Shoot Don't Shoot (Joanna Brady Mysteries, 3)

A very enjoyable read, one can never outguess Jance and her suspense. Also very descriptive of the Southeast Arizona desert and the life there. I highly recommend all Jance books, including those of the .Joanna Brady and J.P Beaumont mysteries.

I am a new JA Jance fan, and am thoroughly enjoying the Joanna Brady series. I highly recommend the series for those interested in reading about strong women, dealing with family and career. They are also good "who done it" mysteries.

In J.A. Jance's book revolving around the life of Joanna Brady, the just-elected sheriff enrolls in a police academy to learn the ins and outs of police work. You'd think this would be a boring premise for a book, but with Jance writing it, it's anything but dull especially when Joanna's classmate is murdered and she's determined to help find the killer. It's not just class lectures and books for her, as she's thrown into the middle of mayhem. While she's learning how to investigate crimes, her new skills are immediately put to the test, as the murder investigation becomes personal since Joanna knew and liked the victim. As a subplot, Joanna does have a few hours of "down" time and she spends it in a little hole-in-the-wall bar that makes the best cheeseburgers around. Of course sparks fly between the bartender/owner of the bar (Butch Dixon) and Joanna. Jance increases her cast of support characters with the friends Joanna makes in Phoenix and you can be sure that a few will resurface in later books. While reading this I wondered if Jance would have Joanna jump into a new relationship so soon after her husband's death. To me that would have changed the attributes of her main character, and in doing so would have possibly lessened my enjoyment of this series. Joanna Brady's strong emotions, her desire for self-preservation, viability, etc. are a large part of what makes these books so pleasurable. At the same time, when Joanna leaves Phoenix to return to Bisbee, I didn't want to think that she'd never see Butch Dixon again and kept hoping that "maybe in the future...". (Ok, I'll admit it - I'm a romantic at heart!) This tale is a little different for Jance since it takes place in Phoenix, Arizona instead of Bisbee. I lived outside of Phoenix for almost five years and have to say that Jance's descriptions were extremely accurate. I remember reading this and thinking, "I've been there". There are a few places that only exist in our imaginations, such as Butch Dixon's bar, but it so closely resembles several others in the area that it could very well be one of them. This is a typical J.A. Jance novel full of wonderful descriptions of not only surrounding areas but also of people in general. There's definitely a few twists and turns along the journey (I'd be disappointed if it were a straight-line venture) and the ending will surprise you. If you haven't read this series, I'd highly recommend that you do so. Many years ago when I had the good fortune to run into this writer in a bookstore she told me that many had compared her to Mary Higgins Clark. After reading her previous work, I agreed with that comparison until this series was published. Now I believe she surpasses Clark in every aspect of what makes a great author!

I have been reading this series in order. Although each book can stand alone, later books reference earlier books and it is, in my opinion, much more enjoyable to read them in order so you know the complete history. Having said all of that, this is the best book I have read to date in this series. Joanna was elected sherrif and is off for training. By doing a favor for a friend of a friend, she runs into a serial killer that has escaped detection for many years. There is a touch, just a tiny touch, of romance. There is also a very stressful period of time when her daughter has been kidnapped and the kidnapper has killed himself and the police are searching frantically for Joanna's daughter and the daughter's friend. This book moves right along, the characters are well developed and there is excitement. I particularly liked the ending. Enjoy.

I'd recommend this book to anyone. I lived in Phoenix for several years and Jance's descriptions of the area are accurate. This book is excellent. I'm not a huge mystery (or even fiction) reader, but this author is outstanding.