Betty Webb
Encyclopedia
Betty Webb, a former journalist, is the author of a series of detective stories set in Arizona
. She has stated that each book has been inspired by a real case.
The ‘Desert’ series features Scottsdale
-based private eye Lena Jones, a former policewoman. Lena was raised in foster homes and knows little about her own background, but learns more as the series progresses. Betty Webb is one of a number of successors to authors such as Sue Grafton
, Marcia Muller
, Sara Paretsky
and Liza Cody
and their female private eye series. Her books have some similarities to those of Muller, and of Nevada Barr
. The frontier quality of the southwestern region fits well with the traditions set by Californian noir. Desert Noir, the first in the series, had themes related to development of Arizona such as the destruction of the environment and of cultural heritage by developers; issues of Native American rights and cultural displacement; corruption and greed in the art world; the effects of tourism, etc.
Much of Webb's subject matter is controversial. "Desert Wives" and "Desert Lost" deal with the polygamy sects in Arizona; "Desert Cut" deals with female genital mutilation. One reviewer commented that the content of "Desert Wives," about ‘wholesale enslavement of women and rampant swindling of the state welfare system’ was ‘eye popping’ and if written as investigative journalism would be a contender for the Pulitzer Prize.
Betty Webb has also begun a series of ‘cozies’ (consciously lightweight, humorous mysteries) about a California zookeeper who solves crimes. She is retired from full-time work as a journalist on a Phoenix
newspaper, and now reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine and teaches creative writing. She is a resident of Scottsdale
; her family is originally from Alabama.
, Scottsdale, AZ.
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. She has stated that each book has been inspired by a real case.
The ‘Desert’ series features Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
-based private eye Lena Jones, a former policewoman. Lena was raised in foster homes and knows little about her own background, but learns more as the series progresses. Betty Webb is one of a number of successors to authors such as Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton
Sue Taylor Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W...
, Marcia Muller
Marcia Muller
Marcia Muller is an American author of fictional mystery and thriller novels.Muller has written many novels featuring her Sharon McCone female private detective character. Vanishing Point, won the Shamus Award for Best P.I. Novel...
, Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky is a modern American author of detective fiction.-Life and career:Paretsky was born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Kansas, graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in political science. She did community service work on the south side of Chicago in 1966 and returned in...
and Liza Cody
Liza Cody
Liza Cody is an English crime fiction writer.She is the author of twelve novels and many short stories. Her Anna Lee series introduced the professional female private detective to British mystery fiction. The entire Anna Lee series was adapted for television and broadcast in both the U.K...
and their female private eye series. Her books have some similarities to those of Muller, and of Nevada Barr
Nevada Barr
Nevada Barr is an American author best known for her Anna Pigeon series of mystery novels set in national parks in the United States. Barr won an Agatha Award and Anthony Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat...
. The frontier quality of the southwestern region fits well with the traditions set by Californian noir. Desert Noir, the first in the series, had themes related to development of Arizona such as the destruction of the environment and of cultural heritage by developers; issues of Native American rights and cultural displacement; corruption and greed in the art world; the effects of tourism, etc.
Much of Webb's subject matter is controversial. "Desert Wives" and "Desert Lost" deal with the polygamy sects in Arizona; "Desert Cut" deals with female genital mutilation. One reviewer commented that the content of "Desert Wives," about ‘wholesale enslavement of women and rampant swindling of the state welfare system’ was ‘eye popping’ and if written as investigative journalism would be a contender for the Pulitzer Prize.
Betty Webb has also begun a series of ‘cozies’ (consciously lightweight, humorous mysteries) about a California zookeeper who solves crimes. She is retired from full-time work as a journalist on a Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
newspaper, and now reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine and teaches creative writing. She is a resident of Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
; her family is originally from Alabama.
Books
Published in hardcover and paperback by Poisoned Pen PressPoisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press is a publisher of hardcover mystery fiction in the United States. It is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Poisoned Pen Press typically publishes thirty-six new hardcover mysteries per year, thirty-six new large type editions of those hardcovers, and between thirty and forty new trade...
, Scottsdale, AZ.
- Desert Noir (2001)
- Desert Wives (2003)
- Desert Shadows (2004)
- Desert Run (2006)
- Desert Cut (2008)
- The Anteater of Death (2008)
- Desert Lost (2009)
Memberships
- National Federation of Newswomen
- Mystery Writers of America
- Society of Southwestern Authors
- Authors Guild