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Lena Jones Mystery #2
Desert Wives
Polygamy can be murder!
That's what private detective Lena Jones learns when she helps thirteen year old Rebecca escape from Purity, a polygamy compound hidden in a desolate area near straddling Utah/Arizona border.
When Rebecca's mother is arrested for the murder of Prophet Solomon Royal, Rebecca's intended husband, Lena enters Purity masquerading as a polygamist wife to uncover the real murderer. In doing so, Lena finds out more than she bargained for--the shocking secret the cult's Circle of Elders will kill to keep.
During her investigations, Lena also discovers more about her own past. At the age of four she was found lying unconscious by the side of an Arizona highway, a bullet robbing her of her memories. Raised in a series of foster homes, Lena does not remember her real name nor the names of her parents. She thinks she has put the past behind her, but the sins of Purity's polygamous mothers and fathers force her to reexamine the few memories she has of her own mother--the woman who shot her...
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
64 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Betty Webb
24 books202 followersAs a journalist and literary critic for more than 20 years, Betty -- a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, where her detective Lena Jones also lives -- has interviewed U. S. presidents, Nobel prize-winners, astronauts who’ve walked on the moon, polygamy runaways, the homeless, and the hopeless.
Now retired from journalism to write full time, she also contributes the Small Press column for Mystery Scene magazine and teaches creative writing at Phoenix College.
In her writing, Betty makes liberal use of her own varied background. She earned her way through art school by working as a folk singer but eventually gave up singing to concentrate on her art career. At various times she has picked cotton, raised chickens which laid blue eggs (Speckled Hamburgs), worked in a zoo, been a go-go dancer and horse breeder, taught Sunday School, founded a literary magazine, helped rebuild a long-abandoned 120-year-old farm house, and back-packed the Highlands of Scotland alone.
In 1982, Betty moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where her Lena Jones novels are set, but her roots are in Hamilton, Alabama, where most of her extended family still lives. In 2000 she published The Webb Family of Alabama: Survivors of Change, which focused on the descendants of her half-Seneca, half-English great-great-grandfather, William Douglas Webb, who ran away to sea at the age of 16, then after 14 wild years, settled down to farm peacefully in Hamilton. Recent DNA testing, however, has revealed that her seafaring ancestor harbored a big secret: he might not have been a Webb after all, but the descendant of a New Jersey colonist family named Price. Betty is now working to unravel this real-life mystery: did William Douglas Price change his name to Webb. Was he on the run from the law? (As a mystery writer, she kinda hopes he was)
On her mother’s side, Betty can trace her roots back to the Barons of Riddell in medieval Scotland. The Riddells, friends and financial supporters of the poet Robert Burns, did not always enjoy the best of reputations. The opera, Lucia di Lammermore, about a young bride who decapitates her husband on their wedding night, was based upon a real life incident in the Riddell family. But the Riddells maintain that Lucy (her real name) merely scratched her bridegroom, and that he simply overreacted when he screamed out, "Murder!" Anyway, that’s the Riddells' story and they're sticking to it.
"The impact of my unusual family upon my life has been profound," Betty says. "That's why I thought it would be intriguing to create a detective who had no idea of where she came from or who her parents were. Creating the orphaned Lena Jones has helped me appreciate my own ancestral heritage - both the good and the bad." About the recent DNA testing results, she adds, "All this time the Webbs were keeping an even bigger secret than the Riddells -- and they didn’t even know they were! How could I not have become a mystery novelist."
(from http://www.bettywebb-mystery.com/bio....)
Series:
* Lena Jones Mystery
* Gunn Zoo Mystery
Now retired from journalism to write full time, she also contributes the Small Press column for Mystery Scene magazine and teaches creative writing at Phoenix College.
In her writing, Betty makes liberal use of her own varied background. She earned her way through art school by working as a folk singer but eventually gave up singing to concentrate on her art career. At various times she has picked cotton, raised chickens which laid blue eggs (Speckled Hamburgs), worked in a zoo, been a go-go dancer and horse breeder, taught Sunday School, founded a literary magazine, helped rebuild a long-abandoned 120-year-old farm house, and back-packed the Highlands of Scotland alone.
