Left for Dead: A Novel

( 56 )

Overview

When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, severely injuring an old friend, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s newest mystery.

When Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime...

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Left for Dead

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More About This Book

Overview

When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, severely injuring an old friend, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s newest mystery.

When Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, are both under suspicion.

Ali Reynolds owes Jose Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Mercy Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for Ali to turn away. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there as well, working as patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified border crosser who was raped and savagely beaten.

As more bodies pile up, Ali and Sister Anselm find themselves confronting the evil of the drug cartels across the border head-on, with no way of knowing who the next victim will be.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Santa Rita deputy sheriff Jose Reyes has been doubly victimized. First, he was shot and left for dead; then, he and his pregnant wife were falsely implicated in a Arizona crime. Jose's old friend Ali Reynolds refuses to abandon the man who once helped her in a time of deep personal trouble. With drug cartel wars raging on all sides, Reynolds must wade through a crowded rogue's gallery of well-armed suspects. With fast pacing and surprising plot twists, Left for Dead is a trademark J.A. Jance novel.

— Jules Herbert

Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Jance’s engaging seventh Ali Reynolds novel (after 2011’s Fatal Error) offers plenty of scope for the widowed former reporter, anchorwoman, and graduate of the Arizona Police Academy, who now heads a private charitable fund, to use her sleuthing talents. When 17-year-old Rose Ventana is found dead near the Mexican border, savagely beaten and tortured, the police assume she’s just another casualty of the drug wars. But Ali’s dear friend, Sister Anselm, thinks otherwise, and the two vigorous and persistent women discover links to other cases that suggest a serial killer at work. Meanwhile, the pair involve themselves in caring for the extended family of a local deputy, mysteriously wounded and suspected of dealing in drugs. Their own off-the-grid network of lawyers and security experts comes in handy for ferreting out leads. As usual, Ali charms the locals into giving valuable if inadvertent clues. Agent: Alice Volpe. (Feb.)
Kirkus Reviews
An ex-detective is never too busy to help out a friend. Ali Reynolds, former reporter and police officer, is busy creating a new garden in mystical Sedona, Ariz., and dealing with her parents' sudden decision to sell their restaurant and house and move on to new adventures. Then she receives a call from a former police academy classmate that another classmate has been shot and is in critical condition with his pregnant wife and two kids at his side. Ali heads for Physicians Medical Center in Tucson, where she also discovers her friend Sister Amselm, a patient advocate for an unidentified young woman found raped and badly beaten in the desert. Ali's old buddy Jose Reyes is suspected of drug dealing, since drugs and money were found in his police car and home after he was shot in what he called a routine traffic stop on a deserted side road. Jose's wife Teresa is trying to cope with the accusation, two frustrated little girls and an ex-mother-in-law who blames her for her son's death and hints that she may try to get custody of the children. No wonder Teresa must have an emergency C-section, leaving Ali to deal with all the other problems. Sister Anselm realizes that her charge is not the illegal resident the border patrol dumped in the hospital, but a young girl whose family has been looking for her for years. Now she may be the key to catching a serial killer who tortures his victims before consigning them to the desert. It's up to Ali to find out who's framed Jose and help Sister track down a dangerous man. Loyal fans and newcomers alike will be glad to join feisty Ali (Fatal Error, 2011, etc.) in her latest adventure.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781451628586
  • Publisher: Touchstone
  • Publication date: 2/7/2012
  • Series: Ali Reynolds Series , #7
  • Pages: 304
  • Product dimensions: 6.10 (w) x 9.20 (h) x 1.20 (d)

Meet the Author

J. A. Jance

J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tuscon, Arizona. Visit her at JAJance.com.

Biography

Considering J. A. Jance's now impressive career -- which includes two massively popular mystery series and status as a New York Times bestseller -- it may be difficult to believe that she was initially strongly discouraged from literary pursuits. A chauvinistic creative writing professor advised her to seek out a more "ladylike" job, such as nurse or schoolteacher. Moreover, her alcoholic husband (a failed Faulkner wannabe) assured her there was room in the family for only one writer, and he was it. Determined to make her doomed marriage work, Jance put her writing on the back burner. But while her husband slept, she penned the visceral poems that would eventually be collected in After the Fire.

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."

Good To Know

Geographically speaking, Jance is equal parts J. P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady. She splits her time between Beaumont's big-city home of Seattle and Brady's desert residence of Arizona.

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."

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    1. Also Known As:
      Judith Ann Jance
    2. Hometown:
      Bellevue, Washington
    1. Date of Birth:
      October 27, 1944
    2. Place of Birth:
      Watertown, South Dakota
    1. Education:
      B. A., University of Arizona, 1966; M. Ed. in Library Science, University of Arizona, 1970
    2. Website:
      http://www.jajance.com/

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 56 )
Rating Distribution

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(20)

4 Star

(18)

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(13)

2 Star

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1 Star

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 56 Customer Reviews

  • Posted March 26, 2012

    Another good book by J.A. Jance

    J.A. Jance is one of my favorite authors, and I found this book to be as enjoyable as all her others.

