Ali learns from her parents, who run a café in Sedona, Arizona, that a colleague that had worked for her station’s affiliate in Sacramento has been looking for her. Brenda Riley had given her parents a capsule story of her sad predicament. They gave her Ali’s contact information and Brenda is on her way to see Ali in Phoenix.

When Ali first sees Brenda she is startled beyond words. The once poised, well attired and made up woman who was herself a competent newscaster looks like a drunk down on her luck. Indeed Brenda and her spirit of choice seem to be good friends. Ali is not sure she wants or needs to get involved in a hard luck story from someone she considers an acquaintance rather than a friend, but agrees to hear Brenda’s tale.

Brenda had gotten engaged to a man she met on the internet named Richard Lattimer. Though she and her beau had never met in person, they had gone so far as to be looking at engagement rings when Richard suddenly broke off their engagement. Brenda is convinced that something terrible has befallen Richard.

Regarding Brenda objectively, Ali can see how a man might back out of a relationship with a woman who is clearly as confused and needy as Brenda. She is too polite to say this to her face. She does suggest to Brenda that she might run a background check on her fiancé to determine if he is as stalwart a man as he claims to be. Brenda is clueless as to how to conduct such a check. Ali, viewing this as a way to gently remove this woman from her life, agrees to use her resources to find out the general information available on Richard Lattimer, thinking she will find the man just couldn’t cope with the dependent Brenda. She could not have been more wrong…

J.A. Jance in Fatal Error has produced a mystery novel in which the main protagonist is not quite a member of the police department but has clearly more credentials than the average amateur sleuth. She has had police training and is capable of taking care of herself, though when she stumbles on a crime scene she has unique problems. She understands the importance of not contaminating a crime scene, securing a chain of evidence and proper warrants. It is interesting to see how cleverly the author sets up her story to maintain credibility without the blood and guts aspect seemingly so necessary in a mystery where a murder takes place.

Another tactic that Jance uses to great effect is keeping the romantic aspects of her protagonist’s life in the background. The tale in itself is compelling enough to not require steamy sex scenes to engage the reader’s attention. Yes, Ali has a significant other but he is off doing his own job during her adventure. Yes, Ali deals with her male counterparts in the police departments. No one seems to have any special hang up so they can’t relate to other people of either sex, and the result is a satisfying read.

While not delving deeply into points of law or forensics, the author keeps her facts straight. One doesn’t have to have a law degree or a degree in forensic science to follow her train of thought, yet she adds enough specifics to keep the details realistic.

The setting in this novel, unlike others in the series, is not confined to Arizona. A significant portion of the action takes place in various locations in California. This gives the author ample opportunity to discuss various subjects relating to jurisdiction. Ali, of course not having police credentials, has no legal right to do anything related to collection of evidence. It is interesting to see how resourceful she can be to obtain what she needs and still have the information untainted legally.

Except for those folks who aren’t satisfied unless a book contains a vivid description of violent death or explicit sex, this novel should appeal to a wide variety of mystery readers. Jance has several series under her belt each with its own unique stamp. This addition to the Ali Reynolds chronicles is no exception.

--Andy Plonka