Every once in awhile, I figure out the mystery in a whodunnit well before the end of the book. At that point, only the most talented writers can succeed in keeping me fully engaged until the big reveal.
Betty Webb managed to do this for me in Desert Rage anyone who's read any of Ms. Webb's earlier works should not be surprised by this. NOR should it be a surprise to anyone (except this reader) that at the very end, the rug was pulled out from under me and I found out that I had TOTALLY pegged the situation incorrectly the author managed to pull some sleight of hand using only her imagination and a word processing package to change the ending I projected early on.
The basic plot: The local US Congresswoman hires Scottsdale AZ detective Lena Jones and her firm, Desert Investigations, to look into the truth of a massacre a local family is found murdered, and it appears that the teenage daughter and her boyfriend are responsible for the crime. The congresswoman has a personal interest in this case and in the family, and wants the girl to receive the best defense possible not just to prove her not guilty, but to find out who actually did it. Even though everything appears to point to the police having gotten it right to begin with.
Ms. Webb's forte is her ability to discuss social issues through her novels, taking a solid side without resorting to preaching. In this book, we deal with some issues regarding modern medicine and we take on the death penalty for good measure.
This has been my favorite read of 2015 to date in quotes, because I listened to the audio version of the book, narrated by the wonderful Marguerite Gavin. I give this book my highest recommendations.
RATING: 5 stars.
Betty Webb managed to do this for me in Desert Rage anyone who's read any of Ms. Webb's earlier works should not be surprised by this. NOR should it be a surprise to anyone (except this reader) that at the very end, the rug was pulled out from under me and I found out that I had TOTALLY pegged the situation incorrectly the author managed to pull some sleight of hand using only her imagination and a word processing package to change the ending I projected early on.
The basic plot: The local US Congresswoman hires Scottsdale AZ detective Lena Jones and her firm, Desert Investigations, to look into the truth of a massacre a local family is found murdered, and it appears that the teenage daughter and her boyfriend are responsible for the crime. The congresswoman has a personal interest in this case and in the family, and wants the girl to receive the best defense possible not just to prove her not guilty, but to find out who actually did it. Even though everything appears to point to the police having gotten it right to begin with.
Ms. Webb's forte is her ability to discuss social issues through her novels, taking a solid side without resorting to preaching. In this book, we deal with some issues regarding modern medicine and we take on the death penalty for good measure.
This has been my favorite read of 2015 to date in quotes, because I listened to the audio version of the book, narrated by the wonderful Marguerite Gavin. I give this book my highest recommendations.
RATING: 5 stars.