In 1982, Betty moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where her Lena Jones novels are set, but her roots are in Hamilton, Alabama, where most of her extended family still lives. In 2000 she published The Webb Family of Alabama: Survivors of Change, which focused on the descendants of her half-Seneca, half-English great-great-grandfather, William Douglas Webb, who ran away to sea at the age of 16, then after 14 wild years, settled down to farm peacefully in Hamilton. Recent DNA testing, however, has revealed that her seafaring ancestor harbored a big secret: he might not have been a Webb after all, but the descendant of a New Jersey colonist family named Price. Betty is now working to unravel this real-life mystery: did William Douglas Price change his name to Webb. Was he on the run from the law? (As a mystery writer, she kinda hopes he was)
On her mother’s side, Betty can trace her roots back to the Barons of Riddell in medieval Scotland. The Riddells, friends and financial supporters of the poet Robert Burns, did not always enjoy the best of reputations. The opera, Lucia di Lammermore, about a young bride who decapitates her husband on their wedding night, was based upon a real life incident in the Riddell family. But the Riddells maintain that Lucy (her real name) merely scratched her bridegroom, and that he simply overreacted when he screamed out, "Murder!" Anyway, that’s the Riddells' story and they're sticking to it.
"The impact of my unusual family upon my life has been profound," Betty says. "That's why I thought it would be intriguing to create a detective who had no idea of where she came from or who her parents were. Creating the orphaned Lena Jones has helped me appreciate my own ancestral heritage - both the good and the bad." About the recent DNA testing results, she adds, "All this time the Webbs were keeping an even bigger secret than the Riddells -- and they didn’t even know they were! How could I not have become a mystery novelist."
(from http://www.bettywebb-mystery.com/bio....)
Series:
* Lena Jones Mystery
* Gunn Zoo Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
November 24, 2019
I didn't enjoy this book but it really gave a lot of horrible details about life on the cult of Polygamy. Lena is helping a 13 year old girl escape from the cult when she finds the prophet dead and the girl's mother arrested for the murder. Lena goes undercover at the cult to try to find out who really did it. The lack of hope, the helplessness, the rapes, underage marriages, interbreeding, infant death and there seems to be nothing anyone can do about it since the police and higher ups turn a blind eye to anything the cult does. The details of the cult overwhelm the mystery so much the mystery doesn't play much of a part.
May 4, 2020
This is the second book in a series that features former cop turned private investigator Lena Jones. In this one, Lena is trying to prevent a young teenage girl from being forced to marry a much older man by her Polygamist father. In order to prevent this girl's marriage, Lena must solve a murder, and to do so goes undercover into one of the most extremist groups of polygamists, an isolated clan living in a remote canyon on the border between Utah and Arizona. The author uses this setting and this story to expose some of the practices of these fanatical segments. She demonstrates how the women are kept virtual prisoners, with little recourse to ever escape from this lifestyle. While Lena is living in this compound, she attempts to befriend some of the women there, and to combat the helplessness and hopelessness they feel. In her sleuthing she discovers one of the groups guarded secrets, an area where babies and children with multiple birth defects and disabilities are kept hidden. Lena realizes that this is a result of the limited gene pool that exists in such compounds, with incest both permitted and encouraged, and not just between adults.
The author included notes at the end of this novel that give more detail about efforts to free women and girls from these cults. Authorities have often turned a blind eye, and most people are not aware of the tax dollars that continue to support these groups, as the wives are forced to apply for welfare on the many children they bear that are "out of wedlock" since only one of the spouses of any man is seen as a legitimate marriage in the outside world. And of course, children with disabilities will receive a higher stipend, all of which goes into the pocket of the leader of the cult.
Ms. Webb has created an absorbing story here, and has also used her story telling skills to inform and hopefully help bring about change.
The author included notes at the end of this novel that give more detail about efforts to free women and girls from these cults. Authorities have often turned a blind eye, and most people are not aware of the tax dollars that continue to support these groups, as the wives are forced to apply for welfare on the many children they bear that are "out of wedlock" since only one of the spouses of any man is seen as a legitimate marriage in the outside world. And of course, children with disabilities will receive a higher stipend, all of which goes into the pocket of the leader of the cult.
