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Joanna Brady #12
Dead Wrong
Juggling a family and a career is never easy—and it's becoming a real challenge for Sheriff Joanna Brady. Coping with the impending delivery of her second child as well as a staff shortage, the last things Joanna needs are two serious crimes.
First, the body of an unidentified man is found in the desert, all of his fingers savagely severed. Following the scant clues, Joanna learns that the victim was an ex-con who had served twenty years in prison after confessing to the murder of his pregnant wife. During his last days he was seen following and photographing a young woman.
Then one of Joanna's officers is brutally attacked and left for dead while on an unau-thorized stakeout. Because the officer is one of its own, the department throws its resources into finding her attacker.
But the murder haunts Joanna. Being a sher-iff is no longer an empty position she wants to hold—somehow it has become what she is. Her job is to avenge man's inhumanity toward man, and finding out who the victim was and why he is dead is what she has been summoned to do with her life. Strapping on a bulletproof vest, she'll risk everything to see that justice is done.
First, the body of an unidentified man is found in the desert, all of his fingers savagely severed. Following the scant clues, Joanna learns that the victim was an ex-con who had served twenty years in prison after confessing to the murder of his pregnant wife. During his last days he was seen following and photographing a young woman.
Then one of Joanna's officers is brutally attacked and left for dead while on an unau-thorized stakeout. Because the officer is one of its own, the department throws its resources into finding her attacker.
But the murder haunts Joanna. Being a sher-iff is no longer an empty position she wants to hold—somehow it has become what she is. Her job is to avenge man's inhumanity toward man, and finding out who the victim was and why he is dead is what she has been summoned to do with her life. Strapping on a bulletproof vest, she'll risk everything to see that justice is done.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
621 people are currently reading
1,771 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jance
128Ìýbooks3,987ÌýfollowersJudith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 363 reviews
August 14, 2021
In this 12th book in the 'Sheriff Joanna Brady' series, the law enforcement officer has to deal with two big cases while she's nine months pregnant. The novel can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters and story arc is a plus.
Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County, Arizona is almost ready to give birth, but that doesn't slow her down. With one deputy out on sick leave and others fighting for their country, Joanna feels obligated to pick up the slack herself - even if it means squeezing into a (currently) too small Kevlar vest.
There's a lot going on in the region, with illegal immigrants flowing over the border; dead pit bulls being found in the desert; and a homicide to solve. The murder victim, Bradley Evans, was imprisoned for 25 years for killing his wife in a drunken stupor. Since his release, Evans has been working with the prison ministry and living a clean, quiet life. Now his dead body has been found - with all the fingers cut off!
The bizarre killing is of special interest to Joanna because her late father - Sheriff Lathrop - was the officer who originally arrested Evans. Moreover, Lathrop's newly unearthed diaries indicate that he doubted Evans' guilt. As Joanna and her team investigate the murder, some secrets come to light - both about the case and Joanna's dad.
While this is going on, Joanna's Animal Control Officer, Jeannine Phillips, takes it upon herself to stake out the ranch of the O'Dwyer brothers. The nasty, foul-mouthed O'Dwyers are suspected of running an illegal dog-fighting ring, which might explain the dead pit bulls in the area.
Unfortunately Officer Phillips ends up raped, horribly beaten, and fighting for her life. Outraged and distressed, Joanna is determined to bring the culprits to justice.
To add to Joanna's troubles, her husband Butch's parents - who live on the other side of the country - show up unexpectedly.....to wait for the new baby to arrive. Joanna's mother-in-law is an interfering busybody who disrupts the household, sticks her nose (and hands) into everything, and mouths off in public. Joanna tries to be patient, but it's a tough row to hoe.
Popular recurring characters make an appearance in the story, including: Joanna's teenage daughter Jenny - who hides out with the pets to avoid the in-laws; Joanna's best friend, Reverend Marianne Maculyea - who dispenses good advice; the medical examiner Dr. George Winfield - who's happily married to Joanna's difficult mother; Joanna's deputies and detectives - a smart, hard-working bunch; Junior - a mentally challenged man-child who works in his family's restaurant; and more.
By the time Joanna's cases are solved, she's dealt with an abandoned python; 'jailed' a bunch of homeless pit bull puppies; faced off against vicious thugs; demonstrated her sharp-shooting skills; and chosen a name for the new baby.
I enjoyed the book, which is a good police procedural and a compelling family story. Recommended to readers who like mysteries, especially Joanna Brady fans.
