This story grabs you from the start and continues on at a quick and satisfying pace. Once I started I couldn't put it down. Love the character of Sheriff Joanna Brady; there's also very good character development of everyone else around her. Excellent page turner.
I have loved this series since the very first book, Desert Heat, and I'm thrilled to say that this is vintage Jance. The plot, the pacing, the setting, the characters, the suspense, the humor... they all combine for a marvelous piece of storytelling that I could not read fast enough.
If you want authentic southeastern Arizona, you need to read this series. Jance grew up in Bisbee, which is where the books are set. Yes, there is a Copper Queen Community Hospital. Yes, there is a Double Adobe Road and a Skeleton Canyon. Yes, the county is bigger than some states, and the landscape and weather are often lyrically described.
But with any long-running series, the characters are the backbone. If they don't work, the books don't work. I have seen Joanna Brady grow from a widow to whom the sympathy vote gave the sheriff's office to someone dedicated to being the best law enforcement officer she can be. I've seen her go to school, make mistakes, and keep on learning. I've seen her as a mother, as a wife, and as a grieving child. And she's done it all with one of the best casts of characters backing her up.
In Field of Bones, we have multiple points of view telling us the story: Joanna Brady; Acting Sheriff Tom Hadlock; a young abducted girl, Latisha Marcum; serial killer James Ardmore; and brand-new deputy Garth Raymond. (More of Garth, please!) Even the characters whose heads we don't get into are special: journalist Marliss Shackleford is still a thorn in Joanna's side, and the human buzzsaw known as Jane Carver made me laugh (and want to stay away from her bad side). Each voice rings true, and each voice ratchets up the tension.
Field of Bones shows us Sheriff Joanna Brady as the consummate professional who never forgets her people. She also shows us the importance of having contacts throughout all branches of law enforcement. (Sometimes it really is about "who you know.") But most of all, the author herself shows us how to tell a story that can make readers laugh, cry, and want to pull the covers over their heads. And here I am... waiting for the next book in the series. I will never get enough of Joanna Brady.
If you want authentic southeastern Arizona, you need to read this series. Jance grew up in Bisbee, which is where the books are set. Yes, there is a Copper Queen Community Hospital. Yes, there is a Double Adobe Road and a Skeleton Canyon. Yes, the county is bigger than some states, and the landscape and weather are often lyrically described.
But with any long-running series, the characters are the backbone. If they don't work, the books don't work. I have seen Joanna Brady grow from a widow to whom the sympathy vote gave the sheriff's office to someone dedicated to being the best law enforcement officer she can be. I've seen her go to school, make mistakes, and keep on learning. I've seen her as a mother, as a wife, and as a grieving child. And she's done it all with one of the best casts of characters backing her up.
In Field of Bones, we have multiple points of view telling us the story: Joanna Brady; Acting Sheriff Tom Hadlock; a young abducted girl, Latisha Marcum; serial killer James Ardmore; and brand-new deputy Garth Raymond. (More of Garth, please!) Even the characters whose heads we don't get into are special: journalist Marliss Shackleford is still a thorn in Joanna's side, and the human buzzsaw known as Jane Carver made me laugh (and want to stay away from her bad side). Each voice rings true, and each voice ratchets up the tension.
Field of Bones shows us Sheriff Joanna Brady as the consummate professional who never forgets her people. She also shows us the importance of having contacts throughout all branches of law enforcement. (Sometimes it really is about "who you know.") But most of all, the author herself shows us how to tell a story that can make readers laugh, cry, and want to pull the covers over their heads. And here I am... waiting for the next book in the series. I will never get enough of Joanna Brady.
Gift copy! While on maternity leave, Sheriff Joanna Brady is dragged into a far-reaching investigation to bring down a sadistic killer in this chilling tale of suspense from beloved New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance
Though she's still recovering from a series of tragedies, Joanna Brady's life has never been busier. Her older daughter is off to college, her five-year-old son is full of energy and boundless curiosity, and she's just given birth to a new daughterâon the same night she won her third election as Cochise County sheriff in a squeaker of a race. In addition, her husband, Butch, is away on an exhausting book tour.
Despite her devotion to her work, Joanna is determined to see her maternity leave through this time. But in this beautiful desert landscape, home of Wyatt Earp, Tombstone, and the shoot-out at the OK Corral, a monster is roaming freeâa serial killer who has transformed Joanna's small corner of the Southwest into a field of bones.
When a teenager turns in a human skull found on the far side of the San Bernardino Valley in the Peloncillo Mountains between Arizona and New Mexico, it is the beginning of a multiple homicide case. As much as she would rather stay home with her newborn and lose herself in the cold cases to be found in her father's long- unread diaries, Joanna instead finds herself overseeing a complex investigation involving multiple jurisdictions and an FBI profiler.
Filled with the beloved characters, small-town charm, vivid history, intriguing mystery, and the scenic Arizona desert backdrop that have made the Joanna Brady books perennial bestsellers, this latest entry featuring the popular sheriff is sure to please J. A. Jance's legions of fans.
Though she's still recovering from a series of tragedies, Joanna Brady's life has never been busier. Her older daughter is off to college, her five-year-old son is full of energy and boundless curiosity, and she's just given birth to a new daughterâon the same night she won her third election as Cochise County sheriff in a squeaker of a race. In addition, her husband, Butch, is away on an exhausting book tour.
Despite her devotion to her work, Joanna is determined to see her maternity leave through this time. But in this beautiful desert landscape, home of Wyatt Earp, Tombstone, and the shoot-out at the OK Corral, a monster is roaming freeâa serial killer who has transformed Joanna's small corner of the Southwest into a field of bones.
When a teenager turns in a human skull found on the far side of the San Bernardino Valley in the Peloncillo Mountains between Arizona and New Mexico, it is the beginning of a multiple homicide case. As much as she would rather stay home with her newborn and lose herself in the cold cases to be found in her father's long- unread diaries, Joanna instead finds herself overseeing a complex investigation involving multiple jurisdictions and an FBI profiler.
Filled with the beloved characters, small-town charm, vivid history, intriguing mystery, and the scenic Arizona desert backdrop that have made the Joanna Brady books perennial bestsellers, this latest entry featuring the popular sheriff is sure to please J. A. Jance's legions of fans.
Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
Great story, nice to meet old friends again. Great new addition to the family, Baby Sage. Well written and as usual great reading. Such fun and enjoyment.
