Queen of the Night

A Novel of Suspense

By: J. A. Jance

Narrated by: Greg Itzin

The New York Times best-selling 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.

©2010 J.A. Jance (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"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." ( Publishers Weekly)

Twists and Turns

Although a very good book, the plot is sometimes hard to follow. There are many seemingly unrelated tangents that finally come together in the very end of the book. Interesting.

slow going

Story was hard to follow because of too many characters to keep up with. Good plot line for the mystery and crime part but took solong to get into that part that I almost gave up on listening to the whole book

Enjoyable read

Loved the story since my home is now in Tucson. Enjoyed the historical and cultural information. Story moves along and even with the obvious plots had some twists. Enjoyable light read-good beach book!

Queen of the Night

What a great story! I love the history of the different cultures and learning some botany lessons, too. Ms Jance writes such interesting, informative and inspiring stories.

great READ; so-so listen

J. A. Jance is on my very favorites list, but this one I wouldn't recommend for listening -- too many characters names, dates and times flash by too quickly. In a book I would have just flipped back a few pages to make sure of the character's name, etc. but with an I-pod that wasn't an option. If I had to do it over again I'd buy the book.
That said, I did love the story

Queen of the Night

I really enjoyed all the main/pertinent characters. Definitely different than usual. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the Native American aspect of the novel. I have read/heard all of the books, available to me, and loved them all... JoAnn Brady, J. P. Beaumont, I truly hope J. A. Jance writes more about these characters.

Good story, confusing beginning

The beginning of this story was really screwy. I had to keep backing it up to figure out what was going on. The split between each stage setting narrative was not smooth, and I had trouble keeping the characters sorted out in the beginning. After that point the story unfolded pretty well, but I was looking for more to the whole story. The plot would have been much better if the killer would have seemed more realistic to me. I couldn't figure out how to respond to him.
The rest of the story was very good, and I especially liked how the writer handled the little girl and the people around her.

Queen of the Night

This is a bit different than the other J. A. Jance books. I enjoyed this book and all the native American stories and legends as well as the information about plants and fauna of the desert. The Walker family was wove into an intriguing story and I hope that this becomes a new series. Jance always writes stories that you can hardly put down. Greg Itzin did a good job narrating this story.

Jance dies it again

Being an Arizona native Jance brings the trueness of the countryside to life and weaves, as only she can the traditions and the reason to visit for while and stay for a lifetime. I stumbled onto her books a few years ago and have eagerly waited for each installment. One of the many things I Love about her books is they are possible, it could really happen. I love reading the extraordinary feats of some authors but Jance never disapppoints with her characters or her story lines. I don;'t think I stopped listening until the last moment. A must read!

Queen of the night

This was not the usual J. A. Jance book. The characters were very interesting and the history and native american legend added to the plot. I did not want to put this one down. The complex family dynamics and wonderful adoptions stories were inspiring. A very good book!
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