“Queen of the Night” By J.A. Jance

Review #154

Californian Jonathan Southard is so seething with resentment that he kills his wife and children and goes after his remarried mother in Tucson. He ends up killing 7 people and car jacking a woman and her baby from a grocery store parking lot.

Reverberations from Southard's crimes touch many people in California and Arizona including the former sheriff Brandon Walker, his wife, Diana, and their adopted Native American daughter, Lani, exacerbating old wounds at a time when Walker is worried about Diana's mental health.

The people and the story are interesting. Tohono O'odham tales and culture permeate the book (reminiscent of Tony Hillerman). This and the flower of the title, the beautiful and aromatic ‘Queen of the Night’ cereus, which blooms in the desert just one night each year, adds appeal, but I much prefer Jance’s J.P. Beaumont and Sheriff Joann Brady Mysteries.