The Girl from Devil’s Lake
Joanna Brady Book 21
J. A. Jance
William Morrow Pub
Sept 30th, 2025
The Girl from Devil’s Lake by J. A. Jance once again brings back Cochise Sheriff Joanna Brady. What makes these books stand out is how Jance balances Brady’s professional life with her personal life of being a mother and wife.
The book has Joanna looking forward to the holidays with her busy family, and to celebrating her daughter Jenny’s graduation from the police academy. But she is called to duty after the body of a young boy is discovered beneath a flooded bridge in the Arizona desert. The young boy was murdered, and the details of the crime scene tell Joanna two things: this was not the killer’s first murder, and it’s only a matter of time before he kills again. She uncovers unlikely connections between cases of mysterious deaths and missing persons, having long since gone cold throughout the US.
Readers are introduced to Steve Roper, a serial killer, who has been hearing voices since he was a very small child. The first murder he committed was at the age of 11 in 1956. He eventually moved to Cochise County where he became a teacher. In fact, he was Joanna’s high school English and Science teacher.
Joanna knows she must chase down every dangerous lead before the serial killer strikes again.
Once again Jance does not let readers down with this riveting thriller that will keep people engrossed from the first page to the last. What makes the plot even more interesting is the alternating perspectives between Joanna’s investigation and the killer’s dark development.
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
J. A. Jance: I watch a lot of true crime stories. I am always struck how there are so many cases that go unsolved for decades. Police officers are still affected decades later. This is a book about a serial killer that starts out at a very young age, getting away with murder, and continues to follow that path. As you get older, he becomes a teacher, leading what appears to be a normal life, yet during his summers he drives across the country and murders people.
EC: Do you like writing serial killers and do they fascinate you?
JAJ: This is the second serial killer I have written about. The first one was Andrew Carlisle in the first Walker book, Hour of the Hunter. They are interesting to write but I cannot say I enjoy writing them.
EC: How would you describe Steve, the serial killer?
JAJ: He was born that way. I do not think his strict grandmother turned him into a killer. He was already on that path. One of the most interesting scenes to write in the book was when he went to visit his father in prison and becomes offended when his father made fun of people who hear voices in their heads. He heard voices in his head all his life that were all malicious.
EC: What other qualities did he have?
JAJ: He was arrogant, had zero empathy, did not value human life, and enjoyed watching his victims die. His weapon of choice was his hands. He dumped the bodies into water because it destroyed evidence.
EC: Do you dislike Marliss Shackelford, the reporter, as much as the readers do?
JAJ: Absolutely. My readers have despised her for twenty books. Her involvement in the crime was an impactful part of the book.
EC: There is a scene relevant to today when the national guard aids law enforcement. Please explain.
JAJ: Yes. Evidently, I have a crystal ball. I had a scene where Joanna asked the Governor for help. Seven members of the Arizona National Guard had been dispatched to the Cochise County jail to help maintain order.
EC: What about Anna Rae Green and Captain Arturo Dena?
JAJ: They worked hand in hand with Joanna, and all got along. I really liked these characters. In the sixties my sister had a ranch on the border. Someone broke in and stole her saddle. The Cochise sheriff spoke to the police chief in Sonora Mexico and miraculously the saddle came back home. My point is that in small locations personal relationships across the border help and have nothing to do with the political stance of either country.
EC: Would you ever bring back these characters?
JAJ: If I do write future Brady books, I might include Green and Dena because once a character shows up, they tend to come back in other books. Once I get to know a character it seems silly to abandon them completely. I enjoy watching a character grow over the years. In the first Brady book, Desert Heat, Jenny, Joanna’s daughter, was nine years old and in the third grade. Now she is graduating from the Arizona Police Academy. We have watched over the years her grow up, get married, and start a life of her own.
EC: Next book?
JAJ: The next book will be an Ali Reynolds book, and I am working on the next J. P. Beaumont book.
THANK YOU!!
