Missing and Endangered audiobook

Missing and Endangered by J.A. Jance is a 2021 William Morrow publication. Sheriff Brady- dependable, as ever! Jennifer Brady’s college roommate has gone missing. Quickly becoming proactive, Jennifer calls her mother for advice and help. Meanwhile, one of Joanna’s officers was shot in the line of duty. The case becomes more complicated when two young children get caught in the crossfire. This story allows Jennifer to share the spotlight with her mother. I enjoyed this thread because of the spotlight it shines on the continual exploitation of young people on the internet by sexual predators. The main case, though, is the officer involved shooting. This case highlights child abuse and neglect, various criminal activities, and of course murder. Elements of this thread are heartbreaking. Joanna’s tenderness towards the young victims was especially poignant. Overall, this is another solid addition to the series, and I really enjoyed it. 4 stars

Joanna Brady is back and better than ever. The character development in this series continues to be top notch -- and not just for Joanna. Her family and county employees are not forgotten. As is usual for a book in this series, there is not much time for Joanna to coast. She has a key employee retiring, an officer involved in a shooting, concerns about an unfit mother, misogynist men from other agencies to deal with, and then her daughter's roommate is the victim of sextortion. I breezed through this one and all things were tied up quite neatly by the end. One thing I am confused about, though, is the title. It just does not seem to fit with the narrative as a whole. The book itself, though, is one of the best so far and as the wife of a LEO and mother of one as well, I appreciate books that shed light on what it is like to work in that world.Thank you to William Morrow and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Other than a short story co-written with Eric Van Lustbader in a collection compiled by members of International Thriller writers, I've had no real acquaintance with this author. After reading this one - the (wow!) 19th in his Sheriff Joanna Brady series - I'll be watching for more. And no worries about it standing alone; plenty of time (almost too much) is spent rehashing past situations and relationships so I never felt lost.As this one begins, Joanna gets a call from her daughter, Jenny, who is attending Northern Arizona University Flagstaff on a rodeo team scholarship. Her ultra-sheltered roommate, Beth, is estranged from her ultra-straight-laced parents and has nowhere to go for Christmas vacation. Could she bring Beth home with her to be with Joanna, her writer-husband Butch Dixon and her two much-younger siblings?Of course, was the response. Before that happens, though, Joanna, chief at the Cochise County Justice Center, must continue to deal with employee issues and pushing through her request for next year's budget. But then she gets a call that one of her deputies has been shot while investigating a domestic violence case. As for Beth, she's gone head-over-heels for the guy she met online - and it looks as if that may be a big mistake that could spell danger for both Beth and Jenny.Ultimately, Joanna has no choice but to get involved in both situations; luckily, she has plenty of old contacts to all in for help and a husband who's more than willing to pitch in wherever and whenever he's needed (should she part company with him, in fact, I'd be more than happy to interview him for a similar job). By the end, everybody involved gets a good workout - including the reader - and now I'm looking forward to Joanna's next adventure. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Triggers: Sextortion, Drugs, Child Neglect and/or Abuse, Death of a Loved One, Homicide, hints of self-harm (i.e. suicide), reference to cancer and death due to illness, Gun Violence, GroomingThis was a fantastic, quick paced read for those that A.) Don't mind law enforcement type "cozy" mysteries & B.) Need something to get out of a reading slump. There is a lot going on in this book of the series, of which is my first, however it all mostly ties together and reaches a satisfying resolution at the end without coming across as pedantic or trite. Jance draws you in to turning that page without realizing & before you know it, 20-30 pages have gone by easy. I'll leave it here because *spoilers* but I will say that with the author's style & flow of writing, it doesn't matter what book in the series you pick up and read. Highly recommend!

Coming off a couple subpar books, it was SO refreshing to read a well written, well plotted book with characters I love. Good for Jennifer Brady for her recognition of excellent women and choice of career. Good for JA Jance for bringing attention to this issue

MISSING AND ENDANGERED is a great novel! This story concerns Jenny when she returns to college and befriends her new room-mate Beth. Jenny believes Beth is a little nieve, and then Beth goes missing. Thank goodness Jenny has a mother who is a Sherriff! Many people will love this book!

