This was the Arizona book in my new project to read a mystery from every state, by an author new to me. It's set in Tucson and the surrounding area. I know a lot of people who now live there so it was interesting to read about the setting, as well as the mystery. Trade Ellis is both a working rancher and a private investigator. This book, the first in the series, finds her being asked to investigate a homicide or perhaps more than one, with the victims being members of the cheerleading team during her own high school years. The class reunion is coming up and Trade is fascinated by the huge changes some classmates have undergone. The solution is quite surprising. One thing I really liked about this book was that Trade does not drop everything to pursue the killer -- she still has other commitments including her ranch work, a cow-penning contest, and making tamales for a coming-of-age ceremony. (100 dozen tamales! She does it with her cousin, but still -- I'm impressed.) I thought it was a good device to have her already be a PI but not have been in on a homicide investigation before -- it allowed her to make mistakes without seeming stupid. I'm sure I will read more books in this series. ( )

What is more fun than a mystery set in your own hometown? (It helps to have more than one “home” town too – the possible pool of fun mysteries is broadened considerably!)

The Last Song Dogs takes place in Tucson, Arizona, where Trade Ellis, “part Apache, part cowgirl” works as a rancher and private investigator. Generally, she handles bland cases involving insurance matters, but now she has been hired for her first murder investigation. Someone seems to be killing off the “Song Dogs” of Javelina High. [The javelina (pronounced as if it starts with an “h”) is part of the local biota of Tucson. It looks like a wild pig, but is actually part of the peccary family. These animals are very popular among Tucsonans, as long as they keep their distance.]

[“Song dogs” characterize another staple of Tucson, the coyotes. At Javelina High, the cheerleaders were known as the “Song Dogs” because they “howled” a lot.] Trade is hired by two former Song Dogs, Charlene and Buffy, who fear their lives are in danger.

In the course of this charming (albeit not too suspenseful) mystery, you’ll learn as much about the Sonoran desert and ranching as you will about the somewhat stereotyped characters who fill up Trade’s list of suspects.

It’s a cute book, about which I would offer one complaint: Trade is a character who loves to eat, eat all the time, and eat food mostly high in calories and cholesterol. She, however, as one might expect, never gains any weight. (I see this often in mystery books, especially with female detectives. Shouldn’t these books be filed under fantasy instead of mystery?) In the meantime, however, Charlene, who is overweight, earns nothing but contempt from Trade for her excess avoirdupois. I found that objectionable.

Otherwise, it’s a not unpleasant way to pass some time, especially if you like the southwest. ( )