Minor In Possession

J.P. Beaumont #8

by J.A. Jance

A gripping story of buried truths, deceit, and sudden, brutal death from the New York Times bestselling author of Long Time Gone.

All manner of sinners and sufferers come to the rehab ranch in Arizona when they hit rock bottom. For Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont, there is a deeper level of Hell here: being forced to room with teenage drug dealer Joey Rothman. An all-around punk, Joey deserves neither pity nor tears—until he is murdered by a bullet fired from Beaumont's gun. Someone has set Beau up brilliantly for a long and terrifying fall, dragging the alcoholic ex-cop into a conspiracy of blood and lies that could cost him his freedom . . . and his life.

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

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1990

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

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Minor in Possession: J. P. Beaumont, Book 8 (audiobook) is J. A. Jance read by Gene Eugene.

J. P. Beaumont is in rehab in Wickenburg Az. Finally the series is set in the great state of Arizona instead of the dreary state of Washington. He’s sharing a room with a young drug dealer who’s still up to no good. Then Beaumont realizes his car was taken and then returned and the gun in his glove box had been fired. Suddenly being an alcoholic isn’t the worst thing in his life, somebody maybe setting him up for a murder charge.

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in the 90's, there were still pay phones and people actually visited each other to interact. Detectives used the phone book as the first tool of research, there was no internet or cell phones. We observe J.P. Beaumont, "Beau" working on his alcoholism at a detox center in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. His young roommate, a real prize, is annoying and ends up dead. Beau's weapon was discharged killing the young man so Beau is a suspect. He is chief suspect in the murder investigation but soon proves that his life is in jeopardy and the focus moves to other people who may have found Joey expendable. Of course, there is the father of the underage, 15 year old that is carrying Joey's child. Or it could be the drug cartel, who are owned money (Joey is thought to have been a drug dealer). Things are a mess but Beau is cleverly at work to unravel the mystery.

This seems storyline has been retold many times since. Having not really been into mysteries back in the nineties I can not say if it is cutting edge story telling. J.A. Jance is a good writer but I could have done without the sexual encounters and Beau's prowess. This is the fourth book with Beau that I've read and he is a really oversexed character. I found his sex partner in this book to be so absurd Joey's mother, seriously two or three days after he is murdered she is up for a roll in the hay with a stranger. Stick a finger in me, I think I'm done with Beau the hound dog.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, Beau and Alamo Rent A Car don't get along.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #8 in the series, and I am reading them in order, which I recommend. I started this very early this morning, (as in 4:30) and finished it by noon. Needless to say, I liked it. :-) It truly explains several dimensions in the character of J.P. Beaumont.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the entwined plot with J.P. showing some vulnerability in his setting of this one. overall, the series feels familiar in the anchor points to the stories are consistent. I guess that is what makes people read series. I find that is the case in several of the series i am invested in. It was an enjoyable crime adventure.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent mystery by Ms. Jance. I knew that her detective J. P. Beaumont went to rehab at some point and suspected that this would figure in one of her books. The plot was involving and the solution was a bit surprising, but rather sordid.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

J A Jance is one of my favorite authors for relaxing on vacation.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can witness the ruination of many a good experience if you have a bad roommate. Detective Jay. P. Beaumont figured that out early. At the behest of his superiors in Seattle, the cop turned himself in to an Arizona rehabilitation ranch to see if he could vanquish the demons of his alcohol addiction once and for all. But from the outset, the experience is a troubled 1 for Beaumont. His roommate is a teenage drug dealer with sex on his mind and extraordinarily little else. When the rehabilitation center invites family members to visit the place to see how their loved one is doing, the teenage seducer Joey even puts the moves on Beaumont's daughter, Kelly. As you'll learn if you read this, even older women are not immune to Joey's charms. While the relationship between the cop and the kid is never rosy, it at least doesn't rise to the desperation of murder. There's no way Beaumont wants this kid killed. But when the boy doesn't show up at the ranch for several days, the cops go looking. It appears that the kid took a little joy ride in Beaumont's rental car, and he found a gun in the glove box. Someone apparently uses that gun to end Joey's life. With Beaumont as the chief suspect, he gets unlikely help from Joey's biological mother, who wants vengeance on whoever killed her son.

I was a little disappointed in this for a couple of plot reasons. Beaumont and the boy's biological mother, Rhonda, manage to do a little sheet shuffle routine before they've known one another for more than a couple of days. I struggled with the idea that you could be awash in grief and engage in a multiple coupling with the top suspect who some say killed your kid. It just didn't seem to ring true to me.

Despite that, this was a decent book. I strongly recommend you check out all the other books in the series before you jump on this one. But it isn't necessary I suppose.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jance's talent has finally truly kicked in with this book of the series. The previous one was pretty good, but this one equals her Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds series. I was rather disappointed in the first six books of this series and thought they were shallow and not up to her usual sparkle, but now she's reached her stride. Beau is at the rehab ranch in Arizona, and his comments on his impressions of the area are hilarious. He's having quite a culture shock, when of course a murder happens! It's a great story and thoroughly entertaining, as I've come to expect from her books.

[Michael Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings here. A surprising back story emerges with some depth, in a book marred by casual sexism, some over-wrought writing amplified by the audiobook narrator. I’ll jump ahead in the series, hoping to shed some of the dated material.

[Tracie Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
(Available in Print: COPYRIGHT: (1990) 9/27/2011; PUBLISHER: Harper; Reprint edition; ISBN: 978-0061999314; PAGES: 352 ; Unabridged.)

(Available as Digital)

*This edition-Audio: COPYRIGHT: 2/19/2008; ISBN: 1596070536; PUBLISHER: Books in Motion; DURATION: 09:14:19; PARTS: 8; Unabridged; FILE SIZE: 266427 KB

(Feature Film or tv: I don’t think so.)

SERIES:
J.P. Beaumont Book 8

MAJOR CHARACTERS: (Not comprehensive)
J. P. Beaumont – Seattle Police Department Homicide Squad Detective
Ralph Ames – Detective Beaumont’s lawyer
Joey Rothman -- Detective Beaumont's roommate
Joseph Rothman -- Joey's Father
Marsha Rothman -- Joey's Step-mother
Jennifer Rothman -- Joey's Sister
Rhonda Attwood -- Joey's Mother

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: It’s the next one in the J.P. Beaumont series. (Downloaded via Overdrive subscription from LA County Public Library)
Beau is enrolled in an Arizona Alcohol Recovery program recommended to him by Ames, when a roommate he’s not at all fond of is found dead and Beau becomes the prime suspect.
The series continues to hold my interest. The characters are well developed, and the plots are interesting.

AUTHOR:
J. A. (Judith Ann) Jance-10-27-1944: Jance is an “American author of mystery novels. She writes at least three series of novels, centering on retired Seattle Police Department Detective J. P. Beaumont, Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady, and former Los Angeles news anchor turned mystery solver Ali Reynolds. The Beaumont and Brady series intersect in the novel Partner in Crime, which is both the 16th Beaumount mystery and the 10th Brady mystery.[1] They intersect again in Fire and Ice.” __Wikipedia

NARRATOR:
Gene Engene: “Gene Engene is an award-winning reader with an astounding catalog of audiobooks to his credit. He is best known as J.P. Beaumont in the J.A. Jance mystery series. Gene is a veteran stage actor, director, and is a retired Professor of Drama at Eastern Washington University. Gene Engene Audiobooks at http://www.booksinmotion.com” __Facebook.com

GENRE:
Fiction; Suspense; Mystery

LOCATIONS:
Arizona

TIME FRAME:
Contemporary (1990)

SUBJECTS:
Murder; Alcohol rehabilitation

DEDICATION:
"To Dick and Cynthia, with whom we share far more than an anniversary and to
St. Thomas, who brought the words home to us."

