Reveiw: Desert Cut by Betty Webb

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590585836
• ISBN-13: 978-1590585832

Book Description

While scouting locations for a film documentary on the Arizona's Apache Wars, private investigator Lena Jones and Oscar-winning director Warren Quinn, discover the mutilated body of a young girl. The gruesome manner of the child's death evokes memories of Lena's own rough childhood. Clashing with the local law, Lena's investigation uncovers a small town with a big secret. Los Perdidos is not the Eden it first appears. Founded by the descendants of pioneers who fought Geronimo, the townspeople have now armed themselves against the hordes of illegal immigrants streaming across the Arizona/Mexico border. A significant population of documented foreign-born residents also lives and works in Los Perdedos at a modern plant. Lena senses a sinister force at work in the town--but where? Then two more girls disappear from Los Perdidos, and as the death toll mounts, Lena is tempted to implement some frontier justice of her own. When she finally unmasks the killer, she discovers a chain of horrific crimes responsible for subjugating millions of girls and women around the globe. In Desert Cut, the still vivid memory of Geronimo's war mixes with the modern immigration war, the hard life on the Arizona/Mexico border contrasts with Hollywood's slick production meetings, and the cruelty of an ancient practice is tempered by a growing underground railroad fighting to save its young victims.

My Review

Another thought provoking mystery from Betty Webb.  Webb is an excellent writer.  I have a hard time putting down her novels. But the fact that she mixes in such thought provoking current issues with her mysteries makes her a unique and amazing writer.


Lena Jones, a former Scottsdale, Arizona policewoman now a Private Investigator is a fascinating character herself.  Flashbacks to the mysteries of her childhood populate Webb's books. That Jones has endured a horrific childhood allows her to be appropriately sympathetic to the young victims she encounters.  While I don't want to give away what Jones discovers in Los Perdidos, I want you to know that this book will haunt you.  Next up:  Desert Lost.

Review: Desert Wives (A Lena Jones Mystery #2) by Betty Webb

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 2 edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590586875
• ISBN-13: 978-1590586877

Polygamy can be murder!

That's what private detective Lena Jones learns when she helps thirteen year old Rebecca escape from Purity, a polygamy compound hidden in a desolate area near straddling Utah/Arizona border.

When Rebecca's mother is arrested for the murder of Prophet Solomon Royal, Rebecca's intended husband, Lena enters Purity masquerading as a polygamist wife to uncover the real murderer. In doing so, Lena finds out more than she bargained for--the shocking secret the cult's Circle of Elders will kill to keep.

During her investigations, Lena also discovers more about her own past. At the age of four she was found lying unconscious by the side of an Arizona highway, a bullet robbing her of her memories. Raised in a series of foster homes, Lena does not remember her real name nor the names of her parents. She thinks she has put the past behind her, but the sins of Purity's polygamous mothers and fathers force her to reexamine the few memories she has of her own mother--the woman who shot her...

About the Author

 

Before writing mysteries full time, Betty Webb worked as a journalist, interviewing everyone from U.S. presidents and Nobel Prize winners, to the homeless and polygamy runaways. Most of her books are based on the stories she covered as a reporter. Today she's a volunteer at the Phoenix Zoo, and is also a member of the National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, the Society of Southwestern Authors, and Women Writing the West.

My Review

Just before Christmas Poisoned Pen Press listed ten of their mysteries for 99 cents (ebook editions).  I bought them all.  Desert Wives was one of them.  I am so thrilled to discover this series by Betty Webb. 

Desert Wives is a wonderful expose of life in a polygamist sect. Since this book was written in 2002, polygamist sects have often been in the headlines.  Even here in British Columbia we have a polygamist sect in Bountiful which is allied with the Arizona/Utah polygamists.  They are often in the news as well.  It amazes me that women would live under such conditions thus this book was really fascinating for me.

