A Town Called Why is an engaging mystery novel by Rick Lenz. Half-Apache, Frank Gaines is a police detective in an Arizona desert town. He is well-liked and he makes friends easily. However, he feels he is lacking in courage and decides to go into therapy. His therapist is Sunny, an attractive, full-blooded Apache woman who is the granddaughter of a shaman with mystical gifts. When a maternal relative dies from a gunshot wound, Sunny reminds Frank that, according to an ancient Apache law, it is his sacred duty to take revenge. Meanwhile, Flint, a scheming businessman is buying Apache land and is in the process of evicting the Apache from their ancestral land. As their paths cross, Gaines tests his courage and discovers his capacity to love.

Rick Lenz’s A Town Called Why is an engrossing novel that will hook readers with its array of interesting characters set in an amazing desert milieu. Lenz mixes Apache philosophy and mystery in this fast-paced novel. His literary writing style is descriptive. The result is a narrative seemingly inspired by supernatural elements of the desert and its indigenous inhabitants. Frank Gaines is a larger-than-life character and is very relatable. Sunny, on the other hand, is a mysterious and fascinating woman. The troubled Geneva Wright and Mercy Ranaldi are tragic characters that add interesting layers to the story. In this novel, Rick Lenz masterfully weaves a detective story that is character driven and immersed in the Apache culture. The result is a narrative that is both insightful and informative.

Any suicide is always unsettling, but in A Town Called Why by Rick Lenz, there is something exceptionally heartbreaking when Gordon Cody is pushed to the tipping point of hopelessness and takes his own life. Fooled by an unscrupulous high-stakes lender, Mr. Cody loses everything, and his native elders must vacate their farmland. Mrs. Cody, shamed and destitute from her husband's death, believes suicide is the same as murder and invokes the ancient Apache tradition of sacred duty upon her nephew Frank Gaines to seek revenge. Against his better judgment, Arizona Police Detective Frank Gaines, with therapist Sunny Kacheenay’s assistance, must abide by his family's Apache beliefs and hunt down the person responsible for Gordon's death.

Author Rick Lenz masterfully mixes Native American folklore and crime investigation to make A Town Called Why a gritty, thought-provoking mystery full of clues to decipher. The characters' dream scenarios symbolically connect and spill over into heart-pounding realizations as the reader follows the investigation. The characters are likable, but the villains are incredible, with personas portrayed as sadistic, cold-hearted brutes ready to destroy anyone threatening their agendas. Lenz's world-building consists of scenes packed with tantalizing details that make the desert come alive with intrigue. Native American mythology and Apache linguistics are pleasantly sprinkled throughout the story, introducing the reader to this unique culture. A Town Called Why is a compelling crime story offering much to fans of the genre and a marvelous introduction to anyone interested in Native American folklore and desert-based thrillers.