Publication Day Review: The Taken Ones: A J.P Beaumont Novel by J. A. Jance

The Taken Ones: A J.P Beaumont Novel by J.A. Jance features a large cast of characters, a horrible multistate missing person case, and a slow-moving tale of greed and deceit. One also wonders if this is the last one in the series. If so, it ends well.

 

It is late May 2025 as the book opens with J.P. Beaumont and his family in Bellingham, Washington. His wife, Melissa Socmes, has just retired from being chief of police for the city of Bellingham. His grandson, Kyle Cartwright, was one of the rookies sworn in by the police chief yesterday shortly before her duties ended. The public side of things is over. Today is for a private party that is part family reunion and part retirement celebration. Everything is to be kept from Mel and Kyle and J.P. might have pulled it off. After the party, Mel and J.P. will head out to Calgary, Cananda, on a vacation trip.

 

At the same time, a friend that J.P. met awhile back while working a case in Alaska, has a lot going on in her life as well. Twinkle Winkleman is at home, running her auto repair business, taking care of her grandson and more. A long-time client, Art Holt, comes to see her.

 

He does not need a mechanic; he needs an investigator and help. His granddaughter, Regina, has gone missing.  Everybody calls her Gina. A brilliant student, she is in college, and went to Seattle where she is supposed to have an internship. It’s been several days since she allegedly arrived at the airport in Seattle and subsequently vanished. The police have been zero help. Because of what Twinkle was able accomplish when she went through something similar a few years back, Art Holt has come to see her to seek her advice on what to do next.

 

She has some ideas. After promising Art she will help before sending him on his way, she reaches out to J.P. Beaumont, former detective and current private investigator, and ask him to help.

 

He does and reaches out for help through his contacts. Beaumont still has contacts and through those contacts he is able to get the ball rolling on the case. What gradually evolves is a tale of multiple brilliant young women being taken for some unknown purpose. The cases are spaced out and occurring all over the country. So local law enforcement has no idea that their solitary case is part of a nationwide network of cases. Until J.P. and his wife, Mel, start putting pieces together.

 

The Taken Ones: A J.P Beaumont Novel by J.A. Jance is a complicated tale full of a large cast of characters, each with their own point of view. Those points of view shift with each chapter as pieces of the tale are related to the reader by the investigators, the captive women, and others. That and all the exposition and backstory of several characters, makes for a very slow moving read for nearly two thirds of this book. The last third is a rocket trip to a finish and a satisfying conclusion.

 

While not one of the best reads in this long running series, the overall read is  enjoyable if you stick with it. It also ends well and provides a nice cap to the series if this is the final book.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dVYACo 

 

Make sure you read Aubrey's review here. 

My digital ARC was provided by the publisher, William Morrow, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026