Product Description

It looks like a classic crime of passion to Detective J.P Beaumont: two corpses found lovingly entwined in a broom closet of the Seattle School District building. The prime suspect, Pete Kelsey, admits his slain spouse was no novice at adultery, yet he swears he had nothing to do with the brutal deaths of the errant school official and her clergyman-turned-security guard companion. Beau believes him, but there's something the much sinned-upon widower's not telling -- and that spells serious trouble still to come.

Because the secret Pete's protecting is even hotter than extra-marital sex. . . and it could prove more lethal than murder.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103454 in Books
• Published on: 1991-03-01
• Released on: 2004-07-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780380758364
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
In his ninth appearance, Detective J. P. Beaumont of the Seattle Police is swamped with problems: a pair of corpses at the public school district office, and the unwelcome assistance of self-promoting Detective Paul Kramer. Marcia Kelsey, a district employee, and Alvin Chambers, a security guard, are found partially naked, legs entwined, dead of gunshot wounds. A note found nearby says, "A, See you tonight at the usual time. M." When Pete Kelsey learns that his wife may have been having an affair with Chambers, he calmly observes that she had always had "outside interests." Kramer is itching to pin the murders on Kelsey, and when the husband's name and identity turn out to be fake, the overly ambitious detective is ready to press charges. But Beaumont learns how 20 years of mostly innocent deceit have finally come to bear deadly fruit. This entertaining work moves along at a sprightly pace, sprinkling delicious clues along the way, but readers may conclude that Jance ( Minor in Possession ) isn't playing quite fair--Beaumont misses a crucial identification that a peripheral character makes easily late in the book. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
J.A. Jance is the American Mystery Award-winning author of the popular J.P. Beaumont mystery series as well as eight mysteries featuring Joanna Brady. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington.

From AudioFile
Seattle homicide detective J.P. Beaumont explores a puzzling double murder; the bodies are found in the school department's central office. Recovering alcoholic Beaumont is a low-key kind of guy; the suspects, from an overweight harridan to a frightened lesbian to a teenaged girl, are not. At first, Engene's narration seems choppy; then one realizes that his slow, ironic voice could be Beaumont's own. It captures the portrait of the middle-aged cop perfectly. The fully voiced narration renders each character distinctively, and the deep voice creates an overall tone of quiet rumination. There are eight additional titles in the series. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Jance Does It Again!
J.A. Jance's "Payment in Kind" is a great story. Again featuring one of the author's main protagonists, J.P. Beaumont, Jance weaves a spellnbinding trail that keeps the reader on edge and suspecting almost all of the characters in the story at one point or another; just as you are absolutely sure you know who did it -- you discover it wasn't them! Keeps you moving to the very last chapter.

One of the finest mystery writers today; a wonderful charcter (literally and figuratively) in Beaumont!

Another excellent book in the Beaumont series
I really enjoyed this book. Like the others in the Beaumont series, this was a quick read. The plot was entertaining. Just when you thought you knew who the killer was there was another slight twist. I also enjoyed learning more about J.P. Beaumont as the story was peppered with a few more details about his character. I would definately recommend this book.

Solid entertainment
First I must say in response to an earlier review, no the villian is not revealed early on! I don't know how she knew, but I didn't know until the very end! This was a good book and a fast pace read. I'm not usually a big mystery reader, but I really like Jance's style and most of all I like J.P. Beaumont. He is a great main character.