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From “Chapter 1”
“I was lying there on the bed, leaning against my lumpy wagon-wheel-motif headboard, and waiting for Joey to come home for the night so I could pin his ears to the back of his head. My whole body ached to get with the program.
Roommate selection in rehab places is pretty much like that in jails or families—you’re stuck with whatever you get for the duration. The luck of the draw had deposited me in a drafty cabin along with an arrogant nineteen-year-old punk whose attorney had plea-bargained a drunk-driving offense down to a minor-in-possession charge. According to the plea agreement, Rothman’s MIP would be worked off by a six-week stay at Ironwood Ranch with the entire hefty fee payable by the carrier of Joey’s daddy’s health insurance.
I didn’t know any of that in the beginning. What I will say is that our introductory conversation didn’t exactly get us off to a flying start. Fresh out of the detox wing and still relatively shaky, I was busy unpacking my lone suitcase and trying to settle in when a young man bounded into the cabin, shedding a wet bathing suit as he went and leaving it in a puddle in the middle of the worn hardwood floor. (Ironwood Ranch’s pool, stables, tennis courts, and shuffleboard courts are all holdovers from the old golden days of dude ranching, while the five-man hot tub is an upscale concession calculated to keep the place current with prevailing social practices.)
“I’m your roommate, Joseph Rothman,” he announced casually. “Joey for short.” He stood in the middle of the room, pulling on first a pair of boxer shorts and then a heavy terry-cloth robe. “You must be the cop,” he added, disappearing into the bathroom.
His parting remark left me with a sudden lurch in my gut regarding Ironwood Ranch’s ongoing commitment to patient confidentiality.
“That’s right,” I replied.
A moment later he reappeared carrying a comb—my tapered barber comb. I regarded his presuming to use my property as a fundamental breach of roommate etiquette. It also violated one of my mother’s fundamental edicts about never sharing combs or brushes with anybody. When I reached out to take it from him, he blithely handed it over, feigning surprise, as though he had picked it up by accident and failed to notice that it wasn’t his.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I musta left mine up in the dressing room. What’s your name?”
“Beaumont,” I answered. “J. P. Beaumont. People call me Beau.”
Joseph Rothman was a little less than six feet tall, with the tanned good looks and sun-bleached blond hair of a well-heeled California surfer. Expansive shoulders and a muscled chest topped the narrow waist and hips of a dedicated body builder. My first impression was that he was probably in his mid-twenties. Later I was shocked to discover that he was still one month shy of his twentieth birthday.
“Where from?” he asked, settling easily onto one of the two monkishly narrow beds that stood against opposite walls. The action spared me having to ask him which bed was mine. The frankly appraising look he turned on me was equal parts derision and curiosity, as though I were some kind of laughable old relic that had turned up on a dusty museum shelf. Nothing in either his question or his attitude inspired me to volunteer any extra information.
“Seattle,” I said tersely.
The grunted one-word answer kept a lid on a growing urge to explain that I was a homicide cop who had been busting punks like him since well before he was born. Instead, I concentrated all my attention on sorting a tangle of hastily packed socks into matching pairs. Almost. I ended up with two extras, one blue and one black, that didn’t match anything.
Joey Rothman leaned against the wall, still watching me and making me painfully aware of the slight but uncontrollable trembling in my hands. The detox nurse had told me the shakes might last for several more days. I held onto the edge of the drawer, hoping the involuntary quiver wasn’t too noticeable.
“What are you in for, booze or drugs?” he asked.
“Booze,” I answered carefully. “What about you?”
Joey Rothman gave me an insolent, half-assed grin—a braggart’s grin. “Me,” he said. “Man, I do it all.”
Right that minute, I could cheerfully have murdered Ralph Ames for convincing me to check into Ironwood Ranch in the first place. He was the one who had forced me to take my doctor’s diagnosis of liver damage seriously.

RATING:
3 stars.

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
8-21-2022 to 9-2-22

[Dyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the noir feel of these earlier J.P. Beaumont books. There are not any modern conveniences like the internet and cell phones to make investigating easier. Lots of footwork. The plot line was well developed, and the characters are strong and defined, but Beaumont is flawed which makes him all the more human. The ending had a nasty twist, but the last paragraph gave me a feel-good surprise for a traumatized little girl.

