Collateral Damage – J.A. Jance

It’s the start of a new year, and B Simpson is preparing to fly overseas to attend a ransomware conference, representing High Noon Enterprises. As he and his hired driver, Hal, head for the airport, Hal notices a truck following them a bit too closely. Assuming it’s nothing more than a tailgater, he continues the journey, until the truck pulls alongside him and attempts to ram the car, resulting in a serious crash, with both B & Hal suffering significant injuries.

Ali Reynolds is enjoying some alone time, when long time employee Stu Ramey shows up at her & B’s home to tell her of the accident. As they quickly head to the hospital, they learn that B is stable after surgery, but Hal is critical and requiring life support. B reassures Ali that he’ll be fine, but that she must take his place at the conference to represent High Noon, to which Ali reluctantly agrees. Meanwhile, the police investigating the scene learn that the crash was intentional – and believe that B was the intended target of the perpetrator. As the detectives start digging into B & Hal’s background, the focus quickly turns to Ali as a potential suspect, as she would have the most to gain if B had been killed.

As Ali and a High Noon colleague prepare to head to London, Stu and Frigg - Stu’s AI computer - start their own investigation into the crash. As Frigg does her thing, albeit more than a bit illegally, she is able to link several seemingly random deaths together, with the one denominator being a recently paroled former cop, Frank Munoz. But can Ali & Stu steer the detectives in the right direction without compromising High Noon & Frigg?

I love ALL of Jance’s series, and this book is another great addition to the Ali Reynolds saga. I love the growth in the characters from book to book – it’s like welcoming old friends in for a visit. Honestly too, Frigg is just such a refreshing & unique character – I never tire of her exploits! Great read, great series!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Gallery Books in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Collateral Damage is the 17th book in the Ali Reynolds mystery series by J.A. Jance. My thanks go to Net Galley and Gallery Books for the review copy; this book is for sale now.

As fans of the series know, Ali is married to B. Simpson, and together they run a small but increasingly prominent cybersecurity firm called High Noon, appropriately named given their Arizona home base. In this installment, B. is on his way to the airport when he’s run off the road. He and the man driving him are badly injured, and the police take the lazy way out, assuming that Ali is behind the crime. Who could better benefit from his death? The business is worth a lot of money, not to mention B’s fat life insurance policy. Soon Ali and her trusted High Noon employees investigate, assisted once more by Frigg, the nearly sentient AI that can go where no one is supposed to go, and find out things that aren’t legally obtainable.

Jance is a veteran mystery writer, and she’s produced bestselling novels for decades. This time around, the novel is better than what most authors can do on their best days, and yet it’s not Jance’s most riveting story. The pacing is on the sedate side, and it’s not until we are well and truly at the climax that it feels urgent. I suspect this is because the story’s protagonist, Ali, and the other repeating characters that I have enjoyed so much over the past few years are sidelined here. Once Frigg ferrets out the critical information that suggests that the crime is the work of a longtime serial killer, Ali provides the cops whose unsolved cases are involved, and we mostly follow them, alternately with the baddie.

A side note, but one worth mentioning: Jance has a couple of long-running series that are set in Arizona, and there have been times when I’ve reported that I dislike the tinge of stereotyping that I have seen in the way her Latinx and Black side characters are depicted. I feel as if she’s turned that around here, and having registered complaints in the past, it’s only fair to recognize that this time, she’s done well.

Fans of the series will want to read this in order to enjoy continuity between the last, Unfinished Business, and whatever she writes next. For new readers, I advise beginning the series with number 11, Clawback. Going back to the first entry—which of course, you can do—requires reading the series before it develops into a strong vehicle. If you start the series here instead, you will have the information you need to move forward, and the quality is as uniformly excellent as any other series I have read.

I recommend this book to Jance’s readers, and I recommend it to new readers as suggested above.

Is it wrong to say that Frigg is my favorite character?

As a refreshing change, at least to me, Ali is not the central character in this book and it is good to see others taking that role.

You know early on the who, what, where, how, and why, so you aren’t as invested in the who has done it. You are there to watch all the puzzle pieces fit into place. Having read an advanced reading copy, I found it interesting that there was a single sentence referencing the pandemic. Not sure if that will make it into the final copy, but it could be an interesting jumping-off point for the next book in the series. Also, another thing that threw me off was the mention of money and the price of a cybersecurity contract. That number was way too low for the types of elite companies High Noon Enterprises work with. For me, the little things always interrupt my reading flow. Most won’t notice it, but for me, it was a sticking point.

