Arizona Books

I don't see what the other reviewers found so helpful about this book. It contains technically poor, uninspiring photographs and advice that is readily available on the web.

One thing every old-school photographer knows is that, when you use filters, especially color-enhancing filters, you must do so sparingly, or else your work becomes predictable and boring. This author uses enhancing filters on EVERY SINGLE PICTURE! Every shot has an unnatural reddish-orange tint. Now, I'll admit I use a polarizer on most outdoor work, but enhancing filters should only be used when the subject needs that extra saturation to look right. The terrain of the Grand Canyon is red enough, and doesn't need that weird orange glow each of the pictures in this book has due to the constant use of enhancing filters.

If that were the only problem, I'd say that the author is just lacking in creativity. But it's not. He also seems to have a penchant for taking photos in light that creates contrast far exceeding the dynamic range of his film, leaving the highlights well exposed, but the shadows dark and nearly featureless. Waiting for the right light is part of being a pro, and settling for shots with large areas of blocked-up shadows is not. He shoots alot on clear days, which doesn't provide the diffusion of sunlight that partly cloudy days can. Just look at the cover photo and you'll see. Most shots in the book are just like the cover.

To be honest, I haven't read all of the text in this book, and I don't plan on doing so. Taking photographic advice from someone who doesn't take good photographs just doesn't make sense. I'd stay away from this book and find something else.

This is a must have book if planning a phot trip or any trip to this area. Viewing locations are well described and the directions to them are great. The equipment suggestions, though aimed at film cameras is very helpful to all photographers. I wish there was more about the Flagstaff/Sedona area, an area that should not be overlooked for photo opportunities. The photos in this book are fabulous and provide the everyday photo enthusist with some great ideas.

This is a wonderful book, full of Joseph Lange's beautiful photography and tips. Others have covered that, so I will just add my two cents regarding the "Northern Arizona" bit.

I purchased this book before going to Sedona, since Sedona was listed as a part of the area covered. Indeed, Sedona is covered, but the information takes up just about a page. Add the lovely photo, and I received two pages worth of information, when I was hoping for just a bit more...

I believe that this book is essential for amateur and professional photographers who are visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time. This book includes all of the details that you need to guide you through a positive experience, shooting all parts of the canyon. I just returned from there and I sure am glad that I read the book first and also took it along on the trip for reference. Well worth the money.

This book is a very good overview to the best scenic sights in Northern Arizona. It is a good travel guide as well as being a photographer's guide. I lived in Flagstaff for two years and still learned a lot about scenic sights that I missed from this book. Pick a few places and use the guide to help explore Northern Arizona, one of the most picturesque locations in the world

This is a large, thin paperback which would probably be a nice souvenir of Sedona (I haven't been yet!) but was not what I was hoping for. It's my own fault for not reading the reviews more closely. It's a little more useful than a (very) similar book called "Secret Sedona" which is also a large thin, paperback filled with nice photographs but not the practical information I am looking for as I plan our upcoming trip. I bought several books about Sedona from Amazon recently and none of them have been as useful as the information I can find on the web.

Excellent book. It captures the most beautiful scenery around Sedona. I keep it out on the table to remind me of some of my favorite spots in Sedona.

Someone else described this as a "coffee table" book. that is exactly right. the pictures are nice, but there is not much information in it. If you are looking for a book about sedona to help you know what to do there or how to get around or just good basic information - you won't find it here. and it's too big to take it with you on vacation.

I have bought several books on Sedona in the past and this is by far the best. The pictures are large and vibrant and the descriptions and information are accurate. The book covers formations, wildlife, flora and fauna, cultural history, etc.
I am taking my third trip out to Sedona this month and this book gave me new insight to some places to go and the history that lies within Sedona. This is a great book and it is always on my coffee table for all to see the beauty of Sedona.

This is a wonderful snapshot of the Sedona area! Just leafing through it brings back many memeories of being in the area. Wonderful photos and great information. At an unbelievable price! A wonderful gift at not much more than the price of a card!

This is Jon Talton's best yet. His mystery writing credentials are established, and women have always liked his books. With "Arizona Dreams," he uses his knack for intellectual narrative and noir dialogue to introduce a surprising twist about Lindsey's life before she married the history shamus. That thread gives the book an emotional depth that leaves you eager for the next installment.

