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Author J.A. Jance booklist (click here)

Book Review By lanny aikin
Long Time Gone by J.A. Jance

Jance has written a good book with two murder mysteries in one story. J. P. Beaumont was a detective with the Seattle PD. He quit and became an investigator for Special Homicide Investigating Team, SHIT. This was under the Washington State Attorney General's office of Ross Connors. Beau was assigned to cases only by the Attorney General, no Seattle PD to bother with. Beau was assigned to a cold case murder that happened 50 years ago. He was interviewing sister Mary Katherine on Whidbey Island. She would wake up screaming from a nightmare so she went to see a Hypnotherapist. The therapist discovered that the dreams were caused by a brutal murder that sister Katherine had seen when she was five years old. Beau did some research and found the case, still unsolved. Beau gets a visit from his good friend Ron Peters, who was confined to a wheelchair from a PD accident, but was able to get a job inside the PD behind a desk. Ron tells Beau that his "x" was murdered and he is a suspect. Because of the friendship, Beau could not work on the case so it was given to Melisa Soames who also worked for the SHIT squad. Beau and Mel did a lot of research on both cases and found out much. They came up with the truth of the cold case murder and concentrated on the murder of Ron's "x". The evidence pointed to Heather, Ron's 15 year old daughter. She left the area with her boyfriend, heading to Canada, when he hit her accross the face. Heather knew she was in the wrong place and was able to escape, heading for Beau's. The ending is very well planned out and very exciting. Jance has done a very good job with this book!


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Special suspect? - chronically deranged person
Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - mostly dialog
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