Sins of the Fathers

J.P. Beaumont #24

by J.A. Jance

Unti J.A. Jance #18 has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

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

Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2019

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

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sins of the Fathers by J.A. Jance is a 2019 William Morrow publication.

Beaumont’s past comes calling, exposing a long -buried secret!

Usually, I wind up alternating between the three series by J.A. Jance that I follow-'Ali Reynolds', 'Joanna Brady', and 'J.P Beaumont'. I enjoy all of them, but Beaumont was my first love and so of the three series, this is still my favorite.

Somehow, I’ve managed to read two Beaumont mysteries in a row! What a rare, but very pleasant treat!! Not, only that, I won a gorgeous hardcover copy of this book from Goodreads!! Win-Win!

In this 24th installment, Beaumont must absorb some stunning information, when an old acquaintance pops up out of the blue asking for J.P.’s help in locating his missing daughter.

Naturally, this is not your ordinary missing person situation. The missing girl abandoned her newborn at the hospital and now her father is caring for the baby, hoping to obtain full legal custody. Not only that, Beaumont may have a personal stake in the matter, as his wild, alcoholic past may have come home to roost.

Beaumont has always been an interesting character. His life has taken many paths over the years, but now he has reached retirement age and although he’s mellowed a bit, he has finally carved out a niche for himself as a private detective. That doesn’t mean his life is dull by any means. Turns out life has a few more surprises in store for Beaumont. These new developments will once again change the entire dynamic of his life. As Beaumont digests all that he has learned, the hunt for his client’s daughter leads him straight into a murder investigation. This case, as usual, is compelling, revealing the darker side of human nature.

Of course, I enjoyed Beaumont’s private musings, which often give me a chuckle, but this time around, he also made me cringe a few times. While this story wasn’t quite as strong as the previous chapter in the series, I was still very invested in the plot, and as always, the writing is outstanding.

Overall, the primary theme in this installment is the complexity of family bonds- the good, the bad and the ugly. There are a few interesting juxtapositions and plenty of food for thought.
4 stars

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read quite a few of the Beaumont series over the years. Every time I read one, I think I should go back and read them all in order, but other books keep getting in the way. I always enjoy J. A. Jance’s writing and her storytelling skills.

The book is well written. The plot twists and turns. Jance inserts some humor in the story. J. P. Beaumont is now retired from the police force and is working as a licensed private investigator. His wife, Mel, is the Chief of Police of Bellingham. In this book Beau is hired to find a missing girl. She left her new born baby at the hospital and disappeared. Jance seems to have such interesting plots and characters in her books. I enjoyed Lucy, the Irish Wolf Hound. She was a unique character in the story. There was no action in the story, but I was kept engaged through-out. The book is a pleasant change of pace type of book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is thirteen hours and ten minutes. Alan Sklar does a good job narrating the story. Sklar has narrated the last few books in the series.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good J.P. Beaumont book. An old friend hires J.P. to find his junkie daughter, who also happens to have a special connection to J.P. This is more of a murder mystery than an action book. The secondary characters are very good and give a lot of life to this tale. Recommended.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers of the J.P. Beaumont detective series have watched him evolve from being an alcoholic to becoming a ‘dry’ 72-year-old retiree happily married to Mel, Chief of Police of Bellingham. Fans of the series will get reacquainted with many of the recurring characters. J.P. is his self-deprecating best while providing local color of the Seattle metropolitan area and recounting the antics of his and Mel’s ninety-pound Irish Wolfhound, Lucy.

This 24th offering starts with a missing person’s case. An old acquaintance, Alan Dale, is trying to discover the whereabouts of his daughter, Naomi. It seems she disappeared soon after delivering a baby girl at the local hospital. Jance has J.P. following a convoluted path to finding first Athena’s mother, and then her father.

The ties of family may be Jance’s main theme here, but the author also includes the blessings/curses of wealth. J.P. generously parts with his money to ease the way for others, while the villain is willing to commit murder in order to enrich themselves. Enjoy.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first J. P. Beaumont read and it was entertaining. I like the characters and plot. Though not much of a mystery but the procedure was still interesting.

