“Den of Iniquity” is J.A. Jance’s 26th novel in the J.P. Beaumont series. I have read all the books in this series and enjoyed them all. One might think that after 26 novels, Jance would run out of plots involving an aging detective. But Jance delivers another gripping novel. Even though there are 25 previous books in the series, “Den of Iniquity” can be read as a standalone novel. Jance has excellent character development and maintains a suspenseful storyline.
J.P. Beaumont (known by most as Beau) is a former Seattle Police Department homicide detective. After retirement, Beau joins the Special Homicide Investigative Team, which has an unfortunate acronym. He spends several years working with this team solving difficult cases. After the team is disbanded he works for The Last Chance which is similar to The Innocence Project. Now, after several years of retirement, he is working as a private investigator.
“Den of Iniquity” is about two cases that involve a teddy bear and covert collection of DNA. One case involves an old case of Beau’s. Ben Weston was 5 years old when his family was killed during a home invasion. When Beau arrives at the scene, he gives Ben a teddy bear he had in his trunk as part of a program to provide teddy bears to children in crisis. Years later, Ben is a homicide detective in his own right. Ben’s former Sunday school teacher is convinced her grandson Darius did not die of an overdose but was murdered. Ben feels the case needs further investigation but he cannot investigate because police officers cannot investigate once a case is closed. He seeks out Beau. Beau agrees to help Ben with this closed case. After a little investigation it looks like a serial killer might be involved.
The second case involves Beau’s teenage grandson, Kyle. After a nine-hour drive, Kyle shows up at the home of Beau and his wife, Mel. Kyle needs help sorting out his parents’ marital problems. His mother, Beau’s daughter, has moved out of the family home and taken their daughter with her. She left Kyle with his father and his pregnant girlfriend. Kyle is miserable and lonely. Kyle has concerns about his father’s girlfriend’s character. He is very uncomfortable living in the situation. But his mother will not let him move in with her. As a last resort, Kyle heads to a safe haven: his grandfather’s house. After discussing his home life, Beau encourages Kyle to have a friend go through the garbage at Kyle’s father’s house to find DNA evidence from the girlfriend. After getting her DNA results, they realize she is not who she says she is. After much discussion, Beau and Kyle come up with a plan to learn more about her.
“Den of Iniquity” is full of suspense and danger. During some parts of the novel, I could not read fast enough to find out what would happen next. Obviously, I am a big fan of J.A. Jance’s work. I highly recommend every novel she has written. Her first novel, “Until Proven Guilty,” was published in 1985. She has had a long career and does not seem to be slowing down.
“Judith 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.” (GoodReads)
Cathy Lay Mayor grew up in Cullman and graduated from Cullman High School in 1976. She says when she writes book reviews, she tries to remember what Mrs. Gilbert taught her in 11th-grade English. She lived in Dothan for more than 30 years and is married with three adult children and six grandchildren. She retired to Panama City, but still calls Alabama home.
