Rating: 
Summary: A Fairy Tale.
Review: This latest Joanna Brady mystery is a fairy tale, at least as far as the central character is concerned. In it, Joanna--who has had her share of tragedy in the past--gets it all: the murderer, a nice man, a use for the jewelry given her by her first husband, a daughter happy with her Mother's choice of boyfriends, understanding inlaws, and professional respect.And, she gets to be the central character in another mystery by J.A. Jance! I am a Jance fan, because I enjoy her fine writing skills and tightly-plotted action lines. Usually I like Jance's central characters, too: J P Beaumont has depth in adversity in his battle with alcohol, and Joanna Brady is a woman with a load of grief and guilt. Somehow, though, in this novel Joanna is less real, more fantasy...and because of that she slips into the realm of becoming a stereotypical mystery novel heroine--beautiful, strong, intelligent, and invincible by the normal adversity that would paralyze the rest of us. Still in all, Outlaw Mountain is a good novel and an enjoyable reading experience, even if the characterization isn't quite as mulilayered as Jance usually develops.
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