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Most people have defining moments in their past—those events that changed the direction of their lives forever, for better or for worse. And in Unfinished Business, the 16th Ali Reynolds novel by J.A. Jance, the team at High Noon Enterprises works to put two troubled men on different paths.
The story finds life turned upside-down for Ali Reynolds and the rest of the team. As Ali is struggling to come to terms with her father’s worsening dementia, a disgruntled tenant decides to fight back against his impending eviction, and tech expert Cami Lee goes missing. All of this happens just as High Noon is in the process of hiring Mateo Vega, one of Ali’s husband’s former employees, who has just gotten out of prison for murdering his girlfriend. Mateo says he’s innocent, and Ali believes him—and she’s determined to prove his innocence.
The interwoven drama and mysteries here definitely make for a busy novel. Ali and her husband, B. Simpson, welcome a new grandchild while Ali’s father’s health declines. Mateo connects with office manager Stu and sets a new case into motion, investigating what really happened on the night his girlfriend died. And when Ali attempts to evict shady home inspector Harvey McCluskey, she inadvertently puts herself and her team in danger.
All of the different characters and storylines end up getting twisted and tangled together. The story shifts from one plot to the next, sometimes staying there for long periods of time. We learn about the details of Harvey McCluskey’s past. We learn about Mateo’s time in and out of prison. And while all of these details eventually play into the story, it does mean that the book spends a lot of time away from the key characters in the series.
While long-time readers of the series will find a strong connection to the characters and the latest episode in their story, it also manages to stand surprisingly well on its own. You don’t need to have read the previous 15 novels to understand what’s going on—but with some of the plotlines left rather open-ended, it seems as though much of this installment may carry over into the next one.
Fans of Ali and her team are sure to find themselves caught up in the drama and suspense of Unfinished Business. But this isn’t just an easy-going crime thriller. It’s a rather hectic collection of different (and mostly unrelated) stories.
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