Tombstone Courage

The book begins with Harold Patterson, an 84-year old man who is being sued by one of his own daughters, Holly, for incestuous acts. Harold Patterson wants to meet with Holly finally, to try to make amends and talk her out of this lawsuit. They do meet face to face, and Holly is anything but pleased. Harold dies before any amends are made, or is murdered rather mysteriously. Joanna Brady gets elected Chochise County sheriff, the first female ever. As a rookie cop, let alone a woman, none of the other men on the force have any respect for her until she lays down the law. Joanna gets involved in the Patterson case, and seeks out Holly and Ivy, the other daughter herself. Ivy was the one that always was there to care for her mother when she was an invalid both physically, and mentally, whereas Holly was wild, running off and on drugs. They both hated their father, and Joanna is trying to uncover what happened down "Glory Hole," where Harold's body was found, and under that is a skeleton years and years old. The identity of the skeleton is a shock to all. And to uncover the mystery, Joanna puts herself in front of real danger. A very intriguing book all the way through!

This audio book contains one very intriguing mystery. It was great all the way to the end. Well done--I really liked it!

There's no grace period for the newly elected Sheriff Joanna Brady. She isn't being eased into the job but instead is thrown into investigating the murder of a prominent citizen of Bisbee, Arizona. In the process of trying to solve the crime, Joanna must sort through the victim's family secrets and dirty laundry. It's once again a race against the clock to find the killer before he strikes next. You'd think this would be enough for any new sheriff, but Joanna Brady must also deal with the resentments of long-time employees not happy with the changes she's bringing to the sheriff's office. Still not enough on her plate, Joanna must go home and deal with family issues revolving around the recent death of her husband, Andy, the former Sheriff of Cochise County. Issues like helping her daughter, Jenny, deal with the loss of her father, or trying to keep her overbearing mother at arm's length. JA Jance has created a main character to which every working mother can relate - she's overwhelmed at times and just trying to do the best she is capable of doing. Surrounding Joanna Brady is a cast of support characters who invoke a wide range of emotions from the reader. The mother is one who frustrates, the daughter seems cuddly and a typical child, the in-laws are gifts from heaven, everyone wishes Reverend Marianne were their friend, and many will wonder how the sheriff's receptionist could qualify and be hired for her job. Reading a JA Jance novel, with a couple of exceptions, is like becoming part of the series' family. You'll laugh, cry, become frustrated, etc. You'll live the book. It's a subtle way of drawing you into the story with both the familiar characters and the great plots. Absolutely an addition to your must read list but I do recommend reading this series in order. Don't get me wrong, it's not mandatory to do this but doing so will give you the history of the entire group and make each new book much more enjoyable and that much harder to put down!

This series has been fantastic. Although each novel can stand on it's own, I have found that reading them in order is a better idea. Later books reference earlier books and it is easier to follow the overall history of the characters in this series. Having said that, this is a great book. Joanna has just been elected Sherrif when a grisly murder is discovered. A drugged up ex movie star, a wierd therapist, an old family fued of sorts and the stage is set for a great novel. Joanna is a strong woman and this is a good book. It's good to read about her efforts to mourn with her daughter the loss of her husband. As she comes to grip with the past, she learns to deal with the present. Joanna's mother is an interesting character that adds a lot to this series. Enjoy.

This is a suspenseful story. Joanna has become the sheriff upon the death of her husband. She has a difficult crime to solve and faces difficulties in her own office and among her own staff. Many people are unhappy to see Joanna, a woman, as sheriff. Joanna (and the author) handles these issues with an appealing firmness and dignity.Very much recommended.