In the last book Beaumont realized he had a drinking problem. His doctor has told him he has liver damage, and it's imperative that he quit drinking his favorite McNaughton's. His friend and attorney, Ralph Ames, has convinced him to enter Ironwood Ranch, a posh drug and alcohol rehab in Wickenburg, Arizona. Beau is from Seattle so he's definitely out of his element. Unfortunately, he has arrived during monsoon season - rain, rain, rain. His roommate, Joey Rothman, is a 19-year-old punk braggart drug dealer who is at the ranch because of being a minor in possession. Beaumont gets along with Joey by avoiding him. Beaumont's own family is in attendance as part of his family counseling sessions - his ex-wife Karen and almost grown children, Kelly and Scott. One night Beau sees Joey kissing 17-year-old Kelley.

While waiting up to confront Joey, Lieutenant Colonel Guy Owens shows up at the door to beat the crap out of Joey because he got Owen's 15-year-old daughter Michelle, who is also at the rehab ranch, pregnant. Beau discovers his car keys are missing and goes searching for his rented car because he had left his gun in the glove compartment. He finds the gun and smells the pungent odor of burnt gunpowder. When Joey is found dead, shot by Beau's own .38 Smith & Wesson gun, he becomes the prime suspect. Yavapai County Sheriff's Dept. in Prescott sends Detective Delcy Reyes-Gonzales to investigate. After she checks Beau out, she tells him that this is not his jurisdiction, and he can't be part of the official investigation. When Beau is let back into his room after the forensic team is done, he steps out of the shower and hears the chilling sound of a rattlesnake's rattle. It turns out to be somebody's pet that was planted in the room, not native to the area, and Beau learns from Joey's little sister that the snake is named Ringo. The Crenshaw's, who run the rehab, throw Beau off the ranch rather than call the sheriff and report the snake. Why? Louise Crenshaw seems to have a grudge against Beau and has hated his guts from day one. Why? Beau must rely upon Ralph Ames to give him a room at his home in Prescott until things are figured out. He is a great help in Beau's personal investigation.

Joey's father, step-mother, and little sister Jennifer are also at the ranch for family counseling. Rhonda Attwood, Joey's biological mother shows up seeking revenge for her son's death. She needs Beau's help in finding the killer, and she's adamant about that. She's a scary driver, an up-and-coming water colorist in Arizona, has flashes of deep anger and sleeps with Beau. They come up with a list of suspects. And then Michelle goes missing. Why? Who's she running from?

Comic relief is supplied by the confrontations between Beau and the Alamo Rent A Car when several of the cars he rents get damaged while he's investigating or when someone trys to kill him or fast driving Rhonda totals them. There is also a flash flood which keeps Beau away from the ranch. Will he go back and finish his rehab? This was a page turner with a surprise ending when the murderer is revealed. I feel it's best to read these books in order for character development and progression of the story lines. J.A. Jance is one of my favorite authors and I have never been disappointed with her books.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unconvincing!
This is a Detective J.P. Beaumont novel that is set in the state of Arizona. Beaumont is an alcoholic cop who has been sent by his Captain from the police department in Seattle, Washington to a rehabilitation center in rural Arizona to “dry out” and cure his addiction. He rents a car at the Phoenix airport and drives to Ironwood Ranch, where he learns that he must share a room with Joey Rothman, a perpetual rule-breaker who stays out late every night, and who flirts with all the women and girls at the Ranch.

Rothman impregnates the daughter of a military man from Fort Huachuca, a Lt. Colonel named Guy Owens, who comes to Beaumont’s room late at night in search of Rothman, who is not there. Beaumont and Owens strike up an acquaintance before the man leaves. Rothman never returns to the room.

The next morning, Beaumont goes out to his rented car and sees that it has been moved, and his keys had been removed from his room, presumably by Joey Rothman. Beaumont had left his police-issued .38 Special handgun in the locked glove compartment of the car, and when he checks it, he sees that two shots have been fired from it. In the meantime, it has been raining steadily and the adjacent river has reached flood stage.

