NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady’s professional and personal lives collide when her college-age daughter is involved in a missing persons case in this evocative and atmospheric mystery in J. A. Jance’s New York Times bestselling suspense series, set in the beautiful desert country of the American Southwest.
When Jennifer Brady returns to Northern Arizona University … Southwest.
When Jennifer Brady returns to Northern Arizona University for her sophomore year, she quickly becomes a big sister to her new roommate, Beth Rankin, a brilliant yet sheltered sixteen-year-old freshman. For a homeschooled Beth, college is her first taste of both freedom and unfettered access to the internet, and Jenny is concerned that she’s too naïve and rebellious for her own good.
Her worries are well-founded because one day Beth vanishes, prompting Jenny to alert campus authorities, local police, and her mom, Sheriff Joanna Brady—who calls in a favor. Beth is found, but Jenny’s concern has unwittingly put her in the crosshairs of a criminal bent on revenge.
With Christmas vacation approaching, and Beth at war with her parents, Jenny invites Beth to the shelter of the Brady home. While Joanna is sympathetic, she’s caught up in a sensitive case—an officer-involved shooting that has placed the lives of two young children in jeopardy—leaving her stretched thin to help a fragile young woman recently gone missing and endangered.
more
Missing and Endangered by J. A. Jance is a highly recommended procedural and the nineteenth installment of the series featuring Joanna Brady.
Joanna Brady, the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, has one of her officers, Deputy Armando Ruiz, shot while he was trying to serve a no-contact order to Leon Hogan. Hogan is shot so an investigation into the shooting begins even while Ruiz is rushed into surgery. Joanna has a feeling that more is involved in the case than what is initially evident, and she fears for the two young children who were on the scene along with Hogan’s soon-to-be ex-wife. At the same time Joanna’s daughter, Jennifer is at Northern Arizona University for her sophomore year. She is going to bring home for Christmas vacation her roommate Beth Rankin, who has a relationship with her parents. Joanna and her husband Butch Dixon also have two younger children.
While Joanna is closely following the Hogan case as much as she can, Jennifer is increasingly concerned about Beth, who is involved with her first boyfriend via late-night phone calls. She met him online and is clearly besot with him. The problem is that she was sheltered from real life and is incredibly naive. It becomes clear that Beth is in trouble, which opens up a whole other set of concerns.
This is actually my first Joanna Brady novel and I liked it. It is a comfortable procedural that follows a predictable formula. That isn’t implying that it is not compelling, it is. The plot is well paced and the two different story lines will hold your attention throughout the novel. Joanna juggles a busy home life with a busy career and does her best to do everything she can to manage both. It must also be said that she has some help to handle her home life.
Obviously, character development has occurred over many previous novels, so, although it was adequate here, those who are following the series won’t need more and will like the new developments. There was enough background provided to easily understand the character’s backstory and history. I’m certain fans of the series will love this latest novel and for those new to the series it can be read as a stand-alone novel. (I wasn’t particularity thrilled with yet another negative portrayal of homeschooling. Get over your prejudice. It works – and surely we’ve moved past this now, especially in light of the many options currently available and the many parents being thrust into the role of teacher without a lot of preparation in 2020.)
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/01/missing-and-endangered.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3809059474
Joanna Brady, sheriff of Cochise County, is planning ahead for the Christmas holidays. her daughter, Jenny, is now a sophomore in college and has quickly befriended her roommate Beth. Beth is at odds with her strict parents and accepts an invitation from Jenny to spend the holidays with Jenny and her family. One day Beth vanishes and a mystery starts to unfold that could also put Jenny in danger. I love this series! Wonderful characters and a well written story make this a hard to put down book! Definitely recommend!
Jance book which means quality reading, of course I now live in Arizonaz
Always love Joanne Brady books. This is a good one. Enjoyable.
Another great well-written adventure!
Jance’s series are all wonderful – I’ve missed a few along the way from this series and must catch up! Wonderful read!
Tame and predictable. Yawn
I enjoy J. A. Jance, especially her books about Joanna.
J. A.. Jance is an excellent writer. Her books hold your attention.
Since I have read all of the author’s Joanna Brady books, I really looked forward to this one, and I was not disappointed. Told with the author’s signature style of layering the story with characters and sub-plots, the story was one of cyber bullying and innocence attacked. Jenny’s roommate in college is the victim and the FBI gets involved quickly in the case. There are two more innocent victims in the story, Kendall and Peter, the young children of a murder victim and their mother who is a suspect in his murder. Again, there were layers and a backstory. I enjoyed getting to know more about Jenny and reading about all of the regular gang at the sheriff’s station. I also enjoyed all of the layers that revealed the story slowly and methodically. The action was well-paced and the characters were well-developed. Once again, the author has hit it out of the park!
Disclaimer
I checked this book out at my local library using the Overdrive App. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed are my own.
She’s one of my favs, and living here in Cochise County, love reading about familiar places.
J. A. Jance continues to pique my interest in this family from Arizona (I actually live in Arizona). I have been a fan since the 1st book and she just continues to make it better each time. I feel as though I have watched this family grow and face one exciting adventure after another.
I am biased, I like all of her books! They are always plotted well with unexpected twists and turns.
I love this series. I promised myself not to read it in one sitting or over a few days, but couldn’t help myself. I even considered cancelling lunch with a friend so I could keep reading! Now I’ll have to wait a year or so for another one 🙂 Will continue the Ali Reynolds series in between. Thanks for such an enjoyable read.
I’ve gotten hooked on the Brady family and their lives. Keep them coming!
6 stars. Awesome book. Awesome writer. Couldn’t put down. Read in one setting.
JA Jance never disappoints!
I love this series. This combined several stories as she regularly does, One involving her eldest daughter and her college roommate, that is harrowing and very timely. And another about a death by cop that is more than it originally seemed. The endings were very, very satisfying. Can’t wait for the next one.
Great read! This is the 19th book in the Joanna Brady series. Fantastic story. Very well written. J.A. Jance does a great job of weaving a tale that revolves around current issues as well as catching you up in a story about people you can relate to and care about. I love how she writes. Each book could be a stand alone. The story line keeps you wondering what’s going to happen next. This time one of the cases hits much too close to home. At the end, Joanna couldn’t be more proud of her daughter Jenny. If you haven’t read any of her books, now is a great time to start.
As always, J.A. Jance delivers. There are actually two mysteries in this book. One for sheriff Brady and one for her daughter. Both are interesting mysteries with, of course, a few plot twists. The book kept me engaged and reading until I sighed with relief at the end. I Love all the characters and have enjoyed seeing them grow and change as the series progresses.