Rating: 
Summary: Likeable Characters
Review: I wasn't particularly interested in reading another story about a missing computer disc, but I stayed with this story because I liked the characters. There were plenty of side stories to keep interest alive while the main plot evolved. When the facts surrounding the missing disc finally are revealed, the pace picks up quite a bit. This is a fairly lightweight mystery, but the character of Sheriff Joanna Brady carries the day.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I'm probably not going to get any of those "helpful review votes" here, but I just wanted to say that when I read the Joanna Brady mysteries, I picture the actress Sela Ward as Joanna and sportscaster Howie Long as Butch. (P.S. Well-I guess I really DO want those Helpful review votes after all, so here's a short critique of the book as well.) I really enjoyed Devil's Claw, as I have every book in the series so far. The mystery storylines were great; I'm starting to "know" all the secondary characters better, especially the detectives; Joanna was calm, cool and clearthinking, as usual (except when her horrible new mother-in-law pressed all her buttons!) and Butch is the biggest sweetie around. He's gonna make her a great wife, ooops! I mean husband! I love the slow, easygoing sundrenched atmosphere that pervades every book. Bravo, J.A Jance!
Rating: 
Summary: You'll Want to Behave in Cochise County
Review: In Bisbee, Arizona (Cochise County) Sheriff Joanna Brady, is an up-to-date female version of Tombstone's Wyatt Earp, with a touch of Marge (the sheriff in Fargo) thrown in. Also a soon to be bride, a single mom, a widow, former Tupperware saleslady, poker player, not to mention a clever crime stopper - the down-to-earth Sheriff Brady wears a great number of different hats in this book and has a level headed approach to everything. In the days prior to her upcoming wedding, with her excessively domineering mother and future husband handling all the details, Sheriff Brady handles a couple of murders and a missing teenager plus the loss of her neighbor and helper. In between all the murder, mayhem, and malicious, mean characters; she works in mama duties, Sunday church, a wedding shower, in-laws (past and future), and deals with sensitive personnel issues. The mothers of the bride and groom are almost scarier than the villains in this fast paced thriller. You'll want to behave in Cochise County or this sheriff could sic her mama on you! Somehow I failed to "get" the significance of the devil's claw, but what the heck, it had an enjoyable read. Characterization is admirable but did get a bit confusing toward the end; I would have gladly swapped a sub-plot or two for a bit more of the setting, maybe even a desert sunrise or sunset? This is a fun and spirited story and this reader is delighted to learn it is part of a series.
Rating:
Summary: PROPER ETIQUETTE FOR A PRE-WEDDING MURDER
Review: In this latest installment of the Joanna Brady series, Joanna has to solve two cases, handle lovesick co-workers and get married--all in under eight days. Can she do it, of course she can, she's sheriff Brady.OK, I love this series too, but I don't think this is the best in the series. I liked it when Joanna was grittier and had more fire to her. Now she just takes everything easy (including her no good meddling mother). I get the feeling that I would not want to live in Bisbee because of all the hateful women there(Eleanor, Marliss, etc..) J.A. Jance also seems to have a mean streak in her in that in both this series and her J.P. Beaumont series she kills off people with reckless abandon, including major players. All in all J.A. Jance is a great writer and you will enjoy this jaunt through the desert with Sheriff Brady as she attempts to solve murders and find a run away 15 year old girl.
Rating:
Summary: LOVE THIS SERIES
Review: J. A. Jance's Joanna Brady series is one of my absolute favorites. Probably helps that I got to have lunch (one on one) with J. A. Jance last year. Joanna Brady is a Sheriff in Arizona. She is also a widow and single mom. I like the way J. A. Jance has developed Joanna's 12 year old daughter. She has gone through a lot but yet isn't an obnoxious child, nor is she a wimp. Joanna has gone through a lot as well. In this book she is to marry Butch. Her neighbor and friend Clayton dies. He used to help her feed her animals after Joanna's husband was killed by drug dealers (in a previous book). She always has a lot to deal with -- running the Sheriff's Dept., taking care of her daughter, keeping peace with her mother (a full-time job), getting to know Butch (in the past books), and trying to solve various murders and crimes. Lucy has run away because her mother is getting out of prison. Her mother killed her father and Lucy has been living with her grandmother. She doesn't want to see her mother so she and her red-tailed hawk Big Red run away. I normally don't like books where it isn't told in first person, but this is one series that it works well for. I really enjoy this series and am always waiting for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: A Minus, but an A none the less
Review: J.A. Jance writes with such a fluid style that I glide right thru her novels. Her books are easy to read and comprehend. I particularly enjoy the Joanna Brady series.
