Betrayal of Trust

At first glance, what happens on the video appearsto be a childish game: a teenage girl with dark,wavy hair smiles for the camera, a blue scarf tied around her neck. Then things turn dark andgruesome, and the girl ends up dead. When a snuff film is discovered on a cell phone belonging to the governor of Washington State's grandson—a boy with a troubled background who swears he doesn't know the victim—the governor turns to an old friend, J. P. Beaumont, for help. Of the many horrors the Seattle private investigator has witnessed over the years, this one ranks near the top—especially since the crime's multiple perpetrators might well be minors. But this case of an apparent juvenile prank gone hideously wrong has deeper, more startling implications, leading Beau and Mel Soames—his partner in life and work—down a twisted path of corruption and lies that must be exposed before more young lives are obliterated.

J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, six thrillers about the Walker Family, and one volume of poetry. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, she lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington.