Genre: Book/Stories
Grade: A-
Notable People: Jon Talton
Title: Camelback Falls
Review: This is the second in the David Mapstone series which Talton started writing around 2001. Mapstone is the history professor turned reluctant sheriff’s deputy in Maricopa County (Phoenix), who has an on again -off again relationship with the wonderful Peraltha, who is the Chief Deputy of the large sheriff’s dept. and then becomes Sheriff. The “history shamus” , as his love interest, Lindsey (a giant-pistol packing, computer nerd deputy) calls Mapstone, is a fifth generation Phoenician (as is Talton) and has a love hate fascination with the gilded desert oasis, which results in a fascinating historical recollection of the tiny desert town that became a sprawling metro haven for winter-sick Easterners and big-buck schemers. The characters in these books are really good, and the descriptions of the Phoenix area and culture are fantastic. I was totally engaged in this book and found it really well written, but a bit disappointed towards the end with some payoff- scenes that really seemed like a stretch. Ergo, the slight ding in grading….but definitely a keeper. I’m ready for series book #3.