For the first time as a Premium edition, this is a reissue of the sixth J.P. Beaumont novel by "New York Times" bestselling author J.A. Jance.
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"Solid Entertainment"--" Kirkus Reviews""Believable and Intense"--" West Coast Review of Books
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Of course, the sensible thing would have been to drop the whole program, to stay away, to leave it alone"
22 Oct 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a novel that deviates from the norm for this author. Jance usually delivers compelling mysteries with good accompanying personal developments in the life of the main characters. In this case, there is a lot more focus on what is going on in the life of J.P. Beaumont and on the political games within the police department. In turn, the mystery is not nearly as interesting and the conclusion feels rushed and does not include all the necessary details.
Beau is working babysitting a movie crew when a body turns up in the water by the location where filming is taking place, which means that he is not part of the case, but his interest is piqued. Since one of the lead detectives on the murder case is obnoxious and pedantic, Beau gets involved, in an effort to bring justice to the victim and show his newly found nemesis how to perform good police work. This in turn will generate tension within the department and pose challenges for carrying out the investigation. For the reader, this implies that we do not get a full picture of the facts, and therefore, find it harder to make sense of who the culprit is and why the events unfolded in the way they did.
Even though this is a subpar effort for J.A. Jance, I think that it is a slightly above average novel for this genre. I found myself reading almost nonstop and finishing the book quickly, but the most interesting part was Beau's interactions with other characters, not the murder case. I think that this means that for those people that are not familiar with the series, it is going to be a lot more interesting to look elsewhere. Those that have been reading this series in order though, will probably find that they like the story, and that it represents a change of pace from the previous installments. However, now it is time for this author to come back strong with another exciting and fast-paced mystery!
Beau is working babysitting a movie crew when a body turns up in the water by the location where filming is taking place, which means that he is not part of the case, but his interest is piqued. Since one of the lead detectives on the murder case is obnoxious and pedantic, Beau gets involved, in an effort to bring justice to the victim and show his newly found nemesis how to perform good police work. This in turn will generate tension within the department and pose challenges for carrying out the investigation. For the reader, this implies that we do not get a full picture of the facts, and therefore, find it harder to make sense of who the culprit is and why the events unfolded in the way they did.
Even though this is a subpar effort for J.A. Jance, I think that it is a slightly above average novel for this genre. I found myself reading almost nonstop and finishing the book quickly, but the most interesting part was Beau's interactions with other characters, not the murder case. I think that this means that for those people that are not familiar with the series, it is going to be a lot more interesting to look elsewhere. Those that have been reading this series in order though, will probably find that they like the story, and that it represents a change of pace from the previous installments. However, now it is time for this author to come back strong with another exciting and fast-paced mystery!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
19 reviews
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
BEAU NOT UP TO FORM
10 Feb 2001
By Kenri A. Mugleston
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This J.P. Beaumont novel was not up to the same standards as the others I have read. There was no emotion. I also am seeing the same M.O. Beau tries to do some sleuthing on his own time, gets accused of murder and then goes to jail where the officers are hateful to him. Beau then makes a few phone calls and the officers apologize for their behavior and all is well.
In this novel Beau is investigating the Iron Workers Local after several workers die under mysterious circumstances. In order to work on the case he has to beg Kramer to let him on. How thoroughly sad.
The highlight of this book is that even when J.A. Jance isn't at her best, she is still better than most.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Corruption in an iron-worker's union
15 July 2012
By Larry David Wilson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
J. A. Jance creates interesting titles for the entries in her J. P. Beaumont mystery series, but A More Perfect Union is probably one of her more interesting titles, since it describes what cannot exist. Although I am sure the author is aware of this situation, other people might not be. One of the more persistent errors made by native users of the English language is to attempt to describe stages of perfection. There is no such thing. Perfection is absolute. Nonetheless, it is not uncommon to hear or read a phrase describing something as "very perfect." Sorry...does not exist. Even perfection itself is illusory. Be that as it may, Jance has created a very interesting story involving murder and corruption within an iron-worker's union operating in the Seattle area, the members of which are involved in erecting the skeletons of buildings. J. P. Beaumont and his new partner Al Lindstrom solve the puzzle but not before Beau ends up down to his skivvies locked in the basement of a house out in the sticks. When he is bailed out by the local sheriff, he is promptly arrested for murder. Needless to say, Beau ferrets out the criminal perpetrators, but I think the more interesting aspect of this story is the mounting evidence that Beau is becoming overwhelmed by his dedication to emptying bottles of MacNaughton's, an inexpensive Canadian blended whisky. In this novel, he is frequently blitzed by the end of the day and suffering serious hangovers upon awakening. Jance is writing about Beau's increasing problem from the experience of having had a first husband who died in his early 40s of alcoholism. The character of J. P. Beaumont is drawn by Jance in a very compelling fashion, making the reading of her mystery series consistently entertaining. I highly recommend the entire series to date for mystery lovers and I have already moved to the next entry Dismissed with Prejudice.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Of course, the sensible thing would have been to drop the whole program, to stay away, to leave it alone"
22 Oct 2007
By Sebastian Fernandez
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a novel that deviates from the norm for this author. Jance usually delivers compelling mysteries with good accompanying personal developments in the life of the main characters. In this case, there is a lot more focus on what is going on in the life of J.P. Beaumont and on the political games within the police department. In turn, the mystery is not nearly as interesting and the conclusion feels rushed and does not include all the necessary details.
Beau is working babysitting a movie crew when a body turns up in the water by the location where filming is taking place, which means that he is not part of the case, but his interest is piqued. Since one of the lead detectives on the murder case is obnoxious and pedantic, Beau gets involved, in an effort to bring justice to the victim and show his newly found nemesis how to perform good police work. This in turn will generate tension within the department and pose challenges for carrying out the investigation. For the reader, this implies that we do not get a full picture of the facts, and therefore, find it harder to make sense of who the culprit is and why the events unfolded in the way they did.
Even though this is a subpar effort for J.A. Jance, I think that it is a slightly above average novel for this genre. I found myself reading almost nonstop and finishing the book quickly, but the most interesting part was Beau's interactions with other characters, not the murder case. I think that this means that for those people that are not familiar with the series, it is going to be a lot more interesting to look elsewhere. Those that have been reading this series in order though, will probably find that they like the story, and that it represents a change of pace from the previous installments. However, now it is time for this author to come back strong with another exciting and fast-paced mystery!
Beau is working babysitting a movie crew when a body turns up in the water by the location where filming is taking place, which means that he is not part of the case, but his interest is piqued. Since one of the lead detectives on the murder case is obnoxious and pedantic, Beau gets involved, in an effort to bring justice to the victim and show his newly found nemesis how to perform good police work. This in turn will generate tension within the department and pose challenges for carrying out the investigation. For the reader, this implies that we do not get a full picture of the facts, and therefore, find it harder to make sense of who the culprit is and why the events unfolded in the way they did.
Even though this is a subpar effort for J.A. Jance, I think that it is a slightly above average novel for this genre. I found myself reading almost nonstop and finishing the book quickly, but the most interesting part was Beau's interactions with other characters, not the murder case. I think that this means that for those people that are not familiar with the series, it is going to be a lot more interesting to look elsewhere. Those that have been reading this series in order though, will probably find that they like the story, and that it represents a change of pace from the previous installments. However, now it is time for this author to come back strong with another exciting and fast-paced mystery!
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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