Trial by Fire

Ali Reynolds #5

by J.A. Jance

In the heat of the Arizona desert, a raging fire pushes temperatures to a deadly degree, and one woman is left to burn. Pulled naked and barely breathing from the fire, the victim has no idea who she is, let alone who would do this to her -- or why. In her hospital bed she drifts in and out of consciousness, her only means of communicating a blink of the eye. And then an angel appears. Misguidedly known around town as the "Angel of Death," Sister Anselm has devoted her life to working as an advocate for unidentified patients. To her burn patient, she is a savior. But to this Jane Doe's would-be killer, Sister Anselm's efforts pose a serious threat. Ali Reynolds is on the scene as the new media relations consultant for the Yavapai County Police Department, keeping reporters at bay and circumventing questions about arson and a link to a domestic terrorist group called Earth Liberation Front. But her job quickly becomes much more. As Ali struggles to help Sister Anselm uncover the helpless woman's identity, they realize that by locating the missing relatives they may be exposing the victim once more to a remorseless killer determined to finish the job. Faced with the possibility of putting all three of their lives in jeopardy, Ali fearlessly pursues justice -- and what she discovers is a secret even darker and more twisted than she ever could have imagined. With unerring skill, Jance delivers relentless suspense in what is surely her finest novel yet in this riveting and addictive series.

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

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2009

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

[Gloria ~ mzglorybe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is so "today." How can you not love a novel that features a 70-something yr old Nun whose lifeline is her iPhone and knows how to use it to outsmart a bad guy? Even her Bishop is techy. Loved it! In this case, the main victim of attempted murder by arson is a woman, pulled naked and burned over 50% of her body, left to die at the scene, but she doesn't...yet she can't remember anything or talk. I found this part of the book totally engrossing, reading from the burned victim's point of view, her thoughts and feelings, confusion and pain. It was overwhelming to imagine it.

Ali Reynolds is the main protagonist - former newscaster and now on temp assignment to the sheriff of Yavapai County in AZ. in a media relations capacity, and an effective crime sleuth as well. She and Sister Anselm team up to find the identity of the victim and who wanted her dead. I marvel at how many novels Jance has written and how she comes up with so many plot lines. I found this one creative and unpredictable (especially the ending) but most of all thoroughly entertaining, especially the second half. That's my main reason for reading Jance novels, she doesn't usually disappoint me. The protagonist Ali Reynolds, is gutsy, likeable, smart, and has a kind heart, just the kind of woman I like to read about. Loved it! Recommended.

[Chris Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are really well-crafted mysteries. Even when I pretty much know who dunnit, getting there with Ali is a lot of fun.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had surprisingly little that happened in it. There were no suspenseful moments, until one bit around the 70% mark, and I figured out the killer early in the book. Despite these flaws I enjoyed the book because I enjoyed the characters. I've liked the other Ali Reynolds books more as far as I can remember, but for everything this one lacked, it made up for in simply enjoying the characters.

And Sister Anselm was awesome.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A raging fire and a woman is badly burned, in the hospital she can only communicate by blinking her eyes. She meets a nun who is called the angel of death because she is given the worse cases to minister to. Ali is the new media relations consultant for the police dept. Ali gets involved in trying to find out the person who started the fire, protect the woman, protect the nun and clear up the problems in the police dept putting herself in danger to do it.

[John (Just bought an Oculus 2 VR, so less time to read these days!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start but an incredible entry for this series

Slow start but an incredible entry for this series. I almost put it down and went to the next one. I am glad I didn’t, because it really was the best one of this series so far. Highly recommended!