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June 8, 2017
12 books in, I'm well-versed in the world of Joanna Brady and Cochise County. As is the norm, Joanna's mother and mother-in-law behave like total assholes. Joanna is uncomfortably pregnant with her second child for the entirety of this book, and is preparing for a maternity leave. There are two different murders being investigated - like Absaroka County of Longmire fame, Cochise County's murder rate is through the roof.
There are a couple of inaccuracies that are unimportant, but still a bit annoying. One of the minor characters, a Judge Tazewell, is awaiting a "federal appointment" to the "Arizona Supreme Court." State court judges are not appointed by the federal government - an appointment to the Arizona Supreme Court would be made by the Governor of Arizona. In addition, when Joanna Brady is involved in shooting the foot of a man who was in the midst of grabbing a two-year-old whom he had kidnapped to use as a human shield, and who was on the run from a triple homicide, the aggressive behavior of the officer who is charged with investigating the officer-involved shooting is entirely preposterous.
The ending of this one was somewhat unsatisfying, coming all too quickly and leaving one of the central mysteries with some dangling threads. A few more pages to fully wrap up the story would not have come amiss. Overall, though, it's a solid entry.
There are a couple of inaccuracies that are unimportant, but still a bit annoying. One of the minor characters, a Judge Tazewell, is awaiting a "federal appointment" to the "Arizona Supreme Court." State court judges are not appointed by the federal government - an appointment to the Arizona Supreme Court would be made by the Governor of Arizona. In addition, when Joanna Brady is involved in shooting the foot of a man who was in the midst of grabbing a two-year-old whom he had kidnapped to use as a human shield, and who was on the run from a triple homicide, the aggressive behavior of the officer who is charged with investigating the officer-involved shooting is entirely preposterous.
The ending of this one was somewhat unsatisfying, coming all too quickly and leaving one of the central mysteries with some dangling threads. A few more pages to fully wrap up the story would not have come amiss. Overall, though, it's a solid entry.
October 17, 2021
Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County AZ is a workaholic who burns the candle at both ends. In this, the 12th in the series, the sheriff is nine months pregnant with her second child when her department is faced with the homicide of an ex-convict followed by the vicious attack and attempted murder of an animal control officer, just for starters. 3.5 stars.
September 23, 2020
I thought I knew how this would end
I thought I knew how this would end, but I only really knew a piece. Another great for this series, chocked full of twists and continued character development.
I thought I knew how this would end, but I only really knew a piece. Another great for this series, chocked full of twists and continued character development.
June 24, 2023
This time out, Joanna Brady is nine months pregnant with her second child and still performing her duties as a sheriff. A man is found murdered, he turns out to be a former prisoner who has served his time for the murder of his wife while in an alcoholic blackout. Now he is involved with a prison ministry group and appears to have changed his life. Has the past come back to haunt him?
The other storyline involves one of Brady's animal control officers and cretins who are involved in dog fighting.
I've been making my way slowly through the Joanna Brady series and enjoying the books. Most of these books are 3 star reads and that's okay, they're a comfort read for me. I enjoyed catching up with all the regulars, both human and animal.
Vacation read.
The other storyline involves one of Brady's animal control officers and cretins who are involved in dog fighting.
I've been making my way slowly through the Joanna Brady series and enjoying the books. Most of these books are 3 star reads and that's okay, they're a comfort read for me. I enjoyed catching up with all the regulars, both human and animal.
Vacation read.
July 19, 2015
I recently read my first J.A. Jance book and I really enjoyed it. I was eager to read another. I will just start this review by saying that if this book had been my first Jance novel, there probably wouldn't have been another one in my reading future.
I read this almost a week ago. If my computer hadn't died, I'd have everything all fresh in my mind for this review, but thankfully, I've forgotten some of it. What does stand out, was the dialog. It was painful and pointless. There was also a fair amount of speculation that fell from thin air and was grasped like it was precious nuggets of doctrinal gold.
I give this three stars only because the story was decent and I did want to finish this. But the dialog alone was a deal breaker.
I read this almost a week ago. If my computer hadn't died, I'd have everything all fresh in my mind for this review, but thankfully, I've forgotten some of it. What does stand out, was the dialog. It was painful and pointless. There was also a fair amount of speculation that fell from thin air and was grasped like it was precious nuggets of doctrinal gold.
I give this three stars only because the story was decent and I did want to finish this. But the dialog alone was a deal breaker.
