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David Mapstone Mystery #1
Concrete Desert
In this intriguing first novel, Jon Talton plunges his protagonist, David Mapstone, into a Sunbelt metropolis where corruption, betrayal and murder are lurking just beyond the glow of tony resorts and dramatic desert sunsets.
Having recently lost his job as a history professor, Mapstone returns to his boyhood home of Phoenix, Arizona, but finds the Southwest city he knew dramatically changed. It's now a haven for wealthy retirees and a seasonal retreat for West Coast "sophisticates."
To Mapstone, who has a strong personal feeling for the area's history, it seems a foreign place. There remain, however, pockets of his earlier life, some welcome, some not. Mapstone eagerly accepts a temporary job from his old friend and Maricopa County Chief Deputy Mike Peralta: Look into still-open cases that have languished for years in the department's file cabinets and see if he can close any.
A less welcome voice from the past is the college sweetheart, who appears at his door one evening. True to his memory of her, she is there because she wants something. Never mind that she had abruptly abandoned him 20 years ago for a wealthier lover. Now her sister is missing. Will Mapstone look for her? Although Mapstone's search for the missing woman is quickly resolved when her body is discovered in the desert, he is stunned to find an echo of the past in the grisly discovery. The dead sister has been found in circumstances identical to a sensational 40-year-old unsolved murder he is researching for Peralta.
Mapstone's dogged investigation of both murders bridges the chasm of clashing cultures, meshing his own long-ago memories and the stories from some of the city's old inhabitants with the tangled doings of newcomers and their acolytes, young women eager to share the lifestyle of tainted wealth, drugs, and careless violence.
To read Concrete Desert is to become completely engrossed in a highly unusual mystery that is further enriched by the author's perspective on the way America is changing.
Having recently lost his job as a history professor, Mapstone returns to his boyhood home of Phoenix, Arizona, but finds the Southwest city he knew dramatically changed. It's now a haven for wealthy retirees and a seasonal retreat for West Coast "sophisticates."
To Mapstone, who has a strong personal feeling for the area's history, it seems a foreign place. There remain, however, pockets of his earlier life, some welcome, some not. Mapstone eagerly accepts a temporary job from his old friend and Maricopa County Chief Deputy Mike Peralta: Look into still-open cases that have languished for years in the department's file cabinets and see if he can close any.
A less welcome voice from the past is the college sweetheart, who appears at his door one evening. True to his memory of her, she is there because she wants something. Never mind that she had abruptly abandoned him 20 years ago for a wealthier lover. Now her sister is missing. Will Mapstone look for her? Although Mapstone's search for the missing woman is quickly resolved when her body is discovered in the desert, he is stunned to find an echo of the past in the grisly discovery. The dead sister has been found in circumstances identical to a sensational 40-year-old unsolved murder he is researching for Peralta.
Mapstone's dogged investigation of both murders bridges the chasm of clashing cultures, meshing his own long-ago memories and the stories from some of the city's old inhabitants with the tangled doings of newcomers and their acolytes, young women eager to share the lifestyle of tainted wealth, drugs, and careless violence.
To read Concrete Desert is to become completely engrossed in a highly unusual mystery that is further enriched by the author's perspective on the way America is changing.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2001
110 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Jon Talton
20books92followersJon Talton is the author of the David Mapstone novels, which follow the adventures of a historian-turned-deputy, working the mean streets of the urban West.
Jon's first novel, "Concrete Desert," was hailed by Kirkus as "an impressive debut." The Washington Post said it "is more intelligent and rewarding than most contemporary mysteries." The series has continued with "Camelback Falls," "Dry Heat," "Arizona Dreams" and "Cactus Heart." "Dry Heat" received Arizona Highways magazine's best fiction award in 2005.
Jon's first novel, "Concrete Desert," was hailed by Kirkus as "an impressive debut." The Washington Post said it "is more intelligent and rewarding than most contemporary mysteries." The series has continued with "Camelback Falls," "Dry Heat," "Arizona Dreams" and "Cactus Heart." "Dry Heat" received Arizona Highways magazine's best fiction award in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
January 10, 2014
I admit I like free shit. I also admit I'm not entirely rational in my thought process. For example, I happily hand over my Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime Conference fees and feel like I've won the lottery when I receive a bag filled with books. Seriously, this ends up being one of the major highlights of these conferences. So in my continued pursuit of this high, minus the conference fees, I have decided to scour Amazon for the best free short stories and books available. With that being said, let's get to the review.
