Day of the Dead

This was the first book I have read by J.A. Jance so I did not know what to expect. But I was very happy to find a wonderful novel. I know I will now buy more of her books. This is the story of Brandon Walker who is a retired Sheriff in Arizona. He gets a letter from another retired police officer telling him about a group of retired police officer who work on cold cases & ask him if he wants to join. He saids yes. Then he takes on a case that happened in 1970. It was the murder of a young indian girl that no one bothered with. What he finds is a serial killer who in 2002 is still killing.

I picked this up on my way to the airport, expecting another great JA Jance story. I was not disappointed! Another reader complained about the flashbacks that are placed throughout the story. I found them enlightening and they all added to the depth of the characters. I especially like that the villains are known right from the start. Then the protagonist has to figure out who they are. We see as the pieces all fall together. I also like that she brings in a touch of Native American culture since much of the story takes place in and around a reservation. Makes me feel the heat, smell the dust, see the saguaros out there. All in all, a very entertaining read and a great way to pass the time at the airport!

I must admit that I started to give this one three stars simply because it almost made me physically ill as I read it. The subject matter simply is not my cup of tea. But then I started thinking about it. If the author was able to tell a story that brought up that strong of an emotion in me, then she must be doing her job as a story teller. Being a father and grandfather, I suppose I fret about such things anyway. As distastful as the subject was, i.e. kidnapping, rape, torture and the murder of very young girls, it was nevertheless well done and like it or not, I suppose horrible things such as this do happen. This was a difficult novel to put down. The author certainly has a good command of the language and is certainly a master story teller. I suspect she, the author put herself out on a limb with this one, as I note it is a departure from her usual work. This is good. I wish more front line authors did as such. Besides that, I am also impressed by anyone who still reads Harold Bell Wright. Anyway, I highly recommend this one.

We're fans of Jance, having read her some two dozen mysteries in the JP Beaumont and Sheriff Joanna Brady series. Jance has over time given us three quite different thrillers, which the author defines as stories in which the reader knows the culprits all along, with the suspense coming from the race between the bad guys and the good guys hunting them. These three novels, Hour of the Hunter, Kiss of the Bees, and this new one, Day of the Dead, are actually forming a series themselves, featuring ex-Sheriff Brandon Walker and his family, and the Tohono O'Odham Indian nation. Part of the book is used to expose us to the legends and practices, ala Tony Hillerman, of these native Americans, who in many cases are the victims of nearby evil white men. These sections of the book are interesting, but some will find they slow down the action and detract from the plot. A more balanced view is that they add illumination and evocative background to an otherwise dark storyline about child molestation, sexual deviance, and torture. Walker gets involved when he's invited to join The Last Chance, a volunteer investigative foundation (managed by our buddy Ralph Ames, JP Beaumont's lawyer friend!); he promptly gets embroiled in a 30-year-old cold case involving a dismembered teenaged young Indian woman. Meanwhile, a new dismembered corpse, a Hispanic teenager, has just been discovered out in the desert; and the authorities who care (as opposed to the ones in charge) begin to suspect a link between the two. Before it's over, many more results of the serial killers efforts will become apparent, and will the rich bad guys escape and fly to Mexico? Jance warns that the Walker set is "R-rated" compared to her normal fare; the plot is indeed disturbingly evil. Despite the author's fine writing, the first third of the book gets a little slow until Walker starts to zero in on some suspects, and then the action really heats up. Frankly, we prefer Jance's mystery novels, where the violence and inhumanity are less out front. But we have to admit we were turning pages quickly by the end of "Dead"; no doubt so will her legions of fans!

Elderly Tohono O'odham Indian, Emma Orozco, visits former sheriff Brandon Walker to ask if he will investigate the vicious murder of her daughter, Roseanne. Having a connection to the Indian tribe through his beloved adopted daughter and unable to refuse a client unable to pay his expenses, Brandon agrees to make inquiries into a cold case homicide that occurred over three decades ago. Solving a killing that happened during the Nixon Administration is doubtful. Brandon turns to the privately funded The Last Chance, a group that investigates unsolved crimes for assistance including money. As he makes inquiries into the Roseanne murder, he notices a pattern of eerily similar deaths. He postulates that a serial killer or multiple culprits have left dismembered bodies by isolated Southwest roads with no other clues. He begins to close in on the amoral killer(s) who have no compunction in eliminating the sleuth, his family, and friends. The fast-paced third Walker mystery is an exciting crime thriller that contains a lot more sexual violence (especially by an unscrupulous couple) than normally seen in a J.A. Jance tale (see J.P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady novels). Walker is a fabulous protagonist who reveres Native American customs and mysticism, but uses old fashion investigative techniques to try to uncover the culprit(s). The secondary cast especially his wife Diana (major player in (see HOUR OF THE HUNTER and KISS OF THE BEES), a close dying friend Fat Crack Ortiz, his adopted daughter Lani and several other Indians enable the audience to see deeper into this fine upstanding champion. This is a terrific not so cold case that fans of the author will cherish. Harriet Klausner