J.A. Jance has been writing mysteries for a long time. Since the 1980’s she has been busy, producing three successful ongoing series with strong leading characters battling crime, including Seattle Detective J.P. Beaumont, Los Angeles news anchor Ali Reynolds, and Arizona County Sherriff Joanna Brady. All three series have built-up a consistent audience and stayed strong over the years. In my younger years I enjoyed reading the Beaumont books and enjoying the local scenery of Seattle and the greater pacific Northwest. As I got older, I found myself being drawn into the Sherriff Joanna Brady books for several reasons. First, there were be few females in a lead mystery role in the early 1990’s, and we experienced her professional development into an outstanding lead investigator. Second, I love reading about her family development from the beginning of the series when her first husband was killed. I enjoy watching her children growing up and her multi-talented second husband become a successful novelist. Third, I love visiting with the rest of the citizens of Joanna’s home town of Bisbee and all of the connected and competing relationships that go on in a small-town setting. “Missing and Endangered” is the 19th book in the long-running Sherriff Joanna Brady mysteries series by J.A. Jance. When the book begins in early December, Joanna is juggling several things, including terrible news at work, taking care of her home while her husband Butch is on book tour supporting his new release, and preparing for her oldest daughter, Jennifer, to come home for the Christmas holidays. It doesn’t take long for additional challenges to rise. First, a member of Brady’s team is involved in an officer shooting that places the lives of two young children at risk. To make matters worse, Detective Dave Newton is the assigned DPS officer assigned to investigate the shooting. Joanna has had multiple run-ins with Newton, who is carrying a big chip on his shoulder, always looking for a way to find ways to blame her and her department. Although Brady is supposed to keep her distance from the case, the more she finds out about it, things are not seeming to be as they first appeared.Joanna is not the only one involved in a mystery in this book. There is a second one involving her daughter, Jennifer, a sophomore attending Northern Arizona University. Her new freshman roommate is Beth Rankin, a brilliant yet naïve sixteen-year-old freshman experiencing life outside of homeschooling by an extremely religious mother for the first time. Beth has purchased her first cellphone and laptop which were never allowed at home, and unfortunately experiences the dark side of internet-based relationships. When things get back and cyber bullying rears its ugly head, Beth suffers an attack of retribution that exposes her privacy and forces her to turn to Jennifer for support and protection. Both Joanna and Jennifer Brady find themselves committed to sacrificing whatever it takes to to save two young children and a friend who cannot defend themselves. Even if it means sacrificing themselves… Sherriff Brady has always had a special place in my heart. Each time I read her books, I get to sit right up from as Sherriff Brady takes on what seem like impossible challenges and she finds ways to overcome them, often with the help of others in a team manner. In early books, Brady faced the challenge of being a female in a man’s world of law enforcement as well as a single mother. In later books, she faced the challenge of raising young children and sharing her life with another person. In recent books, she has faced the revealing of crushing family secrets. the loss of lost ones, and mentoring her college age daughter.In some ways I feel like this is like the prime example of what a successful cozy mystery series should be. I mean that with no disrespect whatsoever. In my opinion, J.A. Jance has created and successfully maintained a high bar of enjoyment with her Sherriff Brady mystery series. Brady’s world of Bisbee and Southwest Arizona is filled with beloved and memorable characters, a small Hallmark like town charm with western history, and intriguing mysteries that keep your attention. It's a special kind of mind candy that delivers a different colored gem each time. Overall, this was the kind of escapist read I expected and it delivered in a pleasing manner. I enjoy spending time with Sherriff Brady, her team, her family, and the rest of the citizens of Bisbee. I am also appreciating the development and growth of her daughter, Jennifer, as a college student and independent young lady, much like her mother before her. Brady generation 2.0 is finding her place in an eventual lead role. I cannot until we meet again next year. Hopefully you will make a visit too. It will be enjoyable and well-worth it.

I will grab a new J.A. Jance as soon as it hits the display. When the February edition of the Costco magazine announced the date the book would be in stores, I was there.Good addition to a series that has covered close to two decades in the life of an insurance agent turned county sheriff. If you haven't read the previous 18 books, which include two that costar Joanna Brady and J.P. Beaumont, you may want to start earlier in the series and work your way through in order. There are a lot of references to happenings in earlier books and while this could be a standalone you'll get more out of it if you have read the rest of the series.A little strained on credibility at times. Jenny's a sophomore and her roommate Beth is a freshman. Maybe things have changed but in my dorm days most people returning to university housing after their freshman year opted to choose a roommate rather than have one assigned at random, which reduced the conflicts in asking strangers to live together. Also, how old IS Sage? She was born at the beginning of "Field of Bones", in November of the previous year (election night). So she's about to turn one, which fits with being in a walker since many 12-month-olds are not quite ready to walk. At the end of the book she's described as two. And early in the book Joanna's hoping that Sage will be out of diapers soon. 1 year old? Not likely. I was half expecting the two strands of the plot (the victimization of Beth and the murder of Leon) to be brought together at some point, but that really would have been a bit much to believe and I'm glad Jance didn't try to do that. Fast read and I stayed up far too late trying to finish it. This is another on my list of "need to go back and reread the series" books. A nice addition to the Joanna Brady canon.

