Helpful Score: 2
Sheriff Joanna Brady must solve two perplexing cases that may be tied together in New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance's thrilling tale of suspense that brings to life Arizona's Cochise County and the desert Southwest in all its beauty and mystery.
An old woman, a hoarder, is dying of emphysema in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In cleaning out her house, her daughter, Liza Machett, discovers a fortune in hundred dollar bills hidden in the tall stacks of books and magazines that crowd every corner.
Tracing the money's origins will take Liza on a journey that will end in Cochise County, where Sheriff Joanna Brady is embroiled in a personal mystery of her own. A man she considers a family friend is found dead at the bottom of a hole in a limestone cavern near Bisbee. And now there is the mystery of Liza and the money. Are the two disparate cases connected? It's up to Joanna to find out.
Bonus Novella "The Old Blue line" Included.
An old woman, a hoarder, is dying of emphysema in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In cleaning out her house, her daughter, Liza Machett, discovers a fortune in hundred dollar bills hidden in the tall stacks of books and magazines that crowd every corner.
Tracing the money's origins will take Liza on a journey that will end in Cochise County, where Sheriff Joanna Brady is embroiled in a personal mystery of her own. A man she considers a family friend is found dead at the bottom of a hole in a limestone cavern near Bisbee. And now there is the mystery of Liza and the money. Are the two disparate cases connected? It's up to Joanna to find out.
Bonus Novella "The Old Blue line" Included.
I love how the author sets up her characters in makes you fall in love with them. Joanna Brady is the compassionate, loyal public servant who does her job exceptionally well. Very good page turner with some twists that you won't see coming
16th in the series but you could start here, Jance gives enough backstory - truthfully, there are little flashbacks for almost everything and everyone - to catch up a new reader. I don't remember her using the POV of someone other than Brady so extensively before, so that's a little different. Readers of the previous books will know who Liza is related to right away, but it won't take long before you see the connection anyway. I really liked that storyline, and the one involving Junior not so much. (Not a spoiler - it's practically spelled out in the book description). I thought Brady was pretty cold considering how long she's known Junior, plus her initial leap of assuming he was an animal torturer, and then the villains...c'mon, how likely was that? Kind of wondering why she chose to write him out of the story that way. But as usual, it's a nice quick read, nice sense of place and believable dialogue.
My first Brady book. I liked the story but fell in love with the characters. I cried at the end...actual tears! I feel like I could live in this small town and already know everyone. I read a LOT and this book stands out. Can't wait for the next one in the series. Wish I hadn't started so far along in the series, but I won't go back. I don't like to back track. Author has two more series so I think I'll try those. Great read.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
There's nothing quite like reading one of Jance's Joanna Brady books while staying in Bisbee, Arizona. All I had to do is step outside the door to see I was right in the heart of these books. Having grown up in this old mining town, Jance's setting is pitch perfect and one of the reasons why I love these books.
Another reason I love these books is the characters. Joanna is brave, intelligent, and compassionate, and these books have shown her growth from grieving widow to sheriff to sheriff at the beginning of a second marriage. Joanna can also be opinionated and stubborn, and her relationship with her mother is anything but harmonious. In other words, she's human.
The people Joanna lives with and works with have become like friends as I've made my way through this series. When Junior was diagnosed with dementia in an earlier book, I got tears in my eyes. Yes indeed, I am invested all the way to my eyebrows in this series.
A perfect setting and characters that wind themselves around your heart are all well and good, but they need a good mystery to show them in their best light. In the case of Remains of Innocence, one mystery is stronger than the other. It didn't take me long to deduce what had really happened to Junior, but Liza's part of the book kept my interest from beginning to end. Jance has a way of knowing just how to make a character so sympathetic that you want to invite them in for coffee and a long talk. She's done her usual excellent job with Liza and those $100 bills.
Innocence is a theme that runs strong throughout this book. People who never lost their innocence; those who lost it much too early. People who should be innocent who aren't; and those who look guilty... but aren't. There's good food for thought in Jance's latest Joanna Brady mystery-- yet another reason why I love this series.
Another reason I love these books is the characters. Joanna is brave, intelligent, and compassionate, and these books have shown her growth from grieving widow to sheriff to sheriff at the beginning of a second marriage. Joanna can also be opinionated and stubborn, and her relationship with her mother is anything but harmonious. In other words, she's human.
The people Joanna lives with and works with have become like friends as I've made my way through this series. When Junior was diagnosed with dementia in an earlier book, I got tears in my eyes. Yes indeed, I am invested all the way to my eyebrows in this series.
A perfect setting and characters that wind themselves around your heart are all well and good, but they need a good mystery to show them in their best light. In the case of Remains of Innocence, one mystery is stronger than the other. It didn't take me long to deduce what had really happened to Junior, but Liza's part of the book kept my interest from beginning to end. Jance has a way of knowing just how to make a character so sympathetic that you want to invite them in for coffee and a long talk. She's done her usual excellent job with Liza and those $100 bills.
Innocence is a theme that runs strong throughout this book. People who never lost their innocence; those who lost it much too early. People who should be innocent who aren't; and those who look guilty... but aren't. There's good food for thought in Jance's latest Joanna Brady mystery-- yet another reason why I love this series.
The action begins with the shocking death of a beloved community member, which leaves Sheriff Brady determined to unmask a killer. Meanwhile across the country, a woman named Liza faces the grotesque task of sorting through the belongings of her mother, a hospice patient, who is also a hoarder. To her surprise, among the stacks of moldy books and magazines, she uncovers a large stash of $100 bills. Liza embarks on a journey to unravel the mystery of the unexpected treasure which will eventually land her in Arizona. Are all these strange events related? If they are, can Joanna and her team figure out the link before more people get hurt?
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed Remains of Innocence (Joanna Brady, Bk 16) on + 1477 more book reviews
Solid procedurals give a ring of realism to this Joanna Brady mystery. The death of a developmentally disabled man is beginning to look a lot like murder, but when the M.E. scheduled to perform the autopsy also turns up dead, things get very complicated.
Carolyn S. (iluvamystery) reviewed Remains of Innocence (Joanna Brady, Bk 16) on + 64 more book reviews My copy of this book included a novella titled 'The Old Blue Line,' which is an absolute for fans of Sheriff Joanna Brady fans!
'Remains of Innocence' was worth the purchase price - I bought the book new - but, quite frankly, 'The Old Blue Line' would have been worth the purchase price as a stand alone.
An excellent story line, written in Jance's usual high quality sensitive style.
I love J.A. Jance's books always exciting and keeps you guessing until the end...
Pretty good Joanna Brady book that features two separate crimes going on at once; however, the reader won't be confused as the author does a good job of keeping them separated, yet interested in the outcome of both.
