The holidays are fast approaching and Joanna Brady’s eldest daughter, Jennifer is finishing up her term Northern Arizona University. Jenny’s roommate Beth is a freshman, and still new to campus life, having led a rather sheltered existence at home where her domineering parents shun all things technological. But on campus, she quickly takes advantage of all technology has to offer, purchasing a smart phone and computer, and finds herself a boyfriend on a dating site. After a huge row with her parents during Thanksgiving break, Beth has no intentions of returning home for the holidays, and Jenny invites her to spend Christmas at the Brady Ranch.
Meanwhile, Joanna has just received word that one of her long time deputies is set to retire for medical reasons, and another has just been shot and badly wounded while trying to serve a protective order. Pushing Jenny and her roommate to the back of her mind, she sets out to check on her deputy and to visit the crime scene, only to learn that her nemesis, Deputy Dave Newton of the DPS has been assigned to investigate the officer-involved shooting, effectively removing Joanna form the investigation. As her deputy fights for his life in a Tucson hospital, Joanna calls in favors as she and her team try to quietly discover what really happened at the scene…
Back in Flagstaff, Jenny & Beth prepare for finals, and Beth tries to balance her school life with her security cyber expert boyfriend, Ron Cameron, who has to call her late at night because of his super-secret job in DC. As their phone relationship grows, he convinces her to send nude photos of herself. Then after a strange argument, she breaks it off with him, only to begin receiving lurid texts from both strangers and classmates. In horror, she learns that Ron has somehow shared those private pictures with hundreds of people.
As Jenny helps Beth pick up the pieces, Joanna learns of the situation and gets the FBI involved. But this predator is still watching the girls, determined to destroy Beth for defying him – and now he has his sights set on Jenny as well…
I have read (to my knowledge, anyway) every book that JA Jance has written, so I was delighted when William Morrow/Harpers Collins selected me to receive an advance reader copy of her latest Joanna Brady novel. I settled in eagerly to read, and as always, Ms Jance does not disappoint! This one kept me up well into the night, and I was determined to finish it in one sitting! If you’re a fan of her series, this book will not disappoint – and if you’re new to her writings, this is a great place to start, as each can be read as a stand-alone. Bet ya can’t read just one though!!
Tropical Delusions...... 