Short Story Wednesday Review: Girl’s Night Out: A J.P. Beaumont Short Story by J. A. Jance

Despite the billing, Girl’s Night Out: A J.P. Beaumont Short Story is not J.P. Beaumont tale. He is referenced, but he never is actually in the tale. That fact was annoying and very disappointing as that is why I purchased the read.

 

The novella revolves around Twinkle Winkleman who as last seen in Nothing to Lose (also reviewed by Aubrey here).After considerable backstory regarding her life, we eventually get to the fact that her daughter in law, Cindy, has gone missing after being out for the evening with female friends. Cindy went out anyway, as she does every weekend, even though her best friend, Leslie, wasn’t going make it. This is shortly after Cindy had told Twinkle some concerning news about Leslie’s current boyfriend.

 

James is abusive and controlling. He could be a problem, not just for Leslie, but anyone around her. The fact that Cindy hasn’t come home by long after midnight, or answer her phone, is a worry. Twinkle soon finds Cindy’s car at where she was supposed to be though the club is dark and locked up tight. Cindy’s car is the only vehicle in the cold and desolate parking lot. The vehicle is unlocked and Cindy’s purse is inside. Then she finds Cindy’s cellphone under the car.

 

Clearly something bad is going on. With the Anchorage P.D. of no help, Twinkie goes on her own to find Cindy before it’s too late.

 

While this heavily narrated tale with very little dialogue was somewhat interesting, once it actually got going, the absence of J.P. Beaumont was disappointing. To me, I feel misled by the publisher, Witness Impulse, as Beaumont is not in the read.

 

Based on the ratings and reviews I have seen many folks did not have that issue with the read. If I was doing the stars/cups of coffee/flaming suns/whatever deal here, I would go with three stars—at best. If I could have returned it for a refund, I would have, and I never do that.

 

My recommendation would be either to read it for free via your local library, if they get it, or wait for the free book sale when they do it through Amazon.

 

The final quarter of this eBook is publicity material and an excerpt from the next Beaumont series, Den of Iniquity, currently scheduled to be released in September. Based on the synopsis, it would appear that Beaumont is actually in that book.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3AglCmr

 

 

My reading copy was a wasted purchase by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024