Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance is the 16th book in the “Joanna Brady” suspense series. Publisher: William Morrow, July 2014

Sheriff Joanna Brady must solve two perplexing cases that may be tied together in New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s thrilling tale of suspense that brings to life Arizona’s Cochise County and the desert Southwest in all its beauty and mystery.

An old woman, a hoarder, is dying of emphysema in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In cleaning out her house, her daughter, Liza Machett, discovers a fortune in hundred dollar bills hidden in the tall stacks of books and magazines that crowd every corner.

Tracing the money’s origins will take Liza on a journey that will end in Cochise County, where Sheriff Joanna Brady is embroiled in a personal mystery of her own. A man she considers a family friend is found dead at the bottom of a hole in a limestone cavern near Bisbee. And now there is the mystery of Liza and the money. Are the two disparate cases connected? It’s up to Joanna to find out.

When a beloved friend is found dead, suspicions abound and it will take careful police work to uncover the truth behind his death. Meanwhile another death befalls Cochise County and again, Joanna and her team will pull out everything necessary to close this case before another body turns up…dead.

This book was great and I love the fast-paced and action filled drama that kept me riveted to the pages as I had to know what happens next. The mystery was well done and I liked the style in which each chapter was presented taking us closer to the finale. The author did a great job in keeping the suspense fresh with some surprising twists that I did not see coming. Joanna is one of my favorite characters and is surrounded by a great ensemble cast of characters. This series continues to get better and better like fine wine and I’m looking forward to my next visit to Bisbee, Arizona.