Betrayal of Trust by J. A. JANCE

"This is the 20th book in the JP Beaumont series and I have read all 20. A lot of them have a great deal about Beaumont's personal life . A couple are a combination of another series' character (Sheriff Brady) and Beaumont . This book is not a combination of two series and it has a lot less of the personal . The investigation has plenty of twists and turns, the subject matter of bullying is an important one , and there is plenty of mystery . While I miss hearing about some of the characters in previous books ..." "I love J. A. Jance's several series, but the one featuring homicide detective J. P. Beaumont is my favorite. For some reason I can identify with him. He's had a tough life beginning with a childhood in poverty and no father. His mother was rejected by family when she discovered she was pregnant shortly after her sailor boyfriend died. His family refused to have anything to do with her either, so she struggled to raise him alone. (My childhood was lovely, thank you.) Only recently has he had a wonderful life, since he married Mel Soames, another homicide detective. They work for the Special Homicide Investigative Team with its unfortunate acronym, as partners. Their skills complement each other's. In this case they are assigned to a hush-hush problem in the governor's mansion. Josh, the governor's step-grandson, had been brought to live in the mansion after his mother died of an overdose. Obviously he has had a horrid life, and he's a troubled teen. The governor's two teenage daughters have differing reactions to his presence, but he ignores them anyway. He is caught coming home after a night out without permission. The guv confiscates his phone as punishment and discovers a snuff film on it. She immediately calls the Attorney General ..."

  이 책의 장르는 추리소설, 형사 소설이다. 하지만 글을 읽고 난 후에 느낀 점은 미국적인 가족소설이다는 것이다. CSI 시리즈를 본 적이 있는 사람이라면 아마 대충 글의 전개를 이해할 수 있을 것이다. 내용이 새롭다거나 충격적인 것은 아니다. (작가는 작품 속에서 자꾸 강조하지만...) 오히려 너무나 정형적인 인물들의 등장과 사건 구성의 결과라는 점에서 좀 지루하다. 다만 끝까지 읽게 만드는 남녀 주인공의 매력은 있는 거 같다. 문장은 독자의 원서 경험에 따라서 좀 어려울 수 있지만 내용을 이해하는데 큰 문제는 없기에 읽을 만하다.