Desert Wives: A Lena Jones Mystery (Hardcover)

"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.

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.

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.