Rating: 
Summary: Gets Better as It Goes Along
Review: A retired cop, chaperoning his newly married grandmother on her honeymoon, travels to Alaska on a cruise. Sounds like a pretty old group that nothing much should happen to. However after the first sitting at dinner as the cruise gets underway, our cop hero finds himself stuck in the middle of a group of old friends who may or may not like each other that much even though they are traveling together. When one of the women turns up missing and then is reported to have gone overboard, the suspense begins to pick up. Having taken the same Alaskan cruise, I found the bood a fun read, but the characters could have been a bit more intense. This was my first Jance novel and I will try one more.
Rating:
Summary: This retired "Beau" really needs to find a job
Review: After many years as a homocide detective with the Seattle PD, J.P. "Beau" Beaumont has now retired. In this addition to the series, he is on a cruise to Alaska as a chaperone to his 86 year old grandmother, Beverly and her 87 year old husband (and Beau's AA sponsor)Lars. Early in the cruise, a wealthy divorcee goes missing and a murder plot is suspected. Beau of course can't relax and immediately gets involved in several plots. There are a number of side plots involving cruise passengers and another murder. Lars' reminiscences of his Alaska days as a fisherman are also quite entertaining. It does seem to be a stretch that Beau as a civilian has as much access to crime scenes as a policeman. He is eager to help and get involved which shows he has not accomodated himself to the role of retired ex-cop.The story proceeds at a fast pace and was entertaining but still was not of the higher quality of some of the earlier J.P. Beaumont series. I look forward to reading Partners in Crime, when Beau works for the Washington State Attorney General's office and teams up with Joanna Brady......
Rating: 
Summary: As good as ever Beaumont mystery
Review: After twenty long years on the Seattle police force, J.P. Beaumont retires. The traumatic incident from last year on top of his ex-wife's death proves too much for J.P. Though he has a good job waiting for him, J.P. chaperones his step-grandfather and grandmother on an Alaskan cruise. The two octogenarians feel they need a much younger person to handle matters if something happens to one of them. Though cruise ships are supposed to be relaxing, Beau becomes involved in one incident after another. He obtains proof that a patron, J.P.'s dining companion, was dumped overboard by persons unknown. The FBI asks J.P. to keep an eye on the participants of a medical conference because some of the guests might be targets of extremists. One of the individuals J.P. guards almost dies and an Alzheimer's patient goes overboard and dies on a train ride under suspicious circumstances. J.P. begins to seek the identity of the perpetrator before someone else dies. J.P. Beaumont has entertained readers for years and the his latest starring role in BIRDS OF PREY still contain his sardonic humor, compassion to his elderly grandparents, and friendly courtesy to the ship's patrons who make him feel like a real hero. He easily returns to his police role when strange things occur and he is so good at it, the Feds enlist his assistance. The audience will want J.P. starring in another tale soon. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Beaumont needs a job!
Review: For 20 long years, Beaumont has investigated the darkness of human hearts. In his latest adventure he accompanies his grandmother (who is in her 70s) & his AA sponsor (he's even older!) on their honeymoon cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Beaumont's expecting a few weeks of being pampered &, after he realizes he's one of the most eligible bachelors on board, being pursued. He sets sail with a degree of optimism unusual for him, & then one of his ardent pursuers disappears. Beaumont is an old friend & as much as I like his life & trials, he needs to get a job! His retirement from the Homicide Division of Seattle's Police is not making full use of his skills. Beaumont's erstwhile powers of observation are muted by the chorus of other characters & I felt let down with the ending. Even though Beaumont is now squeaky-clean, I was glad I read BIRDS OF PREY. If you've never met him, I do encourage you to find J. A. Jance's first books about her most famous policeman when he was a rough boozer, a vital force in his department & everso much more interesting!
Rating: 
Summary: J.P. Beaumont Needs to come out of retirement
Review: Having read all of the previous J.P. Beaumont mysteies, I couln't wait for the publication of Birds of Prey. The story was well written but the character had changed. While Beaumont was a member of the Seattle Police Department, he was a better than average detective. Judith Jance made each book exiciting and each novel was distinctive in its presentation of the case. Even though the Birds of Prey was well written, just the fact that the reader knew that Beaumont was no longer a member of the force, tended to down play the story. While Jance kept the story moving and gave great attention to unfolding the mystery, I think most of her readers would agree that J.P. Beuamont needs rejoin the force or at least hire out in some form of law enforcement. Hopefully, if Jance writes any more J.P. Beaumont novels the main character will once again be sworn.
Rating: 
Summary: Please Edit !
Review: I enjoy Jance's plotlines. HOWEVER, I do wish someone would pay attention to how her series evolve.
With Beaumont, she loses track of her characters ages and time doesn't flow. For instance, in one book a 6 yr old boy is rescued from a closet. THEN, a couple years later (in Beau's life) there is a "sulky teenager" attening a funeral. THE SAME CHILD has aged many years in just 2 years.
This type of thing happens so often in her books, both Beau and Brady. Lack of cohesion ruins the "movie" in one's head.... drops us right back in the reality of the theater.
PLEASE use an editor and a timeline !!!!
Rating:
Summary: nice to have Beau back
Review: I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to. I even figured out who the culprit was just before Beau did and I didn't mind that at all! (I usually get annoyed if the author can't keep me properly mystified.)
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!!!
Review: I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN AVID READER UNTIL LAST YEAR, WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LUPUS AND ADD. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO READ ANY FICTION BOOK WHAT-SO-EVER. ALL I COULD MANAGE WERE BOOKS ABOUT MY ILLNESSES. THIS BOOK HAS HELD MY ATTENTION AND LET ME GET BACK INTO MY WONDERFUL READING HABIT. THANK YOU MRS. JANCE FOR A WONDERFUL READ AND A GREAT REMINDER OF HOW MUCH I LOVE SEATTLE.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!!!
Review: I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN AVID READER UNTIL LAST YEAR, WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LUPUS AND ADD. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO READ ANY FICTION BOOK WHAT-SO-EVER. ALL I COULD MANAGE WERE BOOKS ABOUT MY ILLNESSES. THIS BOOK HAS HELD MY ATTENTION AND LET ME GET BACK INTO MY WONDERFUL READING HABIT. THANK YOU MRS. JANCE FOR A WONDERFUL READ AND A GREAT REMINDER OF HOW MUCH I LOVE SEATTLE.
Rating:
Summary: Good read - interesting setting!
Review: I have read all of the J.P. Beaumont books by Jance. I really liked Birds of Prey. It was an interesting to have J.P. in Alaska rather then roaming the streets of Seattle. J.P. is a great character that keeps your attention. Ms. Jance has you guessing the ending right up until the end! I am eager to have more J.P. stories to read - Hurry up and write another Ms. Jance!
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