A great mystery story with wonderful,believable characters filling out this book. I liked this book so much that I've already bought two more Lena Jones mysteries by Betty Webb for my Kindle.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Review: Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 22, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446547360
• ISBN-13: 978-0446547369

Book Description 

Series: Hamish Macbeth | Publication Date: February 22, 2012

When Scotland is hit by the recession, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices that the Highland people are forced to come up with inventive ways to lure tourists to their sleepy towns. The quaint village of Braikie doesn't have much to offer, other than a place of rare beauty called Buchan's Wood, which was bequeathed to the town. The savvy local tourist director renames the woods "The Fairy Glen," and has brochures printed with a beautiful photograph of a kingfisher rising from a pond on the cover.

It isn't long before coach tours begin to arrive. But just as the town's luck starts to turn, a kingfisher is found hanging from a branch in the woods with a noose around its neck. As a wave of vandalism threatens to ruin Braikie forever, the town turns to Hamish Macbeth. And when violence strikes again,the lawman's investigation quickly turns from animal cruelty to murder.

About The Author

 M.C. BEATON has won international acclaim for her bestselling Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin mysteries. She is also the author of over 100 romance titles and a series of romantic suspense, The Edwardian Mystery Series. M. C. Beaton lives in a Cotswold cottage with her husband.

Marion is active on Facebook using her most popular pen name, M.C. Beaton. You can find complete book lists, information on events, and sign up for news updates at her website, www.MCBeaton.com.

My Review

I love M.C. Beaton.  Although the Agatha Raisin series is my favorite, I also enjoy the Hamish MacBeth series.  Death of a Kingfisher is the latest entry in the Hamish MacBeth series.  Poor Hamish, he continues to be unlucky in love but is great at solving mysteries!

Another great cozy read from M.C. Beaton!

Review: Getting Lucky by D.C.Brod

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tyrus Books (December 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440531951
• ISBN-13: 978-1440531958
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches

Book Description

 

Publication Date: December 18, 2011

 

When a young reporter is killed in a hit and run accident, freelance writer Robyn Guthrie agrees to finish one of the stories the reporter had been writing for the local newspaper. But nothing is as simple as it seems when she finds out about shady land deals, an old high school nemesis, and Robyn's aging mother.

 

 

My Review

Getting Lucky is the sequel to Getting Sassy.  I have not read Getting Sassy and you do not have to read it to enjoy Getting Lucky.  There is plenty of action in this novel centered on a freelance writer,Robyn Guthrie, who is trying to solve a colleague's death.  The plot centers around a "green" housing development.  

Robyn is a realistic main character.  She is in her forties whose main challenge is life is her aging mother who is living in an assisted living facility. She is facing a future without her beau as she has decided it is too late to contemplate having children. 

There are lots of interesting characters and plenty of action. I'm looking forward to reading more Robyn Guthrie adventures.

Review: Rain Falls Like Mercy by Jack Todd

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416598510
• ISBN-13: 978-1416598510

 Book Description
 

Publication Date: November 8, 2011

 

Set against the sweeping backdrop of World War II, Rain Falls Like Mercy is a gripping depiction of a family and a country touched by the grand violence of war, the senseless violence of crime, and the intimate violence of the heart.

 

  IN THE TRADITION OF TRUE CRIME narratives such as In Cold Blood, acclaimed author Jack Todd’s new novel grips the reader from the first page; and as it spans continents and generations of one family, its taut and shocking undercurrent of violence builds to a stunning crescendo. Todd’s first novel, Sun Going Down, which introduced the Paint family, won praise from reviewers and major authors such as Michael Korda and Michael Blake. His second novel, Come Again No More, recounted the Paints’ saga of triumph and tragedy through the Great Depression, inspiring the Ottawa Citizen to label Todd “a first-rate novelist with a tender heart.”
 



