Nothing to Lose: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery

Bestseller Jance’s enjoyable 25th J.P. Beaumont mystery (after 2019’s Sins of the Father) finds the 74-year-old former homicide cop turned PI putting up Christmas decorations at the home he shares with his wife, Melissa, the police chief of Bellingham, Wash. He has no sooner distributed the various angels, nutcrackers, and Santas than Jared Danielson, whom he hasn’t seen in 20 years, appears at his door. Jared asks J.P. to find Chris, Jared’s brother who dropped out of sight 12 years earlier. Jared and Chris are the sons of Sue Danielson, J.P.’s partner during his time in the Seattle PD homicide unit, who was subsequently murdered by her husband. It’s Sue’s aging mother’s wish to see Chris before she dies. J.P. accepts the case and heads off for Homer, Alaska, the last place Chris was seen alive. J.P. is a fully developed character, and his frequent calls to Melissa to discuss the case are both touching and insightful. They make a good team even at a distance. New readers will happily join the ranks of longtime fans. Agent: Alice Volpe; Northwest Literary Agency. (Feb.)