Jon Talton's latest David Mapstone mystery probes the fraudulent practices often seen in Arizona real estate development, adding a corrupt county supervisor to the mix. That Mapstone is the sheriff's historian is apropos, as Talton is himself a considerable expert on Arizona history. This offering adds a previously unknown sister-in-law to Mapstone's life, and also causes him more than a few problems, during her stay with David and Lindsey. The sheriff, unconvinced, or unwilling to believe the corruption connection give Mapstone a deadline to come up with the evidence, and in the process of doing so, he and Lindsey find themselves facing heat much greater than that provided by the Phoenix summer. Two ice pick slayings, a body in a barrel, and a savagely murdered innocent youth keep the reader turning pages until Mapstone puts all the pieces together. This is a good read for mystery lovers, especially anyone familiar with Phoenix and vicinity.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader View (7/06)

Dr. David Mapstone, a Deputy, previously was a history professor and his main purpose now was to write a history book for the Sheriff's department. A former student, Dana, showed up at his office with a letter that her deceased father left with a confessional of a murder he committed 40 years earlier and the location of the grave in the dessert. Because his work didn't involve investigations he suggested the case be turned over to an active Deputy, however, the student insisted that Mapstone conduct the investigation himself.

The plot thickens with twists and turns when he and his wife Lindsey, who is also a Deputy, are called by a neighbor to a murder in their neighborhood. While at the murder scene Lindsey spots her half-sister Robin, whom she hasn't seen for many years, in the crowd. Suspicions arise as to why she is at the scene.

During the investigation as a result of the letter given to Mapstone by Dana, it is found that the body in the grave was not buried there 40 years ago, but as recent as two weeks. When Mapstone attempts to find Dana, she is nowhere to be found. Suspicions arise as to the validity of the letter as well as who Dana really is. Finally, when she is found, it ends up that she is the wife of a politician that has a grudge against the Sherriff, Mapstone's boss.

From there the plot thickens even more so, with every chapter being an unpredictable chain of events that occur. More bodies are found, Dana appears and disappears, Mapstone, and his wife Lindsey gets more involved against the direction of the Sherriff, and ultimately the investigation leads to a corrupt real-estate development called `Arizona Dreams."

Jon Talton's expert writing skills keep the reader turning pages. There is no indication or hint of what will happen next, even if it looks predictable, it's not what you would expect the events to be. And, the ending is certainly not one that the reader would anticipate or even figure out in advance. Is this a good read? Yes, definitely!

"Even-numbered Mapstones don't suck" seems to be the pattern developing with Jon Talton's series. I found the first Mapstone disappointing, the second one quite an improvement, and the third one so-so. But now Talton has hit his stride and produced a thriller that really thrills, and a plot that holds together right up to the climax, tying together the loose ends without those "And now, Mr. Bond, before I kill you, I will explain my whole master plan" set-pieces that spoiled some of the previous novels.

Talton is also getting better at breathing life into his characters. Lindsay in particular becomes much more interesting, with revelations about her family and her past that David Mapstone had no inkling of. Sheriff Peralta puts in an appearance, but instead of being the ever-present father figure, he becomes less sympathetic and an impediment to Mapstone's investigation - which makes for a more interesting story.

What I really like is that Talton delves more deeply into Phoenix's real-estate-driven and Enron-like economy which is based on lies and denial - the idea that there will always be an infinite supply of cheap real estate and free water, and an endless stream of unskilled workers coming here to happily work minimum-wage McJobs to keep the whole house of cards going. Thanks to the extreme fringe-right politicians who keep getting elected here (the Tom Earley character strikes me as a spot-on depiction of notorious bloviator JD Hayworth), "planning" is a dirty word synonymous with socialism and totalitarianism. And so Phoenix stumbles into the future with no clue how to handle its explosive growth, no political will to make hard but necessary decisions. It's a perfect breeding ground for criminals and scam artists like the ones portrayed in this book.

I haven't read the fifth Mapstone yet, but I hope Talton hasn't rested on his laurels but is continuing to do what this novel does: in the entertaining guise of a detective thriller, hold up a mirror to contemporary Phoenix.