The narrator was very good and gave life to this character and the whole story. Wow it's book #24 and I'll be adding this series to my to-read series.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 24 in this series, but I am pretty sure this is the first I have read. There was more than the typical amount of summarizing and I don’t think I was missing much if anything from previous books. I definitely will need to read more of these in the future. Retired homicide detective JP Beaumont is struggling a little with retired life, so it is a bit of a relief when an old acquaintance shows up and requests his help finding a missing woman. Of course no case is ever quite that simple and JP is soon back in Seattle using old connections and digging up a way bigger case than he expected.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written by one of my favorite authors. Her characters are always interestingly developed and usually set in fairly complex surroundings. That said, the pace at which this one's plot unfolded was pretty far fetched. Why is it that the richer a character is the fewer the obstacles and the less reality a story has? I'm sad that this newest book read so like Stuart Woods novel - entertaining but not very believable, despite a great premise.

Beau and his wife have always been believable. In this book he is now 72, yet he stills literally runs around with the stamina of a fit, forty something man. He continually throws money at obstacles to make them disappear (but also for doing good deeds). I miss the earlier versions of this character, where money was not a crutch for good plotting.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. JP is retired from the police force and working as a PI. An old friend comes to his house with his premature granddaughter asking for help in finding the mother, his daughter. JP agrees to help and after seeing a picture of his friend's daughter that looks just like his daughter he is sure she is really his child from a one night stand. Interesting story of how he finds the daughter, her boyfriends killer and uncovering a terrible family.

[Jim Angstadt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast, enjoyable read. The major characters were well drawn, and the plot moved along quickly. My only doubt concerned Beau. As a recovered alcoholic, he sure had superb analytical skills and a great memory. That's a minor point, but it nibbled away at reasonableness.

[3 no 7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sins of the Fathers” is book twenty-four in J.A. Jance’s J. P Beaumont series, but all readers will find it entertaining. Any needed background information on the characters is provided as part of the story. Jonas Piedmont Beaumont, “Beau,” is now retired, living in Bellingham where his wife Melissa is Chief of Police. He has mellowed somewhat, but is becoming bored with crossword puzzles and playing with his dog. The easy conversational style gives the reader the feeling of sitting with J.P. chatting, sharing memories of his life.
Things change when a person from Beau’s past, Alan Dale, shows up with an infant. He wants help finding his troubled daughter so he can gain custody of the baby. Beau must untangle both the past and present but without his previous law enforcement investigative tools and contacts. Of course he does not have to follow the “official” rules either.
This is not a formula book with continuing characters just dropped into a random plot line. The story is complex and unfolds layer after layer. Events in the past threaten to disrupt the present, and off course, the investigation path leads to a murder.
“Sins of the Fathers” is the story of complex family relationships, and it exposes the dark side of human nature. It easy to read but still has twists and danger. I received a review copy of “Sins of the Fathers” by J. A. Jance, William Morrow, and HarperCollins. Those who have followed Beau through previous books will love this one. New readers will want to look at Beau’s earlier adventures.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this book. I admit to being surprised since it was the first I’d read in this well-established series. My assumption was that I’d be somewhat lost, but I underestimated the enormous skill of J.A. JANCE who managed to weave a short and comprehensive summary of Beaumont ‘s past adventures and personal experiences into the narrative.

This worked as a very engaging stand-alone with an intricate and fascinating plot. It totally held my interest and. I intend to read a lot more of JANCE in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the gift of another author to read, I think I will have lots of enjoyment in the future as I catch up on JANCE.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beau is surprised by Alan Dale and Athena (infant) showing up at his front door one day. And surprise !
Athena is also his granddaughter!!
Naomi Dale (his daughter, the other surprise) who is Athena’s mom needs to be found for Alan to gain permanent guardianship of Athena and be able to take her home to TX. So he takes this PI case for free .. and ends up spending a good amount of money while solving it too.
Takeaways: murderers don’t ask many questions as they know the answers.
Homicide policing is a young person’s job.
Lucy (Irish wolfhound) is a great dog.
Life IS one day at a time for an addict.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by JA Janice. It was recommended to me by a fan of hers. It is a series involving a private investigator and crime. This was a murder mystery. It is not my usual genre but it was a good story.

