Customer Reviews

Desert Run (Lena Jones Mysteries)

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DESERT RUN is Betty Webb's fourth Lena Jones mystery, and it's running neck-and-neck with her second, DESERT WIVES, as my favorite book of the series. In this installment, P.I. Lena is overseeing security for a crew filming a documentary about the World War II German POW escape from Camp Papago, Arizona. When Kapitan Erik Ernst, one of the former escapees, who has moved to Arizona and was the star of the movie, is killed, Lena plunges into an investigation to clear the Kapitan's Ethiopian caregiver of the charges. She soon realizes that Ernst's murder is tied not only to his 1944 escape, but also to the 1944 murder of a family on a nearby farm.

DESERT RUN is well-written, well-researched, and tightly plotted, and, as in the previous Lena Jones mysteries, includes a bit of social consciousness (in this case, prejudice against immigrants and development encroaching on the natural beauty of the landscape) without becoming preachy. In all her books, Webb paints a vivid setting; I love being able to revisit the Arizona desert and its cities through the Lena Jones books. DESERT RUN also does one of my favorite things in mysteries: weaves real-life history into the modern-day fiction, then adds an Author's Note at the back of the book to give readers more information about the 1944 German escape.

Betty Webb is a master writer in the mystery genre, having written some 14 books. This novel, published by Poisoned Pen Press, is, as is Webb's habit, centered in Arizona and includes Nazis, escapes, murders, movie making, love interests, and clever detective work by the enigmatic Lena Jones, Webb's heroine. The logic of the various threads all hang together and beautifully merge by the end. A thoughtful and touching epilog brings the adventure to a close. Although completely fiction, the initial incident of the escape from the prison camp, is a true story. This is a work of genius and a great read. Highly recommended for readers into mystery, history, Arizona, or just plain great writing.

Betty Webb has developed an interesting character in Lena Jones. The subplot that ties them all together -- along with the key characters -- is interesting, although the stories themselves are so engaging that one forgets the subplot from time to time. I think Webb's decision to tackle these difficult and often conveniently ignored social issues is admirable...and she does it with sensitivity and compassion. I am eager for the next installment (Desert Cut is the last in the series, so far). I tore through the available volumes with great interest and, except for being distracted by faulty proofreading, found them very satisfying. (This review applies to all titles through Desert Cut.)