Ms. Webb has created an absorbing story here, and has also used her story telling skills to inform and hopefully help bring about change.
April 1, 2010
This was an excellent mystery, fast-paced, entertaining, and educational. P.I. Lena Jones, in order to solve the murder of a prophet on a fundamentalist polygamy compound straddling the Arizona-Utah border, poses as a polygamist's wife and enters into the daily life of the compound. She uncovers one deep, dark secret after another, e.g., welfare fraud, corrupt law-enforcement officials, and the fact that many of the men are felons or child abusers.
In addition to a puzzling mystery, well-portrayed characters, and plenty of plot twists, we find out a great deal about the truly shocking things that go on in polygamist compounds. Fortunately, Lena, our narrator, has a good, if dark, sense of humor that keeps things from getting too grim (and with the harsh sort of life she's had since early childhood, she needs it!) A terrific read, with vivid Southwestern atmosphere.
In addition to a puzzling mystery, well-portrayed characters, and plenty of plot twists, we find out a great deal about the truly shocking things that go on in polygamist compounds. Fortunately, Lena, our narrator, has a good, if dark, sense of humor that keeps things from getting too grim (and with the harsh sort of life she's had since early childhood, she needs it!) A terrific read, with vivid Southwestern atmosphere.
April 25, 2009
I heard the author, who had been a journalist for a Phoenix newspaper, talk at a Joint Medical Library Meeting. This mystery, which takes place in a polygamous community, is based on her real-life reporting, and it's scary as hell.
November 8, 2010
This book paints a vivid picture of life in polygamous compounds. I enjoy mysteries that also give me something new to think about. This was also my first Lena Jones mystery, and I liked her as a protagonist--both strong and vulnerable.
March 30, 2011
Betty Webb's series about a PI in Scottsdale, Arizona is more than just a mystery series; she also explores issues, like polygamy. Fascinating, and educational.
November 25, 2017
The second in Betty Webb’s Lena Jones series takes Scottsdale, AZ, private investigator Jones to Mormon polygamists’ compounds on the Arizona-Utah border. Lena’s goal is to find out who murdered the spiritual leader of the polygamist group so that she can free a woman from jail who has been unfairly accused of the murder. This is more than just getting someone out of jail. The woman’s ex-husband is waiting in the wings to take their 13-year-old daughter to the compound and marry her off. Webb is a former investigative journalist. Her mystery novel is rich in detail about the surrealistic lifestyle of the members of these polygamists’ groups where it is common for men to marry 20 to 25 women each and to produce dozens of children.
At the end of the book Webb provides details about multiple abuses, including abuse of the welfare system, perpetrated by these men. She quotes former Arizona legislator Linda Binder who said in 2002, “We have a situation here that is unconscionable. We have the Taliban in our back yard." The good news is that as of 2016 and 2017, there have been some severe crackdowns on the polygamist communities. Unfortunately some “sister wives” have been left behind to fend for themselves when their husbands and spiritual leaders moved the polygamists’ communities to Mexico and elsewhere, taking only some of the sister wives and children with them.
Webb’s book is well written, suspenseful, and engaging. My only criticisms – which are not strong – are that a) sometimes there were so many characters, so many “sister wives” and children that I lost track of who did what; and b) I wasn’t entirely convinced that the person who perpetrated the murder was capable of overcoming religious indoctrination to kill a spiritual leader.
At the end of the book Webb provides details about multiple abuses, including abuse of the welfare system, perpetrated by these men. She quotes former Arizona legislator Linda Binder who said in 2002, “We have a situation here that is unconscionable. We have the Taliban in our back yard." The good news is that as of 2016 and 2017, there have been some severe crackdowns on the polygamist communities. Unfortunately some “sister wives” have been left behind to fend for themselves when their husbands and spiritual leaders moved the polygamists’ communities to Mexico and elsewhere, taking only some of the sister wives and children with them.