January 11, 2017
Jance consistently writes wonderful stories! I like the books featuring Joanna Brady. It's been fun to watch Joanna's character develop throughout the series. She started out a housewife and mom who worked in an insurance office. When her husband is killed in the line of duty she sets out to find the killer. In the second book she is elected sheriff (sort of a sympathy vote, but still it gets her into position) and from then on, we see her develop into a seasoned police officer and confident administrator, but always struggling with the demands of motherhood and her place in the community. She seems REAL and she's the kind of person we'd all like to know and call our friend. At the end of every book I'm left anticipating the next!
Joanna Brady is a gutsy and very pregnant Sheriff, she has one thing after the other to tend to. A murdered man with his fingers cut off. The beating and near death of a close friend and
co-worker has Joanna on the warpath. The puzzle of past history of her father, his found journals and the knowledge of what that has to do with her current investigations are parts of the story line.
What a story, especially when it all comes together with the new found information that not only clears up some current events, but deals with a past case that has woven over the years to come to a head in this fast moving story. Joanna not only shoots the carjacker, but saves the day, just
as she finishes up her duty to her family and job.
Nice to read a book that doesn't have people jumping in and out of bed with each other. I appreciate the lack of vulgarities and excessive gory details -- proof that riveting stories can still be written without these "props".
Joanna Brady is a gutsy and very pregnant Sheriff, she has one thing after the other to tend to. A murdered man with his fingers cut off. The beating and near death of a close friend and
co-worker has Joanna on the warpath. The puzzle of past history of her father, his found journals and the knowledge of what that has to do with her current investigations are parts of the story line.
What a story, especially when it all comes together with the new found information that not only clears up some current events, but deals with a past case that has woven over the years to come to a head in this fast moving story. Joanna not only shoots the carjacker, but saves the day, just
as she finishes up her duty to her family and job.
Nice to read a book that doesn't have people jumping in and out of bed with each other. I appreciate the lack of vulgarities and excessive gory details -- proof that riveting stories can still be written without these "props".
Read
May 1, 2024Good escapism.
February 2, 2020
Sheriff Joanna is 9 months pregnant and feeling the stress especially when her in-laws come to visit. A man’s body is found with his fingers cut off, Joanna is able to find out that he is an ex-con who supposedly killed his wife and is now a minister. One of Joanna’s officers is attacked and all her resources are put towards solving that. It would be better to read the books in order since some of the things in this book you already know what happens if you have read the next one.
July 19, 2023
Love Sheriff Joanna Brady! This is one heroine that I can read and just want more. There are multiple crimes happening at one time and Joanna manages with her officers to solve even the smallest of issues by the end of the story.
Love this series so much!!
Love this series so much!!
December 5, 2019
Not her best work.
June 10, 2019
This is the first in this series that I have read and I didn't realize that until after I was well underway. I came to find out that this is #12 in the series. Which means to me that I didn't need to read the previous books to enjoy this one. It's a police procedural set in a county sheriff office. The sheriff in the story is pregnant and near her due date when she gets two murder cases. These cases are not intertwined and they require separate investigations.
One of the cases causes the sheriff to reexamine her interactions with her father. He had been in the sheriff's office, working his way up to being sheriff himself. She has to depend on her memories and a newly discovered set of journals he had written over the course of his career to understand the beginnings of one of her murder cases.
I found the cases, and the way she had to go back and forth between them very interesting. Life is messy and so are the solutions to these cases.
One of the cases causes the sheriff to reexamine her interactions with her father. He had been in the sheriff's office, working his way up to being sheriff himself. She has to depend on her memories and a newly discovered set of journals he had written over the course of his career to understand the beginnings of one of her murder cases.
I found the cases, and the way she had to go back and forth between them very interesting. Life is messy and so are the solutions to these cases.
October 24, 2017
Sheriff Joanna Brady is expecting the birth of her second child a any time, but murder takes priority. When a man’s body is found with his fingers cut off, the police are momentarily stymied. But Joanna and her staff keep digging, and the pieces fall in place. But whether she solves the case or gives birth first is anyone’s guess. And when this case appears to have connections to a case her father investigated years ago, Joanna becomes even more invested in solving it. This was an abridged version that I happened to borrow from my library, but I would recommend the unabridged version. This series has wonderful and likable characters and the stories are all entertaining.
September 24, 2019
JoAnna Brady is one of my favorite Sheriff’s.
Pregnant, running a county, and now another homicide on her plate, she just doesn’t know if she’s ready for maternity leave. Can she really leave her job to care for her soon to be newborn, especially with all that’s going on in her Department?
As the investigation gets underway on the body recovered on Border Road, it’s not a normal homicide, all his fingers have been severed, no ID!!