In "Devil's Claw" there are plenty of suspects to go around, a couple of running subplots and an ever growing cast of regulars.
J.A. Jance does a great job of filling in the background of the continuing characters...enough info to set their place and position for first time readers of the series; but not so much that familiar readers are bored or insulted with the data.
It's a pleasure to observe how the characters develop and grow as the series progresses. The scenic setting of Southern Arizona is always well done...you can almost see those great sunsets.
Plotting, character evolvement, red herrings all give the reader plenty of times to solve things along with Sheriff Brady.
J.A. Jance does a great job balancing the whodunit aspect with Sheriff Brady's personal life without detracting from the main plot. The reader also gets a good view of the "unglamorous" aspect of the sheriff's job...meetings, personel problems, budgets, civic speaking engagements and the like.
This is just a wonderful series, and "Devil's Claw" is a welcome addition to the Joanna brady legacy.
Rating:
Summary: Jance and Joanna Brady do it again!
Review: Jance's Sheriff Joanna Brady series has been the highlight of many a rainy night for this reader. Devil's Claw is by far one of the best Joanna Brady books to date! The characters take on an added depth in this tale of a young girl, her pet hawk, and a riveting tale of time and tragedy that transcends mere mystery. A recent, Sheriff Brady-inspired pilgrimage to Bisbee, Arizona proves that Jance knows her stuff. The Copper Queen is the best restaurant in town, the streets of old Bisbee are curvy and narrow, and the sheriff's office is at the farthest reaches of town. Now if only Sheriff Brady could arrest all of the outlaw ranchers threatening to shoot illegal immigrants in Douglas, Arizona, we could all sit down and enjoy a good book!
Rating:
Summary: The best yet in this great series
Review: Joanna Brady is the sheriff of Chocise County, Arizona, but she is also a woman getting married in eight days. She is struggling to clear her calendar so she can enjoy a honeymoon. However, instead of a carefree time, Joanna is under siege in both her professional and personal lives. Her mother is driving her crazy with wedding details. Her daughter fears that Joanna will no longer love her. Joanna's own psyche fears that marriage will destroy a great relationship. A teenager, taking her pet hawk with her, has run away from home on the same night that the girl's mother is released from prison. She apparently observed someone murdering her mother and fled the scene with the computer disc that led to her mother's death. Joanna's next door neighbor dies and leaves the sheriff his ranch. The man's daughter is furious over the will and seeks evidence that Joanna killed her father. When another murder connected to the runaway occurs, Joanna knows she is up against a powerful adversary who will go to any length to make sure that past deeds stay buried. DEVIL'S CLAW is a great mystery as well as a heart wrenching family drama centering on a terrified teen with no one to turn to for help. In spite of being in a most harrowing predicament, the adolescent acts as a heroine with much inner strength. J.A. Jance does a brilliant job of showcasing Joanna as both a law enforcement official, a woman, and a mother. The three roles turn her into a delightful, vulnerable person just like you and me. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Another great Joanna Brady book
Review: Joanna Brady returns in DEVIL'S CLAW, and as usual, things are really hopping in Cochise County, Arizona. Joanna and Butch are getting married in a week, and the mother of the bride is finally able to plan the wedding of her dreams for her daughter. Normally all the hoopla would drive Joanna crazy, but she's turned all the wedding details over to Butch so she can concentrate on clearing her desk so they have have a real honeymoon (destination: Top Secret). When a teenager disappears and a woman is found near death, Joanna has even more work than she anticipated. When the investigation into the woman's death reveals that she's the missing teenager's ex-convict mom, Joanna finds herself becoming more and more involved in the case. Compounding her stress, Joanna meets Butch's parents for the first time and has to deal with assorted pre-wedding parties. I especially enjoyed the side plot involving Joanna's secretary, Kristin. As in all the Joanna Brady stories, Judy Jance provides the reader with a real-life look at southern Arizona. Since she grew up in the Bisbee area, Judy really knows the area well. I look forward to the next book in this exciting series.
Rating:
Summary: red tailed hawk
Review: Loved the book DO NOT like the cover. It is a picture of an American Eagle. Unless there is some mystical meaning between the Red Tailed Hawk and the American Eagle that I missed, this was a difinite distraction to the story line. The story structure was great and the characters, as always, entertaining---but I kept waiting for the American Eagle. Can someone explain this Author publisher or cover maker?
|