Webb’s book is well written, suspenseful, and engaging. My only criticisms – which are not strong – are that a) sometimes there were so many characters, so many “sister wives” and children that I lost track of who did what; and b) I wasn’t entirely convinced that the person who perpetrated the murder was capable of overcoming religious indoctrination to kill a spiritual leader.
January 15, 2020
PI Lena Jones investigates the death of the "prophet" of a polygamy community straddling the Utah/Arizona border. It was chock full of horrific portraits of abused women and children(raised to believe that obedience to men and God was the only thing that would save them from Hell) at the hands of devout (but self serving) men, including pedophiles, sociopaths and rapists who find refuge in such communities under the guise of religious freedom. That said the mystery was pretty good, the PI somewhat naïve, and a few characters quite interesting. At the end there is factual information on polygamous communities, incl. frequent birth defects, very high poverty rates and dependence on public assistance, a system designed to keep inhabitants poorly educated and unable to survive in the outside world. If interested in a good book about polygamy from a person who was inside it, try Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy
June 18, 2018
This mystery involves some very serious issues, most of which turned my stomach.
I read book one many years ago, and stopped when I saw the topic of this one.
The Lena Jones series is our book club selection for June, so I plowed forward with this entry.
It is well written, the killer is well disguised, but my gosh, this is not my preferred type of story. I see book 6 is also about polygamy. Too depressing.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
I read book one many years ago, and stopped when I saw the topic of this one.
The Lena Jones series is our book club selection for June, so I plowed forward with this entry.
It is well written, the killer is well disguised, but my gosh, this is not my preferred type of story. I see book 6 is also about polygamy. Too depressing.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
October 20, 2015
Good intentions, bad writing
I'm afraid in Desert Wives, Betty Webb addressed the Pologomy issue, but forgot the plot issue. Too many flashbacks to her murderous mom, knee jerk reactions and judgements, and poor choices. I'm having a hard time relating to Lena or caring what happens to her. I think this was my last Webb book.
I'm afraid in Desert Wives, Betty Webb addressed the Pologomy issue, but forgot the plot issue. Too many flashbacks to her murderous mom, knee jerk reactions and judgements, and poor choices. I'm having a hard time relating to Lena or caring what happens to her. I think this was my last Webb book.
May 6, 2017
Lena Jones enters the world of polygamy in order to investigate the death of the compound's leader, who was to marry Lena's client's young daughter. Excellent writing, good mystery, and I learned more about polygamy than I ever thought I would.
April 8, 2020
The plot revolves around polygamy on the Arizona Strip and Utah border. When I was still writing my review of public libraries around Arizona for the Arizona Library Association newsletter, my Mom, my friend Pam and I drove up, and stayed overnight in Kanab, UT, to attend the public unveiling of their new public library. My Mom and Pam both made the mistake of wearing slacks, plus Pam had fingernails with not only polish but also cat appliques on them. The grand opening was on the LDS holiday, Pioneer Day, and so the main street had flatbed trucks and trailers with celebrants throwing candy to children.
Once we arrived, and were clearly outsiders, we were taken under the wing of one of the many Barlows who resided there so that we would not wander into forbidden territory by accident, I am sure. I was invited up to the stage as a visiting dignitary. The ceremony was quite bizarre in that we were in the park where the raid of 1953 happened.
Those alive at that time reminisced about how the police vehicles surrounded the park, how the community gathered there, and then were whisked away in buses. The women and children were not under arrest but were taken into custody. The men were arrested. Surprisingly, there was little rancor in the memories, only a kind of narrative retelling of the event.
Later we were given the grand tour in one of the community vans. Everyone was very pleasant but it was pretty clear that we needed to be out by sundown. The place is absolutely gorgeous with the nearby Vermillion Cliffs, which are stunning to behold as the sun sets.
Of course as the book recounts in the fictional town of Purity, there were gigantic houses, all owned by a trust, to house the many wives. It was stunning to see the long-sleeved, full-length dresses worn by the women in the heat of July. Colorado City may be by the Grand Canyon, but it is desert and so quite hot.
