Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Review: Desert Rage: A Lena Jones Mystery by Betty Webb


  • Series: Desert Rage (Book 8)
  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (October 7, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1464203121
  • ISBN-13: 978-1464203121

Book Description

Ferociously ambitious U.S. Senatorial candidate Juliana Thorsson has been keeping a secret.
The horrific slaughter of a prominent doctor, his wife, and their ten-year-old son inside their Scottsdale home brings Thorsson to Private Investigator Lena Jones. The slain family’s 14-year old, Alison, and her boyfriend, Kyle, have confessed to the murders. Thorsson wants to hire Lena to discover if Alison is telling the truth, but before accepting the job, Lena demands to know why a rising political star wants to involve herself with the fate of a girl she’s never met. Desperate for Lena’s help, Thorsson reveals her explosive secret – that Alison is the candidate’s biological daughter, a fact she’s kept hidden for years. But that’s not all. Thorsson then confides something even more unusual than a mere hidden pregnancy, something that could ruin her political plans forever.

Suspecting that Alison’s parents had secrets of their own that could have led to the murders, Lena finally accepts Thorsson’s assignment. But interviewing those who knew the family well soon puts Lena — now a strong defender of the two teens — in danger of her life.

Fast paced, probing, and filled with the trademark twists of the Lena Jones series, Betty Webb is unsparing of her characters yet writes their stories with wit and compassion.

Reviews

"...Webb’s tough, moving eighth Lena Jones mystery... Several red herrings arise along the road to a surprising and satisfying ending." -Publishers Weekly


About the Author


Betty Webb is the author of the acclaimed Lena Jones mystery series, which includes “Desert Cut” and “Desert Wives.” A former Californian who once lived on a boat, like the zookeeper protagonist of “The Anteater of Death,” Betty now lives in landlocked Arizona, where she volunteers at the Phoenix Zoo. She also teaches Creative Writing at Phoenix College and is a member of the National Association of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the Authors Guild. http://www.bettywebb-mystery.com/

My Review

I just devour books in Betty Webb's Lena Jones series. They are well-plotted and well-written. I love the Phoenix setting. Betty obviously knows the area well.

This Lena Jones mystery dives right into the story revolving around a prominent doctor and his family who are murdered and the key suspects being their daughter and her boyfriend. The teenage daughter and her boyfriend initially confess to the murders. But is it really that simple? Throw in a US senatorial candidate who is secretly the girl's biological mother. What secrets were the doctor and his wife hiding? The story is full of interesting characters like the steroid crazed woman in Lena's gym who keeps stealing her parking place! There are plenty of red herrings until Lena is able to solve the murders. Great story!

And Lena, take a closer look at that partner of yours. Why is it that some women are so blind to a good man right in front of them?

Highly recommend! Five stars.


 For further information, please see:  http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/desert-rage/

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