by J. A. Jance
Part of Joanna Brady, book 20
First published 2023
Dan Pardee receives his first assignment with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People's Task Force. The case involves Rosa Rios, an Apache woman and former rodeo star who vanished three years ago. Human remains discovered in Cochise County have finally been identified as Rosa. Dan partners with Sheriff Joanna Brady to reopen the investigation. The case takes on personal meaning for Dan, whose own indigenous mother was murdered when he was young. Meanwhile, the killer Charles Milton continues his deadly work across the Southwest. Milton targets vulnerable Indigenous women at rodeo events, knowing police often overlook their disappearances. He has perfected his methods over years of killing, leaving no traces behind. As Dan and Joanna dig deeper, they realize Rosa was one victim among many. Jennifer Brady, Joanna's daughter and a criminal justice student, joins the hunt after recognizing Rosa from her amateur rodeo days. The team races against time to stop Milton before he claims another life.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, personal-stakes, race-against-time
Setting: Cochise County, Southwest
Period: Contemporary
384 pages · Kindle Edition · William Morrow
Content warnings: murder, violence