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Lena Jones Mystery #3
Desert Shadows
After Scottsdale publisher Gloriana Allerton is poisoned at the annual Southwestern Publishers' Convention and a Pima Indian friend is accused of the murder, Lena Jones begins to investigate the seldom talked about side of the business--racist publishing. To her horror, Lena finds herself rubbing elbows with extremist politicians and members of local fascist groups.
Though she becomes a target for murder because of her investigations, an attempt against Lena Jones' life pales in comparison to what happens when she is granted a meeting with the Aryan Brotherhood leader at the Arizona State Prison complex. On her way to the Death Row visiting room, a Black trustee nicknamed "Green," because of his startling green eyes, looks into Lena's face.
And calls her by her mother's name.
Found shot in the head at the age of four, her memory gone, the green-eyed Lena Jones had been raised in a series of abusive foster homes which left her emotionally--and physically--scarred. For years, Lena had searched for her biological parents with the same intensity with which she searched for killers. But now, with a possible answer to her identity right in front of her, Lena begins to realize that the truth may come at a very high price...
Her own life.
Though she becomes a target for murder because of her investigations, an attempt against Lena Jones' life pales in comparison to what happens when she is granted a meeting with the Aryan Brotherhood leader at the Arizona State Prison complex. On her way to the Death Row visiting room, a Black trustee nicknamed "Green," because of his startling green eyes, looks into Lena's face.
And calls her by her mother's name.
Found shot in the head at the age of four, her memory gone, the green-eyed Lena Jones had been raised in a series of abusive foster homes which left her emotionally--and physically--scarred. For years, Lena had searched for her biological parents with the same intensity with which she searched for killers. But now, with a possible answer to her identity right in front of her, Lena begins to realize that the truth may come at a very high price...
Her own life.
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2004
29 people are currently reading
138 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 35 reviews
February 23, 2016
Good mystery, and more unraveling of Lena's own mysterious story. The setting, of Scottsdale, is somewhat known to me, and I think I'll make sure that on my next adventure that far north I'll take book number 4 with me so that I can check out some of the actual places she talks about!
December 19, 2017
Desert Shadows by Betty Webb continues the series featuring private investigator Lena Jones. Lena continues to develop as a character and we learn more about her troubled childhood. In this book, the third in the series, Lena is investigating the murder of a matriarch whose publishing house is inherited by her grandson. Lena believes that the suspect, Owen, is innocent of the murder and begins to investigate other possible suspects of which there are many. An enjoyable mystery sure to delight fans of this series.
November 22, 2014
Hadn't read a Lena Jones in some time. DESERT WIVES was a stellar read some years back. This one was a good enough read, just not nearly as good as the previous book. Have a couple more in this series I need to get to. Will try and get the next in the series read by the end of the year. Mostly recommend......but if you're looking to start with this series, I can't recommend DESERT WIVES highly enough.
March 21, 2020
Lena Jones, former cop and now PI, decides to investigate the murder of a local publisher with ties to the white supremacy world. In addition to a great story (based on a real episode in Scottsdale, AZ), readers learn a little more about Lena's backstory.
You don't have to read the books in sequence, but it's a terrific series.
You don't have to read the books in sequence, but it's a terrific series.
January 30, 2018
Another outstanding entry into the series featuring Lena Jones.
November 11, 2018
Lena is not my favorite of Webb's narrators. Her personality is so damaged by her life as a child and youner person that it is a wonder she can even tie her shoes.
December 15, 2020
The central character is so flawed and making such bad personal choices, she's getting on my nerves.
January 14, 2024
readable but nothing outstanding
September 14, 2024
Lena! Your "boyfriend" leaves you for another woman and then MARRIES her and you take him back??? No, no girl
October 24, 2014
This is the third Lena Jones mystery, though only the first I have read. In this story, sub-titled “Publishing can be Murder”, Lena investigates the death of publisher Scottsdale publisher Gloriana Alden-Taylor, who was poisoned at the annual Southwestern Publishers' Convention. She is drawn in to the case because a Pima Indian friend has been accused of the murder.
