J.A. Jance (Creative Commons) |
The books usually begin with a prologue which might be an incident that is obviously tied to the plot, or it might be some seemingly unrelated event. But it always ties up in the end.
Recurring characters of note:
Joanna Brady- Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona
Eleanor Lathrop Winfield- her mother
D.H. Lathrop- her father, Sheriff of Cochice County until his death
George Winfield- her stepfather (married Eleanor after Lathrop died), ME of Cochice County
Bob Brundage- Joanna's full brother who was given up for adoption at birth, but has found her as an adult
Andy Brady- Joanna's first husband
Jim Bob and Eva Lou Brady- the parents of Andrew Brady, now deceased, who continue to help Joanna and treat her children as if they were their own grandchildren
Jenny- her oldest daughter
Butch Dixon- her second husband
Dennis- Joanna and Butch's young son
#1 Desert Heat (1993)
#2 Tombstone Courage (1994)
#3 Dead to Rights (1996)
#4 Skeleton Canyon (1997)
#5 Rattlesnake Crossing (1998)
#6 Outlaw Mountain (1999)
#7 Devil's Claw (2000)
#8 Paradise Lost (2001)
#9 Partner in Crime (2003)
#10 Exit Wounds (2004)
#11 Dead Wrong (2006)
Joanna is nearly at full term in her pregancy with Dennis. But police business doesn't slow down for babies. The prologue tells how a man was arrested two decades previously for the murder of his pregnant wife. He can't remember what happened to her, and he pleads guilty. He spends 20 years in jail.
Now he's released, working in prison ministries, and seems to have his life really put together. Suddenly, he is murdered and his body is mutilated to prevent fast identification and dumped. When they do identify him, the story gets deeply complex as discoveries lead to nuances of that past crime.
The sub-plot is two brothers who run a puppy mill and host illegal dog fights. The new Animal Control Officer can't leave the case alone, despite Joanna's order to stay far away from their property.
#12 Damage Control (2008)
It's an exceptionally busy weekend in Cochise County. An older couple, for reasons unknown, make a suicide pact and drive their car off a mountain overlook. A trailer fire takes the life of a bedridden man, but his wife and their two grandsons escape unharmed. A neglected teenager, whose uncle is a deputy, finds the remains of a body in a plastic bag in the desert.
The two estranged daughters of the couple feud continually after they show up to deal with arrangements for the funeral, getting into a bar fight and being arrested.
The body in the desert turns out to belong to a mentally deficient woman who was living in an institution who had been reported as missing several months previously but some of her last words were to ask about her friend Wayne.
Joanna's ongoing disagreements with her mother lead to changes in the family dynamic. Butch is an author on the brink of becoming well-known. Although he's happy as Mr. Mom to baby Dennis, his publisher wants him to do a two-week book tour, and there is no one available to care for the baby. As always, much of the strength of this series is the many ordinary struggles and interactions between the characters.
#13 Fire and Ice (with J.P. Beaumont) (2009)
#14 Judgment Call
#15 Remains of Innocence (2014)
#16 The Old Blue Line (novella) (2014)
#17 No Honor Among Thieves (novella) (2015)
#18 Random Acts (novella- crossover with Ali Reynolds) (2016)
Joanna Brady's mother and stepfather are in a horrific crash in their RV. Both die from their injuries. However, Joanna's mother, Eleanor, manages to convey one clue as to what really happened just before she dies. Ali and Joanna had previously met, and Ali helps Joanna find out what caused the crash.
#19 Downfall (2016)
The bodies of two women are found at the base of a local mountain with one steep cliff. They have fallen to their deaths, but no one can find any connection at all between the two. One was a respected researcher, the other was the wife of a local pastor who seems to have been stepping out on him.
#20 Field of Bones (2018)
#21 Missing and Endangered (2021)
#22 Blessing of the Lost Girls (2023)
#23 The Girl from Devil's Lake (2025
