Joanna Brady is the Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, and this latest installment in J.A. Jance’s series takes place as Christmas is fast approaching. This means that Joanna’s oldest daughter, Jennifer, will be returning home from Northern Arizona University for her break. She asks permission to bring her rather naïve 16-year-old freshman roommate, Beth Rankin, home for the holidays.

Beth accepts the invitation because she had a fight with her mother and father over Thanksgiving and has no intention of going home for Christmas. Her parents are very religious and strict; they have tried to keep her close to their ways of thinking about life, especially when it involves technology, about which she has little experience. She had been home-schooled and overly protected. Once on her own, she purchases a computer and a smartphone, and then manages to connect with a boy through an online dating site.

"MISSING AND ENDANGERED is more than just a straightforward police procedural. It incorporates family life, a mystery and personal daily interactions that are complicated, timely and moving."

Ron is her first boyfriend, and she falls hard for the guy. He turns out not to be who she thinks he is, and trouble arises when “sexploitation” becomes a serious part of the plot. Even before the girls leave school to go to the Brady house, a bit of friction erupts between them. Beth has taken to locking herself in the bathroom in the middle of the night to FaceTime with Ron, who asks her to send him a nude picture of herself. Jenny has no idea that her roommate is up to these “games,” but Beth’s behavior is starting to annoy her.

On one occasion, Jenny needs to go to the bathroom, so Beth maneuvers Ron off the phone. He is furious and does not call back for two days, leaving Beth devastated and hysterical as she fears losing him. Her unworldliness and innocence make her perfect prey for a controlling young man like Ron. When she finds the naked photos on the internet, she runs away and drops her phone in the snow. Jenny calls her mother to report Beth missing and is told to contact the police and alert campus security.

While all of this is playing out, Joanna’s deputy, Armando Ruiz, is called upon to serve a no-contact protection order to Leon Hogan. This should have been an easy task, but it turns tragic when Hogan rushes out of his trailer and shoots at Ruiz, who is forced to defend himself and kills the man. Ruiz is also shot and ends up in the hospital needing emergency surgery. This complicates Joanna's life even more than usual, and she has great concern for the children whose father is now dead. She is also worried about the well-being of his soon-to-be ex-wife, who is suddenly a widow. But the circumstances of the couple’s relationship feed suspicion about who the aggressor in the marriage really was.

The sheriff’s office is under investigation for the shooting, adding to the pressure Joanna faces daily. At this point, her husband is on a book tour, so she is handling work, the girls and household activities on her own. He ends up coming home early, which makes getting ready for Christmas and other daily chores easier.

MISSING AND ENDANGERED is more than just a straightforward police procedural. It incorporates family life, a mystery and personal daily interactions that are complicated, timely and moving. Joanna Brady is a solidly constructed character, and over the years Jance has enhanced her personality, creating a multifaceted leading lady. The supporting players here are finely honed, and the plot is timely and thought-provoking. The narrative is masterful, and newcomers will not miss any of the backstories. Jance does a wonderful job filling in the blanks so that readers never lose any of the nuances of this well-told, suspenseful and intriguing story.