    My only criticism is the series of coincidences that occur in the story lines - but then I don't read fiction for the reality aspect, so it didn't stop my enjoyment of the book.

    For Jance fans, I recommend this. For anyone new to the Ali Reynolds series it might help if you read an earlier book in the series first (like "Fatal Error") so you're more familiar with the character and her friends.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 5, 2012

    More than I expected

    I have read J A Jance books since the first Beaumont book. These books were great in the beginning but got weaker as the years passed. However when she started her two new series I became a fan again. She is very good at developing characters and relating them to each other. This is one of the best Ali Reynolds books. How she connects the two story lines is flawless and the ending was truly a surprise. This is a great read for her fans.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 22, 2012

    Shoot to Kill

    The Ali Reynolds series usually has the protagonist solving some kind of mystery, but in addition to the whodunit, this novel begins with two attempted murders. First is Jose Reyes, a classmate of Ali’s when she attended the Arizona Police Academy, who was shot in the stomach while on a routine traffic stop. The second is a young girl who ran away from home years earlier, left to die after being tortured and raped in a part of the Arizona desert where illegal immigrants cross over from Mexico.

    Both victims end up being medivac-ed to the same hospital in Tucson, and Ali and another classmate go to the hospital to help Jose’s pregnant wife and look after their two daughters. Meanwhile the redoubtable Sister Anselm acts as patient advocate for the other victim. And there the plot is joined and the action moves forward.

    The novel is a mixture of sleuthing and human emotion, and in the author’s capable hands neither becomes maudlin or overbearing. The story moves forward at a fast pace and is brought to a conclusion with a completely unpredictable twist.

    Recommended.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 17, 2012

    With quite a few story lines going on at the same time, from the

    With quite a few story lines going on at the same time, from the beginning the reader is swept into a world in Arizona where a small town is hit with murders and mayhem. The true adventure is trying to find out where all the stories will connect and who is at the center of it all.

    At the center of it all is Ali Reynolds who is trying to get to the heart of this town's problems and find out why people end up dead, shot or badly beaten. A cop, a missing girl and the local postman are all involved with the drama the town is having to get to the bottom of. I have said this many times, but I can not reveal the whos and the whats because this is so worth the read!

    This review is short and to the point - I loved it.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 18, 2012

    Bad

    Very vided

    1 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 11, 2013

    Not enough Ali

    I was disappoint in the one book kind of a let down.
    But what can I say I would have liked more Ali.
    One out of all her books is really good when you think about it.
    Love your writing skills J. A. Jance

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  • Posted January 15, 2013

    In Jance¿s mystery novel, Ali Reynolds is contacted by a former

    In Jance’s mystery novel, Ali Reynolds is contacted by a former Arizona Police Academy classmate regarding an incident involving another former classmate who has just been gun downed and left for dead. Initially, circumstances point to an association with one of the drug cartels. But as the scene of the crime is processed, it becomes clear there is much more to the story. With a need to pay it forward, Ali finds herself at her fallen friend’s bedside where she encounters an unidentified young woman, who had been raped and beaten. Determined to ensure that justice is served, Ali sets out on a mission to zero in on the truth regardless of the consequences.

    Never a disappointment, the book starts fast and keeps going to the climax. An exceptional addition to the Ali Reynolds series.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 27, 2012

    Echo

    Transforms slaming her fist into the tree beside her.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 1, 2012

    Wonderful

    All of ja jance's books are fabulous buying it from barns.and noble would be dumb get it from the library yet i highly recomend them especially the ali renolds series they are the best

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 27, 2012

    Okay but not great

    It was intreting but not a OMG moment. Nothing great but nothing horible. First time reading a book by this author, cant say that i will read another

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 12, 2012

    Unbelievable story line and soooo boring main character.

    Unbelievable story line and soooo boring main character.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 11, 2012

    Top flight

    I raarely give a novel a 5 star but this earned it. The sheer balancing act of stories and characters wrapped into one tale is imptessive.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 6, 2012

    BEST EVER

    I HAVE READ ALL OF JANCE BOOKS AND THIS ONE WAS SPECIAL TO ME. IT HELD MY INTEREST FROM START TO FINISH. THE CHARACHTERS WERE INTRODUCE AND WERE EASY TO KEEP UP WITH. THE PLOT WAS WELL THOUGHT OUT. THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST NOVEL JANCE HAS WRITTEN. PLEASE LET'S HAVE MORE LIKE IT. LOVED IT....

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 14, 2012

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    Posted February 28, 2012

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    Posted February 19, 2012

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    Posted November 16, 2012

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    Posted February 22, 2012

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 3, 2013

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 29, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

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