Injustice For All (J.P. Beaumont #2) by J.A. Jance

Synopsis

“It was a scene right out of a Hollywood “slasher” movie – a beautiful woman’s terrified screams piercing the air, a dead body sprawled at her feet, blood staining the pristine sands of a Washington beach. But the blood is real, and the victim won’t be rising with a director yells, “Cut!” In one horrific instant, a homicide detective’s well-earned holiday has become a waking nightmare. Suddenly a lethal brew of passion, madness, and politics threatens to do more than poison J.P. Beaumont’s sleep – it’s dragging the dedicated Seattle cop into the path of a killer whose dark hunger is rapidly becoming an obsession.”

-Synopsis from back of the book

Review

*spoilers ahead*

Earlier this year, you might recall that I read the first J.P. Beaumont book, then the first Joanna Brady book, followed by the first Ali Reynolds book. I loved each, and was considering continuing with the Joanna Brady series first. Then, I decided to read the books in order of publication in case there were any tie-ins later on, which meant continuing with the Beaumont books first!

My short take on Injustice for All is that I just cannot decide how I feel about J.P. Beaumont! He’s a good detective but when it comes to his personal life I just don’t like his judgment. So far at least, he seems to be getting involved romantically with everyone who, I would think, would actually be considered a suspect. That doesn’t seem very smart to me, even if he’s emotionally wounded from his past.

The beginning of this book is pretty intense as he develops a relationship, literally overnight, with Ginger Watkins. She’s the woman who discovers the body – how is that not sketchy? Yet he believes every word she says, taking it all at face value, and he then becomes her strongest defender at all costs. Now, Ginger doesn’t turn out to be the bad guy, but how would Beau know that at first? It seems too risky and like I said it makes me question his judgment.

On one hand, I don’t have to agree with everything a character does to enjoy the book. I think it’s okay to question a character’s actions and then see how it plays out. On the other hand, Beau is a veteran homicide detective and these seem like rookie mistakes.

All of that aside, and believe me it’s a lot to think about, this case was very intricate with a lot of moving parts. The better part of the book is taken up with Beau driving across the state of Washington. The bodies keep appearing, and he keeps attending, or in some cases attempting to attend, the funerals because of the victims’ connection to Ginger; like I said, he feels obligated to defend Ginger and her honor or some-such after she dies. He also believes that the killer is not who everyone thinks it is, so he wants to continue to gather clues and interview anyone connected to the case that he possibly can. Beau is following his instincts, which more often than not turn out to be right. Except when they aren’t and he ends up in a jail cell overnight!

What I enjoy most about these books is the clever and witty dialogue, and the crimes and coverups. So, I am willing to keep reading and hope that Beau grows on me, because I know he’s a beloved character. I can see it, I just need more proof. I’m not sure when I will read book three, but I will definitely continue the series.

Goodreads rating: Five stars