Review: Left for Dead: A Novel (Ali Reynolds) by J.A. Jance

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition first Printing edition (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451628587
• ISBN-13: 978-1451628586

Product Description

Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times bestselling J.A. Jance’s latest mystery-thriller. When Santa Cruz County deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, Ali’s classmate from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, both fall under suspicion of wrongdoing.Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier when she was dealing with a troubled friend. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Physicians Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for her to turn away. And knowing Reyes as well as she does, Ali finds it hard to believe that he’s become mixed up in the drug trade, despite evidence to the contrary. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds that her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there, too—working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified young woman presumed to be an illegal border crosser, who was raped and savagely beaten.Ali becomes determined to seek justice in both cases and secure safety for both victims. Together with Sister Anselm and a conscientious officer who won’t let the case drop despite pressure from above, Ali digs for clues to find the true culprits. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, Left for Dead is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.

About The Author

J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tuscon, Arizona. Visit her at JAJance.com. 


My Review

I always enjoy reading J. A. Jance's novel.  She is a good writer and her stories flow.  She always does a great job of making her characters come alive on the pages.  In this novel, Ali Reynold's seventh adventure, Ali heads to Tucson to help a fellow student from the Arizona State Police Academy.  Jose has been attacked, left for dead and framed as a drug smuggler.  Jose's wife is ready to give birth at any moment and has two young girls to care for. Ali is a tremendous help to Jose and his family.

At the same  Tucson hospital, Sister Anselm, Ali's friend, is assisting a young woman who was left for dead n the desert.  As a patient advocate, the Sister will do whatever it takes to protect her charge and to figure out who the unidentified woman is.

Drama plays out at the hospital with both patients.  I didn't find the story suspenseful and I actually figured out who was framing Jose pretty much from the start but it was nevertheless an enjoyable read.

J.A. Jance is a great storyteller.  If you have not read any of her books yet, it is time you did.