Until Proven Guilty

J. P. Beaumont Series, Book 1

De: J. A. Jance

Narrado por: Gene Engene

Lurking in the dark corners of J. P. Beaumont's bizarre case was not just a demented mind obsessed with murder, but secrets so deadly that even a street-tough cop could die guessing.

Check out more of J. P. Beaumont's mysteries.©1992 J. A. Jance (P)2011 Books in Motion

What a surprise

I don't know squat about great "literature", but I have read many books labeled as such and none of them are much fun. I look for simple stories that are easy to follow on my daily walks. I usually gravitate towards westerns and Gene Engene is one of my favorite narrators so I looked up books narrated by him. When I ran across this series I thought I would give it a chance although mysteries weren't my favorite cup of tea. I absolutely loved this novel. Entertaining and very easy to follow and I would say you never knew for sure how it would end. I loved this from start to finish and I am looking forward to gobbling up the entire series. If you are looking for books that are just plain fun to listen to, I highly recommend this series.

I know it is kind of corny...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Sure. They are kind of corny but fun to listen to.

Would you be willing to try another book from J. A. Jance? Why or why not?

Of course. I've already listened to several of them. Decided I should probably get the back story and listen to the first one.

What three words best describe Gene Engene’s voice?

Variable Funny Bold

Did Until Proven Guilty inspire you to do anything?

Not really.

Well Worth My Second Try

What did you love best about Until Proven Guilty?

Thought provoking about having the mental illness of dual personality. That prognosis fits only a very small segment of mental illness.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mental illness is a life time illness that can be controlled with medication for some. However, medication cannot help everyone who has a definitive diagnosis of mental illness. Therefore, my favorite character was Ann. Her life was a cruel struggle, that I believe was her father's fault. If Ann had not witnessed the murder of her sister, by her father, she may never have had to become a vigilante for justice against those who murdered a helpless child. That occurrence was the catalyst that destroyed Ann's life.

Which character – as performed by Gene Engene – was your favorite?

That character would be Beau. His character required many variations of tone. There was anger, joy, love, hate and probably other's that I've missed. I feel that the narrator did convey all of his emotions very well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

That moment for me was when Beau had to use killing as self defense, in order to save himself from death. I know it was noted that Beau was a crack shot but how about the person who shot at him three times? There are always times when the reader has to make their own conclusions.

Any additional comments?

Gene Eugene's mom should have been more kind when naming her son. If the narrator gave himself that name, as an author, he should be ashamed of himself. I will definitely continue with the series. If the second novel is as good or better than the first I will then try the third. Character development was good. Wanting to continue with the novel because of enjoying it makes a good writer.

Liked it, didn’t love it

I decided to give this series a try because I live in Seattle and that is where the series is based. I enjoy actually knowing where the locations are as I have been to many myself. It adds personal memories to the story which helps draw me in. This particular story, however, did not appeal to me as I do not care for hyper-religious/cult storylines. I hope that the storylines are better moving forward in the series and I’m excited to see where they take me.

Characters, vivid descriptions. Unusual

So sad. Almost too sad. But that was part of what made it compelling. They are making me add more words.