Shortly thereafter, he is informed that Joey Rothman has been found dead on the bank of the river, having been shot twice, apparently with Beaumont’s gun. J.P., of course becomes an immediate suspect, or so we might think. The sheriff’s department, however, seems to behave in an unusual manner and does not immediately grill Beaumont. Strange!

The story takes us all over Southern Arizona, including the Phoenix and Tucson areas, as well as Fort Huachuca. It isn’t a very convincing story, in my view, and I can’t really recommend it.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

J. P. has been convinced that he has to stop drinking. He goes to Arizona - Ironwood Ranch to dry out. His family has been persuaded to participate in his therapy. He is totally out of his element and he isn't any too pleased to have a young punk as his cabin mate, Joey.

But, when said punk is murdered things change rapidly. J. P. is momentarily a suspect and is frequently reminded that he is not part of the investigation. And, for some reason, the woman in charge of the ranch seems to hate him. He can't fathom what he did to make her angry but doesn't have time to deal with her anger in addition to everything else that is happening.

Joey has a half-sister, a step-mother, a father and a biological mother. All of them react differently to the news of Joey's death. Joey's mother vows revenge against those who murdered her son. His sister is devastated and his father and step-mother seem to be inside shells. He also left behind a pregnant 15-year old girl - a girl who wasn't pregnant when he met her in the rehab!

Eventually a drug connection is discovered. It turns out that Joey was actually intending to clean up his act. Unfortunately, he decided that stealing from drug dealers would give him his seed money. This is never a good idea, but this time it is even more horrifying as the dealer is his step-mother, who arranged for his murder.

J.P. is, of course, ultimately the main driver behind the solving of this case and again, he manages to hook up with the most attractive woman in the mix!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

library e book

beau is in rehab, im so excited i get to read this one after the last one, the first 2 i got in order!

his roommate is some punk boy and they dont get along. the boy is accusing beau of being a nark to spy on him which is not the case.

the boy got some 15 yr old girl in rehab preg, and beau saw the boy kiss his daughter. he waited up for the boy to come back to the room to have a talk with him, the preg girls dad was also waiting with beau. the boy never showed, beau found his car keys missing and when he checked , his gun which was in the glove box had been shot and 2 bullets missing

the boy was found dead, the woman cop was questioning beau. she later knew he didnt do it

the owners of the rehab threw beau out, they were crazy, the wife having sex with the patients and eventually were removed themselves

beaus lawyer friend came and got him and they solved the case from his house as a base. the dead boys mom was in the mix too and she went to bed with beau.

[SHANNON YOUNG · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this. Beau is out of his element, in a rehab facility to detox and (initially) struggling with an obnoxious roommate. When his roommate ends up dead, shot with Beau's own gun, Beau scrambles to figure out what's going on despite being, at best, a civilian in this situation and, at worse, a prime suspect. In the end, lots of sordid and seedy secrets are exposed.

Beau is back to his old tricks of sleeping with a woman who shows signs of being slightly unhinged. Seems like women throw themselves at him all the time, with little resistance from Beau. It does seem foolish, given the high drama of the situation (she's the mother of the murder victim) and Beau's new and fragile sobriety. Unfortunately, this seems to be a recurring theme in these Beaumont novels.