This was a great mystery and a fun one to try to solve before it was all revealed.
Love this author, J. A. Jance has always been one of my go to favorite authors.
Pregnant, running a county, and now another homicide on her plate, she just doesn’t know if she’s ready for maternity leave. Can she really leave her job to care for her soon to be newborn, especially with all that’s going on in her Department?
As the investigation gets underway on the body recovered on Border Road, it’s not a normal homicide, all his fingers have been severed, no ID!!
This was a great mystery and a fun one to try to solve before it was all revealed.
Love this author, J. A. Jance has always been one of my go to favorite authors.
June 23, 2024
Nancy Drew was never like this. so much action, so much shooting, so much data adn so exciting. I am home safe, under the covers with the a/c on and safe. Joanna is pregnant in a Kevlar vest sweating and shooting. Actually she should get hazard pay for listening to her mother on the phone adn dodging Marliss Shackle ford.
March 26, 2019
Good story in the world of Joanna Brady and Cochise County. I liked all the stories mixing together in the end. Sad ending for some (but I would've liked a little more with meeting the real grandma) but happy ending for Joanna and her family. Also, I like the idea with the dogs and inmates! 🙂
April 11, 2019
This is a suspenseful novel in the Sheriff Brady series. I loved that it was a female sheriff and that she is pregnant and still performing her job well, contrary to some people's belief that women can't keep up, especially when pregnant or a mom.
I found the main character, Sheriff Brady, to be no-nonsense and still compassionate and committed. If you like a good mystery read, this is a good choice.
I found the main character, Sheriff Brady, to be no-nonsense and still compassionate and committed. If you like a good mystery read, this is a good choice.
October 6, 2022
Recommended for those who prefer to read s..l..o..w..l..y....
February 4, 2021
Two-haiku review:
Body, no fingers
Ex-con jailed for killing wife
But did he really?
Compelling story
Very well done characters
Nice add to series
Body, no fingers
Ex-con jailed for killing wife
But did he really?
Compelling story
Very well done characters
Nice add to series
May 19, 2020
Great series. I love Sheriff Joanna Brady.
(Note: to my sensitive Goodread followers - not the book for you.)
(Note: to my sensitive Goodread followers - not the book for you.)
March 1, 2016
Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance is the 12th book about Sheriff Joanna Brady, pregnant with her second baby, getting involved in animal abuse, a dog fighting ring, murder, and her in-laws. A local pair of brothers are raising dogs to fight. An Animal control officer, intent on finding evidence, is beaten and struggles for her life. In another part of the County, a body is found with his fingers cut off. He is an ex-con, recently released from prison for murder. A search of his car reveals a camera with which he was apparently stalking a local woman. Joanna works both cases despite being short staffed and within a week of her due date. To make matters worse, her uninvited in-laws show up and plan to stay throughout the birth which only gives Joanna more reason to stay at work. Great fast read for J.A. Jance fans.
February 4, 2017
Police procedural. Sheriff Brady is short-handed and nine and a half months pregnant. So, naturally, it all hits the fan, starting with an unidentified body dumped near the Mexican border. That murder turns out to be connected to another some twenty years of so past. And while trying to make sense of that, one of her people is beaten to a pulp, three other people are killed, and the killer carjacks a car with two small children in it. Oh, and did I mention the puppies? And she has to deal with the day-to-day family affairs as she investigates these matters. Jance's Brady and Beaumont books are always good reads; this installment is exceptionally well plotted and filled with characters, of whom some are likeable, others not so much.
October 9, 2016
Joanna is involved in several cases while 9 months pregnant and waiting for the baby. Butch's parents show up, uninvited and cause all kinds of problems. A former prisoner, working at the prison counseling other prisoners is found dead. He was in jail because he killed his pregnant wife. Joanna's dad is the man who originally arrested the man. His dead leads to a young woman who looks exactly like his wife. Joanna is amazing as she keeps on going during pregnancy, her mother's criticism and lack of money to run her department. Good mystery.
April 27, 2019
3 1/2 stars. I figured out part of the mystery but that did not detract.
December 17, 2009
An entertaining tale with engaging characters. No big mystery, but enough to keep me turning pages. This was my first Jance. I'm sure I'll be reading more.
November 9, 2021
Now I need to back to the beginning of this series. I like the way she writes! Joanna is so real and down-to-earth, as is Butch, her husband.
