Book Nook

Damage Control by J. A. Jance

June is the official start of summer, so I'm kicking off the season with a new book a week that you should be sticking in a beach bag to take on vacation, or just relaxing with in the backyard along with a glass of sweet tea.

This week's is a mystery/thriller offering. Be sure to check back every Monday for a new book for adults or teenagers!

New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance delivers a pulse-pounding tale of suspense in "Damage Control."

Cochise County sheriff Joanna Brady more than has her hands full. Not only does she have a teenage daughter at home and a newborn to take care of, but now two new cases have opened up, one right on top of the other.

First, an elderly couple drives their car off of a mountain. It looks like suicide, and now the sheriff's department must not only cope with the couple's bickering daughters, but also the added expense of getting a helicopter in to recover the bodies.

Then, a nephew of one of Joanna's coworkers stumbles upon two trash bags containing human remains. The evidence points to a missing handicapped woman who left her care facility after another resident disappeared - a resident only she remembered. While trying to unravel the clues to that case, an autopsy report shows that the elderly coupleás suicide might have been brought on by poisoning.

Now with two unsolved murder cases, Joanna must work overtime to discover who the culprits are, while trying to keep up some semblance of life at home. Her mother's attempt to âhelpã with the baby isn't, when she's also feuding with Joanna's co-worker and stepfather, especially when the feud causes Joanna to take a closer look at her deceased husband's and her relationship.

This book blends police-procedural mystery with a look into everyday relationships and the mistakes we make in them. It makes for a realistic and very human story.

"Damage Control" is published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. It is $25.95 and is 374 pages long.