Desert Jade was named a finalist for Best Suspense-Thriller book, 2018 NM-AZ Book Awards. Tucson Chicana/Native American private investigator and Iraq War veteran Letty Valdez joins forces with an unlikely ally, Chinese police Detective Inspector Zhou Liang Wei, in Desert Jade, a fast-paced mystery-suspense thriller set in the Sonoran Desert. We meet a migrant lost and out of water in the desert, … water in the desert, Chinese triad gangsters engaged in criminal activities on the U.S.-Mexico border, a woman murdered in her backyard, a husband who vanished with a large sum of money, and three abducted young women threatened with sex trafficking. There’s a touch of romance, too, when cop Zhou meets one of Letty’s friends. Don’t forget Milagro (aka Millie), the runt-sized female pit bull who performs a heroic act and saves a life. Next after Desert Jade, look for Dragon’s Revenge (2018) and Daemon Waters (2019).
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Desert Jade takes place in southern Arizona and not only has well developed, interesting characters but also explores some of the issues unique to the Arizona-Mexico border. CJ Shane did her research and is knowledgeable in this area. I enjoyed learning about these issues and found the links at the end of the book very helpful.
Letty Valdez is an Iraq War veteran turned respected private investigator who finds herself looking for the connection between Chinese gangsters, the disappearance of two respected locals, kidnapping, and murder. She and Chinese detective, Zhou, must unravel the case before more lives are lost and the bad guys get away.
The story moves along very well with no lulls, gratuitous violence, or meaningless filler dialog. I hope to read more Letty Valdez adventures.
DESERT JADE is authentic and creative. The characters are keepers–likable and the reader is rooting for them. I don’t know the author, CJ Shane, but I know she lives in the setting–the Southwest. Her cast includes Chinese gangsters and Mexican immigrants who are woven into an intriguing tale. How they intersect is believable and entertaining at once. I’m looking forward to meeting Letty in other books in the series.
When I read, I’m looking for intriguing characters and a well-paced plot. It’s a bonus to learn more about regions and current topics. DESERT JADE delivers on all three fronts. It’s a complex suspense novel with intertwining subplots that author Shane ties together with skill, especially promising for a debut novel. It is also well-written.
The book opens with a gripping scene about an illegal female immigrant lost in the Sonoran desert. The scene shifts to a Tucson neighborhood and a break-in to the home of a woman whose husband is missing. We learn about the involvement of Chinese triads and meet a Chinese police officer named Zhou.
Private Investigator Letty Valdez is compelled to help her friend, and thus must learn to trust and work with Zhou to figure out the links between human and drug trafficking by Chinese triads, her friend’s missing husband, murder and more. I was fascinated to learn about Chinese history in Tucson, about the Tohono O’odham tribe, and about important border issues. I was especially intrigued to learn about the Shadow Wolves. This is a well-researched novel. Some of this information occasionally impedes the flow of the story, but it wasn’t an issue to this reader.
Letty Valdez is a strong and well-drawn protagonist, an Iraq war veteran, dedicated to her family and friends. I hope we see more of Letty’s connections in subsequent books. Her brothers and her friend Jade are well worth revisiting. As is her dog Milagro!
I’m looking forward to the next Letty Valdez mystery.
Letty Valdez Mystery. Very good story. A few mysteries to solve some connected. I like the way the author uses things in the paper or on the news at night. You know up to date things to make the story more interesting. An excellent plot, the flow of information is believable and it is so scary. Triad and the Cartel trafficking in women, drugs and guns. Wow!! I do believe I have found another series I like very much. I received a complimentary review copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
This book takes place in Tucson and is very multicultural. Chinese culture mixed with Native American and Hispanic. A great start on the series.
There is romance, mystery and intrigue. If you want to learn about life in the desert, this is a great start.
“Desert Jade” is a mystery novel, but it’s not so much a “who-dunnit” as a “why-they-dunnit-and-how”. The story concept is refreshing with some interesting topics covered (migrants, smuggling, etc.), and the main character (Letty Valdez) is very well constructed. For me, the rest of the characters weren’t so well-crafted. Jade and Zhou had me slapping my forehead more times than I care to tell… but that may have been a clash of personalities between me and them.
All-in-all, this was a satisfying read.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.