Web of Evil: A Novel of Suspense

Written by J. A. Jance

Narrated by Karen Ziemba

In the second thrilling adventure of the New York Times bestselling Ali Reynolds series, Ali’s soon-to-be-ex-husband turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, and Ali soon finds herself the prime suspect at the center of a terrifying web of evil.

The highway from Los Angeles to the Palm Springs desert is parched, unforgiving, and deadly. In the suffocating stillness of a car trunk, a man—his mouth and hands bound with tape—waits to learn his fate. Fortunately for him, he’ll never know. What possible enemy could be bitter enough to commit such a heinous crime? And when will the monster make another move?

Ali Reynolds is traveling that same blistering, lonesome highway, looking forward to putting her past behind her. She’d left Los Angeles for the home comforts of Sedona, Arizona. But her cheating husband is in a hurry for a divorce; his very young and very pregnant fiancée has a wedding planned for the next day. And the television network that wrongfully dismissed Ali for the sole sin of being over forty will face her in court as well. So, Ali must return to the scene of those crimes. As she passes the site of a horrifying accident, she’s thankful it’s no longer her job to report the news. Until she finds out the news is her own: the victim is Ali’s husband, and soon she’ll find herself the prime suspect at the center of a terrifying web of evil.

“Gripping…Jance’s skills will keep the reader riveted...Ali couldn’t be better company” (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 9, 2007
• ISBN: 9780743561624

J. A. Jance

J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, six thrillers about the Walker Family, and one volume of poetry. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, she lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews for Web of Evil

[Mari · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

How many stupid decisions can Allie Reynolds make in just a few days? A LOT, at least in this book. I'm very happy I've read other books in this series because I like Allie and her family but if this was my first book in her series, it would definitely be the last. I don't do stupid. I'm surprised I even finished this book.

[yma Wofford · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

JA Jance is a writer that can keep their readers interested. My only problem is the fact you fall for these characters and there is no way to find out what book is next on the series, without going through each book and finding what year they are written?

[Renee Brunner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Web of Evil is the 2nd in the Ali Reynold series. I enjoy J.A. Lance books. I especially enjoy a series because I can continue with the characters I like from previous books.

[Michelle Spalding · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some readers have given this book medium reviews. Apparently I'm weird because while they say it's full of unrealistic drama, I think it did a decent job of portraying the characters in the light she wanted them to be in. I did find the 80 year old blog reader showing up at the hotel more unrealistic than anything.

[bingereader87 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So this one was pretty interesting . Full of mystery, murder, & blogs. This isn't something I'm not normally into but it works for me. Ali Reynolds is accused of her husband's murder and at the same time dealing with blogging issues as it pertains to her current brush with LAPD. Read this book, you won't regret it.

[jalenv_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ali Reynolds was being such a twit so many times in Web of Evil, that it was hard for me to bear listening to her. It's a good thing I've already listened to books one and three, or I wouldn't want to listen to another of her adventures again.The opening murder is suspenseful and cruel. Our former reporter is once again suspected of murder and does not enjoy being tried by the media or disbelieved by the police. The police seem particularly suspicious of how nice Ali is being to her estranged husband's pregnant young mistress. There is plenty of suspense, but all too often it reminds me of my youth, when my sister and I watched slasher and horror movies on TV. We'd be yelling at a character not to go into the basement/barn/spooky old cabin, etc. Of course the character didn't have the self-preservation instincts of a house fly and went right in. Good-bye, character.If Ali Reynolds were in a horror movie or novel instead of book two in a mysteries series, she wouldn't have come out alive. Cat lovers, Samantha the rescue cat is back. She has a lot more sense than the woman fostering her.

[stevelindahl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been listening to the audio versions of a few of J.A. Jance's novels as they become available through our library. As a result I'm going through the Ali Reynolds series out of order. But each book reads well on its own and the author's done a great job of providing sufficient background information to understand the characters.The book I heard this week was Web of Evil, a mystery in which a former news host, Ali Reynolds, becomes a suspect in a brutal murder. I find it interesting that Ali Reynolds is a blogger, because the books seem more about personal problems of the type that might show up on a blog than about the mysteries. Ali uses her blog to vent and in the process receives advice and support. Because there's a crime investigation taking place while Ali is keeping up her blog, she posts information that made me want to scream at her foolishness. But I kept listening.While the mystery goes on in Web of Evil there is also a story unfolding of raising children in broken families. Ali Reynolds is a single mother. The father of her son, Chris, died years earlier. Ali remarried and, as this book begins, she's heading to California to sign divorce papers. She has a friend, Dave (a detective), who is also divorced. His ex has custody of their two children and has moved quite a distance away from his home in Sedona, Arizona. His daughter, Chrystal, has some serious problems which have caused her to act out in ways that could affect the rest of her life. And a third dysfunctional family appears in the story because the husband Ali is about to divorce has a fiance he's planned to marry the very next day. This young woman has a terrible relationship with her mother and an unwanted child on the way. J.A. Jance weaves these stories together to explore major issues families can experience. Although these issues are extreme, we live in an imperfect world and most readers can identify with aspects of these problems. This is Jance's greatest strength. The characters are extreme, but feel real.Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions

[tororojo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reasonably well-paced and well-developed suspense novel. It is no great shakes, but it makes for entertaining reading.

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lead character's (Allie) husband is murdered on the way to the court hearing and she is the prime suspect. Since she is still his wife, she inherits everything and his pregnant girlfriend gets nothing. The murderer was obvious right from the beginning. There were a couple of mildly interesting subplots. Allie is unbelieveably stupid in that she ignores the advice of her lawyer --leave the gun in the safe, ignore's her mother's advice -- don't befriend the fiance and ignore's a cop friend's advice -- stay down and keep quiet. Hate characters that are so oblivious to danger.

[addunn3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fairly good plot. Ex-TV newswoman is accused of killing about to be divorced husband.

[anfirind · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Was a good book. Kept my attention

[jepeters333 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Recently fired from her dream job as a glamorous LA anchorwoman simply because she is over 40, Ali Reynolds returns home to Secona, AZ. Before coming home, Ali also cuts loose her husband. Now she enjoys venting her feeling in the comfort of her pajamas everyday as the owner of a popular blog. But days before her divorce is finalized, her estranged husband is found dead. He leaves behind a large estate and a pregnant fiancee. Ali is the sole heir - and the prime suspect. It was OK - I didn't love the characters - the story was OK.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Rather mundane mystery novel featuring former news broadcast person Ally Reynolds whose soon-to-be ex husband, Paul Grayson, is murdered the day before their divorce, leaving a very pregnant April Gaddes as the unwedded future mother. Everything points to Ally although she's innocent. The best part of the novel is the opening where Paul is murdered. Pretty much drek. I didn't finish it.

[seasidereader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To say the plot of Web of Evil is ludicrous is an understatement. I wanted to like it, and would have stopped reading (listening) early on if it had been authored by someone else. Jance's Joanna Brady series is quite fun, and sometimes the J.P. Beaumont novels too, but I cannot recommend this stand-alone.