Desert Noir: A Lena Jones Mystery (Lena Jones Series) and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
See 1 customer image
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Desert Noir: A Lena Jones Mystery (Lena Jones Series) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Desert Noir: A Lena Jones Mystery [Hardcover]

Betty Webb (Author)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £1.97   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Mass Market Paperback --   -- --
Books Trade-In
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Product details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (19 Jan 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1890208639
  • ISBN-13: 978-1890208639
  • Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.9 x 2 cm
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 517,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Betty Webb Page
Betty Webb
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Synopsis

After the brutal murder of her friend, art gallery owner Clarice Kobe, investigator Lena Jones decides to track down the killer.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 4.2 out of 5 stars  24 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Desert Scars 1 Sep 2003
By Bruce Crocker - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Lena Jones has issues with bullets. The first bullet scarred her face when she was a child. The second bullet ended her career as a cop. If you want to know about the third bullet, you'll have to read Betty Webb's excellent debut novel, Desert Noir. We catch up with Lena Jones early on in her career as a private eye for Desert Investigations in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her apartment and office are on art gallery row and the dead body that gets the story rolling is an art gallery owner acquaintance of Lena's from across the street named Clarice Kobe. The violent ex-husband is accused and Lena is coerced into working for his lawyer. Clarice Kobe's up-the-hill family, and George Haozous, an angry Native American artist, also become suspects. The mystery plays out among the city [both ritzy and rundown], the rez, and the desert. Other characters include Jimmy Sisiwan, Lena's cyberhead nontraditional traditional Native American partner, and Dusty, Lena's cowboy lover from a local dude ranch. One of my favorite elements in the story is Lena's daily jog to a butte in a park in the middle of the city, a remnant of the once grand desert that has been scarred by the city. There are similarities to Judith Van Gieson's Neil Hamel novels and I suspect that Neil's fans could easily become fans of Lena's. Fans of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee novels should appreciate Webb's skillful use of the desert setting and sensitivity to native american culture and realities. I enjoyed Desert Noir immensely and look forward to reading Desert Wives, Betty Webb's second Lena Jones mystery.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Kept me turning pages; I hope that this will become a series 10 Nov 2001
By SkiBum - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This was a very unique book. As a native New Yorker who has never met an Indian or been to the Southwest, it provided a fascinating introduction to Scottsdale, AZ. And I was fascinated with the main character, Lena, as she searched for her own identity along with proving her client innocent, etc.
There were also many gut-wrenching glimpses into Lena's childhood in foster care; the book made me thankful for my own loving family, and helped me become more empathetic to those les fortunate. Although parts of the book seemed unbelievably far-fetched, it nonetheless held my interest to the very last page, and makes me hope that it will become a series, and eager to read
subsequent books.

My one and only quibble is with the vulgarity of the language. I don't expect violent criminals to say "Golly, gee, he shot me!" -- but, to put it mildly, every character doesn't have to use vulgarity/profanity on every page. However, I'm admittedly a prude. The book was unusual as well as outstanding, and I grealy enjoyed it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome debut-rippling with suspense, humor, and atmosphere 25 Oct 2001
By Elizabeth Klisiewicz - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Betty Webb is a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona and gives readers an intense perspective of what it's like to live there. Her own personal politics are revealed through the multi-dimensional character of Lena Jones. In fact, all her characters and sense of place are so vivid they practically leap off the page and paint themselves on a cinematic canvas. Not much impresses me anymore. So many novels have cookie-cutter plots and stereotypical characters. Even seasoned authors that I normally like grow stale over time. Betty Webb's set of characters potentially have the depth to transcend these limitations.

Lena Jones is a private investigator who left the local police force who views the development and deterioration of the Arizona landscape with a sadness and anger that I share. She is a white woman cast adrift in a sea of unanswered questions as she searches for the truth about her origins and tries to find her friend's murderer.

I am overly impressed by this debut and heartily recommend it to everyone. It has it all: romance, angst, and action combined with a heart and soul that is incredibly rare in a world that grows increasingly more violent and fast-paced. Adding to this already rich tapestry are wonderful passages about the Pima Indians and other indigenous people supplanted by the already overdeveloped part of the country.

Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       


      Active discussions in related forums
      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         
      Related forums

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback