Cactus Heart (David Mapstone Mysteries) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deputy sheriff David Mapstone's background as a history professor serves him well when he stumbles—quite literally—onto a very cold case in Talton's engaging fifth mystery (after 2006's Arizona Dreams), a prequel set in 1999. One night, after leaving a pro hockey game in Phoenix, Mapstone; his girlfriend, Lindsey Adams; and his boss, Mike Peralta, interrupt a carjacking. They pursue the perp into an abandoned warehouse, where Mapstone falls down an elevator shaft. At the bottom are the bodies of two small children, who turn out to be the Yarnell twins, kidnapped in the 1930s from the most powerful man in the region, cattle baron Hayden Yarnell. Talton does his usual competent job of depicting the history of Phoenix and the American West, in particular the greed that has driven the city's growth and the desert's demise. Mapstone is the kind of modern hero many readers dream of: intellectual but physical, tough but sensitive. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this prequel to the David Mapstone series, set in late 1999, former history professor and now Maricopa County, Arizona, deputy sheriff Mapstone investigates a 58-year-old kidnapping. Cattle baron Hayden Yarnell's twin grandsons disappeared in 1941 and were never found, although the ransom was paid. One of Yarnell's employees, Jack Talbott, discovered in possession of some of the marked ransom money, was executed for the crime. Mapstone, while chasing robbers into an abandoned warehouse, is present when a pair of small skeletons and a pocket watch are found behind a wall. Do the skeletons belong to the Yarnell twins? Mapstone draws the task of formally clearing the case and determining whether justice was served or Talbott was set up. Complicating matters, the Yarnell heirs may be targets of further foul play. Intriguing details revealing the intricacies of historical research combine with a full-bodied main character and a strong sense of contemporary Phoenix. An absorbing mystery. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 227 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590583523
• ISBN-13: 978-1590583524
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #972,010 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The past is never the past, May 21, 2007

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/07)

David Mapstone used to be a history professor, now he is a Deputy Sheriff in the Phoenix area. After accidentally discovering the bones of two young brothers who had been kidnapped during the Depression era, Mapstone starts investigating their deaths. The boys appear to be Andrew and Woodrow Yarnell, grandsons of a cattle baron. They had been kidnapped and held for ransom, but their bodies were never discovered. The suspected kidnapper, Jack Talbott, had been executed and a woman believed to be his accomplice, still remained incarcerated. Prior to his execution, Talbott insisted that the boy's uncle was involved. DNA evidence leads to further intrigue in this mystery. Things just don't add up like they should.

A murder and an attempted murder of Yarnell family members lead Mapstone to wonder if these attacks are related to the investigation of the kidnappings. As he is investigating this case, he is also dealing with his own relationship issues. A much younger lover appears to be exiting from his life, while a beautiful but mysterious new woman is entering. He also has his boss moving into his home while he is sorting out his own relationship issues.

Author Jon Talton has written an excellent mystery. I love how he ties the past into the present. There are also some unexpected twists in the story. Not everybody is who they seem to be. "Cactus Heart" is a prequel to his David Mapstone mysteries. I enjoyed this story so much that I look forward to reading his other novels. I highly recommend this novel to mystery fans. It would also be a great one for a readers group.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the worst in the series, but not the best either., February 1, 2008

By	scifiguy57 "scifiguy57" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

I've read all the Mapstone books, and as a resident of downtown Phoenix (a short distance from the Willo historical district where Mapstone lives) I enjoy seeing familiar landmarks mentioned in the books. Also, Talton has been getting better at constructing good plots without loose ends and red herrings.

On the downside, the dialog in this book frequently made me cringe. "Hello, Sheriff's Deputy David Mapstone." "Hello to you, Lorie Pope, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist at the Arizona Republic." Spare me! Even worse were the constant sex scenes, with beautiful women continually throwing themselves at Mapstone. It annoys the hell out of me when authors indulge in juvenile wish fulfillment by writing this kind of stuff.

For my money, the best book in the Mapstone series is Arizona Dreams, followed by Camelback Falls. This one is so-so.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well written police procedural , May 16, 2007

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 1999 Phoenix, Arizona, historian David Mapstone is a consultant to the Sheriff's Department and a deputy who works cold cases. One night while out to dinner with his lover, his boss Chief Deputy Mike Peralta interrupts. Three criminals are hijacking a car. One was immediately caught, another was captured by David and Peralta in a warehouse; the third remains free. During the warehouse arrest, a wall crumbled; inside were the skeleton of two children and a pocket watch.

David notes that the watch contained the brand of the Yarnell Empire and that the remains are probably the Yarnell identical twins kidnapped during the Depression. David is assigned to affirm his theory and close the case, which seems simple to do by matching DNA from the bones with that of a live Yarnell descendent. However, to his shock the DNA samples are not a match yet all other circumstantial evidence and dental records affirms these are the brothers. As he ponders the stunning information, someone murders the head of the Yarnell family making his inquiry take a modern murderous twist.

This is a well written police procedural starring an intelligent protagonist who is able to brilliantly look at issues from a variety of perspectives something few people can do. David's analysis of the present and the past especially the abduction will surprise readers yet remains plausible. That is the key to a terrific investigation of a Depression Era double murder and a modern day linked homicide. Jon Talton provides an entertaining mystery.

Harriet Klausner