Still, this is an engaging and entertaining story - one of my favourites in this series so far.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I'd read all the books in the Beaumont series. Somehow I missed this one. I wish I hadn't found it. Lots of things in this series do not age well. Descriptions of women are all over the top and while the attitude towards gay people might have been the prevailing one when the book was written, now it just is awkward and difficult to read. Another review noted the use of the term wetbacks. Add that to the list of wrong things I had the same issue with another one of the series that I listened to this year. I think Jance's books with female protagonists are better -- Beaumont is written as a man's man with caveman attitudes and ideas about women. In addition, I have listened to a few of them and the reader is just so curmudgeonly and alpha male. I do not enjoy this reader and the voice is not how I envisioned Beau's. Just so overly manly. Maybe reading them would be better. I can read my own tone into the words. The mystery was fine.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 8th in the J.P. Beaumont series, we find Beaumont very much out of his depth as he attends a rehab center in Arizona for his alcoholism, enforced by an enlarged liver and police regulations. His roommate is a teenager who is flouting the rules until he is found dead, shot by Beaumont's pistol which had been stored in his rental car glove box. Despite his credentials, it takes a while for the local police to believe in his innocence, and more importantly, his investigatory skills. In the end, of course he works with one of the local detectives to figure out the situation which turns out to be more convoluted than it first seems. There is a comical side plot which involves his inability from keeping his rental cars (yes, multiple cars) from being damaged in the course of the investigation. Another good one for Beaumont, and it's nice to see him overcoming his alcoholism.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY

Beau has taken sick leave from the Seattle P.D. to dry out in an Arizona rehab center. He is stuck rooming in a cabin with 19 year old Joey Rothman who is about to graduate from the program. Our homicide Detective is miffed that Joey breaks curfew and suspects illegal activity, since the teen is the center for a Minor in Possession charge. His ex-wife and kids are at the center to give Beau moral support, but when he catches his daughter and roommate making out Beau has murder on his mind. Another father has the same thoughts; Michelle is pregnant and Rothman is the father. All Hell breaks out when Joey is found hanging in a tree beside a flood swelled creek shot to death with Beaumont’s gun. To remove himself as a suspect, Beau with the assistance from his lawyer and friend, Ralph Ames and Joey’s mother investigates.
**
check into an Arizona rehab facility recommended by his lawyer, Ralph Ames. For once, Ralph's advice is off the mark. Beau quickly alienates the facilty's twisted owners, his teenage drug dealing rommmate suspects he is an undercover narc, and he is cornered by an aging rattlesnake named Ringo. Naturally there is a murder, and Beau is a suspect, largely because the killer used Beau's .38. The cast includes the shooting victim's bereaved mother and wicked stepmother, a pregnant teenager and her enraged father, a Mexican-American drug cartel, an attractive Yavapai County Sheriff's deputy, and Beau's ex-wife Karen and their two children The settings range over most of Central and Southern Arizona including a chase scene that ends up near the Invergordon Road house in Scottsdale where my mother and stepfather lived in the 1950s.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Arizona alcohol rehab ranch was no picnic for J.P. Beaumont. First they stuck him in a room with a sleazy, teen-age drug dealer named Joey Rothman. Then they sicked the local law on him when the punk was discovered shot dead with Beaumont's own .38. But the party responsible for Joey's early check-out wasn't satisfied with simply framing Beaumont for murder. Suddenly the Seattle detective faced a choice of fates far more unpleasant than cold turkey: a long stay in the State cooler ... or even a longer stay beneath the cold ground.
I enjoyed this story, but I like when Beau is the investigator, and I am tired of all the woman that just fall into bed with him. Still the stories are good, and I will continue reading them.

[Gene Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best J.P. Beaumont book so far. I'm reading them in order.

Totally agreeable storyline. Very little fat or gristle. I'm a dyslexic reader and normally take several days to read a novel; I finished this two days - and it's now 2:55 am.

I can vouch for the accuracy of much of the detail having spent time in 'recovery' at The Meadows in Arizona.
Late revelations in the story bring deeper understanding of several key character; not in a 'clean this news up' kind of way but a natural process of critical thinking and growing self awareness.

While you don't have to read this series in order I recommend you do. References to previous characters makes ties some ideas together you won't get otherwise.

[Beachreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beau is at an Arizona ranch for rehab. His love of McNaughtons has damaged his liver, so he has agreed to do something about it. His young roommate is a drift and may even be a drug dealer, but we have no interaction with this character because he is soon found dead.

There are many characters, both old and young, who have secrets to be uncovered. There are attractive women of course, because it would not be a JP Beaumont story without those. Beau's ex-wife and kids make their first appearance. And his Arizona lawyer, the only recurring character in the story, provides assistance.

