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    Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel
    Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel
    Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel

    Written by J. A. Jance

    Narrated by J.R. Horne

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    “Murder, teenage bullying, sleazy adults, and good police work add up to another fine entry by Jance.”
    —The Oklahoman

    Betrayal of Trust is the twentieth mystery by New York Times bestseller J.A. Jance to feature Seattle p.i. J. P. Beaumont—and it is another surefire winner from the author the Chattanooga Times calls, “One of the best—if not the best.” When Beau discovers a snuff film recorded on a smart phone—a horrific crime that has a devastating effect on two troubled teens—his investigation unleashes a firestorm that blazes all the way up through the halls of Washington state government. Betrayal of Trust is certain to win this phenomenal crime fiction master (“In the elite company of Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell”—Flint Journal) a wealth of new fans while enthralling the army of devoted readers already addicted to the potent Jance magic.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 5, 2011
    ISBN9780062072658
    Author

    J. A. Jance

    J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, six thrillers about the Walker Family, and one volume of poetry. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, she lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington.

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    Reviews for Betrayal of Trust

    4/5

    186 ratings16 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Good book very entertaining I love all the JP Beaumont stories
    • 5/5
      J.A. Jance offers up the latest in her J.P. Beaumont series. The governor of Washington state has called Beau to help her deal with a "snuff video" that she found on her step-grandson's phone. (The gov and Beau were classmates long ago although they moved in different social circles.) Was the girl on the video actually choked to death when the video was made? Several deaths occur which are undoubtedly related to the video, but it's difficult to understand how. This is really a good, eye-opening read that shows how far some people will go to protect their own self-interests. Highly recommended.
    • 2/5
      Writing doesn't seem to be as tight as in previous books. Whodunit was pretty obvious to me fairly early on. I spent a good part of the second half mentally rewriting sentences that seemed entirely too long.
    • 4/5
      This series continues to provide good solid police procedurals, well drawn character, and a well-paced strong plot. Jance is adept at weaving several crimes in different jurisdictions into a seamless story. I've been reading this series in order now for the past seven months. This one is one of the best, from an intricate plot, to a portrayal of a very human aging detective, to the introduction of new characters, it keeps the reader-- whether new to the series or an old fan--turning pages and trying to outguess what's next.
    • 5/5
      Beaumont now works as a detective for the Washington State Attorney General's Special Homicide Investigation Team (yup, the acronym for this entity is a crappy one), and fellow detective Melissa Soames are sent to investigate what is possibly a snuff video. The Governor of the State of Washington found the video on her step grandson's cell phone. This makes the inquiry very sensitive. It also presents several thoughtful examples of betrayal, whether it is adults betraying their responsibilities to youth and to each other, youth betraying their responsibilities to adults and to each other, or characters betraying their responsibilities to themselves and to society.

      As Beaumont and Soames look into the matter, they find themselves dealing with people from opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum, teenagers with enormous problems, bullying, and the exploitation of vulnerable youth. Much of what they see reminds Beaumont of his own adolescence, which reminds him of growing up with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet and being looked down upon by classmates who had more money and social status. An unexpected email from a woman claiming to be his dead father's niece disturbs him. The email also persuades him he might finally discover who his father was.

