What do readers think of Desert Cut by Betty Webb? Write your own review.

I really enjoyed reading Desert Cut by Betty Webb. Although it's the sixth book in the Lena Jones PI series, there was enough information about the back story that the book was able to stand on it's own. Ms. Webb's storyline dealt with young, murdered girls whose deaths revolved around the horrific practice of female genital mutilation, hence the title Desert Cut. The main protagonist, Lena Jones, having been shot and abandoned by her parents and raised in foster homes, feels a deep connection with the murdered children. The manner in which she relentlessly pursued the case really propelled the momentum of the book. I was always eager to turn the page as she uncovered another layer in the mystery.

This is the fifth Lena Jones mystery and the first which I have read. I will definitely go back and read the others. The plot holds your interest throughout and the narrative is simple and straightforward. There are many characters, and although some of them are involved for a very brief period, they are all well fleshed out. This book should appeal to anyone who likes a good Private Investigator mystery story. Along with being a good read, the author sheds light on a relatively little known and very disturbing procedure performed on young girls in many African and Mid-Eastern countries. Some of the descriptions and Author's Notes are not for the squeamish.

The Sonoran Desert is usually tranquil but not in this case. A mystery with clues dropped in each chapter. This small town full of ethnic immigrants drawn by industry, is not well equipped to solve the deaths of young girls nor the culture the new townspeople brought with them from their original countries. Riveting to the end.

Author Betty Webb has created in private investigator Lena Jones one of those characters that will delight some readers and infuriate others. Jones, who shares many of the traits found in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone and Sara Paretsky's V. I. Warshawski (among others), arrives in the fictionalized Arizona town of Los Perdidos and quickly finds murder and mayhem in abundance. Through good luck and a more than ample serving of coincidence, she works her way through the case at hand. Local color adds a Southwestern flavor to events.

Not the first of Webb's tales to feature the detective--this is the fifth in a series going back to 2001 and "Desert Noir"--the author writes in the first person, so character development is essentially limited to Jones. Perceptions of others remain terse and two-dimensional, and the plot carries the story. Red herrings abound, and chance answers far too many questions.

But Webb also raises social issues in her writing; "Desert Cut" deals explicitly with a taboo subject, one that could offend or unsettle portions of her audience. It nonetheless qualifies as a bloody page-turner that should whet the appetites of fans desiring a fast-paced mystery laced with explicit gore, but its grim message may not appeal to everyone.

I thought this book was too slow moving and I did not like the subject matter. I did like the Lena Jones character and would like to find out more about her. I also thought the Arizona setting made it interesting. I realize the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation happens in parts of the world,but I found it hard to believe it would be widespread in the U.S. I also felt the author had some ax to grind with chemical companies, which really had nothing to do with the book. When I picked this book I thought it was going to be about illegal border crossing, which would have been a lot more interesting and current subject matter.

This book was mediocre. Aside from Lena, the characters were not very well constructed and had little depth. The dialogue was just ordinary. She kept my attention, however, with the mystery that was unfolding. The main theme of the novel was one that shed light on a barbarous practice in today's world to which millions of women are subjected by cultures that are clearly misogynist. While Ms Webb was graphic about the practice and its consequences (to the point of being distasteful), I was disappointed that she did not go into more detail about the cultural background of this heinous custom. She, however, caused me to want to educate myself about this horrendous practice and what is being done to alleviate it.

Although Desert Cut by Betty Jones is the 6th in a series, for the most part it does a good job of standing on its own. I was conscious of having missed the “back-story,” but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the novel. I found the main character quite likable and well fleshed-out. The mystery itself kept me involved, with many twists & suspects, keeping me guessing "who done it" until the very end.

With the exception of Lena Jones & her partner, however, Webb’s characters are flat and predictable. They're caricatures; they play "stock" roles. I found this aspect of Webb's writing disappointing.

Also, I'm under the impression the author's mysteries revolve around "issues" of which she feels the reader should be aware. I find this tremendously presumptuous and rather annoying. I generally avoid books that ambush me with a “message.”

If I have the opportunity to read another Lena Jones mystery, I'll probably do so, since I did find the character intriguing, someone I'd like to know better. I won't go out of my way to find one, though. C+.

The sixth of Lena Jones mysteries deals with another important social problem. Ms. Webb cleverly uses Lena Jones to bring the readers attention to this social atrocity.I found Lena Jones to be one of the politest P.I.'s I have ever met. Her distaste for the
problem presented does not come through with the passion that such a revolting crime merits and she claims to have. Making this problem more widely known would have been better served through a non fiction account of the occurrences.As a mystery
I found the book readable, however I found it difficult to befriend Ms. Jones but perhaps a female reader would feel closer to her.This is a light book that fails to anger the reader as the author intended.