Now more reforms have taken place. As the book recounts, the men would divorce each of their wives to take a new one. Then the unemployable, due to lack of skills, "single" mothers would apply for welfare. Since everything was owned by the trust, no one could escape with any money of their own. So the economic scam proved to be their undoing as well as abuses of their ex-members.
Once we arrived, and were clearly outsiders, we were taken under the wing of one of the many Barlows who resided there so that we would not wander into forbidden territory by accident, I am sure. I was invited up to the stage as a visiting dignitary. The ceremony was quite bizarre in that we were in the park where the raid of 1953 happened.
Those alive at that time reminisced about how the police vehicles surrounded the park, how the community gathered there, and then were whisked away in buses. The women and children were not under arrest but were taken into custody. The men were arrested. Surprisingly, there was little rancor in the memories, only a kind of narrative retelling of the event.
Later we were given the grand tour in one of the community vans. Everyone was very pleasant but it was pretty clear that we needed to be out by sundown. The place is absolutely gorgeous with the nearby Vermillion Cliffs, which are stunning to behold as the sun sets.
Of course as the book recounts in the fictional town of Purity, there were gigantic houses, all owned by a trust, to house the many wives. It was stunning to see the long-sleeved, full-length dresses worn by the women in the heat of July. Colorado City may be by the Grand Canyon, but it is desert and so quite hot.
Now more reforms have taken place. As the book recounts, the men would divorce each of their wives to take a new one. Then the unemployable, due to lack of skills, "single" mothers would apply for welfare. Since everything was owned by the trust, no one could escape with any money of their own. So the economic scam proved to be their undoing as well as abuses of their ex-members.
December 2, 2019
This was my first Lena Jones mystery in the series written by Betty Webb.
Lena is a likable, down-to-earth character, with an interesting inner voice and lots of attitude. Lena is a private detective, and her ballsey attitude serves her well in her dealings with the macho-type men that pepper the southwest, and try their best to confound her efforts to solve her latest case.
In this tale, the Prophet that heads the fundamentalist, polygamous sect of the LDS church is found dead. Murdered. Coincidentally, Rebecca, the young girl slated to become the Prophet’s latest bride has gone missing. She escaped the polygamous compound with the help of Lena, who is trying to return the girl to the mother, who escaped a few months prior.
The polygamous compound, Purity, straddles the Utah/Arizona border, and because many practicing Mormons in that part of the country have familial ties to the practice of polygamy, the law is not always on the side of those who try to leave this sect, even though polygamy is outlawed in both states. When the local authorities try to pin the Prophet’s murder on Rebecca’s mother and threaten to return Rebecca to a life of poverty and mistreatment in Purity, Lena finds a way to infiltrate the compound, masquerading as the latest wife of one of its residents. She is determined to find out who is really behind the murder.
As the tale unfolds, interesting facts are revealed about the reality of life led by those who are blindly faithful to this disenfranchised branch of Mormanism. As such, this book is a good read on many levels.
Without giving away too much of the plot, my suggestion is to pick up a copy and see what happens for yourself. It's a fun, fast-paced read.
Lena is a likable, down-to-earth character, with an interesting inner voice and lots of attitude. Lena is a private detective, and her ballsey attitude serves her well in her dealings with the macho-type men that pepper the southwest, and try their best to confound her efforts to solve her latest case.
In this tale, the Prophet that heads the fundamentalist, polygamous sect of the LDS church is found dead. Murdered. Coincidentally, Rebecca, the young girl slated to become the Prophet’s latest bride has gone missing. She escaped the polygamous compound with the help of Lena, who is trying to return the girl to the mother, who escaped a few months prior.
The polygamous compound, Purity, straddles the Utah/Arizona border, and because many practicing Mormons in that part of the country have familial ties to the practice of polygamy, the law is not always on the side of those who try to leave this sect, even though polygamy is outlawed in both states. When the local authorities try to pin the Prophet’s murder on Rebecca’s mother and threaten to return Rebecca to a life of poverty and mistreatment in Purity, Lena finds a way to infiltrate the compound, masquerading as the latest wife of one of its residents. She is determined to find out who is really behind the murder.