Rain Falls Like Mercy opens with the murder investigation of a young girl in Wyoming in mid- 1941. Tom Call, the young sheriff running the investigation, falls in love with Juanita, the wife of Eli Paint, whose son Leo and grandson Bobby Watson are on duty with the U.S. Navy. Almost overnight, the case is derailed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, disrupting the lives of all involved. Bobby mans an antiaircraft gun during the attack. Tom joins the U.S. Air Force and is deployed to England to fly bombers, still trying to pursue his murder investigation. His suspicion falls on Pardo Bury, the psychotic son of a wealthy rancher in Wyoming.
As Pardo and Tom make their ways to their inevitable and shattering confrontation, Rain Falls Like Mercy displays Todd’s uncanny ability to zero in on his characters’ emotional lives while simultaneously painting a sweeping picture of the historical events that shape their destinies.

Rain Falls Like Mercy opens with the murder investigation of a young girl in Wyoming in mid- 1941. Tom Call, the young sheriff running the investigation, falls in love with Juanita, the wife of Eli Paint, whose son Leo and grandson Bobby Watson are on duty with the U.S. Navy. Almost overnight, the case is derailed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, disrupting the lives of all involved. Bobby mans an antiaircraft gun during the attack. Tom joins the U.S. Air Force and is deployed to England to fly bombers, still trying to pursue his murder investigation. His suspicion falls on Pardo Bury, the psychotic son of a wealthy rancher in Wyoming.

As Pardo and Tom make their ways to their inevitable and shattering confrontation, Rain Falls Like Mercy displays Todd’s uncanny ability to zero in on his characters’ emotional lives while simultaneously painting a sweeping picture of the historical events that shape their destinies.

About the Author

 

Jack Todd is the author of the novels Sun Going Down and Come Again No More and the memoir Desertion, which won the Quebec Writer’s Federation First Book Prize and the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction. Visit his website at www.jacktoddtheauthor.com.


My Review

I wish that I had read Sun Going Down and Come Again No More because Jack Todd is an amazing writer.  You do not need to have read his first two novels to be able to enjoy Rain Falls Like Mercy.  What an amazing title and what an incredible read.

Rain Falls Like Mercy is partly a history novel as it is set during World War II.  It is also a story of love and a murder investigation as well.  Jack Todd's writing style makes Wyoming come alive for the reader.  The story can be violent at times so be warned. 

I do recommend this great book.  Jack Todd brings the West as well as World War II to life. 

Review: Love, Honour and OBrien by Jennifer Rowe

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (January 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590585437
• ISBN-13: 978-1590585436

 Book Description

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Publication Date: January 3, 2012

She stared into the speckled mirror, wondering how she had come to this. How could she, Holly Love, apple of her parents' eye, competent manipulator of invoices in Gorgon Office Supplies, have ended up alone and starving in a dead man's flat?

How indeed? Most reluctant heroines would throw in the towel at this point. But Holly Love is made of sterner stuff. She's sworn to track down the cheating swine who ripped her life apart, and make him pay. But as she tries to keep her head in the face of a bizarre mystery, a gloomy old house, a hearse-driving Elvis impersonator and a gang of vengeful thugs - not to mention a garrulous and possibly possessed parrot - Holly is forced to come to terms with a great truth. However bad things seem, they can always get worse.

About the Author

 

Jennifer Rowe is a devotee of the murder mystery genre; she enjoys reading these 'extended brainteasers' as much as writing them. A multi-award winning writer, Jennifer is the author of the Verity Birdwood and Tessa Vance mysteries, and creator of the television series Murder Call. Now she brings us the adventures of a new and reluctant/accidental P.I., Holly Love


My Review

I really enjoyed this quirky Australian set mystery novel about accidental private investigator Holly Love. The story starts off with Holly preparing for her wedding day to a man she only known a short period of time.  She has foolishly put all of her saving into a joint account with him...you can start to see the writing on the wall here!  But the story takes some interesting twists and turns as Holly inadvertently takes over the dead O'Brien's detective agency.

This book is full of fascinating and interesting characters.  I loved that it was set in the Blue Mountains in Australia.  And I loved the fast moving plot.

I highly recommend this mystery novel from Poisoned Pen Press and I'm looking forward to more Holly Love adventures.