When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, and an old friend is murdered, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s fast-paced mystery.
When Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, are both under suspicion.
Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Mercy Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for Ali to turn away. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there as well, working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified border crosser who was raped and savagely beaten.
As more bodies begin to pile up, Ali becomes determined to seek justice, even when it becomes impossible to know where the danger is coming from. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, Left for Dead is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.
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"It looks bad for one of Ali Reynolds' Arizona Policy Academy classmates, who helped Ali get through the academy. He's found shot and left for dead in the southern Arizona desert, with the implication that he was involved in the drug trade. Ali refuses to belive this and vows to get to the bottom of the story. As Jance is famous for, a girl being cared for by Sister Anselm in the same hospital as her classmate is connected in a strange way to the officer's assault. "
— Twigsy (4 out of 5 stars)
“A captivating page-turner.”
— Lincoln Journal Star“Jance keeps firm control of a believable yet complex plot that spins on contemporary issues of cyber stalking and the economic downturn…the plot never stalls and leads to a logical and exciting finale.”
— Publishers Weekly“In her inimitable, take-no-prisoners style…main character Ali manages to disarm.”
— Kirkus Reviews“An exciting and carefully fashioned plot, [resolved] with a very satisfying ending.”
— I Love A Mystery" A must read book. Couldnt wait for the next book in the series "
— Joanne, 6/12/2017" Death, despair, torture, betrayal--all that is evil in the world--and still this is a positive, hopeful story that could only have been written by a true optimist. J.A. Jance's long experience in churning out suspense novels also serves her well as she deftly weaves a very complex plot that, despite some unlikely coincidences, works well in the end. All in all, an excellent escape from the day-to-day. "
— Donna, 2/18/2014" I loved the characters in the book. I can not wait to find more books by this author to read. I could not put the book down!!! "
— Doris, 2/17/2014" Deputy sheriff Jose Reyes is ambushed and shot. Ali Reynolds who was a classmate at the police academy rushes to lend assistance to Jose and his pregnant wife. They Reyes is accused of being a drug dealer. In the desert a Border Patrol agent finds a naked, mutilated, and dying girl. Everyone else believes that she is an illeegal immigrant. The two cases eventually tie together after a mailman is murdered. Kept my interest. "
— Fredrick, 2/16/2014" I'm not sure Ali is getting any better as a character but the story was great. "
— Debbe, 2/10/2014" Left for Dead is a Ali Reynolds book on a victim who was dumped and left to die. As with all of Mrs. Jance's novel you are never disappointed or bored with all the twists and turns you take in her books. "
— Faith, 1/30/2014" J. A. Jance's Ali Reynolds series (this is #7) departs from Jance's police procedurals in that Ali, though she has attended the police academy, is actually presented as an amateur detective - she's a former journalist/blogger who is just trying to live a quiet life. The writing in this series is more simplistic, explaining the obvious almost like a prosecuting attorney. Formulaic and more convoluted than suspenseful, still entertaining light reading. "
— Pr, 1/30/2014" I really like Jance's books. They are always well-written and contain a great storyline with believable characters, and a result that usually could not be predicted. Loved it! "
— Terri, 1/19/2014" Once again, Ali Reynolds, is involved in a fast paced adventure solving crimes that seem to fall into her lap. It's a good read. "
— Jeanne, 1/18/2014" Ali teams up with Sister Anselm to solve 2 cases with her boyfriend B and his employee Stuart in the background. "
— Lbaker, 1/10/2014" A one sitting read! J.A. Jance and Ali Reynolds offer a solid and believable story. Enjoyed it tremendously. "
— Kim, 1/3/2014" Too many characters involved. Not one of my her best books "
— Andrea, 12/10/2013" It was ok. Kind of predictable. "
— Heather, 12/10/2013" the synopsis did not entice me, but I like the Ali series, so I gave it a try. It was a good read. Always nice to read a book about people that go out of their way to help others out and solve a mystery in their spare moments. "
— Barbara, 9/12/2013" I had sort of gotten weary of J.A. Jance but picked up this one on a whim. I liked the various threads and the drawing together of them. I liked the nun too. In my experience, nuns always improve a mystery! :-) "
— Ruth, 8/19/2013" just ok, had a hard time getting into it at times "
— Hope, 6/17/2013" I enjoyed this continuing mystery of Ali Reynolds. A fast read and one of those books you just can't put down. I picked the murderer at the beginning of the book but changed my mind half way through. I was right the first time but there are so many twists and turns. Ms Jance comes through again! "
— Sharon, 2/27/2013" Okay read. Have read several Ali Reynolds books now and would like to like them better, but they really stretch credulity. "
— Leslie, 2/4/2013" Will read everything she writes because I love the characters. The plots have some twists and turns to keep me coming back. Predictable but fun. "
— Carolyn, 12/8/2012" Great storytelling. The author manages to keep the thread of several stories going and tie each one to the other. Lots of characters--would help to keep a character list. "
— Dorothy, 10/7/2012" Jance's books are always good. They move right along and they are hard to put down. Perhaps I have now read so many of them though that I am beginning to find them a bit predictable.. But I still am reading them to the very end. "
— Judy, 7/6/2012" This one was hard to put down. A fast read. "
— Barbara, 4/27/2012" I love a well-plotted mystery where you wonder how the author will tie it all up in the end. This is definitely a prime example of one and I highly recommend it. "
— Edward, 4/8/2012J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and a number of novels featuring the Walker family. Before becoming an author, she worked as a librarian and teacher on a Native American reservation.
Karen Ziemba is an Earphones Award-winning narrator and a Tony Award-winning actor, singer, and dancer. In 2000 she received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress, along with the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards, starring in Susan Stroman and John Weidman’s hit musical Contact. She also starred as “Roxie Hart” in Chicago and “Rita Racine” in Steel Pier, for which she received her first Tony award nomination as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations. She is also active on tours to American cities and has made appearances in television series dramas.