Witness to Evil

Jeri Howard Mystery #7

by Janet Dawson

California sleuth Jeri Howard tracks a teenage runaway and runs into a deadly confrontation with neo-Nazis--in the seventh mystery by the award-winning author of A Credible Threat. Janet Dawson has been an Anthony and Shamus Award nominee and won the Private Eye Writers of America Best First Private Eye Novel Contest with Kindred Crimes.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller, Amazon, Crime

298 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Janet Dawson is the author of The Sacrificial Daughter, first in a new series featuring geriatric care manager. She has also written thirteen novels featuring Oakland private investigator Jeri Howard. Her first, Kindred Crimes, won the St. Martin's Press/Private Eye Writers of America contest for best first private eye novel. The most recent book in the series is The Devil Close Behind.

Her Jill McLeod historical mystery series features a Zephyrette sleuthing aboard the long-distance train called the California Zephyr in the early 1950s. The first in that series is Death Rides the Zephyr.

In the past, Dawson was a newspaper reporter and a Navy journalist. She has worked in the legal field and on the staff of the University of California Berkeley. She is a long-time member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

Reviews

[Cindy B.]

Enjoyed the WWII revisit, the character and morality of writer’s viewpoint. Kudos to the author and highly recommended for mystery / history fans and all others.

[Tuckie Taft]

Had me hooked

From the first chapter! Seeing Paris through The eyes of this PI and Darcy made me feel like I was going on this adventure with them. The subject matter,though A palling, gave me fresh eyes to how horrible racism is and will continue to pay until we do something about it.

[Mary Ellen]

Educational but suspenseful

I loved the historical aspect s of this story. I also enjoyed the intergenerational bc lose news between Darcy & her grandmother. The mysteries interspersed kept me interested. Well done.

[Betty]

Excellent read!

I am now on my 8th book in the series. The first 7 have kept me interested in Jeri Howard , the PI. Although I'm thinking is like to see more of Darcy and Darren Stefano plus Lindsey Page in Janet Dawson's JERI HOWARD series. They all compliment one another. Let's not forget Abigail and Black Bart! Best read in awhile.

[Marcia Ditter]

Absolutely fantastic read. The book starts off with a young girl running away from home and going to Paris. Her grandmother was a Holocaust survivor from Paris. Then the girl is sent to a school for troubled teens. There are Neo Nazis. The action does not stop. This is the first book that I read in the series. Will be reading the others and then on to Book 8.

[Richard Lang]

From California to Paris and Back

Janet Dawson's Jeri Howard is a private investigator based on Oakland, CA. One of the elements of Dawson's books is her geographical knowledge. Whether she's describing A!ameda, Paris or Fresno, (all three plus others in this book) and has her locations down. Her first Jeri Howard book son a prestigious award as best first PI novel, and she's writing as well here as she did then.

initially hired by some very wealthy but very poor parents to track down their runaway daughter who has gone off to Paris, she does. That fear alone won me over; it seemed to me that was almost impossible, but she made it very believable. Somewhere in there we meet up with the 17 year old Darcy DeStefano, who would be a welcome addition to the Howard universe if Dawson chooses in future books. And we are dominated into the world of the hidden children of WWII.

Darcy has gone to find out about her grandmother's life. Jeri encounters a researcher there to write about one of the hosts. Grandma and granddaughter unite, Jeri goes back to Oakland well paid. Then the action jumps forward. Jeri gets a message on her machine (who still uses an answering machine?) From Darcy, now 18 and bundled off to a "school" for troubled kids. The rest of the book is tracking her down, solving a murder, getting to truths about characters and dealing with skinheads and militias.

Except for a sleep.break (having started late at night), I read this one straight through. The good news is that it's that good. The less than good news (but by no means bad news) is that this is all about history and the case. Jeri doesn't go through a lot of changes. I personally prize character development;there isn't much. At the same time, however, how an unarmed PI manages to lead three others out of the clutches of three gun wielding captors is ingenious for both thing the entire story up in a bow and for being as believable as tracking a 17 year old runaway in Paris!

[Robert Crouch]

Jeri Howard series always offers something different, usually a social problem that encapsulates a crime or two. In this outing, Jeri has to track down runaway teenager, Darcy, who’s gone to Paris. It soon becomes clear that she’s tracking back through her grandmother’s time in Paris as a refugee from the Nazi occupation during World War II.

This history offers a hint at what’s to follow once Darcy’s returned to California. Sent off to a school for troubled teenagers, it isn’t long before she runs away and asks for Jeri’s help once more. It looks like Darcy may have murdered someone at the school.

But the truth is more sinister, as Jeri soon discovers.

Once again, Jeri is on the trail. The hunt through Paris is beautifully described. Darcy and her grandmother are terrific characters, both feisty and passionate about the truth. Back in California, Jeri’s journey is met with resistance from almost all sides as the school closes ranks, making for an intriguing and tense investigation.

It all leads to a dramatic climax that’s as exciting as it is tense, providing the perfect finish to a riveting story.

While you can read this book as a standalone, the Jeri Howard series is well worth a try as subject matter is always as intriguing as the investigations she undertakes.

