The Girl from Devil's Lake
by J.A. Jance
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady solves her biggest case yet, from a body in the desert to crimes spanning decades and countries, in the thrilling latest installment in the New York Times bestselling suspense series.
Another hit by Jance. This is only my second read from this author and the first in this series. I was invested from the beginning and liked the use of the dual timeline which kept up the suspense. Now I can’t wait to go back and read all the other novels in the is series. I fell in love the characters, the writing style, and who doesn’t love a good serial killer mystery?
My only little nit-pick is she has a scene where the Hall County Sherriff’s office call her about a murdered child taken from the State Fair in Grand Island. This supposedly took place in 1991. The Nebraska State Fair did not move to Grand Island until 2010. Overall, I can overlook the small error and enjoy the book. It's a great book and keeps you reading.

This was an odd one…in a good way!

I realize after reading this novel that it’s part of a much longer series, but it certainly did well as a standalone book. Other than probably understanding more of Joanna Brady’s backstory, at no point did I feel as though I was lost or missing something.

Jance kept my attention from the word go by alternating chapters from the Killers point of view and Sherriff Brady. From the first page the reader is completely aware of the killers identity and as we move through the book Brady gets ever closer to figuring out what we already know.

I enjoyed this book – and much like Salt n Vinegar potato chips, I don’t think I will be able to stop at just 1.

Sheriff Joanna Cole of Cochise County, Arizona deals with jail overcrowding, the influx of cross-border criminals, a serial killer who has been active for decades, and her daughter's impending wedding in a busy month in Southern Arizona.

This was my first J. A. Janice novel and I’m hooked! Now I can’t wait to go back and read all the other novels in the is series. I fell in love the characters, the writing style, and who doesn’t love a good serial killer mystery?

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.

The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance is one of those books where the reader knows the identity of the killer almost from the beginning. This is done by way of alternating chapters from the killer’s point of view. The book opens in Fertile, Minnesota, in 1956 where a child hears voices in his head and eventually kills. That prologue is followed by numerous chapters detailing the point of view of the killer that strikes again and again. Eventually, the killer relocates to Bisbee, Arizona, and continues his work, undetected, while becoming a pillar of the local community in a variety of ways.

The same Bisbee, Arizona, where in the time of the main storyline, November 2023, Sheriff Joanna Brady just recently won reelection. Her department is under intense strain due to the political climate, things at the border, jail over population, being short staffed, and other factors. Her tenure as the Sheriff for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department will continue. As a result, her daughter, Jenny, who is about to graduate from the Arizona Police Officer Academy, will be accepting a job to go to work in Pima County. Sheriff Brady not only will be in attendance at graduation to see Jenny graduate, Sheriff Brady will be giving the main graduation speech. So, it is a big event for all involved.

A lot of things have changed since Sheriff Brady graduated decades ago after her first election in the wake of her first husband’s death, but hazing and sexism is still a huge problem. While noting that and calling it out, she also notes in her speech the fact that in the decades since she graduated, the world of law enforcement has gotten darker and more violent. That the border, drug trafficking human smuggling, and the cartels are just a few of the reasons that things are more difficult and dangerous now that they were when she first started out. Now she not only has to worry about her safety and the safety of those under her command she also, like any other parent, has to worry about her daughter as she takes her first real job in law enforcement.

A few days later, just after Thanksgiving, as the rain pours down on Bisbee and the surrounding area, Sheriff Brady gets a call that pulls her away from the family and their delayed Thanksgiving celebration. Floods are happening and her people are on it and handling everything well. But, a highway worker trying to clear debris from a local bridge so that the flood waters could move through unimpeded has found a duffle bag wedged in a debris pile. Inside that bag was the body of a young child.

The waters of the San Pedro River originate somewhere in Mexico before crossing the border and making their way to the bridge near St. David. So, though the body was recovered here, the young boy probably came from Mexico. She knows Captain Arturo Peña, head of the Federales unit in Naco, Sonora, really well and has worked with him many times. That will come in hand as the case is complicated and crosses both sides of the border.

It is also the first death in the here and now of the main storyline as the walls begin to close in on a local serial killer who has killed for decades.

The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance is marketed as the 21st book in this long running series. As such, it does not break any new ground with these long-established characters. Not that it was expected as that would be out of form for the series and this author.

As a reader, I personally find chapters from the point of view of the nutjob killer, in this case one who has gotten away with it for decades, tedious and completely unnecessary. In my opinion, it is clichéd writing that almost does nothing expect pad word and page counts. However, it must work for many readers as authors continue to write it and publishers release books with it right and left. So, if you like it, you will be happy here as there is a lot of it.

Overall, despite the caveats mentioned above, The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance, is a good read and worth your time. If you are new to the series, you could easily start here as previous events are only touched on briefly if mentioned at all.


My reading copy came from the publisher, William Morrow, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

This is only my second J.A. Jance book and the first in this series. The dual timeline effectively created suspense and I was engaged throughout. I'd call this another hit.

The holidays are approaching and Brady’s daughter is graduating from the police academy. It should be a time of celebration until Brady becomes involved in a murder investigation that sobs turns into a hunt for a serial killer. The story is told from two perspectives that of Brady and that if the serial killer. I enjoyed the story but at times felt it too repetitive.

Joanna Brady is caught up in a serial murder case that becomes more and more involved. She needs to find out who’s leaking information and why the reporter keeps finding out information. This book talks about her husband Butch and her daughter and several of the other deputies and people working in the sheriff’s office. For fans of this series it’s another great book!

