Left for Dead

Ali Reynolds #7

by J.A. Jance

When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, and an old friend is murdered, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in 'The New York Times' bestselling author J.A. Jance’s fast-paced mystery.

Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from her Arizona Police Academy days, is gunned down and left to die. He is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, are both under suspicion.

Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier. When she’s summoned to his hospital bedside in Tucson, it’s impossible for Ali to turn away. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there as well, working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, a young and unidentified border crosser who was raped and savagely beaten.

As more bodies begin to pile up, Ali becomes determined to seek justice, even when it becomes impossible to know where the danger is coming from. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, 'Left for Dead' is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Crime

304 pages, ebook

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

Judith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

Series:
* J.P. Beaumont
* Joanna Brady
* Ali Reynolds
* Walker Family

Reviews

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading J.A. Jance, especially her Ali Reynolds Series. But Left For Dead is not among my favorite novels in the series. Ali, girl, you really need to brush up on your skills you learned in the Academy if you're going to do some sleuthing. And the cops were a bit tunneled visioned in their investigations, I concede. But Ali, some of the things you and Sister Anselm were unnecessarily dangerous and a bit idiotic.

Ms. Jance, why did you go into such detail about Ali and Sister Anselm's back stories? I ask the same about Jose and Donnetella. Don't you want readers for your previous novels? But you did create a few great villains.

Deputy Jose Reyes is preforming a routine traffic stop when he is shot, and left for dead. His dash cam has been ripped out. There is Coke in the trunk of his Squad car. Is Ali's friend a dirty cop, or has the scene been staged to look as if he is? Ali Reynolds will find out the truth.

On the same evening, a young women is dumped in the Arizona desert also left to die. She has been tortured and beaten. The Supervisor of the Border Patrol Officer assumes the teen is an illegal and since she was breathing when she was Airlifted to Phoenix, Al Guiterrez should forget about the incident. He can't.

Both victims are in the same hospital. Ali with one, Sister Anselm with the other. These seemingly different cases, as well as another crime eventually link together in a very surprising way. That's what I love about Jance, she always surprises you

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. Good, but a little too much coincidence for me. Or did it just stand out this time? Thinking about coincidence, I find that many of our favourite genre use it as part of the plot. Is it because real-life detecting takes too much time for mystery and thriller novelists trying to hold our attention? The early chapters were slow but it picked up! Did it ever. Danger galore. Ali Reynolds' friend from her Arizona Police Academy days, Jose Reyes, had been shot and left for dead in the desert. Was he ambushed? Another colleague calls and alerts her. Reyes has a young family needing help with a third child on the way and Ali scoots off to the hospital in Tucson. Has Jose turned to the drug trade to supplement his meagre income? Evidence seems to point that way. But Ali trusts her friend. There's another patient on the same floor but just around the corner. An unidentified teenage girl was brutally attacked and also left for dead in the desert. Terrible burns to her body. An illegal border crosser? Ali's friend, patient advocate Sister Anslem, is doing her best to assist. Two botched murders. Is there a link between the them? You'll find out. (Oc2020/Oc2024)

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this author. She creates a few different threads in great detail and then brings them all together at the end. Sometimes it's a surprise....and sometimes it's not. This one was a bit a of a surprise. I love her creativity.

At times this felt a little too complicated but this author puts her shine on it in such a way that it has me saying, "Okay, I can process that," even when I know there is no way at all that those events could happen IRL. It's those little anchors that make it possible to go with the flow AND that is always something I can appreciate. I was ready to give this 3 stars, but I think I just talked myself into 4.

[L Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another great mystery for Ali Reynolds to solve!
There are always multiple things happening at one time in this series. Ali Reynolds is such a tough, smart and sincere character, it is exciting to feel like you are jumping into danger with her in each story. I look forward to the next in this series.

[Ladyhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most emotional of the series so far, for me.
Jance did an excellent job of piting good against evil. A plethora of suspicious suspects that tested the loyalty of friends and family.
Well done!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jance's Ali Reynolds series has improved, but there are still some pretty unbelievable things going on. Ali Reynolds is a former newscaster whose station turned her in for a newer model. Her husband did the same thing. In the first few books, she wrote a ridiculous blog for women who were treated badly. Don't ask me why I've continued reading this series! Eventually, she went to the police academy and worked as the media rep for the local sheriff's department, but she was laid off. Now her crime-busting is done solely on her own.

Ali and her pal, an elderly nun named Sister Anselm, are at it again in this installment. The police are pretty dumb and it's up to Ali and the good sister/hospital patient advocate to solve the crimes and protect the victims and witnesses. As usual, they both have Tasers and Ali has her trusty Glock. I laughed out loud when, after Ali had done some of the dumbest things possible, Jance reports that suddenly Ali's police academy training kicked in. Better late than never, I guess, but if Ali wants to save people and solve crimes, it would be a lot better if her police academy training would kick in a LOT sooner!