The Arizona sun never felt hotter. Blazing, beating, reverberating off my skin, blistering my face, and stripping layers off my forehead. I peeled my cheek from the scorching asphalt, the sweltering concrete bouncing off my feet. The metropolitan monstrosity otherwise known as Phoenix bounding up around me, the sounds of traffic bouncing around me. Adobe and enchiladas surrounded me, and I packed my boxes with a hardened heart.
Atmosphere popped out at me, pounding away at my chest, and it was hard not to be intrigued by a city I had never ventured to. David Mapstone may have reached the front of the unemployment line with his history degree hanging at his side, and a sea filled with regret hanging around his neck, and a case colder than the Canadian border bounding from the confines of his mind.
The cast of characters might have lacked a few mental faculties, and there was so much blow I thought it might snow in the Phoenix sun. There’s a more than good chance I might get shot in a mall, or at the side of the road, and the bad guys might wield flak vests and submachine guns like popcorn and Junior Mints, and the plot might move a bit slowly at times while speeding nearly out-of-control at others. But that’s just a part of the experience in CONCRETE DESERT. It’ll shave more than a few years off your life, and it’ll have you staring up at a starry sky while your eyes roll back in your head from the concussion you just suffered.
The Arizona sun never felt hotter. Blazing, beating, reverberating off my skin, blistering my face, and stripping layers off my forehead. I peeled my cheek from the scorching asphalt, the sweltering concrete bouncing off my feet. The metropolitan monstrosity otherwise known as Phoenix bounding up around me, the sounds of traffic bouncing around me. Adobe and enchiladas surrounded me, and I packed my boxes with a hardened heart.
Atmosphere popped out at me, pounding away at my chest, and it was hard not to be intrigued by a city I had never ventured to. David Mapstone may have reached the front of the unemployment line with his history degree hanging at his side, and a sea filled with regret hanging around his neck, and a case colder than the Canadian border bounding from the confines of his mind.
The cast of characters might have lacked a few mental faculties, and there was so much blow I thought it might snow in the Phoenix sun. There’s a more than good chance I might get shot in a mall, or at the side of the road, and the bad guys might wield flak vests and submachine guns like popcorn and Junior Mints, and the plot might move a bit slowly at times while speeding nearly out-of-control at others. But that’s just a part of the experience in CONCRETE DESERT. It’ll shave more than a few years off your life, and it’ll have you staring up at a starry sky while your eyes roll back in your head from the concussion you just suffered.
March 20, 2016
In Jon Talton's Concrete Desert, the 1st installment in the David Mapstone mystery series, you'll be intrigued with his storytelling. For David Mapstone, a former history professor who returned back to his hometown in Phoenix to work as a deputy for the sheriff's office. While he researched old unsolved mysteries, specifically the cold case of Rebecca Stokes's murder from the 1950s, he dug into the background of the last days of her life. Meanwhile, his former high school sweetheart Julie breezed into his life to help her finding her sister, Phaedra. Little did they know, that he'd been involved into a twisted copycat-like murder and dealt with hard core politics and a drug connection between the two cases. In the end, his life remained on the line, when the bitter truth became of whodunit and why and what it all boiled down to with a shocking twist.
December 10, 2023
I picked this book from the library's Arizona picks. It's a mystery and police procedural set mainly in Phoenix, Arizona. I loved all the references to things I know, even though the book is set in 1999; most of the places are pretty iconic. I liked the main character, David Mapstone. He has an interesting background and is now a consultant for the PPD. He's investigating a missing persons cold case from 1959. At the same time, his long-time love Julie shows up asking him to help her find her sister who disappeared. There are some good action scenes, as David's investigating seems to put him in danger. I enjoyed how he solved these cases, so the ending was satisfying. I'm not sure if I would read more in the series, but overall this was a good, quick read.
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October 12, 2018Loved this police procedural set in Phoenix AZ. Good characters, most of whom feel well fleshed-out, and an excellent sense of place. It's got a bit of that male romance vibe, what with women falling all over Mapstone and the manly man dialogue, but it works well. The city of Phoenix is practically the best character in the book - the heat, the driving, the neighborhoods. As a fairly new Arizonan I had a lot of fun tracing Mapstone's travels through Phoenix and the rest of Maricopa County, especially the outlying desert. I thought I knew what Talton was going to do with the plot and I was happily surprised when it turned out a bit different. Very pleased I've found a new series set in the West, and practically in my neighborhood.
