This is the third book by Betty Webb featuring PI Lena Jones and its title indicates both the book’s setting and the area of investigation. Lena lives and works in Scottsdale, Arizona; she is asked to investigate the poisoning of publisher Gloria Alden-Taylor at the annual Southwestern Book Publishers Expo, a murder for which the police arrest a Pima Indian, Owen Sisiwan. The depth of background knowledge displayed by the author is most impressive - small scale publishing, animal rescue programmes, fostering problems and Indian attitudes are some of the areas.
I found this a fascinating book for the skill with which it was crafted, for the characters and story line and for the magnificent background. The author handles the development of the mystery very well and intertwines the work activities of Lena with events in her personal life. The solidity of Lena’s investigation belies the internal sufferings of a heroine who was raised in a sequence of foster homes. I suppose one of the secrets of a successful book is when you feel totally involved with the progress of happenings and fascinated by the life styles and attitudes of the different characters. Suspense is not neglected in this unfolding of a murder either. Betty Webb builds up a complex picture as she contrasts Indian ways with those of Anglos or takes Lena into high priced mansions and simple apartments. She shows an enormous variety of family relationships for the heroine to ponder as she considers her own damaged life.
According to Betty Webb’s website publishers promoting the extreme racist views
of Gloria’s publishing company in this book do indeed exist in reality. As she
puts it in an interview ‘Hate is big busine$$ in the U.S.’ The contrast seems
even more upsetting in such a beautiful setting as this one in Arizona and where
there is such rich diversity.
----------
Jennifer S. Palmer
Betty Webb’s previous books are Desert Noir: A Lena Jones Mystery, and Desert
Wives: Polygamy can be Murder.