Bibliography: Webb, Betty. (2008).  Desert Run.  Scottsdale, AZ: Poisoned Pen Press.  ISBN: 9781590584934

Plot Summary:  Scottsdale private eye Lena Jones is running security for Warren Quinn on his documentary about a German POW camp and the “great escape” of Christmas Eve, 1944.  A surviving escapee has been murdered and his Ethiopian care giver is a top suspects.  Lena’s partner Jimmy is leaving for greener pastures, and her former captain is retiring, and Warren wants to be more than her boss.  When Lena starts to probe the past, she discovers a family not far away from the POW camp was slaughtered the same night as the escape.  What happens when the present and the past collide?

Critical Analysis:  If Sue Grafton and Michael McGarrity wrote a book together, Betty Webb’s Lena Jones might be the result.  I don’t know if female P.I.’s are falling out of favor or if there just aren’t that many new good series coming out these days, but Lena Jones rises to the top for me.  I find her character compelling and intriguing, and Webb surrounds her with wonderful secondary characters and suspenseful mysteries.  I also love that Webb has a respect for Arizona and the Southwest, the outdoors and the native people.  I’m kind of glad that I only discovered the series a few years ago, as I haven’t caught up to the latest entry yet.  (Webb, a newspaper reporter, puts a lot of time and energy into researching the background for each Jones book.)

Review Excerpts:  ”As in the preceding episodes in the series, Webb effectively evokes the beauty of the Arizona desert” -Booklist

“Webb combines evocative descriptions of place with fine historical research in a plot packed with twists.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“This thought-provoking novel is a gem. It is a perfect chance to make the acquaintance of an author poised on the national consciousness of mystery fans”  -DenverPost

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.