J.A. Jance’s ‘Dance of the Bones’ Celebrates Native American Life [REVIEW]

Murderer’s weapon on the table
(Photo courtesy Maarten Van Damme, Flickr)

Fans of J.P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker will enjoy reading J.A. Jance’s latest novel, Dance of the Bones. For the first time ever, Jance brings two characters from different series together to solve a murder spanning several decades and jurisdictions.

William Morrow

Walker is asked to help solve a cold case only to discover the trail takes him back to a case he investigated many years before in Arizona. His leads also put him in touch with Beaumont, who is very reluctant to help in the investigation until one too many coincidences begin to surface. With a serial killer in their midst, Beaumont and Walker are in a hurry to connect the dots and bring the murderer to justice.

I really enjoyed this novel’s fast pace and found the customs and beliefs of the Tohono O’Odham and Apache Indians fascinating. Here Jance weaves the practices of each tribe into this multi-layered novel and gives the reader insight into the inner workings of their daily life.

Seamlessly written, Dance of the Bones is populated with many interesting and flawed characters the reader is bound to fall in love with during the first few pages. Add a complicated mystery, a cold-blooded killer and the first-time pairing of reader favorites Beaumont and Walker, and this is one J.A. Jance novel fans won’t want to miss!

J.A. Jance
(Photo courtesy Mary Ann Halpin)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, and five interrelated thrillers about the Walker family, as well as a volume of poetry. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington and Tucson, Arizona.

DANCE OF THE BONES
By J.A. Jance
368 pgs. William Morrow. $26.99.