Book Review: Dead Wrong

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

Dead Wrong     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
J. A. Jance
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   Woman Main Character
Series: Joanna Brady # 12
William Morrow, 2006, 262 pps.

Although Joanna Brady is pregnant and close to her due date the last few weeks before the delivery of her baby is anything but quiet. Joanna is Sheriff and also responsible for the animal control division in her county.

An unidentified man is found murdered. The man is finally identified as Bradley Evans, an ex-convict, who was sent to prison after he confessed to murdering his wife in a drunken black-out. After Joanna looks at the old file and reads an old diary of her father’s she begins to feel that there might be a lot more to the story than meets the eye.

Before she gets too far into the investigation one of her animal control officers is beaten and left for dead. Soon Joanna has more cases than she can handle and is working with a skeleton force due to financial strains on the budget and illness of one of her detectives.

To make matters worse while her husband Butch is out of town his parents show up unexpectedly and park their motor home in Joanna’s yard. When Butch returns home he is as irritated with the presence of his parents as Joanna is but both try to put on a good face.

Several crimes are being investigated at the same time but the evidence keeps coming together until Jance winds up the book with a terrific conclusion.

Pat Reid - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Pat Reid - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.