Remains of Innocence

Two murders in two cities, presents a challenge and a possible connection. When Liza Manchett, begins to go through her mother's house, she discovers something she can't explain. Growing up she lived in poverty with no electricity or hot water, yet in going through her mother's things after she has died, she discovers money in various places that amounts to a small fortune. Not sure what this means about the way her mother dealt with raising her and her step brother Guy, she is more than puzzled to come up with a valid explanation. Since she can't ask her mother, she tries to pieces things together as best as she can. She knows her father left them all for another women and died many years ago. Guy had no problem attending Harvard and John Hopkins to become a doctor but he earned it all on his own.

Now he refuses to have anything to do with Liza or helping her try to figure things out. When she attempts to renovate her mother's home to something that is suitable for sale, she receives a warning from a man at her mother's funeral. He warns Liza that people don't forgive and forget. One by one, people in Liza' life begin to come up murdered and she seems to be the only connection. Is it possible Liza is hiding something? Something she is keeping from the police? Is Liza responsible for the string of murders that begins to follow her everywhere she goes?

On the other end of the spectrum, Sheriff Joanna Brady struggles to come to terms with an apparent serial killer in the small town of Bisbee, Arizona. The man in question, Junior Dowdle, has the body of an older man, but mentally has the age of a young child. Combine that with the effects of Alzheimer's and it's no wonder that Junior has wound up missing. When all all out search reveals Junior has fallen to his death in an abandoned cave, they discover three mutilated animals beneath his body. Only on further investigation, do they find a small kitten that has escaped death but is injured beyond belief to even seasoned officers and yet managed to survive. How is Junior responsible? Did his mental capacity lead him to commit these horrible crimes when his parents were forced to lock him inside his room or is there another explanation?

I received Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. I really enjoyed this novel due to the complexities of the two cases that eventually converge for Sheriff Joanna Brady and was more than surprised at who was responsible. Completely missed it on my end and so glad I am not a detective. This one rated a true 4.5 out of 5 stars and is a definitely must read for fans of criminal murder mysteries!

For more information about Remains of Innocence, J.A. Jance or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance

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Second Watch

There's that case that lingers in the mind of every single cop. The one that will never go away. The one in which the victim can never rest. For Detective J.P. Beaumont, that is the case that happened forty years ago. The one that was simply tagged at the Girl in the Barrel. The only reason that it remains on J.P.'s mind is that while undergoing double knee replacement surgery, he's been haunted by the ghost of Monica Wellington, the girl in the barrel. She reminds him of the promise he made to her mother, Hannah, that they would never rest until the case was solved. And they hadn't solved it.

Like another cold case, this one torments the sleeping hours while J.P. recovers in the hospital. Taken back to that time period in rich detail through his dreams he remembers the case as if it just happened. Yet something besides the ghost of Monica is plaguing his sleep. It is why they were never able to solve that case. Taking into consideration, that things like DNA testing and technology were not as prevalent as they are today, he's hoping that he can finally solve the case and lay both Monica's spirit and his conscience to rest.

Now his only issue with not being able to walk or drive is how to reopen a case that was sealed forty years ago while he remains in the hospital? Just what would be his reasoning? He knew that sharing that the ghost of Monica was haunting his dreams wouldn't pass, so he opted for the case that was never solved that every cop wants to see come to a resolved end. J.P. only ghost however isn't just Monica, he's also seeing Lt. Lennie Davis or Lennie D as his friends referred to him. Lennie has something he needs J.P. to do and he can't rest until there is peace in his life, the one he never was able to return home to after serving in Vietnam. So J.P. is once more transported back to Vietnam and that fateful day that changed both of their lives forever.

I received Second Watch by best selling author J.A. Jance compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is a first for me, reading J.A. Jance's novels but I absolutely LOVED this one. It truly is a must read for fans of crime murder mystery's or shows like Criminal Minds. In fact while reading it I heard Jack Webb (Dragnet) as the narrator's voice so it really made the novel that believable for me. The flash backs into J.P.'s past were well done and gave you insight into what is the character's motivation to find have absolution and resolution in his life in each of this situations, with one being personal with his past in Vietnam, one he hasn't even shared with his wife and fellow cop, Mel. This is one of those novels that you will think about long after it's over primarily because it's that real. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more from J.A. Vance in the near future.

For more information about Second Watch, J.A. Jance or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click the links below:

Second Watch by J.A. Jance

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