Breach of Duty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery
by J.A. Jance

List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $4.38
You Save: $3.61 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Breach of Duty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery

Book Review: Native American giver.
Summary: 3 Stars

Jance, in this novel (as well as in this series, no doubt,) undertakes a degree of difficulty that many writers simply shun. She writes a detective series in the first person of a male central character...In the episode titled Breach Of Duty Vance pushes Beaumont through a number of events that have no special intensity, but the plot surrounding two separate investigations and a goodly dose of Native American mumbo jumbo is intriguing enough in itself to allow for continued interest in spite of the lackluster action. The character of the squad commander comes across as woefully one dimensional, This self serving, untalented martinet who badgers Beaumont's every move is a stick figure antagonist created for the purpose of providing conflict...the author, who never gives us a fully developed image at which to aim our righteous indignation.

Beaumont's partner is a woman with two young boys at home and her hostile former husband serves as a wild card in the mix...Breach OF Duty is crime drama for the faithful, but not for the seeker of truly powerful fiction. It does however, manage to keep one reading until one finds out who did what to whom and why. In this fundamental requisite of the mystery genre, Vance does not fail the reader. Even if the events are less than eventful in the story, the author provides the mandatory level of intricacy in the weaving of the plot. I found it quite readable, even though the book lacks depth in places and wants for more engaging action.

Gary Souza

Summary of Breach of Duty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery

The Seattle that Beau knew as a young policeman is disappearing. The city is awash in the aromas emanating from a glut of coffee bars, the neighborhood outside his condo building has sprouted gallery upon gallery, and even his long cherished diner has evolved into a trendy eatery for local hipsters. But the glam is strictly surface, for the grit under the city's fingernails is caked with blood. Beau and his new partner Sue Danielson, a struggling single parent, are assigned the murder of an elderly woman torched to death in her bed. As their investigation proceeds, Beau and Sue become embroiled in a perilous series of events that will leave them and their case shattered -- and for Beau nothing will ever be the same again.

One of the pleasures of Beau's narrative is his constant, unspoken (and often hilariously sarcastic) asides to the reader. Meanwhile, Beau's sensitivity to Sue and her personal struggles suggest great promise for this couple. In the end, a diverse collection of oddball characters, a comprehensive sense of Seattle and environs, and a strong pairing of mystery plots make this another winning installment in Jance's much-beloved series. The tale of J.P. Beaumont began with Until Proven Guilty in 1985, and has included award-winners Without Due Process and Failure to Appear among its 14 books. --Patrick O'Kelley

Literature & Fiction Books

• Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Hard-Boiled
• Police Procedurals