[Gerald Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually read this book while away from home and hadn't had a chance to add it yet. I can see by others it received some rather high review marks but for the life of me I don't know why. Given that this is my first involvement with Jance, her characters and/or style, I'll hedge my remarks.
While the story was intriguing enough, she never really developed the two officers the story started around. It seemed to me she plucked characters out of mid-air as needed and left a lot of unknown's. I. E. the nuns funding. A bishop with "dark" interest. Then all of a sudden at the end she pulls out an "off the grid," survivalist who lives in the desert but drives a Gran Torino. Please at least give the guy a Jeep. I don't like to "dis" on any author but I won't be reading any more of this series.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, and Jance's books are so hard to put down.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR Jance, J. A.
TITLE Trial by Fire
DATE READ 07/12/21
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE On a gorgeous mid-May morning with temperatures still in the seventies, all was right w/ Ali Reynolds’s world.
GENRE/ PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH Crime Fiction/2009/pb/396 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #5 Ali Reynolds
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2021 Reading Goal 69/120
GROUP READ BookDragons/CleanSweep
TIME/PLACE 2008/AZ
CHARACTERS , Ali Reynolds – Media Relations for Police Force
COMMENTS I really enjoy J.A. Jance, it has been some time since I have read her … will have to remedy that. I like all her series. This is the 5th book in the Ali Reynolds series and is jam packed with action, interesting characters and developments with the main character. A fire in a development under construction … even though these houses are not currently lived in there is a severely burned body found in one. The body is of an unidentified woman and the fires may be connected to a radical environmental group. Great read!

[Violeta Petrovska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Како што ветив, книгава ја прочитав покрај прекрасните плажи на Скијатос, оценката се должи на фактот што имаше многу личности, па ми се мешаа малку со брановите, поздрав Марија, уште еднаш ти благодарам за прекрасниот подарок, посебно за посветата!!!!

[Tulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading.

Another good suspenseful story by Jance, good likeable characters. Ali Reynolds is strong woman, wish her lots of luck. Will be reading more about Ali.

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly believed that I had read every book in this series, but apparently not; this is the second book that I had missed. This is the book episode that brings Ali Reynolds and Sister Anselm together.

In the Arizona desert a woman is stripped of her clothing and left in a house under construction which is then set on fire. A brave firefighter pulled her from a certain death; but, did he do her any favors?

She awakens in a hospital in searing pain, she recalls nothing of what happened, nor does she know her name. Then she sees what she believes to be an angel, this angel can take her pain away by pushing a button. In fact, the woman is Sister Anselm, someone who has devoted her life as an advocate for unidentified patients, although many have donned her 'the Angel of Death.'

The woman cannot communicate with a ventilator in her throat, she is able to answer yes and no questions by blinking her eyes.

Ali Reynolds is on the scene as the new media relations consultant for the Yavapai County Police Department, but soon finds herself working in tandem with Sister Anselm who suspects Jane Doe's would-be killer poses a serious threat. In fact, simply discovering the woman's identity could be a serious threat to her, after all, someone had failed in their attempt to kill the woman. Or, could the would be killer be after everyone involved with Jane Doe?

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one really had me flipping pages to get to the finale. Jance is a great author and she always has so many interesting characters and Ali is a strong female MC. I really liked the nun. She is a fantastic character and I hope we see her again. Jance does such a great job balancing awful, evil things with heartwarming, sweet things. So much like real life. The good and the bad can all happen at once. We just have to pay attention to the good and not get bogged down in the bad. Looking forward to the next adventure with Ali and her friends and family.

[Helen Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read 48 J.A. Jance books and I think this one is about the best. A woman suffers life-threatening burns in an arson fire and Ali Reynolds, temporarily working with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department, is assigned to prevent further harm to the patient while she is hospitalized. While there, she meets Sister Anselm, a patient advocate, who is also attending the victim. The plot and the characters seem very realistic and the passages written from the dying woman's point of view are special.

[L Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just okay for me. I do love Ali Reynolds and the other characters, the mystery was just not as good in this one. I will definitely continue this series.

[Elaine Reads AllDay · Rating 1 out of 5]

So slow.

