Sunday, August 14, 2011

BETRAYAL OF TRUST: A GUEST REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 GIVEAWAY ENDED 
BETRAYAL OF TRUST
A J. P. Beaumont Novel
BY J. A. JANCE

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Seattle investigator J. P. Beaumont uncovers a dark and deadly conspiracy that reaches deep into the halls of state government, in this latest thriller from New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A voracious reader, J. A. Jance knew she wanted to be a writer from the moment she read her first Wizard of Oz book in second grade. Always drawn to mysteries, from Nancy Drew right through John D. McDonald's Travis Magee series, it was only natural that when she tried her hand at writing her first book, it would be a mystery as well.

J. A. Jance went on to become the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family, and Edge of Evil. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona. To read more about J. A. Jance, visit her website HERE and you will find it fascinating.

GUEST REVIEW:
Please welcome back Guest Reviewer at BOOKIN' WITH BINGO, Steve Capell. This review is written by Steve, a frequent reviewer. He currently lives with his wife in Kansas City metro area. Steve has done a really wonderful  review, as always. Enjoy and thank you, Steve!

The two protagonists in this novel are Seattle investigator J. P. Beaumont and his wife and partner Mel Soames. Don't get caught up in the fact that they have different last names -- Mel decided not to take on her husbands family name. The plot starts out with the governor finding a video of young girl being killed on her son's cell phone. She decides to call on the attorney general to have J.P. Beaumont investigate this horrific crime. Beaumont and Soames find out that this video is nothing more than a snuff video, but with a little more investigation they find out that the girl in the video has been murdered.  This isn't the only death that will be delivered on their platter for Beaumont and Soames to solve.

My thoughts:
This is the first J.A. Jance novel that I have read and it will not be my last. I found the writing to be strong, witty, and expressive. The character development was very good and dialog flowed well. The plot is full of twists and turns and not predictable.

J.A. Jance's novel is rife with on the edge suspense from the beginning till the end. She has a knack of hinting about events without  fully defining them. She takes on the subject of teenagers and defines them in exquisite detail. I think the subject matter that she tackled in this book had to be difficult, but Jance handled it beautifully.

I will not spoil the plot with my review, but I have given some real thought to how the governor acted during the closing of this novel. I would hope that we have many politicians that would act the same way, but I'm afraid that my hopes may only be hopes. You will have to read this well written mystery and see if you agree with me.

I have given Betrayal of Trust a 4 out of 5 rating.

Who should read this novel?

This is a book for any season; perfect for a sunny summer beach or a chilly winter’s day before a crackling log fire. Anyone that loves fast paced mystery novels will find this one a breeze to read. I would recommend this book to everyone I know and many that I don’t.

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO CHELSEY FROM HARPER
COLLINS AND MORROW IMPRINT, I
HAVE TWO COPIES OF THIS THRILLING
J. A. JANCE BOOK TO GIVE AWAY
  
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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, AUGUST 31