April 9, 2020
ok in this book Sheriff Brady is very pregnant and dealing with 2 cases that take all her time and engery to solve before she gives birth to her 2nd child..so case # 1 is the body of an ex-con is found in the desert rolled in a tarp with his hands missing..turns out to be Brad Evans a man that was arrested and convicted for murdering his wife and unborn child 20 + years ago at the time of his rest Joanna's father D.H.Lathrop was the deputy that brought Evans in..Brad after he gets out is working for the prion ministry and disappears so one of the minster Ted comes to report him to Sheriff Brady and that is how they quickly find out who he is then it's off to the rat races trying to figure who killed him and why..along the way they discover all kinds of thing like Evans had taken some pictures of a local woman named Leslie who is married to an older gentleman named Rory Markham & they own a real estate buisness..sadly they figure out who killed Brad and discover the poor man was in prison for nothing cause someone else killed his wife and took his baby.. Case # 2 is one of the Animal Control officers named Jeannie has been find dead dogs all along the highway and even in trash cans she figures these 2 bad guys that are meaner then a rattlesnake are running an illegal dog fighting ring so because of them being busy with the first case Jeannie try's to prove it was the O'dwyers that owned and operated the whole thing and that gets her into a lot of trouble because they attack her along with 2-3 other bad guys ..they leave her for dead and it's upto Joanna and her team to figure everything out..Good book read it and enjoy
June 10, 2019
Another cozy bloodbath from Jance. In this episode their is a strange confluence of fan service (husband finally publishes his book, connections to her daddy, series baddies get what's coming to them finally, baby!, and visits from the horrible in-laws) with a complicated grouping of cultural references to the mid-2000s (prostate cancer, dog fighting, the rights of same sex couples) and in the background grinds along two very thin criminal investigations and a department on very short staff. It says a lot for Jance as an author that she is able not only to propel this overly complicated book to its finish, but that that finish feels complete and the page count between the front and back covers doesn't feel bloated. There are some echos of Fargo in here, any hugely pregnant law enforcement officer is going to feel like a call back I guess, but there isn't a scene that feels like an explicit nod to the Cohen Brothers. My one sincere complaint about this novel is the incredible (in the root sense of not being credible) and transparent criminal escapade that leads to the murder that starts the book. The entire conspiracy is obvious from the moment the perpetrators are introduced, and the absolute stupidity of it just beggars belief. This is a dumb scheme that uses too much violence for too small a goal. Even Jance didn't seem able to believe her own plot, and so buried this one under a couple of other side plots and a far showier investigation. No harm done, but I saw what you did there Jance.
December 7, 2024
Lots of reviewers have provided a detailed synopsis, so I will skip that. I have a couple of questions. I preface them by saying I typically listen to books while I am doing something else, so it is possible that I might miss a detail.
With that said, could someone tell me how the drunk driver, Brad Evans, who goes to jail for killing his pregnant wife, ends up with lots of blood in his truck? If Rory, with help, killed Brad"s wife for the baby, how did all this blood get in Brad's truck to incriminate him?
After 25+ years in prison, Brad creates problems for Rory so he kills him, cuts off his fingers and dumps him near the Mexican border. Wouldn't Rory have more likely buried Brad in the same manner as he did with the murdered baby? That is, in a remote area of his wife's family ranch?
Did I miss if Brad's wife is really dead? I know somehow Rory got this woman's baby to make a switch (the logistics of this I found daunting and improbable), but what happened to the mother, Brad's wife?
Without his wife's body, would Brad really have received a sentence of 25 years? Sure, he was drunk and could not remember, but they were clearly in love, so why was he so quick to assume he must have killed her and take responsibility by pleading guilty. I would think after sobering up, he would think something else must have happened.
Please fill me in.
With that said, could someone tell me how the drunk driver, Brad Evans, who goes to jail for killing his pregnant wife, ends up with lots of blood in his truck? If Rory, with help, killed Brad"s wife for the baby, how did all this blood get in Brad's truck to incriminate him?
After 25+ years in prison, Brad creates problems for Rory so he kills him, cuts off his fingers and dumps him near the Mexican border. Wouldn't Rory have more likely buried Brad in the same manner as he did with the murdered baby? That is, in a remote area of his wife's family ranch?
Did I miss if Brad's wife is really dead? I know somehow Rory got this woman's baby to make a switch (the logistics of this I found daunting and improbable), but what happened to the mother, Brad's wife?
Without his wife's body, would Brad really have received a sentence of 25 years? Sure, he was drunk and could not remember, but they were clearly in love, so why was he so quick to assume he must have killed her and take responsibility by pleading guilty. I would think after sobering up, he would think something else must have happened.
Please fill me in.
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