Betrayal of Trust
A J. P. Beaumont Mystery by J. A. Jance
Review: Seattle private investigator J. P. Beaumont is called in by the state's highest law enforcement office when it appears as if the grandson of the Governor may have been involved in the murder of a teenager in Betrayal of Trust, the 20th mystery in this series by J. A. Jance.
Governor Marsha Longmire's grandson, 15-year-old Josh Deeson, has a videoclip of the strangulation of young girl on his cell phone. Josh claims he doesn't know the girl, was not present when the incident took place, and has no idea how the video got onto his phone. The boy, a loner, leads a troubled life, never fitting in with his classmates and constantly tormented by his peers. The accusation of being involved in a murder emotionally pushes him over the edge; he's later found dead, a suicide. Beaumont is deeply troubled by Josh's death, and while he doesn't believe it was done out of guilt, he feels there is must be some connection between Josh and the video. He reasons there are at least three people involved, who know something about the video, the photographer and the two participants seen strangling the girl, and sets out to find them.
The cleverly titled Betrayal of Trust is an electrifying combination of murder mystery, politics, privilege, parenting, and teenage rivalry and angst. The characters are realistically drawn and act in a credible manner, which adds both drama and intrigue to the well-paced storyline that has plenty of surprises for the reader. Despite being the twentieth in a series, there's still a freshness and originality to this series that will keep readers coming back for more.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Betrayal of Trust.
Acknowledgment: HarperCollins provided a copy of Betrayal of Trust for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
Fatal Error
Touchstone (Hardcover), February 2011
ISBN-13: 9781416563815; ISBN-10: 1416563814
Location(s) referenced in Betrayal of Trust: Seattle, Washington
— ◊ —
Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance
Publisher: William Morrow
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0-06-173115-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-173115-0
Publication Date: July 2011
List Price: $25.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): At first glance, the video appears to be showing a childish game: a teenage girl with dark wavy hair smiles for the camera, a blue scarf tied around her neck. All of a sudden things turn murderous, and the girl ends up dead.
It’s as bad as a snuff film can get, and what’s worse, the clip has been discovered on a phone that belongs to the grandson of Washington State’s governor. However, the boy, who has a troubled background, swears that he’s never seen the victim before.
Fortunately, the governor is able to turn to an old friend, J. P. Beaumont, for help. The Seattle private investigator has witnessed many horrific acts over the years, but this one ranks near the top. Even more shocking is that the crime’s multiple perpetrators could be minors.
Along with Mel Soames, his partner in life as well as on the job, Beaumont soon determines that what initially appears to be a childish prank gone wrong has much deeper implications. But Mel and Beau must follow this path of corruption to its very end, before more innocent young lives are lost.