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Review: Den of Iniquity: A J.P. Beaumont Novel by J.A. Jance

 

It is Valentine’s Day, 2020, as Den of Iniquity: A J.P. Beaumont Novel by J.A. Jance begins. Bellingham, Washington, is clear and cold this morning. The news of Covid dominates, though the impacts have yet to be felt here. J. P. Beaumont plans on taking his wife, Mel, to a nearby restaurant for the evening. That is until J.P. and Sarah (their dog) return from a walk and find grandson, Kyle, parked in the drive.

 

It takes some time to drag out of Kyle why he made the nine-hour drive and arrived with no warning. There is a mess at home. Kyle left and brought with him his stuff and his troubles. He had a very good reason to show up as his family (J. P.’s daughter, her husband, and Kye’s sister) has, basically, imploded. While Mel and J.P. try to come to grips with what has happened and the sudden addition of a teenager to their house, Ben Weston reaches out to Beaumont.

 

Back when Beaumont was a Seattle Homicide Detective, he first met Ben as a five-year-old kid. There had been a violent home invasion leaving Ben the only survivor. Ben is now a Seattle Homicide Detective as is Scotty, J.P. Beaumont’s son, and they have desks close to each other. Ben needs a favor.

 

After Ben’s parents died, a woman at church, Matilda Jackson, always looked out for Ben. She had been good friends with Ben’s mom. Mrs. Jackson’s grandson is dead. He died of a drug overdose back in November of 2018. The police followed the medical examiners ruling of accidental death due to fentanyl overdose and closed the case. Mrs. Jackson is sure that he was sober and things were going right. She is absolutely sure it was murder.

 

 

As he talks to Mrs. Jackson, J. P. is not hearing anything that is very convincing, but Ben wanted him to look into it, because he can’t. For the cops, it is a closed case and that means Ben can do nothing. J. P. agrees, talks to her some more, and starts investigating. It isn’t long before he is sure Matilda Jackson is right. Her son was murdered.

 

He wasn’t the only one.

 

What follows is a fast moving read that switches back and forth between Kyle’s family issues, and there are many, and the Jackson case J.P. is working. Investigative skills come in handy for family and others. J.P. has a lot going on in Den of Iniquity: A J.P. Beaumont Novel by J.A. Jance.

 

While those that have read the series to this point will get more out of the book, one could start here as there is enough background material to get new readers comfortable in the read. This reviewer, a long-time reader of the series, enjoyed it a lot.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3z5nG0F

 

My ARC digital reading copy came from the publisher, William Morrow, by way of NetGalley.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024 

SleuthSayers: Said in Seattle

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Review: Debt Crusher: A Novella by Michael Pool

Cam Reynolds has a simple job. Collect the money owed to his boss, Tommy, Jr. He is the son of the legendary and now deceased mob boss, Tom Colcetti. The kid may not value him as much as his father did, but the kid is keeping the family business going and Cam still has a job. Though it is not the job he wants as he feels that he should have moved up by now. Junior has also made some changes that Cam does not approve of and it looks like he won’t be moving upwards anytime soon. At forty two years old he should be doing better than still having to go after guys to collect debts.

It is the job Cam has and he is very good at it. Cam has a reputation for violently collecting monies owed hence his nickname of “Crusher.” He has such a reputation that he rarely has to get physical these days which are a good thing as the years are beginning to take a toll. The latest dead beat who owes is a guy by the name of Gomez.  The man owes 10K and tried to run after getting a wakeup call from Cam who happened to be sitting outside the guy’s place when he made the call. After trying to run and being caught, some trunk therapy followed by quiet contemplation of his circumstances should assist Gomez with his motivation to pay up.

Unfortunately, things go wrong and years of loyal service mean nothing. Gomez was connected and Cam got the order to lay off after he had already started trunk therapy. Crusher screwed up and now he is a dead man on the run. At least he thinks he has a sexually willing travel companion in the mysterious woman he met in a Seattle area bar who is willing to help him get out of town in exchange for a fee.

Author Michael Pool quickly pulls the reader into a classic noir style set up where the antihero is on the run because things finally went wrong. One little thing starts the collapsing domino chain and things escalate rapidly in the wrong direction. Unlike his short story collection that I reviewed back in January, New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and Noir Stories, where some characters are a bit more introspective, Debt Crusher is pretty much a straightforward violent crime fiction novella. In some of those stories, the violence is chained up and it takes time to be released. In this novella, the violence is a major character and barely under control from the first page. Debt Crusher quickly becomes one violent confrontation after another as Cam does what it takes to not only honor his nickname, but to stay alive. If you prefer animals in your stories, a read clean of graphic language, and the violence to be off the page, this is most definitely not the read for you.

Debt Crusher: A Novella

Michael Pool

http://www.michaelpool.net

All Due Respect Books (Imprint of Down & Out Books)

http://www.allduerespectbooks.com

February 2018

ASIN#: B079R7ZJGN

eBook (also available in paperback format)

117 Pages

$4.99

Copy provide by the author for my use to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018

Writers Who Kill: Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie: A Review by Warren Bull

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Via Sons of Spade-- Q & A with Bret R. Wright

This is an interview with the author of  NASTY which I reviewed here. So, read the interview and then go get the book. It is a good one well worth your time.

