If there was an easy straight-forward answer to the guilty party we wouldn’t have much of a story. But as with all of the books in this series, the path to the truth leads Sheriff Joanna Brady and her understaffed/overworked department in a number of directions and it’s interesting to see how the various threads get us there. This is made more difficult as the know-it-all newly elected Sheriff of Pima County doesn’t want to cooperate with Cochise County’s Sheriff’s department regarding the death of a woman found in the desert.There are two major threads to this story. The first involves the murder of Alice and we’re along for her experience as she dies. Her son and daughter actually add an element of entertainment to the story as these two people believe they have the right to throw their weight and opinions around. It also provides an element of danger to Joanna.The other thread is more compassionate and through it we actually learn how good-hearted and patient Butch and Jenny are when a mentally-challenged man in his fifties, Junior, is abandoned by his caregivers at an art fair and Joanna doesn’t know where to take him while looking for his guardians.What I love about this series is not only the police procedures and how and why Joanna makes the decisions she does, but her home life is challenging as well. Her relationship with her young daughter is made difficult with her hours and sudden calls out to crime scenes, and she’s relying more heavily on Butch for help with that. She also needs to face her relationship with him. The various characters and relationships are what really give this series life. Every one of them feels real and three-dimensional, no one is perfect, and we’re always learning more about them.
In this seventh book in the series Sheriff Joanna Brady investigates the death of Alice Rogers, a wealthy older woman gruesomely murdered in the Arizona desert. Alice's self-absorbed, arrogant son and belligerent daughter direct suspicion at Alice's boyfriend Farley Adams - who soon makes himself scarce. At the same time Joanna has to contend with rabid environmentalists who oppose a building project whose approval may have involved some chicanery and corruption. To add to the chaos Joanna inadvertently gets custody of Junior, a developmentally disabled man of about fifty who was apparently abandoned in a church by his family. Plenty of complications arise with all of the above cases which Joanna and her deputies have to sort out. Meanwhile, in Joanna's personal life her boyfriend Butch is getting more serious and her deputy sheriff Dick Voland is jealous and angry. The usual characters make an appearance in the story, including two of my favorite trouble-makers, spiteful reporter Marliss Shackleford and Joanna's controlling mother, Eleanor Lathrop Winfield. This book is an enjoyable addition to the Joanna Brady saga.
Jance is also the author of the J. P. Beaumont series, one that I like a lot. This is the first I have read of her Sheriff Joanna Brady series of novels that take place in Cochise County, Arizona. Apparently, in a preceding book, Jance explains how Joanna became sheriff, stepping into the role following the death of her husband, who had been sheriff until he was killed. An elderly woman, Alice Rogers, is discovered dead, covered with vicious cholla cactus spines. In her hands is clutched a vial
—Eric_W
I think this was the best one yet. I have read almost all of this series (of coarse it was out of order) I started with the newest ones and fell in love with Joanna Brady and I had to return to the beginning and see how it all went down for myself . I am now starting the Devils Claw , I have one more after that . The new one comes out in July and I hope to be ready for it and I just found out about the novella by Butch and Judy . I recommend this series and The Ali Reynolds series also. I love the writing and the character development by this writter.
—Jennifer
I've enjoyed watching the Joanna Brady character grow with each book in this series. I'm glad to see she's getting on with her life, and that the other characters in the books are growing too. I was particularily pleased by the changes in Joanna's minister friend, and by the strong relationship Joanna is building with Butch. I recommend this book, but suggest that readers new to the series start with Desert Heat and read through the books chronologically. It's more fun that way to see the changes in Joanna's life!
—John