Review by Cyndi, Library Volunteer
Review by Cyndi, Library Volunteer
August 9, 2018
David Mapstone has returned to Phoenix after being refused tenure as a history professor and becomes a deputy and consultant in the Maricopa County Police Department, investigating cold case murders. A woman was found in the desert twenty years ago and assumed to be a serial murder victim. As David looks into this case, he is asked by an old girlfriend to help find her sister who is missing. Both of these cases are fraught with danger as he searches for answers.
Jon Talton is a new author to me. I became aware of him through a ŷ post by one of my friends, and because I now live in Prescott, Arizona, I decided to give his first book a try. I was not disappointed. The story is well written with lots of twists and interesting characters; and because I went to ASU and lived in the Valley for over a year to obtain a Master's degree, the mentions of locations were familiar. Mr. Talton has written a number of books in the David Mapstone series, and I intend to read them. He has also written two crime stories that take place in Cincinnati that I also plan to read -- Cincinnati is where I lived before moving to Arizona. If you haven't tried Mr. Talton yet and enjoy crime mysteries, I would suggest him to you.
Jon Talton is a new author to me. I became aware of him through a ŷ post by one of my friends, and because I now live in Prescott, Arizona, I decided to give his first book a try. I was not disappointed. The story is well written with lots of twists and interesting characters; and because I went to ASU and lived in the Valley for over a year to obtain a Master's degree, the mentions of locations were familiar. Mr. Talton has written a number of books in the David Mapstone series, and I intend to read them. He has also written two crime stories that take place in Cincinnati that I also plan to read -- Cincinnati is where I lived before moving to Arizona. If you haven't tried Mr. Talton yet and enjoy crime mysteries, I would suggest him to you.
April 3, 2018
I have not read this series in order and am only now getting to this first of the series, but it is wonderful and gives a min history of Arizona (with a focus on Phoenix) as well as a well thought out mystery.
October 26, 2010
David Mapstone has returned to Phoenix, to the house his grandfather built, the house in which he was raised. A Ph.D in history did not guarantee tenure at the university in California so David is back in Phoenix looking for work. The work he gets fits his skill’s set well; he has been hired by his former partner, Mike Peralta, Chief Deputy of Maricopa county. They had partnered for the brief time David had been in law enforcement. Peralta decides that if David needs a job he has one for him. The title is consultant but Mike needs David to investigate cold cases. The department needs good press and David had accomplished that when, in three days, he had solved a case that had waited for resolution for fifteen years.
Mike has a more complicated one case for David. In 1959, Rebecca Stokes got off the train at midnight, took a cab to her apartment, and disappeared. A few days later, her body was discovered in the desert. She had been strangled. Now the police have learned that she is the cousin of the man likely to be the next governor. The sheriff wants that one solved before his next press conference.
David thinks his time would be better spent looking into the deaths of six prostitutes killed over a three month period but one night another problem inserts itself into his life. Julie Riding and David had plans for a life together until Julie walked out to marry someone else. He was back in Phoenix six weeks when Julie rang his doorbell. As had always been the case in the relationship Julie needs something. She needs David to look into the disappearance of her twenty-eight year old sister, Phaedra. A missing person’s report had been filed but Julie knew that the police weren’t likely to take it seriously; Phaedra had every right to leave any time she wanted with whomever she wanted. The consensus was that Phaedra would be in touch when she was done doing whatever she was doing.
Then Julie disappears and David knows this is much bigger than he had first thought it to be.
CONCRETE DESERT is the first in the series written by Jon Talton. These are good, solid page turners. The characters conform to the roles they have been given; the underlying crimes are real. The entire series is worth reading; I read the books as they were published. There is a new book in the series that will be published within the next few months. That provided the impetus to take another look at the series . It is as good as I remembered for an afternoon of reading and coffee.
July 21, 2013
This is the first in the Phoenix Cold Case series, featuring Professor David Mapstone. Mapstone is an ex-cop, who left the police, and Phoenix, for a new life in California as an academic. Now divorced and refused tenure, he is back in the house he grew up in, wondering how he reached forty with so little to show for it. His old partner, Mike Peralta, is now County Chief Deputy and, while David attempts to get a new post in teaching, he suggests he rejoin the sheriff's office as a deputy and a consultant. David is asked to combine his old skills with his work as a historian, joining the cold case desk and thinking "outside the box", as Peralta puts it. Having wrapped up a fifteen year old case in three days, David has brought the department great headlines and is given another case to solve.
