Queen of the Night: A Novel of Suspense (Walker Family Mysteries Book 4)

J.A. Jance is among the bestif not the best. Chattanooga Times In Queen of the Night , New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance brings back the Walker familyintroduced in Hour of the Hunter , terrorized in Kiss of the Bees , and last seen in Day of the Dead . A multilayered thriller, gripping and unforgettableevocatively set in the breathtaking Arizona desert Queen of the Night is a chilling tale of murder past and present that connects and devastates three separate families. ** From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Dedicated to the late Tony Hillerman, Jance's brilliant fourth suspense novel featuring former homicide detective Brandon Walker and his wife, novelist Diana Ladd (after Day of the Dead), spans some 50 years, from a murder in 1959 in San Diego to a rash of killings in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz., in 2009. Interwoven with these crimes are legends of the Tohono O'odham Indians (aka the Desert People) and the lives of such contemporary Native people as Lani Walker, Brandon and Diana's adopted daughter. Jance's masterful handling of a complex cast of characters makes it easy for the reader to appreciate the intricate web of relationships that bind them across generations. The title refers to the night-blooming Cereus, a desert plant that blooms once a year and is of great symbolic importance to the Tohono. Jance, perhaps best known for her J.P. Beaumont series (Fire and Ice, etc.), has crafted a mystery that Hillerman would be proud of and that her fans will love. 7-city author tour. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Murders old and new disturb the peace of Tohono O'odham Nation residents and their Arizona neighbors in this fourth entry in Jance's Walker Family series. Californian Jonathan Southard is so seething with resentment that he kills his wife and children and goes after his remarried mother in Tucson. Reverberations from Southard's crimes touch the former sheriff Brandon Walker, his wife, Diana, and their adopted Native American daughter, Lani, exacerbating old wounds at a time when Walker is worried about Diana's mental health. Perhaps as a way of reacquainting readers with this seriesthere have been lapses of three to four years between installmentsJance inserts great chunks of backstory, as Diana hallucinates dead men who once terrorized her. Tohono O'odham tales and culture, which permeate the book (reminiscent of Tony Hillerman), and the flower of the title, the beautiful and aromatic cereus, which blooms in the desert just one night each year, add appeal, but the awkward backstory gimmick and the lack of much narrative pulse make this a somewhat tepid entry from a best-selling author. --Michele Leber Sort on Author : ( Jance, J. A. ) Calc ESN Part 1 : 04 Uncomma Title 2 : Queen of the Night Number of Words in Auth: 3 Formats : EPUB ESN Combined : 04 ES Name : Walker Family Quick Search : J. A. Jance Queen of the Night Has Cover : Yes All Identifiers : amazon:0061239259, barnesnoble:w/queen-of-the-night-judith-a-jance/1030831527, fictiondb:ja-jance~queen-of-the-night~266865~b, goodreads:7746554, google:vraJvTeXZXUC, isbn:9780061239250 Test Text Series Index: 4 Single Author : J. A. Jance Raw Title : Queen of the Night Sorted Author by LN, FN: Jance, J. A. Enter Series Index : 04 of 05 Calc Series Group : Walker Family Calc ESI Part 2 : of Title Length : 18 Title Parm A : Queen of the Night Calc ESN Part 3 : 05 Any Num n Name : Family Calc ESI Combined : 04 of 05 ES Group : SIPZ_E Record ID : 106 Enter New Series (Calced): SIPZ_E.Walker Family.Cmd.04 of 05.. Test Compare Series to Entered: eq Uncomma Author : J. A. Jance ES Genre : Cmd Calc New Series : Walker Family.... Calc ESI Part 3 : 05 Compare Author : eq Calc ESI Part 1 : 04 Calc ESN Part 2 : of Test Search : Queen of the Night / J. A. Jance Num of Aut : 1

The New York Times bestselling author brings back the Walker family in a multilayered thriller in which murders past and present connect the lives of three families

Every summer, in an event that is commemorated throughout the Tohono O'odham Nation, the Queen of the Night flower blooms in the Arizona desert. But one couple's intended celebration is shattered by gunfire, the sole witness to the bloodshed a little girl who has lost the only family she's ever known.

To her rescue come Dr. Lani Walker, who sees the trauma of her own childhood reflected in her young patient; and Dan Pardee, an Iraq war veteran and member of an unorthodox border patrol unit called the Shadow Wolves. Joined by Pima County homicide investigator Brian Fellows, they must keep the child safe while tracking down a ruthless killer.

In a second case, retired homicide detective Brandon Walker is investigating the long unsolved murder of an Arizona State University coed. Now, after nearly half a century of silence, the one person who can shed light on that terrible incident is willing to talk. Meanwhile, Walker's wife, Diana Ladd, is reliving memories of a man whose death continues to haunt her in the present day.

As these crimes threaten to tear apart three separate families, the stories and traditions of the Tohono O'odham people remain just beneath the surface of the desert, providing illumination to events of both self-sacrifice and unspeakable evil.

Publishers Weekly

Dedicated to the late Tony Hillerman, Jance's brilliant fourth suspense novel featuring former homicide detective Brandon Walker and his wife, novelist Diana Ladd (after Day of the Dead), spans some 50 years, from a murder in 1959 in San Diego to a rash of killings in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz., in 2009. Interwoven with these crimes are legends of the Tohono O'odham Indians (aka the Desert People) and the lives of such contemporary Native people as Lani Walker, Brandon and Diana's adopted daughter. Jance's masterful handling of a complex cast of characters makes it easy for the reader to appreciate the intricate web of relationships that bind them across generations. The title refers to the night-blooming Cereus, a desert plant that blooms once a year and is of great symbolic importance to the Tohono. Jance, perhaps best known for her J.P. Beaumont series (Fire and Ice, etc.), has crafted a mystery that Hillerman would be proud of and that her fans will love. 7-city author tour. (July)

Every summer, the Queen of the Night flower blooms in the Arizona desert—a sacred event commemorated throughout the Tohono O'odham Nation. But this year, one couple's celebration is prematurely destroyed by gunfire . . . and the sole witness to the carnage is a little girl who has lost the only family she's ever known.

Dr. Lani Walker recognizes the trauma of her own childhood reflected in her devastated young patient. Joining Dan Pardee—a member of the unorthodox Shadow Wolves border patrol—Lani vows to keep the child safe while tracking down a ruthless killer. Meanwhile, Lani's adoptive father, retired homicide detective Brandon Walker, sees a break in his investigation of the long unsolved murder of an Arizona State University coed—while his wife, Diana Ladd, relives terrible memories of a man whose death haunts her still.

The traditions of the Tohono O'odham people are woven into the fabric of three families as Dr. Lani Walker and Pima County homicide investigator Brian Fellows join forces to protect a little girl who witnessed her mother's murder