Downfall

A Brady Novel of Suspense

By: J. A. Jance

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady returns in this outstanding new mystery set in the beautiful desert country of the Southwest.

With a baby on the way, sudden deaths in the family from which to recover, a re-election campaign looming, and a daughter heading off for college, Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady has her hands full when a puzzling new case hits her department, demanding every resource she has at her disposal.

Two women have fallen to their deaths from a small nearby peak, referred to by Bisbee locals as Geronimo. What’s the connection between these two women? Is this a case of murder/suicide or is it a double homicide? And if someone else is responsible, is it possible that the perpetrator may, even now, be on the hunt for another victim?

Typical J. A. Janace- WONDERFUL

A great read. Love the characters, and the continued storyline of Sheriff Joanna Brady and her family.

Enjoyable

Enjoyed the last 10 chapters . Love that carrot top. Huber is good to listen to.

J.A. Jance at her best.

It is great to have another Joanna Brady story after such a long break. This series was my introduction to the writings of J. A. Jance and I like this series more so than her other three series. Brady has suffered the death of her mother and step-father. They were killed by a freeway sniper. Their funeral has not been held yet and Joanna faced the double homicide of two young women at the base of Geronimo Peak near Bisbee. Joanna investigates these deaths to determine cause and find out whodunit. She uncovers a kidnapping, a pedophile and domestic abuse during her investigation. Then another murder occurs on the golf course; Joanna has her hands full. The last part of the book was impossible to stop reading until the end, the suspense had me on the edge of the chair.

It is great to have Frank Montoya back. In earlier books he was Joanna’s right- hand man. He quit to become the Chief of Police of Sierra Vista. Now Joanna and Frank are working together because they are sharing jurisdiction also with the FBI. We have a new character, FBI special agent Robin Watkins. I am enjoying the new Cochise County Medical Examiner, Dr. Kendra Baldwin. With all the murder investigations going on Joanna’s life goes on. She is pregnant, running for re-election as Sheriff and has the usual family and Sheriff department problems.

The book is well written. The pace is fast. The plot twists and turns. Jance is superb at capturing human emotions from humor to fear, as well as sorrow and anger. The suspense builds throughout the story as Joanna questions everyone and finds maybe the trust of longtime friends are in question also. Jance is a master story teller. I cannot wait for the next Brady story.

Hillary Huber does an excellent job narrating the book. She is an award winning audiobook narrator.

Love reading about the places I have visited

J.A. Jance tells a colorful and timely story involving places in southern AZ which pique my curiosity. Now have to go visit Geronimo near Bisbee.

Overdone storyline

Usually I dont know the killer until the end. This one was pretty obvious which made it a little hard to finish. As always, Hillary Huber's narration was spot on.