Lena figures Los Perdidos must have its share of secrets. It was founded by descendants of men and women who fought Geronimo, has a chemical plant that attracts a fair number of illegal immigrants from Mexico and a growing population of Muslims from African countries such as Somalia and Ghana. 

Someone is taking this town’s little girls and Lena finds it appalling.  Fighting an uphill battle as she conducts an investigation where she isn’t wanted, Lena begins to remember pieces from her past while neglecting her present.  She becomes intent on saving the little girls of Los Perdidos, perhaps in the hopes that she will be able to save the little girl that remains in her.  

Lena Jones is a character that even readers new to the series will immediately become drawn to.  She is very passionate about what she does, and does not allow her past to overshadow her person. Yet the mysteries of Lena’s past are an intriguing part of who she has become.  Readers will be horrified as they learn of what is happening to the young girls in Los Perdidos, but even more horrified as they realize that these occurrences are not exaggerated. 

Once the secret is out, it is fairly easy to work through what has been occurring in this Southwestern town, but there is something so compelling about Lena and her story that readers will continue to the end.  Even though Lena does not come to complete closure in this story, she learns more about why her mother shot her (or maybe not) and what happened to her family and why she spent most of her young life in foster care. 

With many different secrets and many different people keeping them, there are many layers to Desert Cut that Betty Webb deftly handles, not allowing them to become overwhelming, but allowing them to weave a richly detailed story.  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry