Title:	The Girl from Devil's Lake
	Author:	J. A. Jance
	Published:	September 30, 2025, William Morrow
	No. of Pages:	336
	Cover Price:	$30.00 Hardcover , $14.99 kindle

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Fans of the Sheriff Joanna Brady series, by bestselling author, J.A. Jance, will welcome the 21st installment in the series, The Girl from Devil's Lake , where Joanna is trying to solve the mysterious death of a small child whose body was taken from the Mexico side of the border and found in a duffle bag in the water. As the investigation goes on, it seems that Sheriff Brady has a serial killer on her hands, and the killer has been hiding in plain sight for decades.

Those who are familiar with Jance’s writing style, know that it is straightforward and easy to follow. In this instance, the book goes back and forth from the killer’s story to the modern day story happening in the small border town of Arizona where Joanna has jurisdiction. Readers know who the killer is from the beginning, but the Sheriff doesn’t, which is unusual – most novels reveal the actual murderer at the dénouement. Readers will find themselves on the edge hoping Brady will catch on before the killer takes another life.

Jance is also excellent when it comes to developing her characters. Of course Joanna Brady is well known to her readers, but first time readers will be familiar with Brady, et al near the beginning and will comfortably get to know the supporting characters along with seasoned readers of the series. The characters are believable and most (not the serial killer of course) are likeable.

All told, this is an excellent novel. First time readers of the series will want to go back and read the previous novels which are also good.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.