Pg. 99: Betty Webb's "Desert Cut"

The latest feature at the Page 99 Test: Betty Webb's Desert Cut.

About the book, from the publisher:

While scouting locations for a film documentary on the Arizona's Apache Wars, private investigator Lena Jones and Oscar-winning director Warren Quinn, discover the mutilated body of a young girl. The gruesome manner of the child's death evokes memories of Lena’s own rough childhood. Clashing with the local law, Lena's investigation uncovers a small town with a big secret. Los Perdidos is not the Eden it first appears. Founded by the descendants of pioneers who fought Geronimo, the townspeople have now armed themselves against the hordes of illegal immigrants streaming across the Arizona/Mexico border. A significant population of documented foreign-born residents also lives and works in Los Perdedos at a modern plant. Lena senses a sinister force at work in the town — but where? Then two more girls disappear from Los Perdidos, and as the death toll mounts, Lena is tempted to implement some frontier justice of her own. When she finally unmasks the killer, she discovers a chain of horrific crimes responsible for subjugating millions of girls and women around the globe. In Desert Cut, the still vivid memory of Geronimo's war mixes with the modern immigration war, the hard life on the Arizona/Mexico border contrasts with Hollywood's slick production meetings, and the cruelty of an ancient practice is tempered by a growing underground railroad fighting to save its young victims.

Among the early praise for Desert Cut:

"Webb’s dark tale of a clash of cultures is emotionally draining and intellectually challenging."
--Kirkus

"Betty Webb is a smart, sharp and savvy writer whose sensational Lena Jones series entertains, enlightens and educates. Webb's best yet, Desert Cut is a harrowing, gut-wrenching read; thought-provoking and spiked with social outrage, it will remain with you a long time."
--Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of All Mortal Flesh

"Mysteries don’t get more hard-hitting than this. Betty Webb is a first-rate investigative journalistwho has taken on one of the most controversial topics I can imagine. Fiction and reality intersectin a devastating way. Readers will be talking about Desert Cut for a long time to come."
--David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author

Read an excerpt from Desert Cut and learn more about the author and her work at Betty Webb's website and her blog.

Betty Webb is the author of Desert Run, Desert Shadows, Desert Wives: Polygamy Can Be Murder, and Desert Noir.

The Page 99 Test: Desert Cut.

--Marshal Zeringue