Book Review and Giveaway: Dance of the Bones by JA Jance

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge,from William Morrow Publishing, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

J. P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker, two of New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s most acclaimed series characters, join forces for the first time in one of the most suspenseful works of her career.

Synopsis:

Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos's "real" killer and clear his name. Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help. Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?

Review:

This is the 24th JP Beaumont novel and a welcome addition to the series. After 20 books, any author is looking for new time lines and ways to keep readers interested. With Jance, being able to bring 2 of her beloved characters together seems like a no-brainer, but this is the first for these 2! And it was a very inspired idea indeed!

Some readers are not big fans of Jance's Native American tinged stories, but that was how I first started reading Jance's books! So for me, I loved reading the Native American legend and tales in this book, and seeing them wrapped up into the modern tale, by leading off each chapter. The themes and concepts make sense once you finish the book, and you can see why Jance placed them as she did. I loved how she interwove the cold case with Beaumont working it into Walker's territory, and seeing them work together long distance, was a very realistic take on the handling of cold cases. This is a satisfying read, and perfect for reading while on vacation, or by the pool!

About the Author

A voracious reader, J. A. Jance knew she wanted to be a writer from the moment she read her first Wizard of Oz book in second grade. Always drawn to mysteries, from Nancy Drew right through John D. McDonald's Travis Magee series, it was only natural that when she tried her hand at writing her first book, it would be a mystery as well.

J. A. Jance went on to become the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family, and Edge of Evil. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.Check out her website, Facebook and Twitter pages for more!