Like many of the finest examples of noir, Talton's novel has a firm sense of locale: in this case, Phoenix, Ariziona. Talton, like his narrator, grew up in Phoenix, and like his narrator, he returned from elsewhere to reconnect with his roots. One of the characters in Arizona Dreams (someone who did not grow up in Phoenix) repeats the often-heard cliche that Phoenix has no stories to tell (this in implicit contrast to all of the lore--so much of it Hollywood and tourist industry bunk--that Arizona presumably has to tell). But Talton and his narrator know better, and some of the most important stories to tell about Phoenix (and other sunbelt cities) concern the crime, corruption, and multifaceted chicanery that are integral parts in the engine driving the phenomenal growth of the area in the past fifty years. The Chamber of Commerce and its allies (which include the real estate and construction industries at the very least) never tell the stories relating to the human and environmental cost of such growth, but this is the story Talton's excellent novels have to tell. Working with the novelistic device of a cold-case investigator and murder as the the most dramatic face of that human cost, Talton, with a fine sense of narrative irony, tells the stories so many of the Sun Belt residents do not want to hear in their pretense that there are no stories to tell. One added note of interest: Talton is a business editorial writer for the Arizona Republic, and one of the great delights of his four novels lies in perceiving the links between his newspaper columns and his detective novels.

This book is the best gardening book that I have found for Tucson, AZ. The author divides the information into sections, such as Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, etc. For each plant there is a picture on the page with care, growing tips, where and how to plant it, mature size, blooming period, and other interesting tips for the particular plant. This book has saved me alot of money by not investing in something that will not grow well here in Tucson. So far, everything I have planted using Mary Irish's advice this spring is still growing and blooming, even in our 100+ degree heat!

This is by far the best book written for Arizona Gardeners. Mary Irish knows more about desert gardening than anyone. Thanks!

We moved to Arizona two years ago, and my wife wanted a good quick reference guide to use in planting and tending our desert garden. This book fills the bill nicely, providing descriptions and clear photos of approximately 200 plants, along with tips on how to best use them in a garden. Ms. Irish's writing style is straightfoward, even a bit plodding, but readable. A good companion to "Plants for Dry Climates" by Duffield and Jones.

Excellent book. Has given me many ideas of flowers to plant in this area.

Information from books written by authors without the experience of gardening in Arizona, do not work in this state. Mary Irish has spent her life working for a variety of Arizona gardening organizations. She knows the climate so her information works... simple as that.

This book is good for making plant selections when planning your garden. It offers nice photos and hardiness information specific to Arizona climate and soil conditions. Use in conjunction with Irish's Month-By-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest and you should succeed.

There is a very short list of books required for Arizona gardening (see my list on Amazon)... but this one is high on it.

This is a solid reference for discovering AZ backcountry roads & trails for exploring but it has some problems. It has a very good reading section on local and AZ history and historic figures to provide context. Its descriptive of trails and roads and a good planning tool, but not very useful in the field unless you're a geocacher used to relying on latitude/longitude references:
1. The maps are not uniformly oriented to North, so they're confusing when you try to use them in conjunction with a road map or a GPS map screen. Trying to use these maps while actually on the trail drove me nuts.
2. Maps are too sketchy; often omitting your access from main roads, and major landmarks. Things like stream fords, problem spots, bridges,etc should be indicated. For example, it would be nice to note that a trail you're interested in exploring is right next to a major resort, as would having a simple notation like "...10 mi. to I-17" on the access point.
3. There should be a simple thumbnail keymap shown with each individual trail map to provide a regional location. If planning a trip and chosing trails, you have to constantly refer back the beginning of the section to locate the trail on the regional map.
4. Long/lat waypoint listings are overemphasized and the space would be better used for decriptive text. Waypoint data could be shown on the map.
5. The book is printed very high quality, but it does weigh a TON!

Great book but not entirely up-to-date. The author needs to run each of these routes at least once a year to keep it up to date.

The trails in the book are not hardcore 4-wheeling but do take you to a lot of fun places in arizona. Most stock SUVs can take these trails. There are a lot of good camping spots throughout the book. the trail descriptions and GPS coordinates are more than adequate to get you there. The only thing I didn't like is The trail maps are all rotated and so North is not always up which makes it a little harder to orient oneself.