      Having read dozens of her books, this is right up there at the top ! It got me so involved - I read it in 24 hours. Accolades to the author and 5 bright and shining stars for the book.
    • 5/5
      Husband-wife team investigate a video of a girl being strangled which leads to the uncovering of several other criminal acts involving bullying, mole statin, arson and murder. Very good character development.
    • 2/5
      Normally I really like J.A. Jance. But more recently it seems to me that her books follow a well used outline with a few facts here and there changed or added to. The story line started out believable as a snuff film was introduced. But from there it went downhill rapidly with events stemming from the governor's mansion that are beyond belief. Including long discourses about what everybody ate at their meals which had nothing at all to do with the story. I was extremely disappointed.
    • 5/5
      I love J. A. Jance's several series, but the one featuring homicide detective J. P. Beaumont is my favorite. For some reason I can identify with him. He's had a tough life beginning with a childhood in poverty and no father. His mother was rejected by family when she discovered she was pregnant shortly after her sailor boyfriend died. His family refused to have anything to do with her either, so she struggled to raise him alone. (My childhood was lovely, thank you.) Only recently has he had a wonderful life, since he married Mel Soames, another homicide detective. They work for the Special Homicide Investigative Team with its unfortunate acronym, as partners. Their skills complement each other's.In this case they are assigned to a hush-hush problem in the governor's mansion. Josh, the governor's step-grandson, had been brought to live in the mansion after his mother died of an overdose. Obviously he has had a horrid life, and he's a troubled teen. The governor's two teenage daughters have differing reactions to his presence, but he ignores them anyway. He is caught coming home after a night out without permission. The guv confiscates his phone as punishment and discovers a snuff film on it. She immediately calls the Attorney General. Thus begins a story of two sorts of teens, the rich kids who get away with anything, and the poor kids from terrible homes who frequently are their victims. Also there is Janie's House founded by a woman who desperately wants to lift the poor kids out of the cycle of poverty they were born into. The house provides washers and dryers, computers, cell phones, and other necessities of modern life that those kids lack. It's meant as a safe place where they can improve their lives.I don't want to give away anything else because this is an excellent homicide case and our detectives are both shrewd and compassionate throughout. We also learn something surprising about Beaumont's background that will totally floor him.Highly recommendedSource: purchased from amazon.com
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Cover-ups, teenage cliques, and family tragedies add to the myriad of clues that keep J. P. Beaumont and his wife, Mel Soames on the move. With the blessing of the attorney general, J. P. and Mel must tackle the private lives of the governor and her family.Review: The plot for this novel is complicated in that there are a multitude of characters who could have an impact on the outcome ~ keeping them straight takes concentration and sometimes referring to earlier chapters. However, the story is interesting and the outcome is a bit unusual.
    • 5/5
      Betrayal of Trust, written in 2011, one of the J.P. Beaumont series is one of Jance's best books. J.P. Beaumont works for the Special Homicide Investigation Team also known by the acronym S.H.I.T. with his partner Mel Soames. In Betrayal of Trust, the governor of Washington State calls for help when she finds a "snuff film" on her ward's cell phone. Fearing that he may be involved, she starts an investigation that leads thru a maze of teenage victims, crime and fear. From bullying to sexual abuse, arson and murder - J P Beaumont vows to get to the bottom of these heinous crimes and bring the guilty to justice. An excellent book by an excellent writer, J. A. Jance at her best
    • 4/5
      "Betrayal of Trust" provides the reader with a well told story and a number of important messages.Investigators J.P. Beaumont and his partner are ordered to the Washington State governor's residence. When they arrive the governor shows them her step-son's I-Phone. Someone has sent the teenager a snuff film.When they question the boy, he denies any involvement and doesn't know the girl in the film. The boy is defensive and later, the investigators find that he was subject to other incidents.Politics, over protective parents are two of the things the investigators deal with and we also see the cruelty that some teenagers inflict on others.The investigators overcome some heavy odds in dealing with sensitive issues but the story is well told and leaves the reader with something to think about..
    • 4/5
      I'm a big J.A. Jance fan, but I have to say this one fell a little flat for me. I haven't read a J.P. Beaumont book in awhile and have to admit I picked this up because I was craving Joanna Brady but the library didn't have any I hadn't read yet so, yes, I may not have had the best attitude going into it. Mystery-wise it was fine; sad in a bunch of ways, but not bad. And, well, maybe that was the problem -- the subject [snuff film, cyberbullying], the kids... It was a little bit too close to home for this mom. The big positive was the (very) side story of J.P. Beaumont's Texas family. I really loved that part and might seek out the next in the series just so that I can see how that plays out.
    • 5/5
      At first glance, the video appears to be showing a childish game: a teenage girl with dark wavy hair smiles for the camera, a blue scarf tied around her neck. All of a sudden things turn murderous, and the girl ends up dead. It’s as bad as a snuff film can get, and what’s worse, the clip has been discovered on a phone that belongs to the grandson of Washington State’s governor. However, the boy, who has a troubled background, swears that he’s never seen the victim before. It has been a while since I have read a J.P. Beaumont book and this one didn't disappoint me. It was like catching up with an old friend. Beau's style of police work is more laid back, he is dealing with aging and bad knees and you can sympathize with him. He is still dealing with his past and not knowing who his father was. But his fathers family reaches out to him in this book. I will say that I missed some of the people like his ex-partner Ron Peters, and although Ralph Ames is in the book he is not in it long. Maybe the next book we will get them. I would definitely recommend this book and can't wait for the next J.P. Beaumont book to come out.
    • 3/5
      This book is #20 in the detective series featuring Jonas Piedmont (“J.P” or “Beau”) Beaumont, an investigator with Washington State Special Homicide in Seattle. Beau’s partner also happens to be his third wife, Melissa (“Mel”) Soames. The State Attorney General, Ross Connors, contacts Beau and Mel to look into a special case: the step-grandson of Washington Governor Marsha Longmire has been caught with what appears to be a video of a snuff film on his cell phone. Soon Beau and Mel uncover a puzzling web of bullying that has lethal consequences. They find to their horror increasing evidence of a young gang of “beautiful people” whose sense of perfection is offended by the very existence of those who are different.The main plot seems as if comes right out of a “Law and Order” script pile, with the aging Beau doing a good imitation of the aging Lenny Briscoe. A side plot about Beau’s family is convoluted, but offers something a bit different, and even brought tears to my eyes in the way that gloppy commercials and sentimental family matters can sometimes do.Evaluation: Not great, but not bad. In my opinion, Jance is a terrific speaker, but only a so-so writer. Nevertheless, I occasionally check out her books since she sets them in either the Tucson or Seattle areas, both of which are familiar to me. J. P. Beaumont Series in Order Until Proven Guilty (1985) Injustice for All (1986) Trial by Fury (1986) Taking the Fifth (1987) Improbable Cause (1987) A More Perfect Union (1988) Dismissed with Prejudice (1989) Minor in Possession (1990) Payment in Kind (1991) Without Due Process (1993) Failure to Appear (1994) Lying in Wait (1995) Name Withheld (1997) Breach of Duty (1999) Birds of Prey (2002) Partner in Crime (2003) Long Time Gone (2005) Justice Denied (2007) Fire and Ice (2009) Betrayal of Trust (2011)
    • 4/5
      Detective Beaumont and his wife and partner Mel Somes are assigned to a likely murder involving the Governor's step-son. Things go from bad to worse for the Gov's family, and in a parallel story Beaumont hears from a relative of his father's whom he knew nothing about.
    • 5/5
      J.A. Jance offers up the latest in her J.P. Beaumont series. The governor of Washington state has called Beau to help her deal with a "snuff video" that she found on her step-grandson's phone. (The gov and Beau were classmates long ago although they moved in different social circles.) Was the girl on the video actually choked to death when the video was made? Several deaths occur which are undoubtedly related to the video, but it's difficult to understand how. This is really a good, eye-opening read that shows how far some people will go to protect their own self-interests. Highly recommended.