Gloriana’s publishing house delivers primarily racist texts, so the field is rife with people who may have wanted to kill her, including her grandson, who stands to inherit the publishing house, and who plans to change its direction completely. One of the authors about to be published is a death row inmate, with his own brand of racist drivel, a tract endorsed by the Aryan Brotherhood, whose leaflets Lena encounters everywhere, but which seemingly do not really add anything to the story. I think that’s something that may have been edited out.
Gloriana turns out to be a complex woman drive by her desires, one of which was her enduring need to secure the genes of her ancestry, from the Mayflower and from President Zachary Taylor. She also turns out not so much to believe in the racism in her books, but in their ability to sell. I was a little annoyed by the digs at the commercial nature of publishing (no-one publishes literature any more, only what sells etc) – perhaps the author has an axe to grind there?
The book also explores more of Lena’s personal history, she having been brought up in several foster homes, having apparently been shot by her mother at the age of four. She is working out anger management issues with a psychiatrist, and as she does so, we learn more about her past, a story in its own right. And then there is the on/off relationship with her ex-husband, which leads to dangerous encounters, and which will no doubt be a theme of subsequent books.
The prime suspects end up being the people (publishers) who shared Gloriana’s table at the last dinner of the conference. Lena, who is a private detective and thus has a valid reason for investigating, unlike some others I have read recently (librarians), chases down these suspects, at the risk to her own life at one point. I didn’t feel that all that much detecting went on, however. When the criminal eventually appears, it’s by accident, Lena having focused on the wrong person. That’s not the way to endear me to an author’s work.
However, it was an easy read, and there is a lot in it. I felt it could have been stitched together better – it felt a little choppy, not really smoothly moving towards a conclusion.
PS I felt that the Goodreads summary was misleading, even getting Gloriana’s surname wrong, and as the surname was key to the plot, I was surprised. Perhaps taken from an earlier description; the same applies to the Aryan Brotherhood stuff, which seemed to add little to the story, but which was referenced in the Goodreads blurb also.
Gloriana’s publishing house delivers primarily racist texts, so the field is rife with people who may have wanted to kill her, including her grandson, who stands to inherit the publishing house, and who plans to change its direction completely. One of the authors about to be published is a death row inmate, with his own brand of racist drivel, a tract endorsed by the Aryan Brotherhood, whose leaflets Lena encounters everywhere, but which seemingly do not really add anything to the story. I think that’s something that may have been edited out.
Gloriana turns out to be a complex woman drive by her desires, one of which was her enduring need to secure the genes of her ancestry, from the Mayflower and from President Zachary Taylor. She also turns out not so much to believe in the racism in her books, but in their ability to sell. I was a little annoyed by the digs at the commercial nature of publishing (no-one publishes literature any more, only what sells etc) – perhaps the author has an axe to grind there?
The book also explores more of Lena’s personal history, she having been brought up in several foster homes, having apparently been shot by her mother at the age of four. She is working out anger management issues with a psychiatrist, and as she does so, we learn more about her past, a story in its own right. And then there is the on/off relationship with her ex-husband, which leads to dangerous encounters, and which will no doubt be a theme of subsequent books.
The prime suspects end up being the people (publishers) who shared Gloriana’s table at the last dinner of the conference. Lena, who is a private detective and thus has a valid reason for investigating, unlike some others I have read recently (librarians), chases down these suspects, at the risk to her own life at one point. I didn’t feel that all that much detecting went on, however. When the criminal eventually appears, it’s by accident, Lena having focused on the wrong person. That’s not the way to endear me to an author’s work.
However, it was an easy read, and there is a lot in it. I felt it could have been stitched together better – it felt a little choppy, not really smoothly moving towards a conclusion.
PS I felt that the Goodreads summary was misleading, even getting Gloriana’s surname wrong, and as the surname was key to the plot, I was surprised. Perhaps taken from an earlier description; the same applies to the Aryan Brotherhood stuff, which seemed to add little to the story, but which was referenced in the Goodreads blurb also.
January 3, 2010
THis is the third Lena Jones mystery and continues the series as absorbing and gritty as the previous two. Lena Jones is a former cop turned private detective in Scottsdale Arizona. A product of a series of bad foster homes, Lena is strong, beautiful, and analytical. Her heart is closed and she is haunted by the mystery of her past and by the abuses of the foster care system.
