Improbable Cause

by J.A. Jance

Book Overview

Perhaps it was fitting justice: a dentist who enjoyed inflicting pain was murdered in his own chair. The question is not who wanted Dr. Frederick Nielsen dead, but rather who of the many finally... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380754126
• ISBN13: 9780380754120
• Release Date: February 1988
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

The Dentist Gets Drilled

Dr. Frederick Nielson is murdered in his office and isn't discovered for several days. J.P. Beaumont catches a case loaded with suspects who have all the reason in the world to avoid telling the truth. Beau gets help from his partner Big Al Lindstrom and his former partner, but the job is anything but simple. A strong police procedural that is a little heavy on the department kingpins opposition to the manner of the investigation. Excellent addition to an interesting series. Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSweet Man Is Gone (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series)

"I was stuck between a rock and a hard place"

In this installment of the J.P. Beaumont series, J.A. Jance gives us a well-crafted mystery, with many layers, and plenty of twists and turns. But she also allows us a further "peek under the tent" of the main character, which increases the enjoyment of these books even more and leaves us seeking the next one in the series. This time, Beau is summoned to a dentist's office, where the professional that generally makes the patients fear for their "life", has been murdered in a gruesome fashion and left to simmer for a couple of days. Right away, we get several people that have motive for murdering the dentist, and some of them are clearly doctoring their tale. A carpet installer was arguing with the victim before the dentist's demise, and there is a carpeting tool with blood on it. The assistant seems to be hiding something. The victim was separated from his wife, who claimed he beat her, and she was scheduled to meet the victim the day of the murder. And there are many other people that are not bothered in the least by the events. So J.P. and his official and unofficial partners, Big Al Lindstrom and Peters (helping from the hospital where he is recovering), start their quest to find the killer. In the process, Beaumont has to deal with the ever-annoying Maxwell Cole, who is back with his personal attacks through the newspaper column. Of course, there is also a female that Beau will have to figure out. In the last book his bad streak with women was not reverted, but at least the ending was not as bad as in previous cases. Will this be the time when his luck changes? The information we get on this book regarding the detective's relationship with his ex-wife and her betrayal will allow us to understand better some of the interactions we have seen in the past books. This book is another ride on a fast and furious roller coaster. I am bruised after reading it, because Jance has pulled the rug from under my feet so many times in this one that I have lost count of the times I was wrong about who did it. I don't mind the bumps though, because the end result is really satisfying. The only thing that I found a little over the top in this book was the way in which the top brass in the police reacted to Beau's decisions throughout the case. I understand the intent of showing the detective as a guy that has no regard for authority, but showing that authority in such an unreal light took a little away from this story. Anyway, the final result is still good enough to leave us satisfied, so do not miss it.

Great read!

I really enjoy the Detective Beaumont books and this one was among the best. I recommend it to anyone enjoying detective series.

Jance is Ready for a Promotion

Often, either late in a "mystery author's" career or posthumously, the author is found by the "snobberati" at the NY Times or one of the weekly newsmags. Since these critics would hate to be caught reading mysteries, the author is labelled a "NOVELIST" by the critics and given a big push in the media. It happened to Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, and John D. MacDonald among others. why wait until a deserving author is old or dead? It's time to give early attention to J A Jance. Her work transcends the genre and becomes a tale of characters-characters as well developed as those of a fine Dickens novel. In Improbable Cause, Jance weaves these characters into the story surrounding a dentist who is a spouse abuser. Why he was killed is plain. Who killed him becomes an investigation of sympathetic characters, none of whom you want to see arrested for the crime. When an ex-con is implicated, Beaumont finds himself at odds with his superiors who would rather settle for the obvious and easy suspect. In a rather unique ending, Beaumont solves the case and at investigation's end is covered with elephant manure and commended by the mayor. Although I had the killer figured early on (gut feeling, not clue finding) , the story carried me to the satisfying conclusion.

Solving this murder is like pulling teeth!

A dentist is found dead in his own dental chair. There is no shortage of suspects as he was disliked by many people for many different reasons. The trick is to find the real killer. The usual false leads are detailed until Beau solves the case. J.A. Jance is a habit-forming author. When you've read one of her books it makes you want to read the rest. This is not the best of the series, but it's not the worst either.