Cold Betrayal

By: J. A. Jance

Narrated by: Karen Ziemba

Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Revenge isn't the only dish served cold....

Ali Reynolds' longtime friend, Taser-carrying nun,Sister Anselm, rushes to the bedside of a young pregnant woman hospitalized for severe injuries after she was hit by a car on a deserted Arizona highway. The girl had been running away from The Family, a polygamous cult with no patience for those who try to leave its ranks. Something about her strikes a chord in Sister Anselm, reminding her of a case she worked years before, when another young girl wasn't so lucky.

Meanwhile married life agrees with Ali. But any hopes that she and her husband, B. Simpson, will finally slow down and relax now that they've tied the knot are dashed when Ali's new daughter-in-law approaches her, desperate for help. The girl's grandmother, Betsy, is in danger: she's been receiving anonymous threats, and someone even broke into her home and turned on the gas burners in the middle of the night. But the local police think the elderly woman's just not as sharp as she used to be.

While Ali struggles to find a way to protect Betsy before it's too late, Sister Anselm needs her help as well, and the two race the clock to uncover the secrets that The Family has hidden for so long...before someone comes back to bury them forever.

From the New York Times best-selling author hailed for her "inimitable, take-no-prisoners style" (Kirkus Reviews), Cold Betrayal forces Ali to confront the face of evil and the women who are being hunted.

©2015 J.A. Jance. All rights reserved (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Karen Ziemba captivates listeners with her low-key portrayals.... She excels at portraying the story's many strong women, adding personality to their dialogue." (AudioFile)

Excellent but depressing novel

The primary topic of Cold Betrayal is sex trafficking. The novel is set in Arizona. A commune of approximately 25 families forces its girls at age 15 to choose between polygamy where the women are used as breeders, slavery to do the work, or being sold into sex slavery in foreign countries. Most boys are allowed to simply leave. The novel is well written and well performed.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Another wonderful read

I have read all of JA Jance's work and this book was like all very entertaining. The story was relevant and not too predictable.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Disappointed

I haven't read this author in some time but decided to give it a try. The reading was stiff, the story predictable. while the subject matter is a topic that demands more awareness, this story does not answer that need.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

great at 1.25 speed

At first, I was distracted and not following the story well. But once I increased the speed to 1.25, the listening experience was great.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

thanks

Love it. well written and well read. can't wait for more. thank you again

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Love it! Best Alli book yet

Great story. Kept me listening and couldn't stop. Fast paced and not predictable.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Right out of the newpaper headlines

Ali and B are married, back home working as hard as ever. Bella, the long haired Dachshund, has settled in with Ali and B. Ali has two balls in the air in this story. Ali’s daughter-in-law Athena asks Ali for help to protect her grandmother Betsy Peterson who lives in Bemidji, Minnesota. Betsy lives alone on a farm with her long haired Dachshund named Princess. She is convinced someone is trying to kill her and is emptying her bank account. The local police think she is a forgetful old lady. B and his company set up a surveillance system and Ali is the detective trying to find the person who is trying to kill Betsy. If this is not enough to handle, Sister Anselm calls Ali for help. A pregnant teenage girl is hit by a car and Sister Anselm finds out she is a runaway from a polygamist commune called “The Family.” Teenage girls are force to marry and are forced to become broodmares. They are kept illiterate, live in servitude and shun the outside world. The young girls they decide not to keep are sold to the international human trafficking crime syndicate. As Ali and Anselm investigate the commune the more danger they are in.

Jance balances the two plots lines and weaves them with great effect. The story is well written and well paced. The story seems to be right out of the headlines. It is good to learn what is going on with the regular characters in the series and maybe grandma Betsy will become a regular. Karen Ziemba does a good job narrating the story.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful

the best jance I've read to date. Great listen!!

loved it. 2 well done stories at once. went fast. want more. give it a try.

One of my favorites

Read and listened to almost all of Janice's books. One of my favorites..

Wow, Strong Women Lead this Story

I believe that unfortunately there is some truth in this story. That some parts of our country allow some people to dominate over others is so believable during this period of time. It does take an "army" of well meaning folks to liberate the oppressed. Excellent story! Some parts are difficult to hear and other parts make you angry.