J.A. Jance

Mary Ann Halpin

J.A. Jance is The New York Times bestselling author of more than 70 books. Born in South Dakota and raised in Bisbee, Arizona, she and her husband live in the Seattle area with their two long-haired dachshunds, Mary and Jojo. She is a Tucson Festival of Book Founders Award recipient, is the author of 26 J.P. Beaumont, 21 Joanna Brady, 18 Ali Reynolds and 6 Walker family books. She also writes poetry.  Her new book is "Smoke and Mirrors".

Visit website |

Awards: Tucson Festival of Books Founder's Award, Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, University of Arizona, 2000

Communities: Arizona Author

Books:

Smoke and Mirrors

Mystery / Thrillers
Gallery Books
March 2027
ISBN 9781668206805
Hardback, 0 pages

A disgraced former TV anchor dies in a remote Nevada crash—but her family refuses to believe it was an accident. When Holly Holbrook is killed shortly after pursuing a decades-old media scandal, her son Dave and grandmother begin digging for answers, uncovering evidence she was deliberately run off the road. Their search pulls in Ali Reynolds, a former anchor turned cybersecurity executive—and one of the last people to see Holly alive. What starts as a suspicious death quickly unravels into something far bigger: a buried murder, a powerful network tied to drug trafficking, and a pattern of women silenced when they get too close to the truth. As digital forensics, old secrets, and relentless determination converge, the trio finds themselves facing a ruthless adversary who has spent years hiding in plain sight—and will kill again to stay that way. Smoke and Mirrors is a high-stakes thriller about power, corruption, and the dangerous cost of exposing the truth. More/less

The Taken Ones

A J. P. Beaumont Novel
Mystery / Thrillers
William Morrow
November 2026
ISBN 9780063413122
Hardcover, 0 pages

In this twisty, fast-paced mystery spanning from Alaska to Washington, young girls are going missing, and private investigator J. P. Beaumont is the only one who can find them, from New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance. Despite her name, Twinkle Winkleman is as tough as nails. A skilled mechanic and certified spitfire, she has a nose for trouble. So when young women from Anchorage begin disappearing after heading to Seattle for “internships,” Twinkle is convinced that something dangerous is happening. But both the Anchorage and Seattle authorities dismiss her out of hand. With nowhere else to turn, Twinkle calls on an old friend: private investigator J. P. Beaumont. While Twinkle and J. P. investigate the disappearances, they stumble upon a plot more nefarious than they could have imagined. Can they put a stop to the kidnappings—and bring the girls home—before it’s too late? More/less