I found that this book was great for our off road adventures in our new Jeep. The area we visited was Sedona and Jerome, AZ, area. What we liked about this book is the odometer readings were very exact, that the book had you zero out your odometer frequently and reset the odometer. The descriptions of the off road trails were very accurate. The rating systems for difficulty factor and scenic factor are very realistic. Also the milege of the trip and the time it takes to finish the route are included in each trip. You can also use GPS coordinates.

Many of the best trails in AZ are listed in this book. The GPS and Map references help get to the trails and out the other end. The history of the trails and info on the animals, mines and formations make driving these trails even more fun to ride.

Just got back from the Grand Canyon and thought this was very helpful. My 65 year old mom made the south kaibaa trail to Cedar Ridge. Mom stopped just below ooh ahh point but it was a relatively easy hike . There is advice at the front of the book and at the trailhead that one should read. I found this very helpful.

One has to be careful with Amazon Reviews sometimes. There is a tendency for Amazon's editors to simply transfer reviews from one edition of a book to another. This is fine on occasion, but wildly inappropriate for hiking guides. A case in point is this second edition of Adkison's 'Best Easy Dayhikes Grand Canyon.' The feature review notes that the parking information is outdated. The first edition certainly was by 2004, but this new edition (2005) includes all the parking rules that are now in effect. Adkison has also modified information on the South Rim trail to reflect its current extension, and updated information on the Shoshone Point trail.

The bottom line is that this is now a very useful book. Most people visiting the Grand Canyon don't have time for extensive treks beneath the rim. (Indeed, permits for backpacking trips are almost impossible to come by.) But if you are interested in seeing the canyon up close and personal as opposed to simply from the tour bus, by all means get this book. It contains a lot of interesting walks which can get you away from some of the heavy congestion in the park. It will certainly repay in recreational value the purchase price.

This is an interesting and well written book, but a few cautionary notes are in order. The book is severely outdated, especially regarding parking and locating trailheads. The South Kaibab can no longer be driven to, you must take a shuttle bus. This is integral information for the casual tourist or the serious hiker.

In addition, the title of the book is a little misleading. If you visit in the summer, there really are no easy hikes within the park. This is because of the extreme heat on the south rim and the unusually dry conditions that prevail there. I've hiked in the canyon for 25 years, including many rim to rim hikes, and anyone who underestimates the canyon will probably end up humbled, at the very least.

This is a good book for couch potatoes who want to experience the Grand Canyon but aren't interested in strenuous or long treks. Just be wary of the parking info contained within, it is outdated.

As mentioned by a reviewer in April, this edition is updated and current. Though I would argue that several of the hikes in this book aren't "easy" (few in the Grand Canyon are) the author does an excellent job of highlighting very worthwhile hikes....a few of which really ARE easy (i.e. the plateau top trails). Not to say that the others are strenuous...but "easy" is stretching it a bit. However, this range of hikes covered makes this book just right for many Grand Canyons' visitors.

This is an excellent guide to the different day hikes available in the park. The book has some organizational problems, and day hikers should beware that no hike below the rim can be categorized as "easy" despite what it says in the front of the book. Some of the information is now dated, including road names, when shuttles run, and the location of the main visitor center. The Rim Trail does indeed exist and the description in the book is accurate, although the trail has now been extended to Pipe Creek Vista and does not end at Yavapai Observation Station as the book states. For ideas about what to do at Grand Canyon in terms of day hiking, this book is hard to beat.

AFTER HIKING FOR DECADES IN ARIZONA, I'VE COME ACROSS MY FAVORITE GUIDE BOOK BY FAR! THIS BOOK IS MEGA INFORMATIVE, WELL WRITTEN, INSIGHTFUL, AND FUN TO READ...WILLIAMS WILL GUIDE YOU IN TO THE BEST OF ARIZONA'S BACKCOUNTRY...THIS IS MANDATORY READING FOR THE SERIOUS ARIZONA HIKER, LET ALONE ANYONE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING AWESOME CANYON TERRAIN. I'M HOPING WILLIAMS WILL JUST QUIT EXPLORING AND BEING A FUNHOG LONG ENOUGH TO WRITE ANOTHER GUIDEBOOK AS GOOD AS THIS ONE IS!

I've completed many of the hikes in this book and in many cases have found the descriptions skimpy at best, and in many cases just plain inaccurate. The maps are weak and, like the descriptions in the book, look as if they were put together in 5 minutes. It looks like the author simply couldn't be bothered to spend the time to put together a quality product.

