Dance of the Bones (J.P. Beaumont #22)
by J.A. Jance
Dance of the Bones is the second book that I’ve read that was written by J.A. Jance. This is a different series than Remains of Innocence, which featured Sheriff Joanna Brady. I was able to figure out what was going on in Dance of the Bones, even though I hadn’t read the previous books in the series.
I think that a J.P. Beaumont fan would have enjoyed it more than I did. I was rather put off by all the time the author had her characters mulling over past events. I can understand how that can allow a true fan to relive some of his fond memories of previous books, but come on, what a reader really wants is a story, that takes place now, that moves forward, instead of always looking back.
Since I’m not a die-hard fan, I can’t judge what they will think of Dance of the Bones, but I can tell you that I had to force myself to finish it. There’s nothing wrong with the writing, I just wasn’t really interested in the story. The action was slow and jumped around too much. And the way the characters were constantly thinking about the past; well I already covered that.
I give Dance of the Bones 3 Stars out of 5, and only recommend it to J.P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker fans.
I received a Digital Review Copy from the publisher.
Book Description
J. P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker, two of New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s most acclaimed series characters, join forces for the first time in one of the most suspenseful works of her career.
Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos’s “real” killer and clear his name.
Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.
Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?
Book Details
Series: J. P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (September 8, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006229766X
ISBN-13: 978-0062297662
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
About the Author
J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, and five interrelated thrillers about the Walker family, as well as a volume of poetry. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
Bill's Book Reviews 
Yeah I agree, you can’t have too much thinking over the past – that’s what the previous books are for.
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I like series books, but the ones that I like best don’t need to look back to tell their story. If you have read the previous books, fine you will get it all. If not, then you miss something, but not the story, the whole story should be contained in the one book that you are reading.
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It’s always a challenge, Bill, to relate a book to the other books in a series and still keep the focus on the present plot. Too much mulling over previous plots puts me off, too.
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I think that the author makes a choice on how much they want to retell events, and then the reader must choose whether they want to read that author’s story telling style.
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