Q & A with Bret R. Wright

Review: "Nasty" by Bret R. Wright

Private Detective Ignatius Jepson goes by the name of Nate. On the mean streets of Seattle he is known as “Nasty.” It is not a nickname he likes, but considering the way he earned it, that nickname isn’t going to be something he will ever get rid of easily. Things don’t come easy to Nate and the way his latest case arrives won’t be easy either.

 It was early in the morning a couple of hours before dawn and Nate was on a secluded beach contemplating the meaning of life. More accurately the meaning of his life and his future. Fate put him there.  Nate wasn’t too happy with the concept of fate as it was before the figure came running at him through the mist.

The man is well dressed and running with a grocery bag full of beef sticks. He also has a very black gun and wants Nate’s immediate help in getting away.  Like Nate, the guy is ex-military as proven by the way he carries himself and the dog tags on the leather necklace around his neck. The arrival of men on the beach as well as coming from the sea in pursuit and the numerous flying bullets make it clear that the situation is deteriorating badly and it is time to go.

Some private detectives get the beautiful damsel in distress and an explanation.  Nate gets the physically in shape dude, no explanation, a destroyed car, killers after him, and a lot more in Nasty by Bret R. Wright.

A fast paced read with a very complicated case that goes from Seattle to Portland while adding many players and plenty of twists and turns. Nate is often a bit over his head because the clues are few and the players are many. While he does have a little help along the way via some old friends those same friendships are a huge risk as the stakes rapidly increase.

Hopefully the first book of a series, Nasty has all the right mix of action, clues, and high stakes that result in a compelling read. Author Bret R. Wright has created a strongly sympathetic character who flashes the occasional warped sense of humor while also taking things serious when the need arises. In this book the need arises quite often creating a certain frantic pace as Nate gets the job done by any means necessary. The book is a good one and Nasty is highly recommended.

Nasty

Bret R. Wright

http://www.bretrwright.com

Courtney Literary

http://courtneyliterary.com/

September 2014

ISBN# 978-0991608812

Paperback (e-book available)

306 Pages

$15.99

E-book ARC supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

Review: "Second Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel" by J. A. Jance

The 21^st book in this long running series finds J. P. Beaumont surrendering to the inevitable. It is 2010 and after years of increasing pain in both knees he is on medical leave in order to have double knee replacement surgery at the Swedish Orthopedic Institute in the Seattle area. He’s plenty scared as is his wife and fellow officer of the Special Homicide Investigation Team, Mel Soames. It is one thing to be injured suddenly in the line of duty and therefore given little time to prepare for the medical event. With a planned surgery like this, both J. P. and Mel have had plenty of time to think about the procedure and what could go wrong.

J. P. is soon reminded of the power of painkillers and the threat they pose to his hard won sobriety. Those same painkillers powerfully awaken deep memories long repressed in his mind. As initial recovery and physical therapy begins post-surgery, J. P. is deeply haunted by the memories of things unresolved.

Not surprising one intense dream/vision is of what became his first case in Homicide with the Seattle PD. A naked woman found dead in grease barrel by two boys back in 1973. It was eventually determined she was Monica Wellington.  J. P. Beaumont was in a radio car back then with Rory MacPherson and they were the first two officers to arrive on scene. They helped out with the initial investigation on the first day. After J.P. came back to work after his off days he discovered that both he and Mac had been promoted to the jobs they had long coveted. Mac was now in motorcycle patrol and J.P was now a detective. That meant he would be learning the ropes from more experienced detectives while assisting on the Monica Wellington case. A case that never really went anywhere and was eventually closed without J.P. ever knowing it.

The second intense dream/vision that haunts J. P. post-surgery is of second Lieutenant Lennie Davis appearing in his hospital room. J.P. knows that sight can’t be real because Lennie D. led J.P.’s unit back in Vietnam. Thanks to Lennie D. way back when J. P. eventually made it home.  Lennie didn’t. J. P. realizes there is unfinished business in a story line that is based on real people and events powerfully detailed in the closing chapter “The Story Behind Second Watch.”

As J. P. works to regain the use of his legs, he also works to resolve the homicide case as well as the personal matter. The story lines gradually weave together resulting in a powerful novel that looks back as well in time as considers the future. Time is said to heal all wounds, but sometimes it needs a little help from good people pulling together to do good things. A prequel in a sense for, at least part of the book readers are in the memories of J.P., this novel is also about the cost of war and the pain of those who remain at home. Deeply moving, J. A. Jance has an incredible read that is far more than a mystery. It tells a tale that honors the dead and their survivors, not just in military service, in a way that few authors can achieve.

Second Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel is another very good book in this long running series. While it could be read as a stand alone, it would be best to read these books in order.

Second Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel

J. A. Jance

http://www.jajance.com

William Morrow (Harper Collins Publishers)

www.harpercollins.com

2013

ISBN# 978-8-06-213467-7

Hardback (also available as an e-book)

371 Pages

$26.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013