I vote for a return to her J.P. Beaumont (Seattle homicide cop) series as it was in the first several entries. I'd even welcome Sheriff Joanna Brady and her friends. J.A., you can do better.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good thriller, although initially I was annoyed at having to turn back because there were too many names, subplots. Ali Reynolds and Sistem Anselm have their dinner reunion precluded by the near death of a call girl, who is abandoned in the borderlands. Jose Reyes, a policy academy buddy of Ali's (not the ex-Mets shortstop) is almost killed in the line of duty and framed as a drug dealer. Then a popular postman is killed, and also framed as a drug dealer. There seem to be no ties between the two, except that the postman delivers the cop's mail; however, leveraging her technology boyfriend's company, Ali finds the link and has to rescue some innocents caught up in the revenge plot while the other crime is solved via the persistence of the Border Patrolmen who decided to ignore his boss's admonitions to leave it alone.

[Kelly Alone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and at #7 in the series, JA Jance seems to have found her stride to put together a great story that kept my interest. Yes, people do stupid things in their lives and you see that the author has her people do stupid things as well, in order to mirror real life. This one kept my attention and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced thriller with multiple story lines. Ali Reynolds is caught in a web of mystery involving the drug gangs of Arizona and attempted murders of two people. One is a close friend , Deputy Sheriff Jose Reyes who is shot and left for dead. When hospitalized instead of receiving support from his fellow officers , he and his wife are accused of dealing in drugs. Ali can't believe it and sets out to set the record straight.
The second case involves a young prostitute named Rose Ventana, who ran away from home at age 14 and was 'rescued' and turned into a prostitute named Breeze. As one gang goes after another, Rose ends up a victim and is also left for dead.
Now it is up to Ali to solve 2 puzzles because there is an eminent threat that whomever attempted the murders may return to complete their assignment.
As usual , Jance keeps the pace going at a feverish clip. I appreciate a book that is only 300 pages versus 500 pages......you get to read more books!

[Amy Winsand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by J.A. Jance, but hopefully, not my last. I picked it out of a "FREE" box in front of the Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Carnegie Library Annex building. Inside was a terrific permanent book sale, but this happened to be free!

The main character, Ali Reynolds, is retired from the Arizona police force, but called to the hospital bedside of a former Police Academy classmate after he's shot by someone presumed to be involved in the illegal drug trade. Everything on the surface points to his involvement, but Ali knows better. At the hospital, her path collides with the victim of a brutal assault. The entire story is complicated, but Jance weaves it all together. She manages to create an excellent mystery surrounding two victims - both "Left for Dead." Her characters are believable.

It was a suspenseful, and thoroughly enjoyable read, with an ending I did not expect - which I always applaud.

I'll be on the lookout for more Jance novels, and from the long list in the front of this book, there are plenty to find! Yay!

[Bonnie Dieffenbacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ali Reynolds goes to Tuscon to help the wife of a cop who was shot. At the same time, Sister Anseld is there as a pt advocate for a young prostitute who was found bruta,brutal, beaten. A very good read.

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A former classmate of Ali Reynolds at the Arizona Police Academy, Jose Reyes is gunned down and left for dead. What looks at first like a crime against the officer suddenly turns when the crime scene investigator finds more than he bargained for; and now both Reyes and his wife are under suspicion.

This is how the story begins, but there is far more occurring here then meets the eye. There seems to be several themes running through the book; but they are basically tied up by the end.

It will have you cringing and wondering how people could ever become such animals.

[Tina Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and action filled! This is a great series!

[Jean Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of the Ali Reynolds series I've read and though it's a good tale I think I still prefer this author's Joanna Brady series as I think this tale is a little too far fetched.

[Jennifer Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and how it was written and how each chapter was initially introducing characters, and then tying them together and that theme was consistent throughout. Each chapter a different character but intertwining and linking them altogether. I really liked the writing style but also the storyline was great! Couldn’t put it down, had to keep reading! Very engaging, fast-paced, on the edge of your seat story!

[Leslie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jance definitely keeps you reading ! Loved the Reyes family & Al G. from Border Patrol & memories about the way the Post Office was the center of the town people ! LOVE Sister Anselm as a Patient Advocate & all she stands for 🙏 Didn’t see “Who Done It” coming !