The autocratic head of Patriot's Blood, Gloriana Alden-Taylor is poisoned at a banquet and the evidence points to her Pima chauffer/handyman, Owen Siswan. Owen happens to be a friend of Lena's a cousin to her agency partner. Lena begins to investigate and more violence continues to be a part of the mystery. Lena shows her courage and her thoughts reveal her internal pain.
The memories from her childhood and her mysterious past are intensifying. She was found as a four year old in a ditch with a bullet wound in her head. She carries the scar still. There are other scars as she reveals her childhood encounters with monsters.
An absorbing and compelling book.
The autocratic head of Patriot's Blood, Gloriana Alden-Taylor is poisoned at a banquet and the evidence points to her Pima chauffer/handyman, Owen Siswan. Owen happens to be a friend of Lena's a cousin to her agency partner. Lena begins to investigate and more violence continues to be a part of the mystery. Lena shows her courage and her thoughts reveal her internal pain.
The memories from her childhood and her mysterious past are intensifying. She was found as a four year old in a ditch with a bullet wound in her head. She carries the scar still. There are other scars as she reveals her childhood encounters with monsters.
An absorbing and compelling book.
July 11, 2025
After the excellent “Desert Wives” “Desert Shadows” is a bit of a let down.
Third in the 'Lena Jones' series it is set in the publishing world where some niche imprints can make serious money.
Gloriana Alden-Taylor, owner of Patriot's Blood Press, makes a mint with books advocating white supremacy.
She's detested by many and hated by a surprisingly large number of people.
When she is murdered at a Southwest Book Publishers Expo the list of suspects is almost endless.
Unfortunately Lena's friend (well, as much a friend as Lena can allow) Owen has been arrested and, on the face of it, the evidence seems damming.
Lena does a huge amount of pro bono work on the case but this results in a book with a lot of description and little to show for it.
I thought, more than once, of dumping it but I persevered and was glad that I did because the final chapters tells the reader a lot about why Lena is the way she is. There's also a very nicely worked McGuffin, sad though it was.
It is definitely not the right book for anyone starting reading the series.
Third in the 'Lena Jones' series it is set in the publishing world where some niche imprints can make serious money.
Gloriana Alden-Taylor, owner of Patriot's Blood Press, makes a mint with books advocating white supremacy.
She's detested by many and hated by a surprisingly large number of people.
When she is murdered at a Southwest Book Publishers Expo the list of suspects is almost endless.
Unfortunately Lena's friend (well, as much a friend as Lena can allow) Owen has been arrested and, on the face of it, the evidence seems damming.
Lena does a huge amount of pro bono work on the case but this results in a book with a lot of description and little to show for it.
I thought, more than once, of dumping it but I persevered and was glad that I did because the final chapters tells the reader a lot about why Lena is the way she is. There's also a very nicely worked McGuffin, sad though it was.
It is definitely not the right book for anyone starting reading the series.
May 7, 2010
This third book featuring private investigator Lena Jones is a terrific detective tale that starts out with the murder of the owner of Patriot's Blood Press at the Southwest Book Publishers Expo, when her salad is sprinkled with water hemlock. Suspects abound, including family members, employees, displeased authors, political extremists, and an imprisoned serial killer. It's a fascinating mystery, with an intelligent heroine who has a mysterious past, the beautifully portrayed Arizona desert setting, dark humor, and more revelations about Lena's early years. An excellent read, and very hard to put down.
September 19, 2014
Lena at her Best
Lena Jones is one of the most interesting fictional detectives created in recent years. In some ways she is both hard and tough, but she retains a strong sense of social justice and is tortured by her horrific and mysterious past. In this outing she attempts to prove the innocence of a man who is charged with the murder of a greedy and snobbish publisher of hate literature. Lena must investigate the many unpleasant characters who had reasons to hate the victim and at the same look for less obvious motives. This is an intriguing mystery with Arizona serving as an impressive backdrop.
Lena Jones is one of the most interesting fictional detectives created in recent years. In some ways she is both hard and tough, but she retains a strong sense of social justice and is tortured by her horrific and mysterious past. In this outing she attempts to prove the innocence of a man who is charged with the murder of a greedy and snobbish publisher of hate literature. Lena must investigate the many unpleasant characters who had reasons to hate the victim and at the same look for less obvious motives. This is an intriguing mystery with Arizona serving as an impressive backdrop.