As the tale unfolds, interesting facts are revealed about the reality of life led by those who are blindly faithful to this disenfranchised branch of Mormanism. As such, this book is a good read on many levels.
Without giving away too much of the plot, my suggestion is to pick up a copy and see what happens for yourself. It's a fun, fast-paced read.
December 3, 2024
Personally I've never given much thought to polygamy. The legislature in Utah has and, in 2020, more or less decriminalised it. In part the intention, officials explained, was to encourage reporting of abuses such as rape, wife beating, child molestation, incest, welfare fraud and racketeering.
I have no idea if it worked.
Polygamy is at the heart of “Desert Wives" and mostly the accounts are based on real events and the rare prosecutions. It makes for depressing reading.
P.I. Lena rescues a teenager, Rebecca Corbett, 13, from a polygamous commune but Rebecca's mother is then accused of killing the leader, Prophet Solomon, 68. To make things worse Rebecca's father wants her returned to the commune so that he can marry her off and receive two new 16 year old wives in return.
With things looking bad Lena goes undercover and becomes a sister wife (not something that come naturally to her). She has a couple of hairy moments keeping her temper in check but does manage to deck a couple of the master race (i.e. men).
Despite the harrowing conditions described (particularly in relation to mental and physical conditions caused by interbreeding) “Desert Wives” is a fine read and one I will not forget anytime soon,
4 Stars.
I have no idea if it worked.
Polygamy is at the heart of “Desert Wives" and mostly the accounts are based on real events and the rare prosecutions. It makes for depressing reading.
P.I. Lena rescues a teenager, Rebecca Corbett, 13, from a polygamous commune but Rebecca's mother is then accused of killing the leader, Prophet Solomon, 68. To make things worse Rebecca's father wants her returned to the commune so that he can marry her off and receive two new 16 year old wives in return.
With things looking bad Lena goes undercover and becomes a sister wife (not something that come naturally to her). She has a couple of hairy moments keeping her temper in check but does manage to deck a couple of the master race (i.e. men).
Despite the harrowing conditions described (particularly in relation to mental and physical conditions caused by interbreeding) “Desert Wives” is a fine read and one I will not forget anytime soon,
4 Stars.
December 15, 2017
Desert Wives by Betty Webb is the second in the Lena Jones Mystery series and it is a real page turner. Lena has been asked to investigate the death of the head of a polygamous compound. A woman in the compound is accused of committing the murder, but Lena is sure she is innocent. To discover the true murderer, Lena goes undercover as a plural wife and not only solves the mystery, but uncovers many other wrongs that should be righted.
February 21, 2018
Lena Jones is a complex character, carrying a lot of baggage from her past. It haunts her as she tries to work through the complexities of keeping a young girl from being returned to an isolated polygamous compound. To do so, she moves to the compound, eventually discovering a dark secret, and trying to help the women break free of their slavery of the evil that pervades it.
July 25, 2019
Good thing that you really don't need to read the books in order. As the title suggest it is a story involving polygamy and locale is the Arizona/Utah border. Shades of what is really happening today
September 5, 2024
My criteria for giving 5 stars?
if I can't stop turning the pages, if I take this in the bathroom with me, if I read in between the commercials, if I lay around most of the day reading because I need to finnish the book!
That to me, is a 5 star read...:)
if I can't stop turning the pages, if I take this in the bathroom with me, if I read in between the commercials, if I lay around most of the day reading because I need to finnish the book!
That to me, is a 5 star read...:)
September 1, 2017
Preachy again, on another topic, but still a good read. Love the protagonist.
September 29, 2018
A good read.
March 13, 2020
Mormon polygamist sect on Utah/Arizona border, abuse of women and children, not a fun read
April 14, 2020
I love this series...this one was wonderful because I learned so much. Thank you Betty!
November 29, 2020
Been a while since I have read what I believe is a 5 star book , but this one really spoke to me . Highly recommend !
August 15, 2021
I liked it for the subject matter, an issue that few are aware of, which terribly troubling.
