Created by Sydney Graves
Pseudonym of Kate Christensen
“At our core, we detectives are just nosy little fuckers.”
JUSTINE “JO” BAILEN grew up in Delphi, Arizona, in the Rancho Bella Luna artist colony, but she left it all in the rearview after her relationship with childhood bestie Rose turned toxic in high school. Now she’s creeping towards middle age, working at the all-female Taffet Detective Agency in Tucson (we see very little of it, though), and living free and openly queer and on her own terms. She hasn’t even spoken to Rose in years, and for good reason. Rose has spent years publicly vilifying Jo.
But in The Arizona Triangle, a 2024 series launch, Jo’s sent back home by her boss Veronica Taffeta, when Rose’s mother Laura hires the firm to find her missing daughter. Jo is far from thrilled. “In no way, in any universe, did I want to touch this case, anywhere, with any length of pole,” she says.
But she has other reasons to avoid Delphi. Like her mother. And her high school boyfriend, Tyler, now a local cop.
Meanwhile, Rose has become something of a celebrity, the author of a best-selling couple of books of poetry, the lead singer for an all-female rock band, The Sisters of Percy, and a well-liked English professor, until a recent scandal involving her claims of Navajo cost her her job and reputation.
Which leads some to suspect a disgraced Rose wandered off somewhere, just to be away from the spotlight. And sure enough they find her hanging from a cottonwood out in the foothills, suicide is the first suspicion. But it’s just the first of a string of disturbing, violent acts.
I dunno. The twisted, soapy plot meanders all over the place, and the amount of attention devoted to some very unhealthy relationships weighs it down. People earnestly introduce themselves with their pronouns, and there’s far too much about the aging artsy-artsy types at Rancho, all predictably and annoyingly eccentric. “Caught between art and artifice,” as Jo puts it.
And yet, the author nails the hot, unforgiving desert setting, and as first person narrator Jo has a strong, vibrant voice, sharp and wry. She’s also got a sharp eye for sham and pretension. Hopefully her next case will feature more investigation by her, and less internal soul-searching.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sydney Graves is the pen name of mystery author Kate Christensen, whose earlier novels include Welcome Home Stranger, In the Drink and The Great Man.
UNDER OATH
- “… the core mystery never totally takes flight. For genre readers more interested in character and atmosphere than plot, however, however, Graves’s dazzling prose and well-drawn heroine make this well worth seeking out.”
— Publishers Weekly - “… despite an ending that gets a little purple. Jo is a terrific character — up to her ears in trouble, no doubt, but her complexities set her up wonderfully for future installments.”
— Sarah Weinman (The New York Times Book Review) - “The Arizona Triangle reminds me why I love mysteries. Christenson’s book sneaks up on you; what starts as an ordinary little mystery slowly turns into a deep look into family and connection in the desert southwest. Read The Arizona Triangle in the desert if you can; this book brings the beautiful strangeness of Arizona to life.”
— Sara Gran
NOVELS
- Graves, Sarah, The Arizona Triangle (2024) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
