Judgment Call (Joanna Brady Series #15)

by J. A. Jance, Hillary Huber (Read by)

Overview

When Joanna Brady's daughter, Jenny, stumbles across the body of her high school principal, Debra Highsmith, in the desert, the Cochise County sheriff's personal and professional worlds collide. Though she's tried to protect her children from the dangers of the grown-up world, the search for justice leads straight to her own door and forces her to face the possibility that her beloved daughter may be less perfect than she seems. Yet the deeper Joanna digs, the more complications she uncovers. It seems the quiet, upstanding principal had a hidden past, full of mysterious secrets she'd successfully kept buried for years. As the seasoned sheriff juggles professional constraints and personal demands, she finds herself walking a fine line between justice and family that has never been so blurred.

Performed by Hillary Huber

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062270788
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/30/2013
Series:	Joanna Brady Series , #15
Edition description:	Unabridged
Pages:	9
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, and five interrelated thrillers about the Walker family, as well as a volume of poetry. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

Hometown:

Bellevue, Washington

Date of Birth:

October 27, 1944

Place of Birth:

Watertown, South Dakota

Education:

B. A., University of Arizona, 1966; M. Ed. in Library Science, University of Arizona, 1970

Website:

http://www.jajance.com/

Editorial Reviews

In bestseller Jance’s satisfying 15th novel of suspense featuring Cochise County, Ariz., sheriff Joanna Brady (after 2009’s Fire and Ice), Brady’s 15-year-old daughter, Jenny, discovers her high school principal, Debra Highsmith, shot to death in the desert near their family home. Jenny phones Brady, who hops on her horse and rides to the crime scene. Who might have wanted to kill the extremely private Highsmith, who appears to have had no friends and no next of kin? When a second murder follows within as many days, Brady really has her hands full, especially since important intel about the crimes is hitting the Internet even before she can begin lining up suspects. Meanwhile, Brady’s trying her best to juggle the life-or-death circumstances of her job with a private life. Jance smoothly intertwines the threads of multiple subplots, complete with a red herring or two. The solution to a 25-year-old mystery surrounding the death of Joanna’s father is a bonus. 10-city author tour. Agent: Alice Volpe, Northwest Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady has a problem that crisscrosses the personal and the political. Her daughter, Jenny, has discovered her high school principal murdered. It's no fun digging into the uncomfortable truths about the man, especially when Jenny seems to know more—and understand less—than she's revealing. The one-day laydown on July 24, 200,000-copy first printing, and ten-city tour come as no surprise.

Library Journal

This title is the 15th in the series featuring Cochise County, AZ, sheriff Joanna Brady. Though new listeners will enjoy the police procedural details, fans will find comfort and familiarity in returning to Joanna and her family, community, and colleagues after a few years. Here, Joanna's daughter discovers the body of her high school principal while out on an early morning ride. The investigation stalls for a while as police can discover little about the victim's background. Reader Hillary Huber does a great job with all characters, especially the steady and resourceful sheriff. VERDICT Recommended for Jance's fans and for mystery collections.—Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA

Library Journal - Audio