First Lines: 35 years earlier. Screams in the distance. Gunshots. Angry voices.
Scottsdale private investigator Lena Jones survived a tough childhood. Shot in the head at the age of four, she was left to die on a Phoenix street. She spent years in an abusive foster care system, never knowing who her parents were or why they didn't claim her.
The belief that her parents may have been members of a cult has always made Lena eye such organizations with a great deal of suspicion, so when the ex-wife of a close friend joins a "new thought" organization called Kanati, she begins to investigate. She uncovers two communes out in the Arizona desert, and they are polar opposites. The followers of EarthWay have a rigorous dietary regime that could threaten its inhabitants while the folk at Kanati are dining on four-star French cuisine.
When the emaciated bodies of women are found out on the desert in the Pima Indian Reservation, Lena has the feeling that they have something to do with EarthWay and Kanati-- and when she begins to have flashes of memory about her father and brother, she can't help but feel that she's close to getting the answers to everything... including her own past.
Betty Webb is a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde. She writes the light and humorous Gunn Zoo mysteries that are a delight to read, and she writes the much darker Lena Jones series, much of the material of which came from her years as a reporter. I love both series, but my heart has always been with Lena, partly because of how Webb depicts Arizona and the Phoenix metropolitan area. Webb's Lena Jones series has been consistently excellent, often dealing with important topics like polygamy, and because of her past, Lena is always on the side of children.
It hurt to read Desert Redemption knowing that it's the last book in the series. I haven't always agreed with what Lena has done, but she's become more than a friend through the years. Someone is always telling Lena "You can't do everything" to which she always replies, "But I can always try." You have to have a great deal of respect for someone like that. Everything she's done, everything she's suffered, everything she's fought for, has all led her to the final outcome of this book. Desert Redemption is a bone-deep, satisfying conclusion to this series-- and it contains The Best Last Sentence of a book or series ever. You can read it as a standalone, but I sincerely hope you don't cheat yourself. If you and Lena haven't met, start with Desert Noir.
Desert Redemption by Betty Webb
eISBN: 9781464210983
Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks © 2019
eBook, 328 pages
Private Investigator, #10 (and last) Lena Jones mystery
Rating: A+
Source: NetGalley
I guess I read some of these books. It depends what the library has. Are they all set in Arizona?
ReplyDeleteGlad you have enjoyed it so much.
Yes, they are all set in Arizona, although one or two get awfully close to Utah.
DeleteI totally concur with your opinion of these Lena Jones books. I will say that I'm a bit behind. I think I've read 7 of them (in order of course). Happily, that means I can catch up with the last 3 (or even do a reread or re-listen). Glad to know that the series concludes well. This is really a recommended series by me (and by you, obviously). Sad to see it go.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love this series, you'd think I'd be gutted that this is the last book. From the sounds of it, Barbara Peters is trying to talk her into a prequel. But ya know what? By the end of this book, Lena is so happy that I just want her to stay that way and ride off into an Arizona sunset with those whom she loves and with a big smile on her face.
DeleteI like the Lena Jones stories, too, Cathy. Lena herself is a really interesting character, and I like the way she is portrayed. She's been impacted by her history, but isn't completely dysfunctional because of it. She's a tough cookie, as the saying goes.
ReplyDeleteHer past has made her tough. But not her heart.
DeleteShould say I guess I need to read some of these books.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when your brain zigs and your fingers zag? I do!
DeleteLate at night I'm not responsible for what I write. I could confess to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby and I wouldn't even know it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I put two on library hold.
Good! I hope you like them.
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