The Girl From Devil's Lake - J.A. Jance

 The Girl From Devil's Lake - J.A. Jance

Pub. Date: Sept. 30, 2025

She read

Sheriff Joanna Brady is busy with her family preparing for the holidays and the upcoming marriage of her daughter. All that is put on hold when the body of a young child is discovered. Clues suggest that this is not the first time the perpetrator has killed. As the mystery unfolds, Brady uncovers a nationwide trail of murders spanning decades.

I haven’t read a Jance novel in years, and despite this being the twenty-first Joanna Brady story, it is the first in the series that I have read.  Credit the author that despite what must be a lot of background history for the repeating characters, this worked well as a standalone, and I really liked it.

This fast-paced and riveting read is a journey through different timelines, providing insight into the background and mind of a serial killer. That narrative parallels the police procedural, solving a murder that unexpectedly spirals into a much larger and more complex mystery. Throughout the story, the humanity of the victims and their families is never forgotten.

This reads like a true crime novel.  I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction. A five star read for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @WilliamMorrowBooks for the DRC.

*****