South Phoenix Rules

South Phoenix Rules
by Jon Talton

This book is set in modern day Phoenix with the specter of the mortgage bust hanging over the city. David Mapstone, a historian, had a unique job. He was a deputy sheriff specializing in cold cases. His boss lost the latest election and David is retiring. He doesn't want to work for the new sheriff. David's sister-in-law, Robin, is living with him while his wife works for Homeland Security in Washington D.C. One day the FedEx driver delivers a box for Robin. Thinking that it is a gift from her lover, she rips open the box and begins screaming. Her screams bring David running to her apartment over the garage. The box contains the severed head of her lover, Jax Delgado. David delves into Jax's murky past to discover who killed him. Jax claimed to be a history professor but he may have been a hit man for a Mexican cartel. David must use his research skills and knowledge of Phoenix's history to learn the truth. Jon Talton weaves the history of Phoenix into this novel. We see Phoenix, as it was when Mapstone was a child, a small city with orange and grapefruit groves gracing the outskirts. Now these groves exist only in his memory. They were bulldozed down to make way for homes and office buildings that sit empty. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Steven F. Havill, Elizabeth Gunn and Betty Webb.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department


[ official South Phoenix Rules and Jon Talton web site ]

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