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a tedious read with less than stellar writing. I thought it was going to focus on Ali Reynolds, but the book spent more time detailing the life stories of nearly every single character besides her, minor or otherwise. The book started out promising, but soon degenerated into something ridiculous. The investigators were just plain stupid. If Ali's friend Jose had truly been shot during a drug deal gone bad, why the heck would the money and drugs still be left at the scene, which was in a secluded area where it is unlikely someone happened upon the crime to interrupt it? The shooter had time to smash the camera and steal its pieces, but not enough time to pick up the cash and drugs? Gosh! Even criminals have their priorities, I guess. But truly, it was obvious that he was set up. And later on in the story, when Rose aka Breeze was found alive and was ready to testify against the man who raped and tortured her, the police never thought to place a guard on her hospital room. Interesting. But then, if they had, the nun would not have been able to save the day, same as Ali did at the end instead of calling in the police. Another thing I disliked about this book was the lack of dialogue to move the story along. Whenever Ali talked to B on the phone or other people wanted to know what was happening, the author rehashed all the events in fine detail, repeating what the reader already knew. Boring! And much of the remainder of the dialogue was painfully stilted or childish at times. As an example, Ali is trying to get some help from one of B's employees in locating the woman who kidnapped two girls:
"She took the kids without permission?"
"Yes."
"So this is urgent?" (Ya think?)
"Very." (Uh huh)
"Let me get back to you." (Sure thing)
Hmmmm....
Anyway, I have read nearly all of this author's books from all the different series because I like most of the characters. I just wish she could write better in order to do them justice.

[Michael O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Left for Dead by J.A Jance is #7 in her Ali Reynolds mystery series. This is another great read by Jance with numerous plot twists and turns as well as a number of red-herrings. For most avid mystery buffs the villain is easily identifiable however the writing skill of Jance surprises the reader with the sheer cruelty of the villain. A great read.

From The Publisher:
When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, and an old friend is murdered, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s fast-paced mystery.

When Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, are both under suspicion.

Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Mercy Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for Ali to turn away. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there as well, working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified border crosser who was raped and savagely beaten.

As more bodies begin to pile up, Ali becomes determined to seek justice, even when it becomes impossible to know where the danger is coming from. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, Left for Dead is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Left for Dead was a very interesting story for me to read, and it kept me flipping the pages because something new was happening all the time. It was basically about a lady named Ali Reynolds who is a former news reporter person. She then goes onto police academy and such, so she meets a lot of the cops that work in the state of Arizona, and knows a lot of people. When a young girl was found on the side of the road by a friend of Ali's, she gets involved to try to find the killer. While that was happening her former police academy classmate was on duty when he was shot at, and nearly killed. Ali knew that she needed to find these two suspects. While it turned out that in the end all these people become connected, the man who got shot at was almost killed by his mother in law because she was jealous of him, and how good off he was. The young girl was almost killed by a hitman. These two stories were solved by the help of Ali Reynolds and her team. I enjoyed this book, but it was way to long for this predictable ending. The author included way to many characters and the different chapters varied so much that it was slightly hard to follow along. In the end it was a happy ending, and makes you feel good about the outcome. Everyone survived. The hitman and the mother in law, Olga died. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes digging deeper into each chapter, and really likes crime thrillers. I feel like they mentioned the same things one to many times, but it was fun, and interesting to read!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times bestselling J.A. Jance’s latest mystery-thriller. When Santa Cruz County deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, Ali’s classmate from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, both fall under suspicion of wrongdoing.Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier when she was dealing with a troubled friend. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Physicians Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for her to turn away. And knowing Reyes as well as she does, Ali finds it hard to believe that he’s become mixed up in the drug trade, despite evidence to the contrary. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds that her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there, too—working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified young woman presumed to be an illegal border crosser, who was raped and savagely beaten.Ali becomes determined to seek justice in both cases and secure safety for both victims. Together with Sister Anselm and a conscientious officer who won’t let the case drop despite pressure from above, Ali digs for clues to find the true culprits.

[Rick Ratzlaff]

Good story,a little long but enjoyed the characters.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

When violence from the drug wars with the Mexican cartels crosses the border into Arizona, and an old friend is murdered, Ali Reynolds steps in to investigate in New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance’s fast-paced mystery.

When Santa Cruz county deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, one of Ali Reynolds’s classmates from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, are both under suspicion.

Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Mercy Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for Ali to turn away. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there as well, working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified border crosser who was raped and savagely beaten.

As more bodies begin to pile up, Ali becomes determined to seek justice, even when it becomes impossible to know where the danger is coming from

[Joel Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little harder for me to get into than other J. A. Jance books I have read though perhaps that is due to it being the first Ali Reynolds book I have read.

