Fire and Ice

A Beaumont and Brady Novel

By: J. A. Jance

Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Erik Davies

Not since Partner in Crime have New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance's beloved series characters shared a stage. But now, in a pair of cases that cross state lines, Beaumont and Brady are back! Seattle investigator J. P. Beaumont is working a series of murders in which six young women have been wrapped in tarps, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. Their charred remains have been creating a grisly pattern of death across western Washington. At the same time, in the Arizona desert, Cochise County sheriff Joanna Brady is looking into a homicide in which the elderly caretaker of an ATV park was run over and left to die. Was he a victim of some kind of turf warfare - or possibly something more sinister? Then a breakthrough in Beaumont's case leads him into Brady's jurisdiction. When the two met on a joint investigation years earlier, sparks flew. But here, as the threads of their cases wind together, Beaumont and Brady must put aside echoes of their shared past as they are once again drawn into an orbit of deception. Except this time it's not just their own lives that are in danger but those of the people closest to them as well.©2009 J.A. Jance (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Are they using AI for voices?

The main readers are great….but I have a feeling at least one of the characters is a computer or AI. It is awful.

book was good but a little slow

was slow and a little confusing
not as good as the other books but liked it

Not quite right

So I am currently listening to the book and I am upset to find out that Gene Engene the Voice of all the J.P. Beaumont has been replaced. I would re-listen if he recorded it. Erik is ok but doesn't have the take no Sh*t sound that Gene has. I started with my audio book experience with this Series and now am sad that it ended this way.

Very Good Entertainment

What did you love best about Fire and Ice?

The performance. A male/female co-operation is appreciated. Very much indeed.

If you’ve listened to books by J. A. Jance before, how does this one compare?

I've listened to all J,P. Beaumont books released before this one and "Fire and Ice" fits into that collection.

Which character – as performed by Hillary Huber and Erik Davies – was your favorite?

Joanna, with the southern accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not easy to say.

Any additional comments?

Listening to J.P. Beaumont books is perfect for me during my daily walk on a forrest path.

Great Paring

he two main characters are perfect together. I'm sure you will like this one. Quick listen.

Not a barn burner, but a nice way to pass the time

I listened to the audio version. Hillary Huber and Erik Davies tag teamed their way through the book, but they don't have as much skill at presenting different voices as most of the audible performers, nor do they have the acting ability. Erik comes closest, leaving JP Beaumont only slightly wooden, and offering the typical Beau take on life. Hillary doesn't give Joanna Brady nearly as much spark as some other readers have in the past, and at times seems to be a little monotonal.

The story itself is adequate, but is not my favorite among the Brady and Beaumont books. Perhaps the next in the series is meant to carry on where this one left off, giving a more satisfactory result to the plot?
I like getting another update on the ongoing lives of both of these characters, but the connection between the two departments seemed a little forced. This story does build upon prior occurrences, but you don't need to have read those book(s) in order to fully understand things (however, it helps!).

Regarding the tag team readers, I've wondered how well this would work. In this case, it was nothing to write home about. Even though it's difficult for men to voice women characters, and vice versa, it's easier for most actor-readers to create a believable woman's voice. I prefer the books where a single performer does all the voices as opposed to the switch-back and forth system.

The wonderful part about audio, though, is that by the time I drove to and from work, squeezed in a few listens at breaks and lunch, and a little in the evening, I could finish the book in two days using the fast setting in the iPod.

The J.A. Jance books are my second-favorite for audio listening (first is the Rita Mae Brown library), but if my introduction had been this book, I might not have developed the deep fondness for the characters peopling her books. I have trouble remembering sometimes that all of them are imaginary...

Great book

The one thing I have found that I don’t like is the use of different narrators. Pick one and stick with it

Brady & Beaumont together.

I have been reading the Joanna Brady series in order and continue to like the characters. The mysteries aren't too mysterious and they are by no means thrillers. I suppose these might be considered cozy mysteries. But if you are looking for clean, fun reads with likable characters this series may work well for you. I also really enjoy the way that Jance creates a sense of place. The culture, history, and sociology of southern, rural Arizona comes to life in her books.

J.P Beaumont is interesting to me and I plan to start the series that features him at some point soon.

More plausible than some others

This is a believable story , and Joanna does not put herself in harms way for a change. Fun to see her and Beaumont interact .

Good Story

What made the experience of listening to Fire and Ice the most enjoyable?

The story was interesting and kept me going.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the stories wove together.

Did Hillary Huber and Erik Davies do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I thought Erik Davies did ok, but Hillary Huber didn't have spark or personality to me. This was the part of the book I didn't care for. Bring back Gene Engene....