Paradise Lost

J.A. Jance

6/25/2003

Jennifer Brady is on a Girl Scout camp out. She is forced to share a tent with the girl she dislikes the most in the troup. Jenny allows Dora to coerce her out of the tent after bedtime. Then she tries smoking. After throwing up, she takes Dora for a hike against the other girl's wishes - peer pressure works both ways. They follow their noses and discover a woman's body.

Jenny's mother, Sheriff Joanna Brady, is out of town with her new husband, Butch. Her chief deputy, Frank Montoya, apprises her of the situation and that everything is under control. She decides to finish up the sheriff's conference she is attending, then accompany Butch to a friend's wedding in Phoenix. When Frank calls her again they had identified the victim, who lived in Phoenix. Joanna takes the time to go over to the woman's house and finds her sister.

Before the weekend is over Joanna is back and forth between Bisbee and Phoenix. She is juggling the case, car jackings to bring in illegal aliens, the personal issues with her daughter, and her husband. There are further problems with the press, an old friend of Butch's she hadn't met before, his new book, and her decision whether she should run for re-election.

As always, I enjoy Jance's Joanna Brady books. This one is not as strong as earlier ones. The personal issues work fairly well, but the mystery is weak. It also brings a new perspective to Joanna's mother. I felt this one was written in a hurry for the series rather than for a good mystery. Still, if you like the series, you'll like this one. Just don't start with this one.

You can find more about this book at .

Desert Heat
Tombstone Courage
Shoot Don't Shoot
Dead to Rights
Skeleton Canyon
Rattlesnake Crossing
Outlaw Mountain
Devil's Claw
Paradise Lost
Partner in Crime
Exit Wounds
Dead Wrong
Damage Control