The Death of Desert Belle

While I enjoy living in lush green of Indiana, I have to admit that there are times that I miss Texas and the dusty dry warmth of it's climate. When I opened The Death of Desert Belle, a western police procedural written by Phil Dunlap, and read the first paragraph, I was instantly transported to the hot summer days of the west. The book opens with Desert Belle's Sheriff Rufus Potter trying to figure out who blew up his jail and killed the Bishop brothers, two of the most wanted criminals in the territory. The sheriff seems content not to have a trail since they are dead, but others, including Deputy Ben Satterfield, aren't so sure that what seems like an "open and shut" case, is just that. Satterfield gets word to Marshal Piedmont Kelly, the man responsible for arresting the Bishops in the first place, that it appears that the criminals are dead. Or are they? Kelly returns to Desert Belle to investigate matters for himself. All too soon he realizes that not only has he stumbled onto a mystery and a town that seems to be holding on by a thread, but that the closer he gets to the truth the closer he might be getting to his own death. Phil Dunlap mixes several different life backgrounds together into an enjoyable fast paced read. His secondary characters are well rounded and give balance to the storyline. Interesting that it seems levity comes from his female characters, who are more earthy then their male counterparts. Phil's book makes you want to put on your cowboy boots and hat and saddle up a horse for a ride.

This book is every bit as much a mystery story as a western. Dunlap presents an exciting tale that centers around the identity of corpses found in the ruins of a jail that was leveled by an explosion. Nothing as modern as DNA or dental records existed in that era and Marshal Kelly must solve the mystery by the time-honored technique of finding and talking to those who may have helpful information. Kelly encounters the same frustrations as does Sheriff Scott in my book, Playing God, and both officers identify unrecognizable bodies with unexpected results. Dunlap's story rivets the reader's attention from cover to cover with the twists and turns of Kelly's investigation.

This is one of the best westerns that I have read for awhile. He writes similar to Louis L'Amour. Mystery lovers will also enjoy this book which combines suspense and intrigue from start to finish. A very good read....

Phil Dunlap's first novel is a great read. I typically don't read westerns, and for people that don't I would recommend this book. Dunlap has written a tight police procedural under the guise of a western, and it works very well. An explosion in the Arizona town of Desert Belle brings Marshall Piedmont Kelly to town, and he faces a range of characters who do not want him to succeed in finding the cause of the blast or the identity of the person buried in the rubble. He crosses paths with old enemies and two boys on the run, looking for a better life, which adds a nice layer of heart to the book that wouldn't have been there otherwise. The bad guys are bad, the good guys are good, and justice triumphs in the end. I expected that, but for a first novel, Dunlap handles a complicated plot like he's been writing for years. I look forward to reading the next Piedmont Kelly book (if there's going to be one), and think Dunlap is definitely a western writer to watch.