[Bonnie Dieffenbacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elderly lady is found in a burning construction site with critical injuries. Ali Reynoldsis monitoring possible suspects in the ICU waiting room.. Another good mystery by this author.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

How hum. It was difficult to care about any of the characters. The clincher was when she jumped into bed with a casual stranger at the end

[Nancy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good: Ok plot, some quite suspenseful scenes. The bad: Has not one of these many characters ever heard of the world famous artist Paul Klee? And could they refrain from bad-mouthing his artwork and describing it as childlike scribbling? Come on. The typical mediocre: Seems to be a lot of padding going on in the hospital scenes to simply make the book longer. PS: How did wearing a red wig and bright pink tracksuit make the lead character “invisible?”

[Judd Exley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't tell if the author is a stuck-up wealthy bitch and her characters (and the hero) are modeled after her, or if she's taking the piss and secretly wants us to fkn hate Ali Reynolds.

Either way, hate her I do.

There is so little to like about this character that I can't even begin to list her flaws. Suffice to say that she'll never fail to mention if somebody's got designer clothing or furniture, or if somebody's hair or makeup is crap, yet everything in-between is NEVER mentioned.

In fact, many people in these books are NEVER described, yet we know their entire boring goddam history. Seriously, if it has NOTHING to do with the book, do I really care about Bob Soandso from Toluca, who lost his first wife to cancer and then moved to yaddayadda who's in the book for, at most, a page or two? There's simply nothing compelling about the characters... and even if there IS (the gay ex-marine elderly butler is friggin' awesome) then they barely get mentioned other than in whatever capacity they serve the goddam hero.

I've never actually read an author that feels the need to write out the little conversation fillers that don't mean anything. I mean, do I give a rat's ass about what the news anchor says to the on-the-spot reporter? Is "Thanks Trudy, see you in the studio" necessary to put in the book? What the hell is the point of that?!

It's no wonder Jance pumps out a couple of books a year when 90% of them is just writing about somebody that luxuriates in their expensive bathtub after eating perfectly delightful meals from their expensive butler's perfectly manicured hands. These books are like a case study in watching a rich spoiled bitch walk through her life thinking about makeup and where to get lunch and how much she loves her [INSERT NAME BRAND HERE] and how somebody else is wearing [OTHER FASHION ICON HERE].

Some free advice to Judy Jance: If it's not a working part of the story or who the character is on the inside (which, in itself, really is a part of the story) then ditch it. Your books might only be 50 pages, but at least then you'd have something to work with. Right now, I don't give two shits who's got Tiffany lamps and drives a Porsche, because the story surrounding it is mediocre at best. You're boring the shit out of me with page after page of history on Bob Larson (why the use of his full name anyway? Can't you call him "Bob" or "Ali's Dad" after a few chapters?) that has absolutely NOTHING to do with the story. NOTHING!

If your editor cared, he/she would tell you these things. I believe that you have it in you to write good stories, but I'm so utterly disappointed that these not only made it out into print but also apparently onto the NYT Bestseller lists that I can only mourn the time and money I'll never get back after wasting them reading about the shallow and vacuous Ali Reynolds.

[Bruce Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 5th book in the Ali Reynolds series by J.A. Jance. It is worth noting that this is the best book of the series thus far, although Jance recycled many ideas previously used earlier in the Joanna Brady series. Ali is hired by the county sheriff's department as a Public Information Officer, and runs into problems with the officers who won't accept her and even more problems with the receptionist - themes taken directly from Joanna Brady. And of course, in keeping with the general theme of the series, Ali gets drawn into the investigation of an arson/attempt murder, leading to a showdown between her and the criminals before the case is resolved. Probably the thing that makes this the best of the series is that it feels like Jance has figured out who Ali is, and is comfortable writing her stories - even if they are recycled from earlier Joanna Brady stories. It was a fast read, and whiled away a few hours on a rainy day - and that is enough to get a satisfactory recommendation

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite of the more recent books. I hope to see more of the Angel of Death soon. I have enjoyed watching Ali grow as a more self-confident person.