September 5, 2021
Great
Love the writing, the characters, the attitude, and the story line is excellent and well developed. I really love her writing.
Love the writing, the characters, the attitude, and the story line is excellent and well developed. I really love her writing.
May 7, 2022
People need to read this series. To realize this atrocity still exists
June 28, 2022
Riveting but sad subject matter...
May 22, 2023
I bought this at a goodwill signed by the
author. What a pleasure this book is. Informative too! Loved it
author. What a pleasure this book is. Informative too! Loved it
February 13, 2012
There is a murder mystery in Betty Webb's Desert Wives, but it takes a back seat to her harrowing portrayal of a polygamy compound on the Arizona-Utah border. The author's vivid descriptions of a primitive society outside the law, where women are treated primarily as breeding stock, make you feel like you've entered an alternative universe or a new circle of hell.
Lena Jones is a former cop/private eye based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Her client is a woman who has fled from the Purity polygamy compound operated by a fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon church. Her former husband wants to marry off their 13-year-old daughter to one of the elders in the compound, who all seek to earn their place in heaven by taking as many wives and producing as many children as possible.
Lena manages to rescue the young Rebecca but the girl's mother, Lena's client, is charged with the murder of the compound's head, Prophet Solomon. To clear her, Lena has to investigate the murder and find the real killer (even though she is not sure her client is innocent). Through various connections, she finds an older man in the compound who has become disaffected with its whole ethos and embittered because he unwittingly signed over all his property and assets and would be virtually impoverished if he leaves. Saul is willing to bring Lena into the compound as his second wife to investigate the murder. She must wear the plain clothing of the compound's women and adopt their submissive attitude -- none of which comes easily to Lena, who is fiercely independent and wrestling with demons from her own childhood spent in foster care.
There are some truths that can only be told in fiction, and Webb's brutal descriptions of present-day polygamy are one of them. This is not Big Love, but it rings too true to be made up (and the author offers considerable documentation at the end of the novel to show it is based on fact).
Lena observes two-thirds of the way through the book that she has been in the compound more than a week and is no closer to finding out Solomon's killer. This may frustrate some mystery readers who want her to get on with it. But the portrayal of this universe is as compelling and suspenseful as any murder mystery, if not more so. In the end, victim and killer alike are caught up in a system that appears to be unalloyed evil. It combines some of the worst ills in society today -- unbridled greed hypocritically posing as religious fundamentalism, battering and abuse of women, and child molestation, among others.
That said, some of the description of life in the compound could probably have been sacrificed to move the plot along more quickly. Also, in terms of mystery plotting, the reader would have benefited from more clues. As it is, Lena's illumination about the identity of the killer seems abrupt and somewhat arbitrary. Lena herself seems at times less mature and less professional than one might expect from a veteran law enforcement officer, and some of the other characters remain two-dimensional.
Webb excels at evoking the desert landscape of the Arizona Strip, with its beauty and its danger. The flashes of scenic beauty, the genuine joy of many of the children living together in a closed community with fixed parameters lighten the gloom of compound, where most of the people live in sordid poverty while the "prophets" enjoy a life of luxury.
The reader is happy to leave Purity, but much sadder, if wiser, knowing that such places exist and are allowed to exist by a corrupt society.
Lena Jones is a former cop/private eye based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Her client is a woman who has fled from the Purity polygamy compound operated by a fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon church. Her former husband wants to marry off their 13-year-old daughter to one of the elders in the compound, who all seek to earn their place in heaven by taking as many wives and producing as many children as possible.
Lena manages to rescue the young Rebecca but the girl's mother, Lena's client, is charged with the murder of the compound's head, Prophet Solomon. To clear her, Lena has to investigate the murder and find the real killer (even though she is not sure her client is innocent). Through various connections, she finds an older man in the compound who has become disaffected with its whole ethos and embittered because he unwittingly signed over all his property and assets and would be virtually impoverished if he leaves. Saul is willing to bring Lena into the compound as his second wife to investigate the murder. She must wear the plain clothing of the compound's women and adopt their submissive attitude -- none of which comes easily to Lena, who is fiercely independent and wrestling with demons from her own childhood spent in foster care.
