In the fifth mystery involving Maricopa County sheriff's deputy David Mapstone, we're taken back to Phoenix, Arizona in 1999. Christmas is only a few weeks away, and the subject on most people's lips is Y2K.
Recently hired by the Sheriff's Office, things don't start out well for Mapstone. He chases a robber into an abandoned warehouse and stumbles across the bodies of two young children-- the remains of a sixty-year-old crime.
Just before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Arizona and the nation were shocked by the kidnapping of a cattle baron's grandsons. The bodies of the children had never been found, and although the kidnapper was caught and executed, Mapstone begins digging up evidence that shows justice was far from being served. When the evidence starts coming to light, people begin to die once more.
This is a favorite series of mine that almost wasn't. When I read the first book, I was so irritated with Mapstone's whining about the heat that I almost didn't pick up the next book. Fortunately for me, I gave him another chance and haven't looked back since.
Talton is a former Phoenix resident who remembers what the place was like Before and isn't a fan of After. Having his main character be an historian lets Talton share his love of a younger Phoenix and the things that made it unique. He can even wax poetic about the weather from time to time:
"When the winter rains come, the sidewalk restaurants move inside. The Fiesta Bowl promoters worry. The resorts cover up the pool furniture, and the snowbirds grumble. But we Phoenicians quietly exult-- that after all the punishing months of sun and heat, the sky brings back the healing water. That, after all, the desert is God's chosen, sacred place."
Although I enjoyed another visit with Mapstone and his complicated personal life as well as another glimpse into Phoenix's past, I did have some problems with the plot. It was too easy to piece together the facts to identify the real culprit, and the entire subplot concerning a hot babe from the city archaeologist's office just had too many coincidences. I couldn't swallow it without the aid of a glass of water.
Cactus Heart was still an involving read that I would've devoured in a single sitting if left to my own devices. Talton has created living, breathing characters who inhabit a place that I love. I may have a quibble here and there about a subplot or a character whining about the heat, but as long as Talton writes, I'll continue to read.
Recently hired by the Sheriff's Office, things don't start out well for Mapstone. He chases a robber into an abandoned warehouse and stumbles across the bodies of two young children-- the remains of a sixty-year-old crime.
Just before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Arizona and the nation were shocked by the kidnapping of a cattle baron's grandsons. The bodies of the children had never been found, and although the kidnapper was caught and executed, Mapstone begins digging up evidence that shows justice was far from being served. When the evidence starts coming to light, people begin to die once more.
This is a favorite series of mine that almost wasn't. When I read the first book, I was so irritated with Mapstone's whining about the heat that I almost didn't pick up the next book. Fortunately for me, I gave him another chance and haven't looked back since.
Talton is a former Phoenix resident who remembers what the place was like Before and isn't a fan of After. Having his main character be an historian lets Talton share his love of a younger Phoenix and the things that made it unique. He can even wax poetic about the weather from time to time:
"When the winter rains come, the sidewalk restaurants move inside. The Fiesta Bowl promoters worry. The resorts cover up the pool furniture, and the snowbirds grumble. But we Phoenicians quietly exult-- that after all the punishing months of sun and heat, the sky brings back the healing water. That, after all, the desert is God's chosen, sacred place."
Although I enjoyed another visit with Mapstone and his complicated personal life as well as another glimpse into Phoenix's past, I did have some problems with the plot. It was too easy to piece together the facts to identify the real culprit, and the entire subplot concerning a hot babe from the city archaeologist's office just had too many coincidences. I couldn't swallow it without the aid of a glass of water.
Cactus Heart was still an involving read that I would've devoured in a single sitting if left to my own devices. Talton has created living, breathing characters who inhabit a place that I love. I may have a quibble here and there about a subplot or a character whining about the heat, but as long as Talton writes, I'll continue to read.