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January 4, 2015Publishers
Lena Jones has flashbacks of her early life while trying to solve the MURDER of right book publisher. Owen, her partner's cousin has been arrested for the poisoning of Corinna Allen-Taylor who was publishing right material to make money. Her court order therapist is pushing her to what is bothering her and one her foster parents present. Dusty is back wanting to restart their affair. She meets all heirs and other publishers and that almost everyone had a motive. Will Lena solve this problem before Owen's trial. The ending will surprise you. I recommend this series highly
Lena Jones has flashbacks of her early life while trying to solve the MURDER of right book publisher. Owen, her partner's cousin has been arrested for the poisoning of Corinna Allen-Taylor who was publishing right material to make money. Her court order therapist is pushing her to what is bothering her and one her foster parents present. Dusty is back wanting to restart their affair. She meets all heirs and other publishers and that almost everyone had a motive. Will Lena solve this problem before Owen's trial. The ending will surprise you. I recommend this series highly
September 25, 2011
Less gritty than the previous entry in the Lena Jones series but also less easy to read. There are a lot of terrible people in this book, doing terrible things. The characters are well drawn and the Dusty subplot gets a fair shake, and there are lots of haunted houses and haunted people populating these pages. But Webb handles yet another social harm with characteristic aplomb and wades hip-deep into the things no one likes to talk about: addiction, racism, abuse and recovery.
A really great series captained by a fantastic P.I.
Warning for serious, serious animal harm triggers.
A really great series captained by a fantastic P.I.
Warning for serious, serious animal harm triggers.
January 4, 2015
Lena Jones has flashbacks of her early life while trying to solve the MURDER of right book publisher. Owen, her partner's cousin has been arrested for the poisoning of Corinna Allen-Taylor who was publishing right material to make money. Her court order therapist is pushing her to what is bothering her and one her foster parents present. Dusty is back wanting to restart their affair. She meets all heirs and other publishers and that almost everyone had a motive. Will Lena solve this problem before Owen's trial. The ending will surprise you. I recommend this series highly
July 12, 2009
The main character Lena Jones is trying to find out who murdered a very unpopular publisher. Her partner's cousin has been accused of the deed and everyone knows that he did not murder the woman. Lena is also taking anger management therapy to keep her PI license. It is through this therapy that we learn more about Lena's life in the Foster Care system. This is a quick read. The characters are entertaining and I like Betty Webb's writing and story telling.
August 23, 2009
The more Lena delves into the character of Gloriana, the more surprises she discovers. For what appears to be a racist and a purist turns out to be motives based on making money, as Gloriana would back anything that would give her money to sink into one of her 'fevers'; mainly rebuilding her beloved Hacienda or tracking the genealogy of her family's history.
I enjoyed finding out more about Lena's past in this book.
I enjoyed finding out more about Lena's past in this book.
April 2, 2015
Reading the investigations of Lena Jones continues to be interesting and captivating. I quite enjoy Betty Webb's writing style and the obvious research she puts into her books. This story moved right along and made for fairly quick reading. Love the continuing cast of characters and how Lena's story as a child continues weaving through.
June 9, 2011
I enjoyed this mystery, very well written with ins and out the end was not what I expected. You will have to read to discover the ending!
one copy available! http://florida-house.ecrater.com/p/11...
one copy available! http://florida-house.ecrater.com/p/11...
October 18, 2011
Betty Webb places a murder tight in the center of a conference for independent publishers. I found it very educational as well as entertaining. I didn't feel it was as good as DESERT WIVES which I thought was excellent, but I look forward to more of this series.
February 12, 2009
Scottsdale private eye Lena Jones investigates a right-wing publisher's murder, and gets a little closer to solving her own personal mystery. Recommended.
January 3, 2010
Yes ... gritty story ... gritty gal ...
August 13, 2010
Not much to say except I am still loving this series. I am also interestd to see how Lena and Dusty's relationship plays out. hmm....
August 19, 2010
I learned that publishing can be a cutthroat business!
March 2, 2013
Not as riveting as the first two in the series; it took me a couple of tries to get through it.
May 30, 2013
typical Lena jones mystery. I love Lena Jones. :)
July 22, 2013
very good read!
August 25, 2013
Addicted to her writings. Good Book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews