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Second Watch LP: A J. P. Beaumont Novel (2013)

by J.A. Jance(Favorite Author)

4.14 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0062253727 (ISBN13: 9780062253729)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

HarperLuxe

series

J.P. Beaumont

review 1: Let me begin by saying that it takes a LOT--I mean A LOT--for me to not finish a book I start reading. As of right now, I am debating finishing 'Second Watch.' I'm about 100 pages into it and perhaps, based on the numerous 5 star reviews, I will conclude it. But I doubt it.I read one other book by JA Jance, from the Allie Reynolds series. That one was...decent. I believe I gave it 3 stars. However, so far (and I've never written a review while still reading a book) this book is torture.I find the characters utterly boring. They are cardboard cut-outs of each other. No emotion and I do not connect with any of them. (I felt this way with the other Jance book I read also) but this is too over the top. After 100 pages, I find myself not caring at all.In my opinion, there are T... moreWO main issues with this book:1) Name overload. A good writer, I believe, is someone who introduces you to the protagonist slowly. It's not necessary to tell the reader the main characters entire life story in the first few pages. Yet, Ms. Jance does exactly this. Every person--including unimportant secondary characters--are given names and backgrounds. WHY???I'm not joking but here is proof--Try and follow:The main character, JP Beaumont, his wife Melisa, his surgeon Dr. Merritt Auld, his daughter Kelly, Kelly's husband Jeff Cartwright, his grandkids Kayla and Kyle, his daughter-in-law Cherisse, his son Scott, his friend Ron Peters, Ron Peters' daughters Heather and Tracy, and also Monica Wellington. AND THIS IS JUST IN THE FIRST FOURTEEN PAGES!!!!In chapter 2, the name overload and madness continues: Beaumont's partner Rory MacPherson (who goes by Mack), Mack's wife Melody, Beaumont's first wife and mother of his children Karen, believe it or not Karen's boyfriend from college, Maxwell Cole, Donnie Dodd, Frankie Dodd and Doc Baker, the medical examiner.In Chap 3, more characters are added: Detective Larry Powell, Detective Watty Watkins, Mrs. Jerome Fisk.To me, to introduce 23--yes, TWENTY THREE characters--in the first 36 pages is ridiculous. I'm not an idiot, but I found myself looking back by page 30, asking, "Okay, who is that again?"We also learn that Beaumont's ex-wife, Karen, was a Simon and Garfunkel fan. Her favorite song was 'Sounds of Silence.' Okay, I like Simon and Garfunkel too and 'Sounds of Silence' is a classic. However, who the heck cares what the favorite song of the main characters ex-wife was??? It has no bearing on the story. Yet, these trivial tidbits are thrown in for no reason at allAnd it doesn't let up much. Soon, we find the protagonist gets reassigned and now we are introduced to yet more new characters. We're also introduced to the protagonists nurses, Nurse Jackie and Nurse Keith. And so on and so on.To add to this insanity is the fact that several characters go by nicknames. Sure, why not. The main character is names Jonas Piedmont Beaumont. But he goes by JP Beaumont. However, his wife calls him "Mr. B." his friends mostly call him Beau but some of his other friends call him 'Mont.' HIs wife is named Melissa, but he calls her Mel. However, sometimes he refers to his own wife by her full maiden name: Melissa Soames.The book is also completely disjointed and skips around. It starts in 2010 with the main character going in for knee replacement surgery. While he is recovering, he starts thinking back to a case--his first case--from back in 1973. Why? Because he is visited by the ghost a murdered girl. The segues are not smooth and transitional and it frequently takes you several paragraphs to realize what year you're in: 1973 or 2010?And then, just for S's and g's, the main character also gets visited by the ghost of his dead lieutenant from Viet Nam. Ooops. Time for more flashbacks and since these flashbacks involve his platoon buddies, lets introduce some more characters.Another issue I have as an example is from page 42: (the main character, Beaumont, who is telling the story in first person, is recovering in a hospital bed and bothered by the fact that nurses wake you up while you are sleeping:*** "Why do they do that? People are in hospitals for a reason--to get better from an illness or to recover from surgery. If patients are sleeping peacefully, why wake them up to see if they're alright? Why not let them sleep until they wake up on their own, at which time they can ring the bell and let someone know is more medication is in order? But let's not even go there, because that's not the way hospitals work" ****Think about this for a second. You (the author) just wrote a paragraph and then finished it by saying, 'Let's not even go there.' HUH??? So, why the heck did you bother writing it????This novel is filled with numerous sections like this as well. I don't need to know the history of the restaurant where the main character had lunch, I don't need a street by street description of how to get from the main characters house to the hospital and why it's easier to take the bridge rather than an interstate because the bridge has a toll but less traffic so most people forego the toll and take the interstate which causes gridlock. Who cares???? None of this is relevant.One scene I just found laughable and literally had to stop reading and debate even continuing. In 1973, "Beau" and his partner are investigating a murder. There are 2 kids who witnessed a pick-up truck dumping a body. The kids were out after curfew smoking a cigarette somewhere they should not have been. The detectives learn that the kids have a father who beats them. Since the detective himself had an abusive father, he decides NOT to question the kids anymore so they don't get in trouble. Are you kidding me??? Can you REALLY picture a detective possibly letting a murderer get away and go unsolved for THAT reason??? Insane.The ONLY positive is the book is fast moving. But that's it. I'm giving it one star only because I cant give it less. I doubt I will go back to finish it. I simply don't care about the victim, the crime, or feel anything for any of the characters.This is the second book by Jance I've read. The first one was decent at best, though I find myself reading it only to see if it got better. I really didn't care. I'm not making that same mistake with this book. I doubt I'll read any more of her work.
review 2: I was looking for another entertaining read that didn't involve a lot of thinking, and this was it. The plot twists were unbelievable at times, but the side story in the book was very interesting. It depicts a true story from the Vietnam War about Leonard Douglas Davis, who was killed in August 1966 and who went to high school with the author. My Father did a couple of tours in Vietnam, but he never talked about it so it's nice to get glimpses into the personal side of the war wherever they're offered. less

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