[Terry Lynn Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read the J.P. Beaumont series since the beginning and while not serious literature, they have always been an enjoyable read. The author has a good plot but her many rants about the "poisonous political correctness" (complete with a few racial slurs) and her incessant complaining about Seattle traffic, was offensive and tiresome. She also throws in pages of Seattle history that reads like she it was taken verbatim from a middle school textbook. At first it was interesting but eventually reading felt like a chore. It is is often irrelevant to the story and leaves the reader with the impression that she doesn't have enough imagination to fill whatever her publisher's desired word count was. I'll probably read the next one in the series because I've been with the character for years but I'm hoping next time she'll give her personal aggravations a rest.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never read any J. A. Jance books before, and unfortunately the book I picked up is the 24 in the J. P. Beaumont series. To say most of the book had to do with filling pages with complaints about Seattle's traffic issues as well as recounting Beau's past issues with wives, divorces, rehab, AA meetings took up nearly as much time as the actual mystery is a vast understatement. I have no need to read the other 23 because they were all reviewed in 24.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author. Her characters come to life and seem to be real people. JP Beaumont has still “got it”. I keep thinking it’s about time to retire this character and then she puts out another great story!! Awesome read! Haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a while!

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

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
 

Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
 
4.5 hearts
 
I read all the series by JA Jance and they are such a comfortable, pleasant read. Well, they are all mysteries where there is often murder and some horrible things happen to people. But I love the style and the characters, who are so familiar to me.

Sins of the Fathers is the 24th book in the JP Beaumont series . Beau is retired from 3 jobs throughout the series but now working as a private investigator. He employs his usual clever analysis of the information and human nature to follow the truth. It's great to see him and his friends and family again. I suppose it wouldn't be necessary to read all the books but they are so wonderful I am glad I have read them all.

The culprits may be clear fairly quickly but gathering the evidence to catch and prosecute them isn't so simple. He uses his long experience and knowledge to do this in a skillful way.  The case is surprisingly close to his own past and revisits some of his own issues.

I don't know how this author always provides an interesting, well-plotted story but I am thrilled to keep reading them.

Narration:
I have only listened to a few of this series, reading most of them. The narrator has been the same which I appreciate.  Most of the story is in Beau's head space and he is in every bit of dialogue so it's great I enjoy the voice for him.  I'm not sure about the female voices but they were rather limited, anyway.  I was able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed.

Listen to a clip:https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us...
 

[Lyn Sweetapple · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Beaumont book. It explains a bit of his past so it can be read as a standalone, but if you are familiar with the series (I have read all to date), it doesn't bog down the narrative at all. This book is less gory than some of the earlier books in this series.

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the latest in the J.P. Beaumont novel by prolific writer J.A. Jance.

Encouraged by his wife, J.P. Beaumont, retired homicide detective and former alcoholic, has started a new career as a private investigator. One of his first cases is to find the missing daughter of someone from his past. The missing daughter gave birth to a methadone addicted baby and then abandoned the baby at the hospital. With baby in tow, the grandfather upends Beaumont’s life as the search leads to a personal revelation for him as well as the discovery of fraud and multiple homicides.

Although he faced some rough times growing up as well as early in his career, Beaumont now appears to live a more charmed life with the financial resources to easily solve any problem or concern that he encounters. That helps everything fall into place and all loose ends are tied up in a neat package. It is all almost too good to be believable.

Well written, this is a fast, engrossing read. I liked that despite this being the 24th book in the series, the author filled in necessary character background history so that it worked well as a standalone.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sins of the Fathers (J.P. Beaumont #24)
by J.A. Jance



J.P. Beaumont is on a case that hits way too close to home. The action is at a sedate pace since he is older now. I'm not so sure I like him tossing money at all the problems he encounters, but if you got it, spend it.


The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Alan Sklar does J.P. justice.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago and got to thinking about it. I've been reading novels with dogs in them and then I remembered this.
I can't believe I didn't wrote a review! I can tell it meant a lot to me because I actually remember a lot of the plot!

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

I have read this series and the Sheriff Brady series for many years. I like them both because the characters are not static. They grow. They change. People come in and out of their lives. In this novel, Beau is retired from active police work and yet still seems to get involved in an investigation that uncovers a murder, and maybe more. But the mystery is wrapped up in a different surprise. An old friend knocks on his door with a tiny infant and a missing daughter. In the course of trying to track her down, he faces his own demons from the past. It's a good story that advances the series. I'll be moving on to the next one in this series soon.

[Mac Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retired police detective and current private detective JP Beaumont has settled down into a comfortable life with he wife Mel and their dog Lucy. However, his new case brings up things from his past that may threaten his future. When the husband of one of Beau's old acquaintances turns up asking for help locating his missing daughter, JP takes on his most personal case yet.

This one is a page-turner with everything from indigenous rights to shady land deals to elder abuse, and of course, murder. Throw in a vulnerable newborn and a loyal dog and you have a story that kept me engrossed from the first page to the final sentence.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a J.A. Jance fan # 36 for me. My favorites have been Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds, I was never big on JP’s stories but I liked this one more than I thought I would.