There are some truths that can only be told in fiction, and Webb's brutal descriptions of present-day polygamy are one of them. This is not Big Love, but it rings too true to be made up (and the author offers considerable documentation at the end of the novel to show it is based on fact).
Lena observes two-thirds of the way through the book that she has been in the compound more than a week and is no closer to finding out Solomon's killer. This may frustrate some mystery readers who want her to get on with it. But the portrayal of this universe is as compelling and suspenseful as any murder mystery, if not more so. In the end, victim and killer alike are caught up in a system that appears to be unalloyed evil. It combines some of the worst ills in society today -- unbridled greed hypocritically posing as religious fundamentalism, battering and abuse of women, and child molestation, among others.
That said, some of the description of life in the compound could probably have been sacrificed to move the plot along more quickly. Also, in terms of mystery plotting, the reader would have benefited from more clues. As it is, Lena's illumination about the identity of the killer seems abrupt and somewhat arbitrary. Lena herself seems at times less mature and less professional than one might expect from a veteran law enforcement officer, and some of the other characters remain two-dimensional.
Webb excels at evoking the desert landscape of the Arizona Strip, with its beauty and its danger. The flashes of scenic beauty, the genuine joy of many of the children living together in a closed community with fixed parameters lighten the gloom of compound, where most of the people live in sordid poverty while the "prophets" enjoy a life of luxury.
The reader is happy to leave Purity, but much sadder, if wiser, knowing that such places exist and are allowed to exist by a corrupt society.
May 11, 2013
Lena Jones is back to work in Desert Wives and this time she is up against a polygamist compound. Her intention was to get her client's daughter, Rebecca, out of Prophet Solomon Royal's clutches. Rebecca is only 13 years old and doesn't want to marry Prophet Solomon and her mother doesn't want that either. She had already gotten away from that life and she wants a better life for herself and her daughter.
Len gets Rebecca back, but Rebecca's father Abel is determined to get her back, especially since he gets two 16-year old brides for giving his daughter to Solomon. Lena and Rebecca also find Solomon dead on their run through the night. Solomon's death means Rebecca is free, but only as long as her mother, Esther, didn't kill him, and it looks like Esther might have done just that.
With Esther in jail awaiting extradition to Utah and Rebecca staying with her partner Jimmy's friends on the reservation, the only thing left is for Lena to go under cover in Solomon Royal's polygamist compound and find out who killed him or Rebecca will end up married to the new polygamist prophet.
The clash between polygamists and the rest of the world is a meaty subject. Betty Webb tackles the incestuous relationships among local police and government officials and the tangled webs of polygamist families in Desert Wives. Lena is the most likely undercover agent ever since she has a hard time pretending to be meek and obedient and keeping her mouth shut. In short, Lena sticks out like a giant black ram among a herd of cowed white-fleeced sheep. She isn't very effective and spends more time sticking her nose into personal family relationships than finding out who killed Solomon Royal.
The polygamist compound is a quagmire of intrigue, abuse, and male superiority with a loathsome cast of characters on all sides and everyone is a suspect. However, Webb spends more time detailing the polygamist life and abuses than in laying down the clues that will lead to Solomon's killer, waiting until the very last for Lena to have an ah-ha moment and failing to share the brainstorm with the reader. Webb does give up the murderer but it is a wetly fizzled climax.
What Webb does very well is populate her stories with standout characters, many of which get great cameos that don't last, and very little development beyond Lena's passing interest. Webb describes the countryside beautifully but telegraphs the ending with a less sure hand. In the warring muddle of tracking down the murderer and moral outrage, Lena shines like a dark angel that lifts Desert Wives out of the ordinary.
Webb spends most of her crystal clear prose generously on Lena and the landscape, but seems to ignore the basic premise of a mystery is to solve the case. I enjoyed Desert Wives and was fascinated by the polygamist machinations, in this fast paced story, but was faintly dissatisfied in the search for the killer. All's well that ends well, except when the ending feels rushed and incomplete. I did, however, enjoy finding out more about Lena's past.
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