The sheriff asks Ali to temporarily take over the role of Media Specialist, but seems uncomfortable with having her around. When a badly burn woman in found at the scene of apparent eco-terrorism, she assigns Ali to the burn hospital to deal with the media invasion.
When the patient advocate ask Ali assistance in keeping an eye one anyone who shows an interest in the patient, Ali becomes much more involved than she expects. Is the attempted murder incidental to the fire, or is the victim the point of the hole thing.
We encounter both David and B. which please me. I would like to see greater development of these relationships. Her parents were once again behind Ali all the way. Her interaction with all of these people help Ali seem more real.

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

With an extraordinary knack for developing intelligent, realistic characters and storyline conflict, J.A. Jance has created the perfect addition to her ongoing Ali Reynolds series.

In “Trial by Fire”, much loved Ali Reynolds has settled into her newly remodeled home and is content with her current state of unemployment. When she is compelled to take a temporary media relations consulting position with the Yavapai County Police Department, her life takes a dangerous turn and the storyline begins to fly. Ali easily manipulates her job duties to suit obstacles as they arise and becomes the key contact to help bring justice for the innocent.

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Ali Reynolds novels. This is a new series by J. A. Jance and I feel it's the best by far.

I've been reading Jance for years and years. I've read all of the J. P. Beaumont and then all of the Joann Brady series and they're great. Jance tends to be more convincing with a strong female main character than Male. I often times find J. P. Beaumont to be a little too wishy washy for a man.

Jance gets it all right with Reynolds. She'll hit a chord with many women because she was fired for being "too old" and I'm willing to stick it out and see where the Ali Reynolds, good series. Good book.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't been so busy the last 3 days and didn't have the time to read [although I now wish I had skipped last night's baseball game because this book is certainly better than it was!!!]. So most likely if I had read it in my usual 1 or 2 days I would have rated it 4 stars.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a couple of books in this series now, and it's still entertaining, although I'm kinda looking around this apartment and thinking that we ourselves could use an extremely resourceful butler. I mean, we're not accidentally stumbling into a mystery to solve or nothin', but surely that's not a prerequisite for a butler. Is it?

[Anna Cazale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed.

I was disappointed and surprised when I read book number five when I thought I had read the entire series and was waiting for the next book to come out. The plot was a bit weak and I was glad when it ended.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I really liked this book. I liked that it started out slower and that Ali wasn't as "stupid" as in some of the other books. Her new job was interesting and the book showed the truth of how people don't pay attention to their surroundings, like in the waiting room.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jance J.A. writes interesting plots, with intriguing characters. This is my 5th book in the series, as I work through them in order.

[Hedi Seefeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m juggling three series by this author, and I love all three of them. This book kept me engaged from its fiery beginning to a winding up chapter at the back. Jance’s style is inevitably compelling, and the characters are more than mere two-dimensional cutouts. That said, this is a plot driven book.

Ali Reynolds realizes taking a job as a public information officer for her county’s sheriff department is a far cry from the money she made as a news anchor in Los Angeles, but when the job comes open, she takes it. From the first day, she sees it won’t be easy. Essentially every member of the staff hate her on sight. They see her as the enemy for different reasons, but the enemy just the same.

Her boss dispatches her to the scene of a horrific fire wherein firefighters carry one woman naked with third-degree burns on more than half her body out of a new house in an as-yet-unlived-in subdivision.

No one knows who the woman is, and no one knows why someone would want to end her life in such a personal, nasty way. They rush her off to a Phoenix burn unit leaving Ali to deal with truculent reporters who demand answers she either doesn’t have or can’t give.

Sister Anselm is a Phoenix nun who frequently works with unidentified hospital patients as their advocate. She advocates for the unidentified burn victim, and she and Ali ultimately team up to figure out who wants the woman dead and why.

I doubt your mind will wander if you read this, and it’s unlikely you’ll hover over the button that shows you your percentages in terms of your place in the book. It moves at a solidly engaging pace, and you’ll be surprised when it ends.