This series has always been hit or miss with me, and Collateral Damage was a hit.

This is my first Ali Reynolds book, but it won't be my last. I was concerned that I would be lost in this book since the series has gone on for so long. I had nothing to worry about. The author gives enough information about the past without going overboard.

A disgraced cop has just been released from prison. With the help of mob money, he has hired hits on the four people he considers at fault for his incarceration.

Ali becomes involved when one of the intended hits was on a man driving her husband to the airport. The car crash left both men in serious condition, and left Ali on a mission to find out who is responsible.

Her investigation involves several victims in several different jurisdictions. Since she's using her resources in the cybersecurity field, the only way to catch the perpetrator is to give information to each jurisdiction. And since this is information she really shouldn't have, she has to tread carefully.

I loved the complexity of the story, and highly recommend it.

I was desperate for a book that I would lose myself in. J.A. Jance wrote that book. Collateral Damage is a mystery thriller that had me hooked from the first chapter and kept me turning pages until I turned the last one. Even with the last page turn, I was left wanting more.



This book tells of a suspicious car accident that Ali’s husband, B., was in. Ali cannot let it rest in the police’s hand. She does her own investigating with the help of the people at High Noon and starts to put it all together. I enjoyed watching her work to solve the mystery but also how much she takes care of B. while he works to heal.

I have read a few of the other books in the Ali Reynolds series but not them all. I really like that this series can be read as a standalone. Each book has its own mystery but is solved by the end. I am excited to find more books in this series and continue reading more of Ali Reynolds and her skills at solving mysteries.

The 17th installment in the bestselling Ali Reynolds series by J.A. Jance, is Collateral Damage, where Ali finds herself under a huge amount of stress, as well as grief. Her father has recently died, and her husband has been in a serious and suspicious automobile accident on his way to a London business meeting, where he is hospitalized in critical condition. Because Ali is the most knowledgeable about the business deals at High Noon, their company, she finally agrees to take her husband, B. Simpson’s, place in London. Ali puts herself and the entire High Noon team in danger because of her investigation of the facts.

Jance has developed her characters well throughout the 17 installments, and Ali Reynolds, the protagonist, is a much loved character, who is believable as a real person. The supporting characters are also well developed. Jance is also a gifted storyteller and keeps her readers on the edge as the story unfolds with ups and downs. As is Janice’s style, the dénouement is very near the end, which makes for late night reading to find out what happens next. The novel is very well written, and easy to follow.

All told, this is an excellent addition to the popular series, and readers new to the series will definitely want to go back and read the previous novels in the series. This one gets five stars and is highly recommended.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Still working on my NY Resolution to write reviews as soon as I read the book.

Another great Allie Reynolds book. This series is by far my favorites of all the JA Jance books. I love the characters and how they have grown and become three dimensional as the series evolves. Stu and Carrie have really developed and grown. I wish there was a bit more of B. Simpson…he always seems to be flying off to go somewhere leaving the High Noon to be run by Allie, Stu, and Carrie. Can’t wait for the next one! I hope Jance never retires.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really enjoy the unique characters in this series and how they have grown. Stuart has developed more personal skills. Cami is more confident in spite of her parents wanting her to pursue a different career. They are The HIgh Noon team is helping some hackers into a lawful career. I was happy Ali was able to visit with Leland.

But one of my favorite things now is the AI Frigg. They have to instruct her to separate the lawfully gathered to the illegally hacked info so they only bring forward the legal stuff to help law enforcement. But her reach just with regular public information is staggering. I cackle every time there is a howler - when she finds some critical relevant evidence.

In Collateral Damage, a criminal, formerly a cop, decides to get back at the people who put him away and hires for their murders. One of the detectives, now retired and driving limos for the people contact, is driving B. when the killer strikes. The local cop decides Ali is the one who tried to kill her husband. But there continue to be hits, some successful and others not, which the team puts together with evidence., keeping the local dimwit out of the loop I was satisfied to see the bad guys brought down which is par for the course in these stories.

Frank Munoz is out on parole and has his sights on revenge for anyone who had anything in putting him behind bars.
One revenge ends up putting Ali's husband in the hospital, which he was not a part of Frank's arrest, so he was collateral damage.
The one investigator for the B's accident is trying to pin it on Ali and such an ass.. So Ali gets help from her company in finding Frank.
I like Ali and B's business and how they are there for each other. Their company can reach out and find info better than the police.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the book to review.