[Chris Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy, oh boy, Beau’s life just keeps getting more convoluted and interesting. This is a terrific chapter in his life.

[Karen Wegman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I adore this author. One of the things I like about J. A. Jance is that she has allowed Beaumont's character to grow. I have read every single book in the Series and every time I see that a new book is out I can't wait to read. In this latest book, Beau is 72 years old and he behaves in an age appropriate manner. He is not leaping tall buildings or running all over like a crazy man. Throughout the years, Ms Jance has shown us a character who with all of his "warts" has grown year after year. I love this character and in my opinion, he is superman!!

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.P. Beaumont, working as a private investigator, finds himself involved in a convoluted case when Alan Dale arrives on his doorstep with his infant granddaughter. The baby’s mother left the hospital and disappeared; Dale wants to find her so he can legally take custody of the child. J.P. sets out to find the baby’s missing mother, but when the case takes an unexpected turn, he finds himself involved in fraud and murder.

In this, the twenty-fourth outing for J.P. Beaumont, readers will find the expected characters in place. Several surprising plot twists keep the suspense building and keep readers guessing as the story unfolds. There’s enough backstory woven into the telling of the tale for readers new to the series. Complex, believable characters populate the narrative and the strong sense of place anchors a story that flows well and keeps the pages turning.

Highly recommended.

[Kaijsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The J.P. Beaumont series is my favorite one Jance writes, so I'm happy she's picked it up again. This book seems to have jumped a little bit forward in time from the previous one, but Beau still has Lucy (formerly known as Rambo), the Irish wolfhound he kept after she saved him from being shot in Proof of Life. Lucy is mostly healed from her wounds and is living with Beau and Mel in Bellingham. Alan Dale, an acquaintance from one of Beau's old homicide cases arrives on the doorstep and asks for help in locating his missing daughter, Naomi. Naomi ran off after giving birth, leaving her newborn daughter, Athena, behind at the hospital. Beau soon realizes he has a stronger connection to the Dale family than he ever knew, and the two work together to track down Naomi so Alan can take guardianship of Athena.

I enjoy Beau and was immersed in the story of what happened to Naomi and her boyfriend and what real estate shenanigans were going on in a rapidly gentrifying West Seattle. However, the immense wealth Beau has allows him to throw money at problems, which really lowers the stakes in the story. I didn't see this come up quite as much when he was still with SPD and then with the WA State Attorney's special investigation unit, but as a private investigator, Beau can handle his cases really differently and it takes away some of the tension. I hope Beau's next case is set in Bellingham instead of his well-trodden Seattle turf, and forces him into some conflicts with BPD and his wife, the police chief. We could get to know a whole new cast of characters and not rely so much on Beau's past and the SPD connections he has.

I received a free ebook ARC from HarperCollins via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

[Dorothy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery writer J.A. Jance just gets better and better. And her character, J.P. Beaumont, retired detective, just gets better and better! In Jance's latest, SINS OF THE FATHERS, Beaumont's enjoyment of his retired life is interrupted by the arrival of an old acquaintance, Alan Dale, a widower who by a quirk of fate has taken charge of his granddaughter after Dale's daughter, a drug addict, has turned the newborn baby over to foster care. Along with Dale's arrival and Beaumont's attempt to help him gain custody of the baby, there lies a complicated story--and a messy set of interwoven crimes. To Beaumont's surprise, his own life plays a key role as his difficult past collides with his present. Reformed alcoholic Beaumont is a completely developed and touching character, and this book adds a complex set of supportive characters and greedy villainous ones. I absolutely could not put this book down! I think it is the best Beaumont ever and possibly the best Jance ever! Be sure to have a box of Kleenex handy!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former Seattle homicide detective J.P. Beaumont is retired and hanging out his private investigator's shingle just to stay occupied. A blast from 30 years past shows up at his door -- Alan Dale, a friend from long ago needs Beau's help with his 6 week old granddaughter. Alan's daughter Naomi abandoned the newborn at the hospital and Alan needs Beau to find her so she can sign over parental rights.

This story is a traditional missing person's case with a murder or two tucked away inside. Part of reading and enjoying this series is following along with Beau's family life and there's plenty of that in this story. I particularly like Lucy the 90 lb black Irish wolfhound. Jance, I'm expecting another dog in the next book.