I am a huge JA Jance fan so imagine my surprise when I was terribly disappointed with this book. It reads "Novel of Suspense" on the cover but it was not suspenseful. It did not hold my interest, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. This is just my humble opinion so try it for yourself and see what you think!

In this book, Jance does not follow either one of her popular series, electing instead to write about a high profile tv journalist, Alison Reynolds, who loses her job because she is "over the hill" at forty.
She finds herself embroiled in murder and mayhem, and narrowly misses being killed herself. Good book, as are all Jance books.

Too many subplots not resolved. Not sure what the main plot really was. Ending was soft and not well developed earlier on. But I still enjoyed the read.

Russ

The end of her high-profile broadcasting career came too soon for TV journalist Alison Reynolds-bounced off the air by executives who wanted a "younger face." With a divorce from her cheating husband of ten years also pending, there is nothing keeping her in L.A. any longer. Cut loose from her moorings, Ali is summoned back home to Sedona, Arizona, by the death of a childhood friend. Once there she seeks solace in the comforting rhythms of her parents' diner, the Sugarloaf Cafe, and launches an on-line blog as therapy for others who have been similarly cut loose.
But when threatening posts begin appearing, Ali finds out that running a blog is far more up-close and personal than sitting behind a news desk. And far more dangerous. Sunddenly something dark and deadly is swirling around her life...and a killer may be hunting her next.

Suddenly finding herself out of a job, 45 year old Allison Reynolds broadcasting days are over. Informed that the station was looking for new a direction, Ali soon realizes that new meant younger so what was she to do. Her husband, a broadcasting executives neglected to tell her tell her of this new agenda in addition to his other extra curricular activities. So with no job and a divorce in the air, Ali is at loose ends. When a call comes in from her parents in Sedona, AZ that a childhood friend is missing, Ali heads home.

Ali knows that Reenie wouldn't have killed herself. She had too much to live for even with a diagnosis that is devastating, Reenie wouldn't leave her young children, not without at least leaving a card for them.

With Ali's investigative broadcasting background she delves in to seek the truth behind Reenie's death. Seeking comfort in her parents Sugarloaf Cafe and a new blog that her son has set up for her; Ali's back in the real world again. Unfortunately, the real world has quite a few wackos and between Rennie's killer and the people that she has attracted with her blog, Ali is in for quite a ride.


I had started this series a little backwards, with book 4, and needed to start over to understand the back story on Ali. I am so glad that I did. This is quite an interesting story and quite an interesting lead character.

Allison Reynolds is an anchor woman on a leading LA television station. But Allison is fired because she is over forty and is replaced by a younger woman. However, the male anchors are all older than Allison but their jobs are secure. Allison herself replaced an older woman when she took the job. Her marriage crashes, she is out of a job and when she hears about her best friend's death, she returns to her hometown and decides to stay. She runs a blog her son set up for her, helps out in her folk's diner and refuses to accept suicide as the cause of death of her friend. She sues her husband for divorce and sues the station that fired her for discrimination. Jance once again has filled iout the characters and still runs a fast paced plot.

Four stars.

I started reading this book, but I quit out of boredom. Some of Jance's books are better than others, and this wasn't one of her greatest.

I didn't like this as much as her series books, felt the characters were not developed strongly.

This is not one of my favorite JA Jance stories but was okay.

....ALison Reynolds a successful newsbroadcaster has been fired from her job to be replaced by someone younger, at the same time her marriage is failing. Then she gets word from home that her best friend, Rennie is missing and then found dead. While everyone thinks its suicide Ali is determined to find out the truth.

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I enjoyed the book, although not as much as I enjoy her Joanna Brady mysteries....

I've had this book for awhile and didn't read it because I'd read some iffy reviews, along with good ones.

I give this book a good 8 or better, I was really into it during the two nights it took to read it. [I read for hrs]

The book's premise is good, Ali, a 45 year old news anchor woman gets fired for being too old while her fellow [male] anchors are a lot older. She is replaced by a young bimbo. She finds out that week that her exec husband is having two affairs with two young bimbos. Her best friend died, maybe by suicide.

Her college aged son and she go to her home town for the funeral and her son teaches her how to blog. In her blog she talks about her friend's ALS and she gets involved with a poster who is being abused. Somehow the abused woman's husband checks her mail and threatens Ali that if his wife leaves, he's coming after her.

All the while Ali is investigating her friend's death.

There are some red herrings, twists and turns in the mystery and some comforting day to day stuff as Ali works as a waitress in her parent's diner when her dad is injured, her divorce from her rotten husband and her funny conversations with her "Rottweiler attorney" and other scenes which make Ali more real.

There is danger and action and suspense. Mostly I like the book because slowly Ali stops being the victim and fights back in all areas of her life and is a winner.

So I think the book is a really going one. I like J.A. Jance, I've read both her Detective Beaumont stories as well as Joann Brady.

all of J. A. Jance's books are great....

Over-written thriller with a complex and strong female protagonist dealing with the loss of her job, the implosion of her marriage, and the death of her best friend. Mix in discussions of blogging, domestic abuse, assisted suicide, and medical scams, and you have a barrel full of red herrings that draws attention away from the main story. I spotted The Villain as soon as the character appeared on the page, and when the heroine finally tumbles to it, 300+ pages later, there's a sudden and all-too-neat resolution.

I really liked this book and look forward to reading the second one. Ali is a very strong person and stands up for herself against all odds.

Jance introduces a new character in this mystery/thriller, Alison Reynolds, former journalist who returns home to Sedona AZ in time to solve the mysterious death of her best friend.

I enjoyed her other books in her other series better. Some of the characters, as in her Brady books, are just a little "goody two shoes" for my taste.

Oh MAN! I loved the Sheriff Joanna Brady character. My Dad convinced me to give the Beau books a chance, they were great too. But now, there's Ali. I first liked Brady because I'm from Arizona. But Ali is from Arizona, lived in L.A. (so did I) and is a journalist who becomes a blogger. Like all Jance, this book has the mystery and the twists and turns and thrills, but also has strong character development and her characters have strong relationships.

Broadcaster is fired in the search for a younger face. Returns home due to the death of a childhood friend. Launches an on-line blog as therapy for others in similar situations. Killer begins to hunt her. Good and enjoyable.

Good book; very fast read.

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