The good part of the book, is that some nice locations are described that you might not learn about otherwise. Unfortunately there are a number of rather lousy hikes not worth doing mixed in (i.e. Bill Williams River - nice, if you like raw sewage maybe) & the author provides no way to differentiate between the two.

Worth [the money]?? .... maybe, but it could have been so much better.

When you pick up this book, don't worry that it'll be just another dry guidebook. The author shares his love of Arizona in his attention to detail, enthusiastic descriptions, history and geology synopses, and sprinkled opinions on wilderness preservation. All the practical advice is there: how to get to a hike, time estimates, and equipment recommendations; but on top of that, you get the sense of why it's worthwhile to explore these places and treasure them. And the photos are great!

Fishing and exploring Tonto Creek - I was planning a major canyoneering trip early Summer 2001.

I met a couple who had just finished Tonto Creek and had a copy of the book in there packs! They had hidden there bikes in the desert shrubs and planned on doing a little biking and hitchhiking 30 miles where they left there vehicle at the start of there journey. I was interested in the trip and how it went and the dangers and all the inside info!!! so I gave them a ride in my 4x4 30 miles to there car near Bear Flats .

They gave me a copy of the book as a thank you!! The middle age guy and gal were from Telluride, Colorado!! They told me they ran out of food on the trip - yikes! They know the gal in the photo on the cover of the book too!

WOW!! I have since have done two journeys in the book in and out. The book was a good reference and an indication what I was getting into and the dangers and difficulty. The author has written enough detail for the trips and then lets you discover the canyon first hand when you hike it!

Oh let me give you a tip!! Buy a canyoneering helmet for your head! I personally slipped on a rock and hit my head. No serious damage - I quickly bought a helmet and use it. I witnessed dry blood on rocks in a canyon (my private guide told me the person hit there head on a rock and my guide gave first aid to the victim )

Good Luck!!

P.S. I have not yet done Tonto Creek 22 mile trip!

As an avid Arizona hiker I am flat out pumped to get my hands on this awesome book. I kid you not, you will sleep with this book until you memorize every line of information offered. Arizona's canyon country is revealed. Finally a book that acknowledges Arizona has so much more to offer than the Grand Canyon. Adrenalin power punching slot canyons, narrows, waterfalls, creeks, streambeds, and gorges galore fill this book cover to cover! Trek information is included on each adventure. Canyon adventures for beginners to experts make this book a valuable tool for all. Trip description, length, time needed, difficulty, maps and directions complete the package! If you plan on hiking Arizona you need this book!

A well written book on a subject not covered anywhere else!

The western most battles of the civil war are in Arizona.

I felt like I was in the minds of the California volunteers as they marched into Arizona in the 1860s to support the Union, chased the Rebels back to Texas, fought the Indians, set up territorial government, established roads, mines.

As an Arizona resident, I can only imagine how rugged this country was in those days with few towns, no law and Indians everywhere.

The diaries and letters of the Union Troops stationed in Arizona are like a window to the bast.

The battle of Picacho Pass captivates the readers as the advance Union Troops come upon the Confederates (Arizona Rangers) at the old Butterfield Stage station on the way to Tucson.

The Mexican government had surrendered the territory to the United States just a decade earlier, yet the US had not really controlled this vast territory. The Confederates came for gold and control of the Colorado River. The arrival of the Union army changed the shape of Arizona as we know it today.

Recommended.

It is probably not common knowledge, even among many students of Arizona history, that the Civil War played an important role in the early development of the Arizona Territory. Author Andrew Masich guides his reader through the evolution of the California Volunteers' war-time military occupation of Arizona with great attention devoted to the soldiers' personal experiences, as well as their military accomplishments. He goes on to highlight the generally unheralded contributions made by the Californians which fostered progress toward stability, settlement and commerce in the fledgling Territory.

The author gives us a glimpse of the research process by devoting fully one-half of his volume to one of his primary resources, namely the personal accounts of some of the Volunteers submitted as dispatches to one of the pre-eminent California newspapers of the day. What better way to glean a true feel for their unique experiences than by following the personal accounts of these "soldier-correspondents" in their own words?

