{Review} Ring in the Dead: A J.P. Beaumont Novella by J.A. Jance

ISBN #: 978-0062294821

Page Count: 112

Copyright: August 6, 2013

Publisher: William Morrow

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

J. P. Beaumont may be an old homicide hand now, but back when he was a rookie working with his first partner, Milton Gurkey - a.k.a. Pickles - things took a turn for the worse ...

One day, at the end of Beaumont and Pickles's shift, a stop at the Doghouse restaurant quickly turns deadly. Not feeling well, Pickles steps out into the parking lot for a breath of fresh air and stumbles into a crime in progress. Suffering from a heart attack, he is found unconscious, with a dead woman on the ground nearby and the murder weapon in his hand.

With Pickles under investigation from Internal Affairs, it's up to the new kid on the block, J. P. Beaumont, and his friends on the force to find out the truth.

Mandy's Review:

I will admit this is the first J.A. Jance story that I've read. Shocking, I know. I didn't know what I was missing out on, but does it help that now I do and I intend to remedy my lack of knowledge concerning Jance's writing soon?

When the book opens, it is New Year's Eve and J. P. is waiting on his wife so they can go celebrate. In the interim, J. P. receives a call from Anne, his ex-partner's daughter. She has been cleaning out her mother's home and came across a document of her father's. After reading it, Anne feels as if J. P. would be interested in reading it himself. So, as part of her 12-step program for Narcotics Anonymous (NA), she rings J. P. asking if she can bring by the document as an apology for blaming J. P. for her father's death. Once Anne leaves his home, J. P. begins reading Milton Gurkey's (his ex-partner) document.

I'm actually glad I've not read any other J. P. Beaumont novel. I now have an understanding of the character and can have his background in mind when I have a chance to read other Beaumont novels. I loved getting to know J. P. and reading about his first experience in the Homicide department.

This novella was engaging, interesting, and (obviously) a pretty quick read. This is definitely a recommendation for any J. A. Jance and J. P. Beaumont fans. If you're like me and you've never read a J. P. Beaumont novel, this is the perfect introduction into this character's psyche and will make you want to read more of his experiences.


*An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.