J.P. Beaumont is J.A. Jance’s first and longest-running series of crime fiction novels. Beaumont is a seasoned Seattle homicide detective with a sardonic sense of humour, starting the series with what J.A. refers to as “an affinity for alcohol.” Readers love Beau and the lively supporting characters, who they grow to care about as the series progresses.

Despite the grim subject matter of the realistic crime stories, J.A. injects humour and heart into the stories and the lives of her characters. J.A. says that when it comes to writing her characters, they “are people first and police officers second.” She adds, “When they get hurt either physically or emotionally, they don’t get over it within the next twenty pages.”

J.A. also has a subtle and precise attention to detail that gives her stories an extra level of authenticity, often referring to real places in Seattle that she has researched and visited herself.

The J.P. Beaumont series is best read in order to fully appreciate the ongoing character development and sequential storylines. Beaumont has co-starred with characters from other J.A. Jance series. He appears with Joanna Brady in Partner in Crime (Book 16), Fire and Ice (Book 19), and several novellas. He also teams up with Brandon Walker from the Walker Family series in Dance of the Bones (Book 22). These “team-up” books are listed under both series.