The plot was just OK--nothing too exciting or suspenseful. I prefer the Seattle setting, so I hope Beau never returns to the desert.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where JP Beaumont goes murder follows and a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center isn't immune.

Beaumont had received bad news from his doctor. Give up drinking or die. Deciding that there wasn't much of a choice to be made Ralph Ames, Beaumont's friend and attorney, got him admitted to the Ironwood Ranch in Arizona. Think Betty Ford but with snakes, scorpions, and flash floods in monsoon season. Not really wanting to be there Beaumont is determined to make it work especially since the Police Department's Health Insurance is covering the cost. Unfortunately for him murder creeps in and finding himself in unfamiliar territory solving it is going to be challenging.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took about half the book before I really got into this. Even though the action starts pretty much from the beginning, the story just didn’t captivate me. I have to give the book credit: I wasn’t able to out-think the mystery. That hasn’t been the case with some of the books I’ve read recently and I appreciate that. Having been immersed in the Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady universes, it was interesting to see the same part of the world through new eyes, especially the eyes of a ‘tourist’. I also think I’m starting to see a bit of a bias on the part of the author. This is the second book I’ve read with a disreputable addiction treatment facility, and I think it’s a bit of a worrying trend.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

These mysteries just keep getting better. In this one, Beau is at a rehab center overcoming his dependency on alcohol. His roommate is a young drug dependent drug dealer. When said roommate goes missing, then is found dead from a bullet fired from Beau’s service weapon, guess who the prime suspect is? Much more than just solving the murder happens in this gripping tale. Beau has to find the guilty party to save his own neck, because local law enforcement isn’t looking much past Beau. A more caring side of Beau also emerges as he deals with the relatives and loved ones of the victim. It’s quite interesting to read about his character’s growth as the series goes on.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve listened to several of these books (audio book only on these since they go well with house and yard chores) and I find, to my surprise, I enjoy the stories in spite of the fact I don’t much like the main character, JP Beaumont. He comes across to me as one of those guys who believes he’s a paragon of male enlightenment, but is actually a paid in full member in good standing of the white patriarchy-happily patronizing away at everyone else not in the club.
And yet, I’m guessing I’ll keep reading and enjoying them and wanting to give JP Beaumont a good swift kick in his misogynistic little butt.

[Darlene Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

All manner of sinners and sufferers come to the rehab ranch in Arizona when they hit rock bottom. For Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont, there is a deeper level of Hell here: being forced to room with teenage drug dealer Joey Rothman. An all-around punk, Joey deserves neither pity nor tears--until he is murdered by a bullet fired from Beaumont's gun. Someone has set Beau up brilliantly for a long and terrifying fall, dragging the alcoholic ex-cop into a conspiracy of blood and lies that could cost him his freedom . . . and his life.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I like about the stories by this author is the way she wraps the mystery up in the personalities of characters. This book is no exception. It is not a classic whodunit. There are not a lot of clues, just a bunch of people acting and interacting in ways that lead to both the crime and the eventual solution. I like that. I also like that I never had any idea who the culprits were. About my only quibble is a common one, the detective investigating the case is occasionally a bit too bone-headed.

[The other John · Rating 3 out of 5]

J.P. Beaumont is a Seattle detective in a detox program in Arizona. Since it's a mystery novel, crime happens. His roommate is killed with Beaumont's gun. Beaumont is soon cleared as a suspect, but since it's not his jurisdiction, he's not part of the official investigation. But since it's a mystery novel, he conducts his own. It's not great literature, but it is an enjoyable tale with likable characters. Suspicion points to most everyone in the tale, so the reader is kept wondering what exactly is going on. (Um, I mean that in a good way...)

[Ski Croghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a sad book but uplifting at the same time!!

This is a truly sad book. Young lives ruined by selfish adults. Will Beau be able to stay sober? He's been an alcoholic for a long time. Drugs can ruin more lives than just the one who is addicted! Young people don't know what they are getting into when they start down that long dark road. To many times it ends in an early death and devastated family and friends. Don't miss this outstanding book book. Highly recommended.