Joanna Brady wasn't expecting a career in law enforcement. But when drug lords gunned down her deputy sheriff husband, who was campaigning to become sheriff, the town convinced her to run in his place. Now, she's not only Sheriff of Cochise County, AZ--running a small department that is dwindling in staff size with little funding--but she's a mother of a college-age daughter, and also a seven- and one-year-old. Amid trying to keep her department afloat, one of her officers is shot while serving a domestic violence protective order, and he killed a man in the process. As the investigation proceeds, Joanna is convinced the facts don't agree with perception and vows to uncover the truth while ensuring the safety of the victim's two young children. Adding to her worries, as her daughter, Jenny, makes plans to come home for Christmas--with roommate Beth in tow--Jenny and Beth become targets of a cyber-crime that turns deadly. Joanna must protect her daughter and her deputies as all hell breaks loose amid the sagebrush and saguaro cacti of the Arizona desert. VERDICT Fans of police procedurals with a Southwestern flair will love Joanna's determination to manage marriage, motherhood, and policing in this 19th "Joanna Brady" book (following Field of Bones).--K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX

In bestseller Jance's riveting 19th novel featuring Cochise County, Ariz., sheriff Joanna Brady (after 2018's Field of Bones), Deputy Armando Ruiz tries to serve Leon Hogan with a no-contact order as requested by the man's estranged wife. Their encounter turns deadly when Leon opens fire and hits Armando, who shoots back, killing Leon. As the hospitalized Armando fights for his life, Joanna monitors the case from afar, prohibited from actively investigating the shooting so as not to prejudice the case in favor of her deputy. Meanwhile, Joanna's daughter Jennifer, a sophomore at Northern Arizona University, worries about her new roommate, naive Beth Rankin, who's caught up in an internet dating scheme. The two parallel cases provide plenty of action while keeping a premium on character studies and violence to a minimum. Once again, the compassionate, intelligent Joanna balances a busy home life and a complex job with aplomb. This long-running series consistently entertains. Agent: Alice Volpe, Northwest Literary. (Feb.)