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.