[Kat]

love this series, part of boxed set

the pi goes to paris to find a run away girl. her parents dont have time to go get her. she took her moms credit card. not the first time she has done this

the pi found her and also made a friend who is a history teacher at cal poly. references to slo, which i love!

turns out the girls grandma was hidden as a child during the war and thats why the girl wanted to go to paris. the grandma came after the girl was found and they continued to see the places she stayed

the pi is looking to buy a house with the money she made looking for the girl but not having much luck

then after they got home to calif, the girl ran off again (she was put in school in bakersfield no wonder she took off!) and she had left a message with the pi sounding scared. they found a dead body in bakersfield and were looking for her in connection to it

it turned out to be a reporter undercover, but they figured out it was him and killed him
the girl had taken his disks and disappeared, but she found her and they all got away and the bad guys caught

i liked she went to slo and stayed with the history teacher. i liked mention of the streets in slo!

[Bonnie Irwin]

In general I have been enjoying this series, but here it appears that the author was trying to write two novels, only roughly stitched together. Part one of the book works as a travelogue to Paris, its cafes, and galleries, but the same issues could have been brought to the fore in a sense wandering way. The second part of the book, featuring our protagonist uncovering a racist extremist group, worked as a mystery/thriller. I do hope we will see more of the teenage Darcy, however, who was a bigger factor in Part one, which could have been its own thriller, with a bit more development.

[Bobbi]

Yet another very good mystery from Janet Dawson. She creates well-rounded, believable characters, and her plots are tightly worked out. This story is about a spirited young woman from a wealthy, but dysfunctional family, who runs away. Jeri Howard, the P.I., is hired to find her....in Paris....and then, again, in Bakersfield, CA. Such a wild ride. I quite enjoyed the character of Darcy (the young woman), and the plot conversations about militias, extremists, and so-called "schools" preying on parents who have children that confound them.

[Judy]

Hard to put down kind of two story in one. First a wild 17 year old takes her mother’s credit card and flys to Paris. Jeri gets hired to find and bring her home. Part 2 back home daughter gets dragged off to boarding school in the valley where she runs away. One murdered employee left behind. She is a murderer or witness. And there is something not right about the school. As both an Alameda and California resident I especially enjoy her descriptions of areas and location

[Lennie McDonald]

A different sort of read.

I enjoyed this book a lot.
I think readers who are interested in impressionist paintings and the holocaust will have a lot of interest in this story.
It all starts with a teen runaway and from there it's Paris and back to the USA.
The plots will keep you guessing and makes this a most interesting read.

[Ellen White]

Runaway teen, to bring home, there is always a lot more to the story then they tell you. This was the case for Jeri , bad vibes, and bad teens. Good characters, jeri sets out to get the job done, and she does

[Eirlys]

Enthralling story

I liked Jeri, a PI , who is feisty and professional. The characters were fleshed out and believable, and their interactions enriched the story. Some characters were repulsive, but some people really are that way.

[Ashley]

I really like the Jeri Howard series but this book took me forever to read. It took a long time to get into it and I just kept reading and listening to other books that grabbed my interest more. Interesting subject matter that finally got more intriguing near the end.

[Lois Buck]

Witness to Evil

I love Janet Dawson's books! Each one focuses on a timely and controversial subject and digs into it as Jeri pursues her case. This one focuses on hate groups. Excellent book, Janet!!

[paulette sarelli]

Great detective thriller

This story kept you on your toes until the end. It was very informative regarding the holocaust. I think the author went a little overboard with all the descriptions of Paris. Loved the main character Jeri. Would love to read more of her adventures!

[Glenn]

Teenage adventure

Enjoy the Jeri Howard series. Jeri has her hands full trying to wrangle a rambunctious teenager. Adventures and mayhem come from Paris and back to southern California.

[Kay Schweers]

Excellent!

[Mary]

Another good mystery, Jeri on the trail of a missing teenager who’s a suspect in murder.

[Sienna S'Zell]

A scenic tour of Paris, among other things going on. Lots of comments about Impressionist artists, and tying into searching for more info on the lost children of the Holocaust, sent away to save their lives from ethnic cleansing. Interesting read.

[Carole Robertson]

Love this series

[Beth Helm]

I loved this book. It needs some more polishing. This book touched on some very sensitive topics and was handled with a deft hand.

[Merle E. Cannon]

I’ve read a lot of her books. Her best one yet!

[Rizello]

Jeri is assigned to a case to track down a runaway teenager in Paris. Along the way, she discovers there is more to the story.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 4/25

[Mailmanr5]

3-1/2 stars. This is mostly about two chases. It's a little long. Starts out as a missing person case and ends up with murder.

[Gregory L Johnson]

Love it . Now starting another of her books!

[Nadine]

Really enjoyed this--it's #7 in the Jeri Howard Mystery series by Janet Dawson. Jeri accepts a contract to locate and bring home a runaway teenager. But there is more to the story than initially met the eye. Layer upon layer is opened and finally comes to a satisfying conclusion.

[Carol]

I like the main character of this series, Jeri Howard, PI. She is a no nonesense kind of woman and willing to go after her objective full tilt. This book takes you into two not so nice sides of humanity, Neo Nazis and bad schools for troubled teens.