Collateral Damage by J A Jance was a pure joy to read. I never used to miss one of her releases and now it’s been several years since I have read one. Allie Reynolds is my favorite of her menage of characters. She is well written and has grown immeasurably over the years. Her current position at High Noon is definitely her second career; previously she had been a television news anchor in Los Angeles, but had been let go when she passed a certain age. You can imagine how well that went over. She is a woman comfortable in her own skin and in her marriage to a man fifteen years younger than her. B, her husband travels a lot, overseas mostly, in his capacity as head of this cyber-security firm with high profile clients all over the world. He had been on his way to the airport when he was involved in a horrendous automobile accident. It didn’t appear to be an accident, really, but was he the target or his driver, retired Pasadena police detective, Hal Holman? That could be dealt with later, right now Allie had to prepare to replace B at the tech conference he had been heading for. She could represent B, but she needed Cammie to be the tech wizard she was. Before anyone could blink an eye, they were in the air, leaving Stu and his AI, Frigg (who never sleeps) investigating.

Jance has a unique style, jumping from one part of the story to another in each chapter. She tells the stories, not only of her main characters, but of other people who may have been involved in the crime, either as perpetrators or as victims or people auxillary to victims. It is a truly amazing feat that she brings all these pieces together to solve the crime, and maybe one or two others she hadn’t really been looking at. It is a very readable style of writing. The plot was a good one, with tentacles reaching across time and geography, pulling together a seemingly unrelated group of people, as is Jance’s wont, to solve crimes no one else would have considered related. All due to Frigg, just as she contemplates, on the page, the morality of using this AI. It is a wonderful story, the continuation of a wonderful series.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Collateral Damage by Gallery Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #GalleryBooks #JAJance #CollateralDamage

Set in the first days of 2020 when Ali Reynolds is still dealing with the loss of her father and is facing some uncertainties with High Noon Enterprises, the cybersecurity firm run by Ali and her husband B. Simpson. B. (that’s how her husband is known) is about to travel to London for a conference where he hopes to calm some jittery clients. B. hires Hal Holden, retired police officer, to drive him to the Phoenix airport. On the way, the car is run off the road and both B. and Hal are seriously injured. The local police quickly focus in on Ali as their prime suspect but one of High Noon’s employees thinks otherwise as he uses an AI machine that he developed (and has named Frigg) to find out who was really targeted in the crash. Frigg points them to a much more sinister culprit who is out for revenge having just served a 20 year prison sentence for police corruption. There are many related crimes covering several police jurisdictions that must somehow be sorted out.

This is the 17th book in Jance’s Ali Reynolds series and by far one of the best I have read in any Jance series (there are 5) so far (which made be increase my rating from 4 to 5). The combination of good characters, fast paced action, and plenty of suspense made for a quick, enjoyable read. In the past, I had said that this series probably needed to be read in order, and while I still think it’s a good idea, it is not necessary for this edition. My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

I LOVE Jance's stories about Ali Reynolds, her family, friends, and High Noon. This book is another great one in the series!

The seventeenth installment in the Ali Reynolds series focuses on a man recently released from prison. This man is arranging hits on people who have wronged him in the past, but which people are the hits, and which are collateral damage? Ali’s husband B. Simpson is thrown into the mix when his airport shuttle is run off the road. Both B and his driver are hospitalized. Which one was the target? Ali must find out.

As an Ali Reynolds and J.A. Jance fan, I found this book in the series to be very engaging. I liked all the different side stories and finding out how each connected to the main suspect. Jance did an excellent job weaving all the storylines together. I’m still not a huge fan of the computer doing much of the investigating, but it does add to the storyline. Overall, I highly recommend this latest installment in the Ali Reynolds series to any J.A. Jance fans! I give it 4/5 stars.

