Missing and Endangered by J A Jance

I have read almost all of Jance's novels and she continues to write engaging ones. I started out with the J P Beaumont series, Seattle police detective then retiring to Bellingham but still solving murders. I've not been a fan of the Ali Reynolds series but the Joanna Brady books are right up there with Beaumont.

What I like best about this novel is the personal nature. Yes, there are murders and a bit of suspense but how these events affect people is the best part of the novel. There are two aspects to the plot. One is a family situation where a parent is killed. The other is a case of sextortion. The personality of Sheriff Brady comes through in the work the department does to understand how it came about that a deputy shot and killed a man. The personality of Joanna's daughter shines when her college roommate falls prey to a deviant mastermind.

Jance just continues to be good at crafting engaging novels with real characters. The character interactions and dialogue feel like I'm reading about real people with real feelings dealing with real situations.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

J A Jance had her first novel published in 1985, featuring J P Beaumont. Twenty four more Beaumont novels followed. She has written nineteen novels featuring Joanna Brady set in southeastern Arizona where Jance grew up and sixteen Ali Reynolds novels set in Sedona, AZ. Jance has a degree in English and Secondary Education and a M.Ed. in Library Science. She taught high school English for two years and was a K-12 librarian for five years. She spends her time between Seattle and Tucson.

William Morrow, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)