Paradise Lost by J. A. Jance

It's been three years since Joanna Brady became sheriff of Cochise County. She's become a more confident manager, has solved many cases, and has successfully juggled the demands of her job and her personal life.  Should she run for re-election? This question lingers at the back of Joanna's mind as she tries to solve a new murder.

Joanna's daughter Jennifer and a troubled fellow Girl Scout discover the body of a brutally murdered woman. When the troubled Girl Scout is later killed in a hit and run, Joanna races to find the killer before her daughter becomes the next target. Jance continues to develop the relationships that make this series worthwhile reading, especially the one between Joanna and her mother. 371 pages.

Tombstone Courage by J. A. Jance

In the second book of the Joanna Brady series, Joanna begins life as the new sheriff of Cochise County. Her first case is the disappearance of old rancher who has just changed his will.  A search of the ranch turns up his dead body-atop a decades old skeleton! Joanna must unravel the tangled family history to find the killer AND try to maintain a home life for her young daughter.  I loved that Angie Kellog, the young prostitute from the first book who was rescued by Joanna, is now living in Bisbee creating a new life for herself.  408 pages.

Desert Heat by J. A.Jance

In this first book of the Joanna Brady series, a young sheriff is late coming home on his tenth anniversary.  When his wife goes looking for him, she finds him gut-shot and bleeding at the bottom of a creek bed. The county sheriff's department investigation into the shooting seems to point to suicide and corruption.  His young widow, Joanna Brady, decides to investigate his death on her own. I enjoyed reading this book for several reasons-good story, great location (I spent some early years in Arizona where this series takes place), and the introduction of a new character.  246 pages