This is the seventh installment in the Sarah Burke police procedural series set in Tucson, Arizona. Though I did not read any of the previous titles, the author included enough of the back story that “Sarah’s List” read well as a stand-alone.
The protagonist, Sarah Burke, was a great character. She was skilled in her job as a homicide detective, yet she wasn’t perfect and made some errors that would come back to haunt her. I enjoyed reading of her home life with her partner, mother, and niece.
The case she was working on was complicated and involved illegal drugs. I was interested in finding out how Sarah would solve the mystery.
The setting, a overly hot Tucson summer, was well rendered.
Anyone who enjoys a police procedural novel that is mostly about the ‘procedure’ will find this an entertaining read.
This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Severn House via NetGalley – Published August 4, 2020
ISBN: 9780727890498 – ASIN: B086TZ27SM – 192 pages
A one-time innkeeper with a taste for adventure, Elizabeth Gunn has been a private pilot, sky diver, SCUBA diver, and live-aboard sailor. Extensive travel in the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe led to a second career as a free-lance travel writer, during which she began writing a series of police procedural mysteries set in southeast Minnesota, where she grew up. Her books contrast the sometimes gritty routine of police work with the idyllic rural scenes around a mid-size city in the upper Midwest. Featured characters are a hard-working police detective named Jake Hines and his girlfriend, Trudy Hanson, a forensic scientist at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul.
In her new southwest series, Elizabeth follows Sarah Burke, a homicide detective dealing with cutting-edge problems in an ancient setting.
Fictionophile 
very nice. and an overly hot Tucson summer would probably be standard. unless Phoenix is running hotter that year. my cousin lives in Tucson and typically doesn’t leave air conditioning unless forced. I lived in Goodyear (about 10 miles outside of Phoenix) and can attest to the summer heat–of course–eventually you acclimate until only temps over 98 feel hot.
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Oh gosh Virginia I wouldn’t like that kind of heat! Here in Nova Scotia I find it too hot when it reaches 90 F. I get fatigued, grumpy, and very lethargic.
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This one sounds good! I like detective books, although I don’t read enough of them. And I love Tucson, we go there every winter to visit for a couple of weeks. I think I would like this one!
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Wendy would you read the entire series starting with #1, or would you just read this one which is #7? Just curious…
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I would want to read the entire series. I don’t like to jump into the middle of a series, even though they are supposed to be stand alone. I think with series like these, there is a bit of character development throughout the series that I would miss out on if I started in the middle.
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I heartily agree Wendy. I downloaded this title from NetGalley before realizing it was #7 . From now on I’ll do some investigating first. 🤪
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I do that all the time. I need to investigate also when I choose books to request. But I wish NetGalley would specify when a book is part of a series more often.
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Yes, I agree Wendy. NetGalley doesn’t always specify, but they should!
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