This title was another hit! I have enjoyed all of J.A. Jance's Joanna Brady series, so it's always fun to have another one to read. This series is very popular with our patrons, so I feel quite sure this one will have lots of holds on it.

I have read this series from the beginning and enjoyed them. I like how the characters have grown and changed throughout the series. While I did like this book I found the repeated telling of the murders unnecessary. I do recommend this v

Another brilliant offering from distinguished author JA Jance. The book was riveting. I could not put it down and read all 300+ pages in one sitting; something I rarely. if ever, do.
This particular offering featured Sheriff Joaana Brady in Bisbee Arizona and follows an unlikely serial killer.. I cannot say enough good things about this book. You'll just have to read it for yourself.

Sheriff Joanna Brady cannot wait to have her family together for the holidays. But first, her daughter is graduating to become an officer like her Mom. After speaking at the graduation ceremony, Joanna heads home to her husband, Butch, and her kids... not soon after they all celebrate Thanksgiving, she's called out to examine the remains of a young boy in a blue duffel bag. The case develops into something Joanna could not expect... working with her colleague in Mexico, Joanna discovers the killer could be closer to home;, and she feels that this is not his/her first kill. The story is told in an interesting way - with alternating time lines and voices (Joanna's present day and the killer's travels.). About half-way through the book, the case picks up speed, and J.A. Jance keeps the read turning pages. Thank you to Harper Collins for an advance of othis book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Joanna Brady is looking forward to the holidays, too bad someone decides to ruin them for her. When a child living in the refugee camps in Mexico end up dead in a wash in her county she has to try to find out who the culprit is. With help from her friend Captain Arturo Peña with the Federales unit in Naco, Sonora she begins piecing together the puzzle. As she starts investigating an old high school teacher of hers, she discovers that the child may not be his only victim. This book is really more a thriller, rather than a mystery. It jumps from the 50's to present day following the murderer's life and crimes and then goes back to Sherriff Brady's investigation.
I find all of J. A. Jance's books are well written and draw you in quickly. I like the bit of her home life as well; her daughter has become a deputy in the Pima County Sheriff’s office and is planning to marry her longtime boyfriend just before Christmas.
My only little nit-pick is she has a scene where the Hall County Sherriff’s office call her about a murdered child taken from the State Fair in Grand Island. This supposedly took place in 1991. The Nebraska State Fair did not move to Grand Island until 2010. Overall, I can overlook the small error and enjoy the book. It's a great book and keeps you reading.

Another great Joanna Brady story...this one about a serial killer. I liked how the chapters went back and forth between the present and the 50 year history of the local high school teacher.

You have to hand it to JA Jance for keeping the Joanna Brady books fresh through twenty volumes. We've seen Joanna Brady from her first day on the job, to becoming a seasoned police officer, and learning more about crime and evil than anyone should ever need to.

The mystery here is both far-reaching and close to home, which Jance balances beautifully. It starts with the discovery of the body of a young boy. In anyone else's hands, the murder of someone trying to make it across the Mexican border into the US would have been shrugged off. Brady's fin-honed observation skills tell her this isn't the first murder.

Clues are scant at first, and not a lot of people at the border want to talk to the police, whether they are Bisbee County team or the Mexican Federales. Yet, because of hard work and honest dealings, Brady has resources others don't. Some people network. Brady's ability to tragedy into found family (seen over multiple past novels) means she has connections others don't. This gets us to the suspected serial killer who has been active for decades with friends and acquaintances none the wiser.

It would be easier, of course, if Bisbee County's rank (in both senses of the word) journalist wasn't dogging the investigating team's every step. Still, Jance gives us some insight to Marliss Shackleford that, to my endless surprise, had me feeling compassion for the woman for the first time.

The pacing is just short of frantic once the body is discovered, which kept me thoroughly engaged all the way. The characterizations are consistent, and Brady also gets to be inspiring when she addresses her eldest daughter's police academy graduating class.

One of the begt I've read in this series. Highly recommended. My thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

J. A. Jance has delivered another good one. Revisiting Bisbee's feisty sheriff and seeing her deal with family, friends and community is always a welcome read. Things are developing, people move on, kids grow up, a really nasty case needs resolution.

Following the bad guy right from the start was a bit strange and finding out about his connections to the Bisbee community was even stranger. Do I wish we'd had more facus on Sheriff Brady and family? Sure? Seeing the development of a serial killer was chilling and as a reader I couldn't wait for him to get caught.

The death at the end was surprising, but then again, not. Some characters eventually outstay their usefulness, so this could open the door for something more interesting. Happily waiting for the next one.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for this eARC.

Wow, I have followed the Joanna Brady series faithfully for years, and in The Girl from Devil's Lake Jance creates her most captivating novel in the series to date!

Joanna Brady faces her biggest challenge as she searches for a serial killer who has been operating in multiple states for numerous decades.

I was RIVETED and I read this book 📖 in one sitting - I cannot imagine any fan of police procedurals or mysteries doing otherwise!

If you haven't yet read Jance's Joanna Brady's series, start with this one, and like your favorite snack 🥨 food, I cannot imagine you can stop by reading just one - they are addictive, and this novel was... a perfect blend - not really a whodunit, but rather a "will this monster EVER be stopped?" type of a mystery.

Don't miss this one, mystery fans; it is a hand-down, standing ovation, 5 star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ winner (please excuse my mixed metaphors, I just really LOVE this mystery)! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️