In 1959 a young woman called Rebecca Stokes got a taxi home from the station and vanished; her body later found strangled and dumped in the desert. Rebecca was the niece of the former governor and first cousin to the man tipped to be the possible next governor, so Peralta is hoping David can uncover some new leads. What he finds is the possibity her killing was linked to a serial murderer. Meanwhile, his first love, Julie Riding, arrives on his doorstep to ask for his help. Her sister, Phaedra has gone missing. When her body is found, David believes the murder has links to that of Rebecca, so long ago. Before long, his life is in danger in the exhausting heat of a gripping summer.
This is a really strong start to a crime series. David is a great character and the author has built up an interesting cast of characters to support him in future cases; including Lindsay who helps him in his investigation and the volatile Mike Peralta. I can't say that he has really done much to help the Phoenix tourist board though - as well painting an unpleasant picture of the 'mean season' of summer, virtually everyone he encounters seems armed to the teeth; with shoot outs at malls and David being threatened and shot at on a regular basis. The amount of guns seems more than a little worrying, but it does make for an exciting read, which is well plotted and certainly a series I will continue reading. The next in the series is Cactus Heart: 2 (A Phoenix Cold Case).
In 1959 a young woman called Rebecca Stokes got a taxi home from the station and vanished; her body later found strangled and dumped in the desert. Rebecca was the niece of the former governor and first cousin to the man tipped to be the possible next governor, so Peralta is hoping David can uncover some new leads. What he finds is the possibity her killing was linked to a serial murderer. Meanwhile, his first love, Julie Riding, arrives on his doorstep to ask for his help. Her sister, Phaedra has gone missing. When her body is found, David believes the murder has links to that of Rebecca, so long ago. Before long, his life is in danger in the exhausting heat of a gripping summer.
This is a really strong start to a crime series. David is a great character and the author has built up an interesting cast of characters to support him in future cases; including Lindsay who helps him in his investigation and the volatile Mike Peralta. I can't say that he has really done much to help the Phoenix tourist board though - as well painting an unpleasant picture of the 'mean season' of summer, virtually everyone he encounters seems armed to the teeth; with shoot outs at malls and David being threatened and shot at on a regular basis. The amount of guns seems more than a little worrying, but it does make for an exciting read, which is well plotted and certainly a series I will continue reading. The next in the series is Cactus Heart: 2 (A Phoenix Cold Case).
December 11, 2016
If I didn't have enough favorite authors, I have found another. I decided to read this book as it is set in Phoenix, Arizona and similar to Betty Webb's and Elizabeth Gunn's tales. The MCs are will develop and I became interested in David Mapstone and Mike Peralta at once. David is now currently out of work having been denied tenured at his last university. He returns to Phoenix to sell his family home. Temporary, David accepted a job from Chief Deputy Mike to look at old cases. The case concerns the murder of a young woman in 1970. She was the niece of the,n Arizona Governor. Davi's first love arrives unexpectedly and requested that he looks into the matter that her sister who has disappeared. These two cases collide together before long plunging David into circumstances that include threatening attempts, murder, drugs, and greed. Will David finds answers before death claims him?These sub-themes are skillfully brought together. I have already read the next book and the third is high on my to-read list.
April 22, 2014
After having lunch with Jon and hearing him talk about where his current David Mapstone books are headed, I reared this, his first book to see where he'd come from, It's a mystery with well drawn characters, not the least of which is the city of Phoenix. In the plot's background, Talton keeps reminding you how the city has grown, changed, gotten worse and (very) occasionally better, not in a whiny way but in a way that really describes how newer American cities lost their innocence as they aged and grew. Talton is a good writer, not with the smart one liner or the "it was the kind of wind that made women weep" but in making observations that are so real you bond with the rest of his story. "Arizona doesn't go on daylight saving time, partly out of libertarian cussedness and partly because if it did, the sun would still be out at 10 p.m., a source of misery nobody on the politician spectrum wanted to contemplate."
November 18, 2019
“Concrete Desert� by Jon Talton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Phoenix, AZ and its surrounding urban and desert lands are the concrete desert in this book about a search for two women- one murdered 40 years ago, and one currently missing. This is a bit of a throwback to the old “hard-boiled detective� police procedural novels - with a twist. David, the protagonist/narrator, has a PhD in History and taught at university until recently when he became an unsolved cases consultant for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Dept. But his narration about people, places, and things reminds me of the old hard-boiled detectives. The plot is typical police procedural, and I mean that in a good way. The descriptions of old and current Phoenix and surroundings are evocative, and spot-on (I’m a local resident) I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series.
