We have waited a very long time for a comprehensive book on this beautiful American art glass and Betty Sisk has provided us with a treat for the eyes! The photos are beautiful in full color and plentiful. I did not know that such examples of this artform existed until feasting on this book. All collectors of art glass must add this to their libraries. The information with each type of glass is insightful and just enough to ready the reader for the pictures to follow. The insight provided is both scholarly and from a collector's perspective. Prices are given in a fair range to give a fair market value. And what pictures there are to enjoy! Many glass types are well covered for the first time. This book will set a very high standard by which all other references on this glass will be judged in the years to come. We indeed owe the author a debt due to this subject's neglect until now. This is a must buy! We have waited a long time to get this book-thanks Betty!!

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.

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.

Betty Webb has created a character who will keep you coming back for more. Lena's own tragic past is woven through every case she takes and every relationship she has. DESERT WIVES brings us a little closer to the truth - but there are still mysteries to unlock. Not only inside Lena, but also in the tightly written, suspenseful plots so masterfully delivered by this author. This is a compelling novel that I just couldn't put down. The subject matter is even more disturbing because of its awful reality.

Last year, DESERT NOIR, made my Top Ten list. This year, DESERT WIVES makes the list again. Keep 'em coming, Betty!

HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION

I read mysteries for the simple enjoyment of it all. I don't expect great literature - but I struggled to get through this one. Maybe I've been spoiled by J.A. Jance. I've come to expect interesting plots and subplots, compelling dialog, and likeable characters. None of these are evident in Desert Noir. I'll continue my search for new mystery/suspense writers.

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.

With a compelling story and a wonderfully sympathetic female heroine, this book has all of the components of a wonderful mystery. The main character is well-developed and offers hints at an intriguing backstory yet to be developed in future books. I am looking forward to the sequel, "Desert Wives."

Drawing from her own personal experience, Betty Jane Wylie gives the reader an inside view of what it is like to be widowed at middle age. Although dour at times, this book is mainly filled with practial advice for the newly widowed. Information is given on finance and employment, relationships with friends and children, companionship and sex, travel, household repairs, etc.

This book is unique, in that it is not a detached, academic look at the grieving process. Wylie's personal anger and pain at her loss are evident. Although this book is depressing to read at times, it also seems realistic and practical.