This book caught my attention on the first page and I couldn’t stop reading it! I loved the complexity of the story with the police forces from several different states working together with Ali and her team to apprehend the suspect. I thought it was a very clever approach to solving a crime. I loved the characters and how the author told everyone’s backstory. Usually, this drives me crazy, but this time it worked well because the reader got to understand each character which helped to bring closure at the end of the book. I found the AI and network security angle intriguing since my husband deals with these issues daily at work. I highly recommend finding a copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love the way this author weaves a story with many layers and expertly brings the layers back together while keeping the reader involved the entire time. B. Simpson and Ali Reynolds are the owners of High Noon Enterprise, a cybersecurity firm in Sedona, Arizona. B. is off to a conference in London when the hired car he is in is forced off the road sending him to the hospital. Ali must go to London in his place and although not a techie, her former work for a major news network makes her immensely capable to represent the company. While away from Sedona, she coordinates with the team at High Noon and Frigg, their AI computer, as to B.’s medical condition and their investigation into the accident. The police believe that B. was the intended victim, but Ali does not and she is concerned that they will only concentrate on him, ignoring the driver who she believes may have been the target. The case will span many years as we learn why the victims were targeted, by a killer, who wanted revenge. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Collateral Damage by J.A. Jance is the latest in the Ali Reynolds series. Ali Reynolds is a former journalist who now helps her husband run a world renowned cybersecurity company. When her husband, B. Simpson, and his driver, a former police officer, are intentionally run off the road in a serious accident, Ali and her team want to know who was behind this and why.

Even though this is the 17th book in the series, it would be fine for readers new to the series. The car accident turns out to be related to other crimes and the investigation becomes a collaborative effort not only between Ali and her team, but also members of law enforcement in several different cities. In fact, Ali and B. play a small part in the overall investigation. It becomes a race against time to learn the truth and prevent additional deaths. The case wraps up nicely, but there are a few loose ends related to Ali and B.'s company, High Noon. I hope they will be addressed in the next book. I would rate this one 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley and Gallery books at no cost. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Loved it. Engaging reading. Many murder and attempted murder cases are involved across several states. The action is non-stop. Many interesting characters. Wow! I didn't want it to end. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Ex-cop Frank Munoz, newly paroled from Lompoc, is halfway through his planned retribution when the latest hit he purchased goes awry. The car driven by one of the cops who helped build the case against Frank is forced off the road, and its two passengers, while gravely injured, are not killed. One of the passengers is the well-off founder of the cybersecurity firm High Noon. As area police focus on his wife, Ali Reynolds, as a suspect, she, company right-hand man Stu, and his AI “operative” Frigg set out to determine who was the focus of the attempted murder. This fast-paced tale of revenge spreads over several states and three years, with multiple characters, bodies and plenty of tension. I enjoyed the teamwork involved in tracing leads and the appearance of past characters; I also find the abilities of AI Frigg frighteningly possible. If you enjoy following the hunt for the bad guy this seventeenth Ali Reynolds is for you. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

After spending twenty years behind bars, Frank Muñoz, a disgraced former cop, is out on parole and focused on getting revenge. He is after his ex wife who abandoned him after his arrest, the mistress who ratted him out for a money-laundering scheme, and the detectives who presided over his case. For Ali Reynolds, the first Christmas without her father is riddled with grief. Her husband and founding partner of High Noon Enterprises, B. Simpson, is preoccupied by an upcoming New Year’s trip to London. But when a serious and suspicious accident on the highway to Phoenix involving B.’s car, things seem to reach a breaking point. B. insists that Ali take his place at a ransomware conference in London. But questions need to be answered as to who and why these things are happening.

This 17th in the Ali Reynolds series leaves much of the leg work of solving mysteries to Ali and her employees at High Noon, an IT company offering high-tech security to major companies. She and B co-own High Noon and have for many years. In this latest installment B is in a suspicious auto accident on his way to the airport with a driver, and both are seriously injured. B is layed up with serious but non-life-threatening injuries throughout most of the novel. When circumstances reveal it may not have been an accident, but intentional, the question of who was the target comes up. Was it B, or could it have been his driver, and why? Ali and her employees Stu Ramey, Cami, and of course the AI character of Frigg get to the bottom of what this convoluted story is about. It features many characters in several subplots and several locations. It also means taking risks using AI Frigg for discovery, which is bending the rules of law., but they would have never gotten to the heart of the matter without her help.

Jance keeps us turning those pages however, in her inimitable style, and even though this one is more convoluted than others it is not hard to follow. We even get glimpses of former characters from her past novels like Sister Anselm in Arizona, and her former butler/friend Leland, now living in London, several years after leaving Ali’s employ.

An enjoyable offering in this series, of which I have read all, I definitely think Jance fans will be pleased with this newest installment. Release date March 14th.

#NetGalley #GalleryBooks #JAJance