June 25, 2019
David Mapstone cannot get tenure as a history professor because he is not interested in adapting his teaching to a postmodern paradigm, so he is working in Phoenix investigating cold cases. The Deputy Sheriff asks him to look into the case of Rebecca Stokes, whose body was found in the desert in 1959. At the same time an old girlfriend asks Mapstone to look for her missing sister, Phaedra. The story is set in the middle of summer but the author portrays the city of Phoenix through a very dark lens that does not work well with the fairly dark mystery plot. I found it very odd that all the characters knew of the mythological Phaedra as the daughter of Minos, but seemed unaware of the more lurid part of her story.
August 1, 2021
I'll skip the usual rehash of the plot, that's covered many times in these reviews. I've never been to Phoenix or even to the American southwest, but I imagine, this book really gives you a feel for the locale and what it's like to live there (at least in 2001). This is my second book of the series, reading number two first, I liked it enough to read the beginning book of the series.
"The Concrete Desert" is certainly the better of the two. The word "intriguing" comes to mind as I describe this novel. It has the feel of a unique mystery with very interesting characters who, as in life, aren't the people they seem to be. Maybe the ending presses the edges of belief, but overall a refreshing mystery-thriller.
"The Concrete Desert" is certainly the better of the two. The word "intriguing" comes to mind as I describe this novel. It has the feel of a unique mystery with very interesting characters who, as in life, aren't the people they seem to be. Maybe the ending presses the edges of belief, but overall a refreshing mystery-thriller.
September 6, 2019
Sept 2019. This is my first Jon Talton story. Glad it's also the first in the Mapstone series. Also am glad there are 11 more Talton stories to enjoy. We lived in Phoenix (in Sunnyslope - the "S" was our backyard, and 12th and Marshall). Lots of personal nostalgia going back 48 years when we arrive in Arizona and got married upon our arrival. I liked his line, possibly a throwaway line about it being okay to be a deputy and to be smart. I liked Mapstone/Talton's reaction to a beautiful home with zero books present. I concur. Glad have discovered Talton. I Googled authors like Steven Havill and found a few names whose reviews hit my fancy. Glad I did so.
August 12, 2018
This is not the best book I've ever read, but what it lacks in technique and likable characters, it more than makes up for in providing an intriguing backdrop to the murders at hand. Then again, I may be biased, having lived in the Phoenix area for the last 50 plus years. I am looking forward to trying another of this author's works, just to see if he was able to "step it up".
April 20, 2023
Wow! This was just a book I found by accident. I was searching for another mystery and up popped this book. I have a habit of falling down a rabbit hole when I'm on a mystery binge. This is the first in a series and I'm glad to have found a new author to keep me busy reading before bed. Already ordered the second in the series and all I can say is I can't wait.
January 29, 2017
Honestly I have mixed feelings about this book. The concept is great, but the amount of clichés was kind of off putting. :-( Maybe I had great expectations or expected something completely different from this book, but I wasn't satisfied at the end.
June 1, 2018
Loved this book and could not put it down ! it's one of those " can't wait to finish it , but don't want it to end " books . I have fallen in love with Mapstone and may just have to read more of the series ;-)
June 26, 2018
A good solid 4+ stars. Only recently stumbled on this author and his main character. This 1st in the series was entertaining, educational and well worth my time. Good police procedural with interesting characters. I'll keep D/S Mapstone on my 'series to read' list.
March 21, 2018
Good first novel. Will read more of this series.
July 14, 2018
This was a good lead in to a series, set in Phoenix and the surrounding desert.
August 5, 2018
The first book in a series of 6 written by an Arizonan whose description of Phoenix and Sedona make the book enjoyable. Plus the story is entertaining as well.
November 15, 2018
Good book.
April 24, 2019
This is a good start to what I hope is a good series
November 28, 2019
a must-read for mystery fans familiar with the Phoenix area. I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the next in the series!
December 24, 2020
3.5 being a Phoenician I enjoyed many parts of the description of the environs, including a few restaurants I didn’t know. A bit dated at times but overall enjoyable.
February 2, 2022
Read this book in a little over a day. The writing is smooth and easy to follow. I quite enjoyed the Arizona history that flowed through the story. A little too much description on the female body.
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