As a descendant of an Arizona pioneer family and a student of her fascinating history, I'm always searching for writings that will expand my understanding of the paths that brought us to where we are. Masich's book certainly fits that bill. This is a thoroughly-researched and fascinating tribute to the soldiers of the California Volunteers. I highly recommend it.

Neil Donkersley
Tucson, Az

Unlike other civil war books, this one covers the soldiers from California that occupied Arizona and New Mexico. Not a lot of civil war action but more dealing with the desert and the Indians. It's not a page turner, but what civil war book is. But when your done with the book you know more then you did before. A civil war book with a different slant.

I just learned that the Border Regional Library Association (includes Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and Sonora) has awarded Civil War in Arizona Southwest Book of the Year honors--and deservedly so! This book makes a real contribution to the study of the Civil War in the Western Territories.

For Civil War buffs and scholars, for all those who love Western History, this book will make for compelling reading. Andrew E. Masich, president and CEO of Pittsburgh's Senator John Heinz History Center and former director of museums in Colorado and Arizona, serves up a riveting story of how the California Column marched across Arizona and New Mexico to not only defeat Confederates and Apaches but also to carve out an American community in the deserts of the great Southwest. In Masich's definitive account, readers will feel the sting of sand and the hot breath of desert winds as the California Column fights its way to victory. The depth of Masich's research is truly extraordinary, and his use of soldiers letters home published in the San Franciso Daily Alta California adds remarkable dimension to the story. Masich carefully annotates the soldiers letters and allows the reader to relive the events as they happened. This is one of those truly unique books that belong on the shelf of every student of the Civil War and the American West.

The gaping holes in the prosecution's theory of this case are conspicuous in this book by the fact that they are totally ignored. The book has no legitimacy because the author uses no critical judgment whatsoever in analyzing the evidence. He just gets on the prosecutor's bandwagon and leads the cheers.

The author also turns a blind eye to prosecutorial misconduct and outright criminal activity by the district attorney, preferring instead to ladle in more and more embarrassing information about the defendant. Instead of an analysis of a murder case, what we wind up with is a modified version of the Kenneth Starr report: 300 pages of smut and no evidence.

If you want to read hero worshipping of the cops and the DA, this is the book for you. If you want a real analysis of the crime, get another book about this case.

I don't think the man did the crime.

I was one of Dan Willoughby's victims. I didn't meet him until after he went to prison, and I bought into his lying manipulating mind-set. I believed everything he said. It wasn't until he accused me of getting in touch with his jury consultant, whom I never even knew was being considered, that I realized that this guy is a person who has to have someone to blame for everything that goes wrong in his life. Always.

I now believe that he cultivated the relationship with Yesenia, only so he could set her up to take the fall for Trish's murder, all by her/himself.

Mr. Henderson's book tells the facts of the case in an easily readable, and truthful way.

This is a well written, true crime book. It tells the story of a self absorbed, sociopathic personality. It is the story of a married man, Dan Willoughby, who, during a mid-life crisis, decided he wanted to marry the sexy, wanton, and amoral Yesenia Patino with whom he had been cheating on his wife. Instead of simply divorcing his wife, Trish, the mother of his children, he decided to kill her, motivated soley by greed.

Masquerading as a hard working, devout mormon, family man for many years, Dan Willoughby was nothing more than a con man, gulling all those whom he knew. The ensuing investigation of the murder revealed Willoughby to be a real bottom feeder. A liar, a cheat, a thief, and, ultimately, a murderer, Willoughby would not escape the long arm of the law, as his dead wife's family would not let the matter rest in their pursuit for justice.

Dan arranged to commit the brutal murder in Mexico and planned an elaborate charade that included using his children in his murder scenario. He ensured that they would be the ones to find their dead, blood soaked mother. He went to all this trouble so that he could get some insurance money, his wife's share of a thriving business, and the freedom to marry the person with whom he had become obsessed, Yesenio Patino. Little did he know that his wife would have the last laugh from the grave, as the police investigation revealed that Ms. Patino was a transsexual who had once been a man and had had a sex change operation! It was a fact that Ms. Patino had conveniently neglected to tell Willoughby.

