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    Desert Lost
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    Desert Lost
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    Desert Lost
    Ebook322 pages3 hours

    Desert Lost

    By Betty Webb

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Winner of the Best Mysteries of 2009 of Library Journal.

    While running surveillance in an industrial section of Scottsdale, P.I. Lena Jones discovers the body of a woman connected to Second Zion, an infamous polygamy cult based in northern Arizona. With the help of a former "sister wife," Lena discovers a shocking secret: in a society where one man can have ten wives, nine men will have none. Second Zion makes certain these possible rivals don't stick around by turning these teens into Arizona's "lost boys."

    While searching for the dead woman's lost son, Lena is surprised by a visit from Madeline, the beloved foster mother from whom she'd been forcibly parted at the age of nine. Madeline's presence renews Lena's memories of her own damaged childhood and brings new clues to the identity of her biological parents, who seemingly abandoned her when she was four years old.

    But their joyful reunion is interrupted when Lena learns that her close friend, television star Angel Grey, is being stalked by an increasingly violent mental patient. When Lena flies to Angel's aid, she finds that danger has followed her to Hollywood.

    Arizona polygamy and its discarded sons, the deceptively insulated world of Beverly Hills, and Lena's lost past converge in a case fraught with danger.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateJun 30, 2012
    ISBN9781615952229
    Unavailable
    Desert Lost
    Author

    Betty Webb

    As a journalist, Betty Webb interviewed U.S. presidents, astronauts, and Nobel Prize winners, as well as the homeless, dying, and polygamy runaways. The dark Lena Jones mysteries are based on stories she covered as a reporter. Betty's humorous Gunn Zoo series debuted with the critically acclaimed The Anteater of Death, followed by The Koala of Death. A book reviewer at Mystery Scene Magazine, Betty is a member of National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the National Organization of Zoo Keepers.

    Read more from Betty Webb

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    Reviews for Desert Lost

    4/5

    23 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      An amazingly written book, great characters, each distinct and interesting and of course, Webb left us wanting just a bit more as she finished the story.My favorite character in all the Lena Jones stories is her partner Jimmy and the same is true in this book. Sometimes it seems like it's hard for authors to write a male character and female character who are good friends, but not snogging each other, and there are very few authors who are about to write it well, but Webb definitely has the balance right.And then to the subject of the book. Polygamy. Much like Desert Wives by Webb, this wasn't a happy go lucky book. In a couple of places it was even sorta depressing, but despite the subject matter the book was a quick and (depressingly) interesting read.I give it a solid recommendation, as long as you're not looking for a cozy bit of fluff.
    • 5/5
      First Line: Thumb out, shoulders hunched against the wet Phoenix night, eighteen-year-old Jonah King stood at the curb trying to catch drivers' eyes as they stopped for the light.Private investigator Lena Jones is running a surveillance job in an industrial section of Scottsdale when she hears suspicious noises outside the compound. Checking to see what's going on, Jones not only finds a body dump, but she knows the victim-- a member of Second Zion, a polygamy cult based in northern Arizona. With the help of a former "sister wife" Lena searches for the killer and learns what happens to all the unwanted male children of polygamy.This is the second Lena Jones mystery to be centered around the topic of polygamy, with Desert Wives being the first. It is obvious that Webb feels very deeply about the subject as she skillfully weaves the sickening facts about the practice throughout the story. Just as interesting as the plot line involving polygamy is the plot line which has Lena's favorite foster parent coming for a visit. Lena's traumatic childhood plays a large role in each book. She's a complicated woman that I've come to care a great deal about, and although you can read Desert Lost without becoming confused, I would recommend that you read the books in this series in order as Lena learns to come to grips with past tragedies.If you're in the mood for well-plotted mysteries that keep you guessing, that give you a true picture of present-day Phoenix and Scottsdale, and that give you complex characters that you can sink your teeth into, I welcome you to the world of Lena Jones.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book. I found the subject matter fascinating. I didn't like all the loose ends that the reader is left to ponder over. Who dumped Madeline in the desert and why didn't they get their just dues in the end? Who kept warning Lena and why wasn't that wrapped up in the end. Maybe another book? I'd like that. Being from Arizona, I loved the setting and I want to try Vegan restaurant in Scottsdale.