Mysterious Reviews Home

Remains of Innocence

A Joanna Brady Mystery by J. A. Jance

Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance

Review: Sheriff Joanna Brady and her team are drawn into a complex mystery when they investigate two deaths in the small historic town of Brisbee, Arizona, in Remains of Innocence, the sixteen mystery in this series by J. A. Jance.

The first death is that of Junior Dowdle, a mentally challenged 65-year-old man, who was like by everyone in Brisbee. He was found at the bottom of a hole in a limestone cavern. It could have been an accident, but Junior hated the dark and it seems highly unlikely he would leave his home alone at night and wander through the caverns. Before Joanna officially declares it a murder, she needs an autopsy. But their medical examiner, Dr. Guy Machett, tells Joanna it will have to wait a few days, as he has out-of-town plans. When he doesn't return, Joanna sends one of her deputies out to find him. He had been tortured and murdered in his ransacked home.

Across the country in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Machett's half-sister Liza is confused and upset. Her mother, a hoarder, had been taken from her home to the hospital, where she subsequently died. Liza's responsibility is to go through her mother's home and prepare it for sale. She is surprised to find, however, thousands of dollars in hundred dollar bills stuffed between the pages of a cookbook. When she tells Candy, a friend of hers, about it, she insists Liza leave town immediately. Her only relative, Guy Machett, lives in Brisbee, which is where she heads. While en route, she hears on the radio that Candy had been tortured and murdered. And that's not all: her landlady was also found dead outside Liza's apartment. Desperate now to meet up with her half-brother, Liza continues on towards Arizona, not knowing that he, too, was dead.

The storyline of Remains of Innocence is incredibly suspenseful, filled with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are fully realized, their actions credible and consistent with their situations. At the center of it all is Joanna Brady, a tough law enforcement officer but also a caring wife and very cool mom. This is most certainly one of the more complex books in this series, but it is also one of the best to date. It is highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Remains of Innocence.

Acknowledgment: HarperCollins provided a copy of Remains of Innocence for this review.

Review Copyright © 2014 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …

Mystery Book Review: Moving Target by J. A. JanceMoving Target
Touchstone (Hardcover), February 2014
ISBN-13: 9781476745008; ISBN-10: 1476745005

Location(s) referenced in Remains of Innocence: Arizona; Massachusetts

— ♦ —

Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance

Remains of Innocence by A Joanna Brady Mystery

Publisher: William Morrow
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-213470-7
Publication Date:
List Price: $26.99

Buy the Book (purchase options)

— ♦ —

Page Author: Lance Wright
Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews

Mysterious Reviews is a Division of
The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books
and a Business Unit of the
Omnimystery Family of Mystery Websites