Rob's Review: A J.A. Jance Mystery (and bonus); Dance of the Bones /and: Stand Down

 J.A. Jance is one of my all-time favorite mystery writers. She's got a lot of books in several series. The latest book "Dance of the Bones" was another great mystery (although the folklore inserts were distracting and didn't help) - This one combined 2 of her great characters, Retired Detective Brandon Walker, and the more famous J.P. Beaumont (has a fantastic 23 books in the series). Here's my review>

Dance of the Bones also incorporates some Native American lore (but it took away from the story) and it was really a fantastic mystery with a great villain. When you get halfway through, you'll want to read immediately to the end to see how it resolves. J.A. Jance has never disappointed, and this novel that came out in paperback in 2015 was so well done. 

The only thing I found distracting were the short 1-2 page folklore stories in the beginning of each chapter. I confess that by the middle of the book, I skipped over them and read the story. I understood what the author was doing, building one of the main characters and giving the reader a feel for her background, but it was distracting to me. 

Even more, I Loved, loved, loved the novella in the back of the book which just featured J. P. Beaumont, the retired Seattle detective and his wife Mel Soames, chief of Police. The main novel references the events that happen in the novella, and it would help to read the Novella FIRST.   4 of 5 stars