Kissing Arizona by Elizabeth Gunn is the third book in the “Sarah Burke” mystery series. Publisher: Severn House Publishers, February 2011

As Sarah Burke and her crew of police detectives investigate an apparent murder-suicide in a well-known family of local merchants, their façade of diligent respectability explodes in a burst of violence that rips the cover off long-concealed family secrets.

Then, in a second case, the many tragedies of illegal immigration area confronted as border crossers, drug smugglers, federal agents and local cops all fight for turf and answers in a beautiful valley that’s been loved and fought over for centuries.

Sarah, struggling to succeed in her tough job and protect her family through illness and recession, must also find time for her troubled lover and damaged niece if she is to keep the family together.

Sarah gets involved in two cases and works non-stop to solve them. Her home life is hectic as well, with raising her niece and finding time for her boyfriend. When her mother becomes ill, she relies heavily on her boyfriend and her niece, until a solution that works for all. This was a very enjoyable story and I hope to see more of Sarah.