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New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance brings back acclaimed sheriff Joanna Brady in an exciting and twisting mystery set against the beauty and isolation of the Arizona desert
Judgment Call
When Joanna Brady's daughter, Jenny, stumbles across the body of her high school principal, Debra Highsmith, in the desert, the Cochise County sheriff's personal and professional worlds collide, forcing her to tread the difficult middle ground between being an officer of the law and a mother. While investigating murders has always meant discovering unpleasant facts and disquieting truths, the experienced Joanna isn't prepared for the knowledge she's about to uncover. Though she's tried to protect her children from the dangers of the grown-up world, the search for justice leads straight to her own door and forces her to face the possibility that her beloved daughter may be less perfect than she seems—especially when a photo from the crime scene ends up on Facebook. A photo only one person close to the crime scene could have taken.
The gruesome picture is just the tip of the iceberg. Even a small, close-knit town like Bisbee has its secrets. Navigating her way through the unfamiliar world of social media, Joanna discovers shocking—and incriminating—information. The details build, from a hushed-up suspension, to a group of teenagers with a grudge against the late Ms. Highsmith, to a hateful video calling for the principal's death. The video evidence points to one particular privileged boy, who's already lawyered up thanks to his father, a well-to-do doctor determined to protect his son's reputation. Yet the deeper Joanna digs, the more complications she uncovers. It seems the quiet, upstanding principal had a hidden past, full of mysterious secrets she'd successfully kept buried for years.
As the seasoned sheriff juggles professional constraints and personal demands—budget cuts, new team members, an arrogant coroner, a confused teenager, a precocious toddler, and a high-maintenance mother—she finds herself walking a fine line between justice and family that has never been so blurred.
For Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady, every case is personal, but that connection takes on new meaning when her own daughter Jenny becomes a prime suspect in the murder of her high school principal. J.A. Jance's fourteenth Brady mystery adds new depth to the main characters of this addictive series. Strong as a standalone; ripples with add meaning as a series entry.
J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, and four Walker family thrillers. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, she lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
Jance next chose to use her hard times in a more unlikely manner. Encouraged by an editor to try writing fiction after a failed attempt at a true-crime book, she created J. P. Beaumont, a homicide detective with a taste for booze. Beaumont's drinking problem was clearly linked to Jance's dreadful experiences with her first husband; but, as she explains it: "Beaumont was smart enough to sober up, once the problem was brought to his attention. My husband, on the other hand, died of chronic alcoholism at age 42." So, from misfortune grew one of the most popular characters in modern mystery fiction. Beaumont debuted in 1985's Until Proven Guilty -- and, after years of postponing her writing career, Jance was on her way.
As a sort of light flipside to the dark Beaumont, Jance created her second series in 1991. Inspired by the writer's happier role as a mom, plucky small-town sheriff Joanna Brady was introduced in Desert Heat and struck an immediate chord with readers. In 2005, Jance added a third story sequence to her repertoire with Edge of Evil, featuring Ali Reynolds, a former TV reporter-turned-professional blogger.
And so, the adventures continue! A career such as Jance's would be extraordinary under any circumstances, but considering the obstacles she overcame to become a bestselling, critically acclaimed novelist, her tale is all the more compelling. As she explains it: "One of the wonderful things about being a writer is that everything -- even the bad stuff -- is usable."
Before her writing career become truly lucrative, Jance made little more than "fun money" off her books, and on her web site, she wryly recalls "the Improbable Cause trip to Walt Disney World; the Minor in Possession memorial powder room; the Payment in Kind memorial hot tub."
Avid_ReaderLL
Posted July 31, 2012
Great addition to the Brady series! I loved how she weaved all the stories together and really brought out some of the pitfalls associated with social media today. Jance does such a great job keeping all the series she writes fresh and relevant in addition to the characters not becoming stale. Now I only hope she brings a new Beaumont novel next - I like Joanna, but I love JP.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 8, 2012
I am getting tired of the mother and the constant references to her. The story lines are getting boring for me....time to move on to more interesting authors.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 14, 2012
love the joanna brady series and the arizona setting
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 10, 2012
Great story but the writing was not as smooth and flowing as i have loved in the past. Poor editing?
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 24, 2012
Loved, loved, loved this book. There were multiple twists and turns and the entire villainous plan wasn't revealed until the final chapter.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 19, 2012
Oh man, what a great ride that I was on that suddenly became more than
solving the recent murder of a high school principal. As the story
moved forward, this quickly became a page-turner that I could not put
down. Joanna is very good at her job and I enjoyed watching her put all
the pieces together, especially when the matter became more personal.
This was the best book yet in this riveting suspenseful series and I
look forward to more adventures in Bisbee, Arizona with Joanna and her team.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 12, 2012
I felt the story could have been told in about 60 pages. I thought the writing was very poor and the storyline drug on and on. I was just not impressed. This is the first time I read any of this author's work and I will not read any more.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 31, 2013
I love to read her Brady books. Need to get some of her other series..
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Posted December 17, 2012
Johanna Brady never fails to deliver. good story, moves right along. One solved and it segues into another to polish off lose ends, something that does not happen often these days.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 15, 2012
Just finished reading the last of the Joanne Brady series books and loved it. I highly recommend Judgement Call. Looking forward to the continuation of this very interesting series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jane10591
Posted October 27, 2012
I'm a fan of JA Jance and this series. This one is not her best, but worth reading.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sherrif Brady series is a must read. I only hope this is not the last one. Please dond't end the series here.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 28, 2012
I love all of JA Jance's series.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Love all her books but especially like the Joanne Brady series. A must read.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 5, 2012
Really liked the characters in this book. Reminded you of real prople. A horrible murder but also the interaction between the characters.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 5, 2012
J.A.Jance never disappoints me. This author is excellent and any book I have read by her has been very enjoyable.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 30, 2012
Seems like it has been too long since the last Brady story. Can't wait for the next!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 28, 2012
Another J. A. Jance hit.
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Posted August 26, 2012
I have enjoyed every one of the Joanna Brady Series that I've read.Each one has kept my attention until the end.
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Posted August 24, 2012
Except for the first chapter where the reader watches the murder, this Joanna Brady novel is, as Jance's books always are, good reading. Sheriff in southwestern Arizona, Joanna is a good detective and a warm, human character. Her home life, and her life with friends, retains interest, unlike those of so many detectives whose private lives seem to be added just to plump up the pages in their books. The solution to the murder comes after hard police work, and provides a very satisfactory conclusion to this story.
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Overview
New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance brings back acclaimed sheriff Joanna Brady in an exciting and twisting mystery set against the beauty and isolation of the Arizona desert
Judgment Call
When Joanna Brady's daughter, Jenny, stumbles across the body of her high school principal, Debra Highsmith, in the desert, the Cochise County sheriff's personal and professional worlds collide, forcing her to tread the difficult middle ground ...