Second Watch

It takes more than a dual knee replacement to sideline J.P. Beaumont, as shown in bestseller Jance’s appealing 21st novel featuring the crusty Seattle homicide investigator (after 2011’s Betrayal of Trust). Prompted by images from his drug-induced post-surgical dreams, the detective resolves to deal with two sources of guilt he has buried for years: the never-solved 1973 murder of coed Monica Wellington, his first homicide assignment with the Seattle PD; and his failure to seek out the fiancée left behind by the platoon leader who saved his life in Vietnam, 2nd Lt. Lennie Davis. But no sooner does Beau persuade his current boss to reopen the Wellington probe than the supposedly cold case explodes with tragic consequences—and strong suggestions of police corruption. Though the book begins in overly leisurely fashion, plot and pacing soon kick into high gear. In a memorable afterword, Jance relates the heartbreaking story of the real Lennie Davis, a high school friend of hers back in Bisbee, Ariz. Agent: Alice Volpe, Northwest Literary Agency. (Sept.)