Until Proven Guilty (6 cassette set)

Rating:
Summary: Pivotal novel
Review: As a previous reviewer said, this book helps you understand J.P. Beaumont's circumstances in later episodes. I had started with some of the later mysteries in the series and wondered how he met Anne Corley and what had happened between them. In a book store I browsed through several paperbacks to find the one that introduced Anne Corley. (It's hard to browse through books on amazon.com although sometimes the reviews help out!) The situation, child abuse and murder, is grim, but the writing is stylish. (Although I felt the sex scenes were uninspiring). I like the way the author develops relationships between Beau and his detective partners or others on the force. These seem more natural than the romantic attractions.

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Summary: Buy it..........
Review: Buy it and all the other JP Beaumont stories.
I love Beau, love that we have grown up together.
One of my favorite characters.

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Summary: Detective Beaumont finds painful passion is murder.
Review: Detective J.P. Beaumont is a Seattle cop trying to catch the killer of a five year old girl. He turns his suspicions on the girl's mother and the cult leader who holds power over members of the group.While hunting for the killers, Beau is sidetracked by a gorgeous stranger who becomes his love life's redemption. However, his ladies past comes into conflict with the detective's present. Beau finally gets what he's looking for, and loses what he's after.

Rating:
Summary: Get this and all the others......
Review: Get this and all the others......I love JP Beaumont!!

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Summary: The first of many excellent reads!
Review: I picked up Until Proven Guilty on a lunch hour in 1985, and was finished with it in less than 2 days. It was to begin what I call my "love affair" with Detective J.P. Beaumont. This novel, was a good read from page one to the end. Jance is by far my favorite author, I own every one of her Beaumont books in hardback, I do not wait for them to come out in paperback. I highly reccommend that you read Until Proven Guilty first, or you will be a bit lost in future books when he refers to his Porsche, Ann Coorley etc. I worked for the Seattle Police in thier Homicide Division, and while Jance does use what I will call creative license with some things, the one thing she nailed is the "cop persona" in spades! I wait eagerly for her next installment. I hope that you like her work as much as I do.

Rating:
Summary: The first of many excellent reads!
Review: I picked up Until Proven Guilty on a lunch hour in 1985, and was finished with it in less than 2 days. It was to begin what I call my "love affair" with Detective J.P. Beaumont. This novel, was a good read from page one to the end. Jance is by far my favorite author, I own every one of her Beaumont books in hardback, I do not wait for them to come out in paperback. I highly reccommend that you read Until Proven Guilty first, or you will be a bit lost in future books when he refers to his Porsche, Ann Coorley etc. I worked for the Seattle Police in thier Homicide Division, and while Jance does use what I will call creative license with some things, the one thing she nailed is the "cop persona" in spades! I wait eagerly for her next installment. I hope that you like her work as much as I do.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary book, a masterpiece!
Review: I was introduced to J.A. Jance and Detective J.P. Beaumont by the owner of a used book store that I visit rather frequently. I was right in the middle of a craving for all John Sandford books, I wanted them all. I'd read all of them at the library, and wanted to buy them. She only had one, and I looked for different books to buy. She saw that I was interested in mystery, so she recommended J.A. Jance. I had never heard of her, but I got one anyway. It was Taking the Fifth. That book was good, very good. I went back to buy another soon after. I purchased Until Proven Guilty, and I damn near cried at the end. It was quite possibly one of the best books I've ever read in my life. The mysterious Anne Corley, and the way that Beaumont falls for her was masterful. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you the ending, it is too good to give away. So far, this is undoubtedly the best J.P. Beaumont book that I've read. That does not mean that the others are not good, they are excellent, a! nd very enjoyable. But J.A. Jance truely surpassed herself with this novel. I have not read all of J.P. Beaumont, but intend to. I will go back to the book store to get more, and while I'm there I might look for more John Sandford books... Anyway, you must read this book. It is a great book to start out the J.P. Beaumont series with, and you will enjoy it no matter how many times you read it! Tyler Robbins, 14, from Tacoma, Washington.

Rating:
Summary: Pivotal novel
Review: If you have ever read and enjoyed any of the books from the J.P. Beaumont series you really need to read this one. A 5-year-old is murdered and Beau investigates the strange cult in which she and her mother live, immediately becoming suspicious of the self-absorbed cult leader. Another part of the plot deals with his relationship with Anne Corley, a beautiful woman who enters his life and changes it forever. Anne Corley is mentioned in almost every succeeding book, so to understand how Beau got his Porsche and lives a lifestyle which differs from most everyday detectives, it is necessary to read this one.

Rating:
Summary: A good beginning to a great series
Review: If you have ever read and enjoyed any of the books from the J.P. Beaumont series you really need to read this one. A 5-year-old is murdered and Beau investigates the strange cult in which she and her mother live, immediately becoming suspicious of the self-absorbed cult leader. Another part of the plot deals with his relationship with Anne Corley, a beautiful woman who enters his life and changes it forever. Anne Corley is mentioned in almost every succeeding book, so to understand how Beau got his Porsche and lives a lifestyle which differs from most everyday detectives, it is necessary to read this one.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to J.P.'s World
Review: If you've already read any of J.A. Jance's Seattle-based mysteries, you probably know how this one ends. Still, getting there is half the fun, and unless you've compiled a thorough dossier on Anne Corley, there are likely to be details you'll enjoy rediscovering.

Wrapped around the tragic murder of a young girl, we meet series regulars homicide detective J.P. "Beau" Beaumont, his partner Ron Peters, Sgt. "Watty" Watkins, Capt. Powell, attorney extraordinaire Ralph Ames, and perpetual thorn on Beaumont's side, newspaperman Maxwell Cole. Ultimately, though, the murder investigation takes a back seat to Beaumont's love life soon after Anne Corley comes on the scene.

I found the Corley storyline problematic. If this is your first encounter with J.P. Beaumont, it seems to me that he's going to come off extremely shallow. Having encountered him before, I knew him to have more substance than demonstrated here, but the clichés were a bit painful at times (especially painful is Beaumont's narrative foreshadowing along the lines of "...if only I had known").

Despite some angsty moments and more than a few adult situations, Until Proven Guilty remains a good read. Jance does return to the murdered child mystery in the end, and the stage is set for future Seattle-based adventures. Beaumont, while not at his strongest at the end of the story, does grow and improve as the series continues. If you read this story and enjoy it, you'll like the rest of the series even more; if this book doesn't do it for you, give the next few books a chance - things do get better.