The author paints a compelling portrait of the personalities involved in this matter. It persuasively lays out the details of the events that propelled Willoughby to the consummate finale. The police investigation and courtroom drama is succintly summarized. The book is neither a police nor courtroom procedural. What the author attempts to do is provide a portrait of those who were in some way involved in this matter. In that, it certainly succeeds. Persuasively written, the book leaves the reader with little doubt as to the guilt of Dan Willoughby and his accomplice, Yesenio Patino.

The book provides sixteen pages of photographs of the parties involved in this tragedy. It is a compelling and absorbing read that will keep the reader turning the pages. Those who enjoy reading well written books in the true crime genre will enjoy this one. It will certainly appeal to fans of Ann Rule and Jack Olsen.

to the gentelmen who said that he did not think that Dan did it. Think what it would be like to walk in on YOUR mother, Yes this is the oldest daughter. This book was very well written, very true. Jim stuck to the facts, and to the truth of the story. Just makes you think how can someone involve their children. I had a hard time getting through the book, but on the other hand it was hard to put down. Dan is a very evil man, and the hurt he has caused us all will never go away. We just have to get on with our lives. I know that I sleep better knowing that he is in prison and will be there for a long time. He is very minipulating, that comes across in the book.

I thought this book was very good. Dan Willoughby is an arrogant hypocrite. He sheds his skin like a snake. I hope he goes down in flames with his new trial along with his playmate. I stand totally behind Thera Huish and her family!

This is the 2nd in the Lena Jones series. Who is Lena Jones, a tough, gutsy, smart detective, with a strange sense of humor. This time around Lena is undercover in a community of polygamist looking for the killer of the head prophet. There is a lot of back story to this, some sad because even though it is written as fiction some of it could be true. You also find out a little bit more about Lena's early episode with her real mother. Good writing, great story, highly recommended.

In this second installment in the Lena Jones mystery series, Lena is hired by her client, desperate mother Esther Corbett, to rescue her daughter, Rebecca, from the polygamist compound of Purity at the Utah-Arizona border. The rescue goes perfectly, but on the way out of Purity, Lena and Rebecca stumble over the dead body (short-gunned) of Solomon Royal, the leader of the compound. And because a few witnesses saw (Esther's almost senile father included) Esther and Solomon arguing over Rebecca's future (sixty-something Solomon was scheduled to marry thirteen year old Rebecca) hours before Solomon was found dead, Esther is the number one suspect in that homicide. Now it's up to Lena to prove her client's innocence, clear her name and prevent Rebecca from becoming a child bride. But in order to do this, savvy and independent Lena will have to go undercover as one of the compound member's new "wife." Can a thoroughly modern and strong willed Lena curb her ways in order to fit in, in spite of all the horrors and injustice she will witness? Whether she likes it or not, Lena will have to bite her tongue and pretend to be a submissive wife in order to learn all the dirty little secrets that Purity has to hide so that she can find the real killer and so reunite Esther with Rebecca...

"Desert Wives" makes for compelling reading not so much for the mystery at hand, but because of Betty Webb's stark and incisive look at the dark reality of the lives of the women in the Purity polygamist compound. Where Webb describes how insular these women's lives are, and the extent to which they are controlled, exploited and manipulated, "Desert Wives" makes for absorbing and chilling reading. Unfortunately, where the mystery subplot is concerned, and Lena's undercover investigation into who murdered prophet Solomon Royal, there were definite shortcomings. I think that the authour spent too much time showing us how difficult it was for Lena to adjust to the confining life in the compound, and not enough time trying to find out what was actually going on in Purity. So that towards the end of the book, when a character (who knows that Lena has gone undercover), shortly lets Lena know that she's not "listening" and that the clues are there for her to discover, I was in total agreement. There are plenty of suspects, and even a plot twist or two, but Lena's final realisation as to who the murderer really was, truly came out of no where for me. Perhaps I missed a crucial bit somewhere, but I rather doubt it. So, all in all, if you're of a mind to read a dark and chilling account of what life for a woman would be like in a polygamist compound, and a book that has plenty of ambiance and atmosphere and that renders up the beauty of the Utah-Arizona desert, then you're bound to want to read "Desert Wives." However, if you're looking for a really compelling and intriguing mystery novel, be forewarned that mystery-wise "Desert Wives" falls a little short of expectations.