Two seemingly unconnected people are discovered near death, one a beaten and burned young woman in an area of the desert known to be a route taken by illegal immigrants, the other a law enforcement officer. What is the connection...or is there one? As the story goes on, several twists will cause the reader to wonder just who the bad guys are as some upstanding citizens seem to have a secret life on the dark side. Eventually, the mystery becomes clear and, of course, the protagonist, Ali Reynolds, finds herself in the middle of solving both cases. No need to spoil the ending...but the book is certainly worth the read. I am sure I will try some of the other Ali Reynolds novel to see if I can get to know and appreciate this character as I have Joanna Brady. By the way, I did love the touch of a little internal advertising by the author...if you read it, you will know.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#7 in the Ali Reynolds series. Recurring character Sister Anselm begs off a dinner appointment with Ali. Coincidently, when Ali shows up at a Tucson hospital to help the family of a wounded police officer who is in ICU, she finds that Sister Anselm is the patient advocate for the wounded young woman in the next room.

Ali (Alison) Reynolds series - When 17-year-old Rose Ventana is found dead near the Mexican border, savagely beaten and tortured, the police assume she's just another casualty of the drug wars. But Ali's dear friend, Sister Anselm, thinks otherwise, and the two vigorous and persistent women discover links to other cases that suggest a serial killer at work. Meanwhile, the pair involve themselves in caring for the extended family of a local deputy, mysteriously wounded and suspected of dealing in drugs. Their own off-the-grid network of lawyers and security experts comes in handy for ferreting out leads. As usual, Ali charms the locals into giving valuable if inadvertent clues.

[Jovdb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the last one.

Ali becomes involved in a case when a former colleague from the Police Academy calls to let her know one of their classmates, Jose, has been shot and is in hospital. Ali goes to the hospital to see if she can help Jose’s wife, Teresa. Teresa is pregnant, due soon, and has two young daughters.

When Ali arrives at the hospital, her friend, Sister Anslem, is also there. SA is doing her patient advocate gig for a young girl found beaten and left for dead at the border.

As usual, Ali gets drawn into the case. The local police seem to have made up their minds that Jose is not a victim but rather involved in drugs; he was shot in a drug deal gone wrong.

No matter that the police are depicted as being inept, as usual, this is still a good read. The story moves along at a good pace, because Ali has to get back to her real life - gardens need planting, scholarships need to be awarded.

Her parents decide it is time to make changes in their lives; Chris and Athena’s twins are now toddlers; and B is still in Ali’s life.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

++++Ali Reynolds is busy, as are her parents, her son Christopher, her majordomo Leland Brooks & her very close friend Sister Anselm. AR is selecting the recipients of the Amelia Dougherty Askins Scholarship. Bob & Edie Larson are in the process of selling the Sugarloaf Cafe. Chris is preparing the footing for a bighorn sheep sculpture of his for Ali's front garden. And Leland is preparing a special meal for Sister Anselm who is in a board meeting in Flagstaff. Everything is interrupted when the sister receives a call sending her to Tucson & Ali also receives a call telling her a former classmate is in critical condition in a hospital in Tucson. Of course their paths cross. That is not the only seeming unlikely coincidence in this tale of deceit, vengeance, bitterness, dope dealing, illegal border crossings, pure evil, and murder. The above is up against honor, duty, doing one's best and plain old stubbornness. Oh yeah, don't forget absolute insanity.++++

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ali Reynolds and Sister Anselm make a great team. I have read several Ali novels including Trial by Fire which also included Sister Anselm. I am currently waiting for Duel to the Death #12 so thought I would read one of the early ones I missed. Several story lines going on which all kept me interested and curious.
It fun reading this during the 2018 March Madness basketball games.. Cinderella team Loyola of Chicago now getting ready for the March 30 “Final Four “game; surprised everyone with their wins ~ everyone except Sister Jean although 98, she is a lot like Sister Anselm.

[Kathy Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Lou Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like plot like I do, this book is for you. It has very enjoyable plot acrobatics, with a lot of fun twists and connections, well delt out for the reader. It has two weak points. The unnecessary histories of nunneries, hospitals and other side roads taken that wander around and away from the main story; and the final payoff, which speeds by and feels like a necessary postscript after all the great build up. And one point for me: if the main character had a life, house, car, bank account, manservant and looks a little less perfect, she would be more interesting, and the whole story would hold together more satisfactorily.

[Jennifer]

Not a bad book, but the author's writing is very repetitive. I'm reading all 4 of these series in date order. The JP Beaumont books are by far the best. He is a very well written character who actually evolves and grows over times. This book had a few things that started to bug me. There author uses the description "weedy" A LOT. Very silly to name a character Patty Patton, and then have her live in Patagonia. And then, when Jose and Teresa's house was vandalized, it was almost identical to when Joanna Brady's house was vandalized. In both instances, the young girls's rooms were untouched. It seemed like lazy writing.