Trial by Fury

J.A. Jance

A body is found partially wrapped in a tarp behind a grocery store on a Monday morning. The man has no identification around. He appears to have been hanged before his body was dumped. J.P Beaumont and his partner, Ron Peters, are called in as the responsible Homicide detectives.

After some detective work, they are able to identify the dead man. Darwin Ridley had been the coach of the high school team that had lost the Washington state finals the Friday before. He was a noted figure in local high school sports because he was a black coach of a winning team from an upper class, mostly white, school. Because of the team's loss, his pregnant wife hadn't missed him. He often would withdraw after the team lost a game.

Beaumont, the narrator, and Peters start investigating the high school. Was the murder race related as the newspapers are inferring? Players and cheerleaders knew he was shaken up from a conversation with a person they didn't see. What did that man want? Why did he leave the basketball game before it was over? Ridley had had an affair a year or two earlier. The expected baby was part of their make up plan according to Joanna Ridley. She hadn't been home Friday evening. She claimed she had driven down to Portland, then returned.

Jance's mind works in twisting ways, I'm certain. The bet and record keeping of the bet at the high school is humorous as well as pathetic. The murderer reveals very little until the end, with clues I'm not sure could be followed. I certainly didn't. Beaumont's character expands a little more as he lives too often in his past (Anne Corley), yet at the same time moves into his new future (the condominium). Admittedly, he is dragged into the future by his lawyer and business manager, but he does go into it.

Also, as I've seen in her Joanna Brady series, no character except the main protagonist is sacrosanct. A main character of the book is another victim of the murderer.

Until Proven Guilty
Injustice For All
Trial by Fury
Taking the Fifth
Improbable Cause
A More Perfect Union
Dismissed With Prejudice
Minor in Possession
Payment in Kind
Without Due Process
Failure to Appear
Lying in Wait
Name Withheld
Breach of Duty
Birds of Prey
Partner in Crime with Joanna Brady
Long Time Gone
Justice Denied
Fire and Ice with Joanna Brady
Betrayal of Trust