Private Detective Lena Jones helps rescue a 13-year old girl from her non-custodial father and the man the father has promised his daughter in marriage to. But when the prospective groom, a 'prophet' in a polygamous Mormon sect, ends up killed, Jones's client is the only suspect. And Jones knows that that local sheriff won't go looking for any other suspects. He appears to sympathise with the polygamous rather than with the abused children. Jones knows what it is like to be a deserted child and goes underground in the cult compound, pretending to be one of the wives.

Author Betty Webb writes about the evils of polygamy and child abuse with authority while fully integrating these into an intriguing mystery. The prophet made plenty of enemies and had enough money to make even his best friend want to murder him. But who would he have trusted enough to lend his own shotgun to? Jones finds that the code of silence is in effect in the compound. The men barely talk to the women, and the women live in fear of more abuse, and in fear of one another as they scrabble for what little authority any woman can hold in a male dominated sect.

Serious mystery readers will quickly guess the killer, but will want to keep reading to see how Jones finally guesses the identity. Jones' terrible taste in men makes me glad she's not my detective, but it also makes for a more interesting read.

"So in the end, what kind of monsters wouldn't protect their own daughters? I touched the scar on my forehead again. Sometimes monsters were called mothers."

In the voice of Private Detective Lena Jones we hear years of misery and betrayal, as she tries to recover from being shot by her mother while still a young child. Like the visible scar on her forehead, she is still scarred inside, and finds it hard to let down her barriers and live life.

Her mother's betrayal becomes even more poignant as she enters into a secretive group of polygamists who own an entire town on the Utah/Arizona border. These mothers, too, are betraying their children. Desert Wives begins as Lena hides in the high desert, waiting for 13-year-old Rebecca, a girl she is helping to escape Purity and a forced marriage to the Church's prophet. The girl's parents were both raised in the community, but left to find a better life. They divorced when Rebecca's father returned to his polygamous roots. After he takes Rebecca back to Purity, Lena is hired by the girl's mother to help her escape.

After aiding the girl's escape, a joyous reunion between Rebecca and her mother is destroyed as law enforcement officials from Utah arrive in Arizona and accuse Rebecca's mother of the murder of Prophet Solomon Royal-Rebecca's intended groom. Lena realizes the only way she will be able to prove her client's innocence is to somehow find her way inside the reclusive community, posing as a sister wife.

Once inside the town of Purity she learns that woman are not valued here, except for breeding, and the secrets of the town are much deeper than anyone could ever have known. In addition, local law enforcement, with ties to polygamy through their Mormon ancestors, turns a blind eye to the treatment that women and girls receive from the men of Purity.

Lena discovers the town is filled with felons and child abusers, and the primary source of income is the welfare collected by the sister wives and their many children. The deeper she digs, the nastier the secrets are, until she finds her own life in peril. The leadership of Purity is willing to commit murder to keep prying eyes away from their assets.

Author Betty Webb, who lives in Arizona, is very familiar with the terrain she covers in Desert Wives. With excellent descriptions, great characterizations and a dead-on portrayal of the men who practice polygamy, she cuts a knife through Utah's dirty little secrets, and exposes the roots of a system that goes back to the state's pioneer days.

Fast paced, entertaining, and informative, this book keeps the reader hooked until the end, and the killer, when finally revealed, is a total surprise.

In this timely second outing, gutsy PI Lena Jones, veteran of a hard-knocks childhood, can't bear to leave 13-year-old Rebecca to her fate - latest wife to the elderly Prophet of polygamous Purity, Utah, a hardscrabble compound in the middle of nowhere. Rescuing the girl (her father wants to trade her for two 16-year-olds), Lena all but stumbles over the body of the Prophet. Inevitably, Rebecca's mother is arrested for the murder.

All pretty straightforward so far, but Webb ("Desert Noir") takes a turn into the all-too-real surreal as Lena, determined to find the murderer, infiltrates the community by posing as a polygamist wife. In absorbing detail, Webb sets out the daily minutiae, the religious tenets (the more children, the better heaven), domestic routines, casual brutality, and the abject position of women, whose daily humiliation and powerlessness (including the offloading of widows onto other husbands) stacks up as nothing against the monstrous secret Lena finally uncovers.

Webb's writing is lively, well-paced and suspenseful. Dark humor accentuates the bleak setting. An afterward gives the background on Mormon polygamy and the state of law-enforcement disinterest. Powerful stuff.