I thought this was a very different book about Sheriff Brady with her daughter taking up so much space.

I like this series a lot and was happy for another adventure with the bunch. Jen's roomate at college gets involved with a very dangerous man and Jen's life is also in danger. Bit of a little different story but plenty going on in the home town.

I love the Joanna Brady series, and this was one of the best!

This is a wonderful book. Joanna Brady is a terrific heroine who is smart enough to surround herself with great people.

Joanna Brady is the Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, and this latest installment in J.A. Jance’s series takes place as Christmas is fast approaching. This means that Joanna’s oldest daughter, Jennifer, will be returning home from Northern Arizona University for her break. She asks permission to bring her rather naïve 16-year-old freshman roommate, Beth Rankin, home for the holidays.Beth accepts the invitation because she had a fight with her mother and father over Thanksgiving and has no intention of going home for Christmas. Her parents are very religious and strict; they have tried to keep her close to their ways of thinking about life, especially when it involves technology, about which she has little experience. She had been home-schooled and overly protected. Once on her own, she purchases a computer and a smartphone, and then manages to connect with a boy through an online dating site.Ron is her first boyfriend, and she falls hard for the guy. He turns out not to be who she thinks he is, and trouble arises when “sexploitation” becomes a serious part of the plot. Even before the girls leave school to go to the Brady house, a bit of friction erupts between them. Beth has taken to locking herself in the bathroom in the middle of the night to FaceTime with Ron, who asks her to send him a nude picture of herself. Jenny has no idea that her roommate is up to these “games,” but Beth’s behavior is starting to annoy her.On one occasion, Jenny needs to go to the bathroom, so Beth maneuvers Ron off the phone. He is furious and does not call back for two days, leaving Beth devastated and hysterical as she fears losing him. Her unworldliness and innocence make her perfect prey for a controlling young man like Ron. When she finds the naked photos on the internet, she runs away and drops her phone in the snow. Jenny calls her mother to report Beth missing and is told to contact the police and alert campus security.While all of this is playing out, Joanna’s deputy, Armando Ruiz, is called upon to serve a no-contact protection order to Leon Hogan. This should have been an easy task, but it turns tragic when Hogan rushes out of his trailer and shoots at Ruiz, who is forced to defend himself and kills the man. Ruiz is also shot and ends up in the hospital needing emergency surgery. This complicates Joanna's life even more than usual, and she has great concern for the children whose father is now dead. She is also worried about the well-being of his soon-to-be ex-wife, who is suddenly a widow. But the circumstances of the couple’s relationship feed suspicion about who the aggressor in the marriage really was.The sheriff’s office is under investigation for the shooting, adding to the pressure Joanna faces daily. At this point, her husband is on a book tour, so she is handling work, the girls and household activities on her own. He ends up coming home early, which makes getting ready for Christmas and other daily chores easier.MISSING AND ENDANGERED is more than just a straightforward police procedural. It incorporates family life, a mystery and personal daily interactions that are complicated, timely and moving. Joanna Brady is a solidly constructed character, and over the years Jance has enhanced her personality, creating a multifaceted leading lady. The supporting players here are finely honed, and the plot is timely and thought-provoking. The narrative is masterful, and newcomers will not miss any of the backstories. Jance does a wonderful job filling in the blanks so that readers never lose any of the nuances of this well-told, suspenseful and intriguing story.Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

this is j.a. jance's latest book from the joanna brady series. 2 mysteries for the price of 1. sheriff brady has to figure out whether an officer-involved shooting left a father of 2 dead was justifiable as self-defense, and then sheriff brady's daughter's roommate goes missing, so sheriff brady has to ask for help in locating the missing girl. some parts are difficult, but all of j.a. jance's books are quick reads and extremely hard to put down. you want to know what happens next in the story.