Deadly Stakes by J.A. Jance
Review by Kelsey O.
I have to say that this is the first Ali Reynolds mystery that I have read. I know eight books into a series that there would be a lot of background information that I would be missing out on. As I was reading, I didn’t feel that I needed all that information. It would have helped me understand the main characters’ actions but wasn’t necessary to the storyline.
Former reporter Ali Reynolds learns that someone she knows is suspected in the killing of her current boyfriend’s ex-fiance. Lynn Martinson, the suspect and former victim of Richard Lowensdale, who Ali helped bring in. Ali is asked by Lynn’s mother to help her daughter because she knows that someone else was responsible for Gemma Ralston’s murder.
Not only has Gemma’s body been found but also another man’s body was found not far from her. With the possibility of the two deaths related, the police and Ali try to connect dots that don’t seem to be matching up. And so starts another plot line in Jance’s novel. This one involves a boy named A.J. Sanders whose father was a criminal but who mysteriously shows back up and buys him a car for his 16th birthday and tells him of a secret box that holds the key to paying for his collage. On his quest to find this chest he stumbles upon a woman dying and in the hopes of saving her he sends a text to 911 only to realize if he is found at the crime scene then his mother will find out about his skipping school and his father’s secret stash. A.J. leaves the scene of the crime leaving behind his shovel.
As the clues keep piling up the reader starts to wonder if this case will ever get solved. With several plot lines weaving in and around each other I was left confused because of the amount of heavy details that seemed to have no reason for being added except maybe to confuse the reader, I had to give this a little lower rating. But in the end, this was a nice light mystery read and I think if you are a devoted J.A. Jance fan you won’t be disappointed. I for one will be looking to start this series from the beginning because I want to know more about Ali’s life.
3 BUTTERFLIES
