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Title: Name Withheld: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery (Beeler) by Judith A. Jance ISBN: 1-57490-357-8 Publisher: Thomas T. Beeler Publisher Pub. Date: 01 June, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.88 (8 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Fair to Middling Mystery
Comment: Buried in all of J.P. Beaumont's personal problems in this novel is a halfway decent mystery. Between problems with his family, a child-services investigation, the insufferable Paul Kramer, his superiors in the Seattle P.D. (who seem to have forgotten that Detective Beaumont is a top-notch investigator), rush hour traffic, and the siren song of a MacNaughton's bottle, J.A. Jance somehow manages to shoehorn a triple murder into Beau's life. What any of it has to do with the blood-dripping icicle on the cover is beyond me.
Other reviewers here at Amazon have commented on how overcrowded the book is with Beau's personal problems, and they're right. Either the family crisis or the child-services subplots could have been eliminated and the story would be stronger for it. Either would have sufficed to add depth to Beau's character, but the two of them together is overkill. With all the extra-vocational content in the book, we are left with quite a few loose ends; very little of Kramer & Arnold's side of the investigation makes it into the story, and Beau changes objectives suddenly without having time to go back and follow up on earlier leads.
It goes without saying that "detective" Paul Kramer is going to cause problems, but for Sergeant Watkins and Captain Powell to heap on the grief makes little sense (good natured ribbing about Beau's transsexual fan club would have been appropriate; they should have at least heard his side of the story before climbing down his throat); it would be one thing if Beau was an underperformer, but the unceasing gruff boss shtick made no sense.
One thing that Jance does do well in the book is convey a sense of how different police work is from what's shown on TV (how different it really is from the book's presentation is another question). From needing evidence ahead of getting an arrest warrant to ballistics and DMV registration checks, Beau does a good job of doing the routine business of police work. If he could learn to do periodic "saves" of his police reports on his laptop, his life would be significantly happier (okay, not in a week with as many problems as this story presents, but on a less-hectic week it'd help a lot). Beau manages to do a lot of sitting and listening in this book, which isn't very exciting - even with handguns falling out of purses. If that translates into "boring" for you, then this may not be among your favorite novels.
All in all, I liked this book. It had a little bit of everything, with a bit much of only a few things. Even with all the sitting and talking I found it a quick read. Your mileage may vary, but as far as the book's conclusion is concerned, getting there was half the fun.
Rating: 2
Summary: Not worth the time.
Comment: I started reading this book on a camp trip, and only finished it because it was the only book I had. The author confuses the plot line by the introductions of too many characters, still adding them 2/3rds of the way through. Also, there are 2 plot lines of the detective's personel life which have nothing to do with the main story, with one of the plot lines being totally unbelievable. I don't recommend it.
Don Stevens
Rating: 4
Summary: Pretty good crime drama - check it out
Comment: If you are like me, wondering why no modern authors can resist sprinkling in many gratuitus curse words like so many R-rated movies, then maybe you should try this one. The leading character, Detective J. P. Beaumont is a flawed hero with real human qualities. His life is in turmoil as he juggles the evolving multiple homicide with a number of side issues. I wonder how he could sleep.
Most of the book is fairly believable. However, I could not get into the Grace Highsmith character, and her performance at the end was certainly "over the top." In the end, Beaumont wraps up the complicated story and the remnants of his personal life, leaving the reader satisfied.
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Title: Without Due Process by J.A. Jance ISBN: 0380758377 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 October, 1993 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Dismissed With Prejudice by J.A. Jance ISBN: 0380755475 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 June, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Payment in Kind by J.A. Jance ISBN: 0380758369 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 March, 1991 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Minor in Possession by J.A. Jance ISBN: 0380755467 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 April, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: A More Perfect Union by J.A. Jance ISBN: 0380754134 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 November, 1988 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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