the same caliber as an AR15. Of course they didn’t comment that is a varmint gun. Then they had some kid, obviously old enough to drive, but not enough responsibility to be doing so. This kid with the brains of a rock, takes a gun his dad had willed to him and shoots some people because he wants to know what it’s like to shoot a gun. If the father had guns the chances are that that kid was taught how to use them properly and responsibly unless the mother was trying to keep the kid a Nam by Pam by baby. If that were the case the guns wouldn’t be where the kid could get hold of them. The whole short story was a bad joke and played on people’s emotions and ignored any intelligence that readers have.

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is even shorter than the previous one that I read, No Honor Among Thieves. In this one Ali Reynolds joins in to help Joanna when another overpass is used as a gun range and an RV is forced off the road by a shooting. This time it is more personal to Joanna because the victims are part of her family.

If this is a sign of anything it is that Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady have a career of working together to solve crimes, as they with the situation with No Honor Among Thieves and in this one. In fact, we get a hint, or more actually, when readers are given an introduction to the next full sized book, which I didn't read, because I want to read as a whole package instead of just a chapter or two and then a while to read the rest.

I recommend this book to anyone that loves mysteries especially those with a lot of human interest points.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, short novella. Quick read. Love to add fill in info on details happening between books. Must read!!!

An all- new novella, in which Sheriff Joanna Brady and investigator Ali Reynolds join forces to solve a crime that has hit dangerously close to home. Sheriff Joanna Brady has a lot on her plate—she is up for re-election as sheriff, pregnant with her third child, and her eldest is packing up to leave for college. Then Joanna is woken in the middle of the night by a call reporting a motor vehicle accident. Her mother and stepfather’s RV ran off the road at high speed and hit the pillar of an overpass.

Something about the accident seems suspicious, though, and when Joanna gets a call from Ali Reynolds, a journalist turned investigator, she accepts her offer to help. They come up with a plan to find out who was responsible…even if that person is not the villain they’d expected.