Select one of the keywords
Missing and Endangered: A Brady Novel of Suspense    by J. A. Jance Amazon.com order for
Missing and Endangered
by J. A. Jance
Order:  USA  Can
William Morrow, 2021 (2021)
Hardcover, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Missing and Endangered is the nineteenth in J.A. Jance's prolific, popular and engaging series starring Arizona's Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady. She's a tough, resourceful and gutsy lead in an engrossing plotline.

This episode begins in early December. Joanna is married to novelist Butch Dixon, and they have seven-year-old Denny and one-year-old Sage at home, High Lonesome Ranch. Joanna's daughter Jennifer is in her second year at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Jenny plans to bring her roommate Beth Rankin home for Christmas. On top of this, Joanna's department is grossly understaffed, her lead investigator's cancer has metastasized, and he's leaving in the New Year.

Readers soon learn that Beth, who was homeschooled and is a very sheltered freshman, is in a relationship with someone she met online - and is keeping it secret from Jenny. While this develops, Joanna has to deal with an officer-involved shooting, her deputy (Ruiz) is badly injured, and the shooter is dead. Since there's bad blood between Joanna and the very biased investigator, she's concerned to protect Ruiz. She's also concerned about the safety of the children who saw the shooting.

Then, just before she is to come home with Jenny for Christmas, Beth disappears. When Jenny finds evidence of a 'cyber nightmare', she understands why. Jenny helps find Beth, but the creep she met online doesn't like rejection and has dark web contacts. Fortunately Joanna and Butch have their daughter's back, and the holidays end up as happy ones, despite all. I thoroughly enjoyed Missing and Endangered, and look forward to more in this great series.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews