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Summary: Many tales, many voices
Review: "Kiss of the Bees" is a fine book in all respects. It is, first of all, beautifully written. The narrative lines switch back and forth, skipping time and place, and are told in many voices--Indian, white, mythical, dreamers, the long dead. Each voice is separate and yet joined in this awful tale of emerging horror. And despite its complexity of voices and choruses, the novel works. Man's foolishness, evil, hatred, love, and courage wrap around the events of this book, the two days of suspense that the Walker family must undergo as the psychopath who stalks them works his long-planned evil. J.A. Jance has written one of her best novels yet...not one of comforting stereotypes and afternoon melodrama, but one of the primal battle of good and evil. And with all that, The Kiss of Bees remains "a novel of suspense", and an excellent one at that.
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Summary: Borrow it, then return....
Review: A good read if you're looking for a cure for insomnia. Predictable and somewhat unsuspensful story line.
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Summary: Contrived Ending
Review: After a slow start, I was caught up in the book until the ending....it seemed contrived, a little too tidy and very weak. After taking all the trouble to flesh out the plot, the ending was not believable at all for me. I was extremely disappointed and almost felt I'd been "had".
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: An avid Jance fan, I was greatly disappointed by Kiss of the Bees. Between the Native American legends, multiple flashbacks, information inconsistencies and extremely fortutious coincidences, the story is hard to follow. I reached page 100 and realized that I didn't care about any of the chacters, perhaps because they didn't come across as real people. Also the blood and gore seemed gratitutious -oh, here is a chance to show what a bad guy the killer is- rather than adding to a scarey atmosphere. Also, I'm tired of authors doing the Indian is a mystic power who communicates with the other world, so all the one character has to do is touch the book and he knows bad things are going to happen. It just came across as false and cliche. I love J.J. Jance's other books. I hope she goes back to writing those kind of books - page-turning thrilling plots, and real characters.
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Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: Another absolutely delightful book about Diana Ladd Walker and her family, the evil Andrew Carlisle and his protege, Mitch Johnson, and the Tohono O'othham and their legends. Like Tony Hillerman's books, without being at all preachy, this book and "Hour of the Hunter," of which it is a sequel, give us a glimpse of a Native American culture that will be a great loss to all of us if it is not preserved. It would be wonderful if Judith Jance and Tony Hillerman could get together to give us one or more pairs of novels in which Diana Ladd and/or Joanna Brady work with Jim Chee and/or Joe Leaphorn. "Kiss of the Bees" cries out for a sequel (or better, a pair of sequels) in which Lani finds a good, gentle, loving husband, and Davy and Candice adjust to each other and create a successful marriage, meanwhile helping Diana and Brandon Walker, Joanna Brady, Jim Chee, and Joe Leaphorn solve some cases. I was glad I had already read "Hour of the Hunter" befor starting this book. I recommend you do the same. Also, read some of Tony Hillerman's novels of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, and Judith Jance's Joanna Brady series (start with "Desert Heat") and see if you don't agree that it would be great to get all of these wonderful people together for an adventure.
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Summary: Thumbs up for Sheriff Brady
Review: Another great adventure for Sheriff Brady. J. A. Jance not only brings her characters to life, she also brings the areas of Arizona into focus. Great reading for all ages.
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Summary: Jance's Kiss of the Bees is a fully faceted Mystery!
Review: As the very effective sequel to Hour of the Hunter, Judith A. Jance has composed another work of genious with Kiss Of The Bees!(KOTB) Those of you who are fans of the regrettably, often-overlooked Hour Of The Hunter(HOTH)will again be rapt with fear and wonderas you read through the pages of this beautifully crafted blend of Native American legend and tradition; South Western culture, and murder. Do not, however, be lulled by the Native American story that begins each chapter, because what follows may be the most chilling description of assault and murder you will ever read! Jance has a long list of comfortable charaters that recur in her Beaumont and Brady books. "Bone", the wonderful large wolfhound-like mutt/hero that appeared in HOTH and is reprised briefly as a memory in KOTB is such a character. But many characters in KOTB are in one way or the other rising above grave traumas that have occurred in their lives. This is a book in which Jance does not let the reader or the characteras get too comfortable. Dianna Ladd Walker continues to recover from her terrifying experience with Andrew Carlisle.(HOTH) Brandon Walker is cutting and stacking wood to help him deal with the betrayal of his son, Quentin, the disappearance and presumed death of another son, and defeat in his incumbent election for sheriff. Rita Antone/Nana DAHD is orphaned as child; her only son has died, and is living outside of the Native American culture. Lanita Walker lost her natural family and almost died as the result of being badly stung by "Little People"(ants, wasps,and bees)as a toddler. Andrew Carlisle and Mitch Johnson may be the least comfortable characters that Jance has penned to date. We don't want to kow that people like this really exist. Disturbingly, these characters are difficult to unload once they have made their way into the reader's mind. Would their demises be really be enough to put the away for good? Loyal Jance readers know that they can depend on her to tie up all of the loose ends before the last sentence is written. Thae fact that many of these characters have survived lives filled with tragic events is a tribute to their strength and complexity. I highly recommend Kiss Of The Bees to mystery readers everywhere, but with fair warning. This book is not a Brady or a Beaumont. It is a Walker. Get this one "hot off the press" and plan to set some time aside for immediate reading! You will not want to put this one down! If you have not read Hour Of The Hunter, you have missed a gem!
Rating: 
Summary: Too confusing
Review: Could have been an excellent book had it been written in order. Too many words to skip over i'm not interested in learning. The Indian story preceding each chapter was unnecessary, the back and forth stories & Indian lore distracting, a dissappointing outing by an otherwise excellent author.
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Summary: An author who stretches while maintaining roots
Review: Don't know Beau, but was drawn to Joanna by virtue of being a transplanted So.Cal. resident (Sue Grafton geography) to S.E. AZ. A combination of well drawn characters, good stories and colorful local descriptions make Jance a delight to read. A long came KOTB's...and the dark side of Jance, both beautiful and terrifying. This book is more Patterson than Grafton. In KOTB Jance is able to portray villian and heroine with intimate accuracy. I feel like I know these people. Most of all, it's the preverbial page turner and it's fun. I look forward to more pages to turn.
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Summary: A Reader from MS
Review: I almost didn't read this book, [...]. But, nonetheless, decided to do so anyway. I enjoyed the book, even if I did know the ending.
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