Thornton, Betsy

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Thornton, Betsy

PERSONAL:

Born in Wilmington, NC; married second husband (an artist); children (first marriage): Alex (son). Education: Earned degree.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Bisbee, AZ.

CAREER:

Writer. Worked as a story analyst for ABC Pictures. Head of Chochise Fine Arts (community arts center), Bisbee, AZ. Victim advocate working for Cochise County Attorney's office.

WRITINGS:

A Whole New Life (mystery novel), Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2006.

"CHLOE NEWCOMBE" MYSTERY NOVELS

The Cowboy Rides Away, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

High Lonesome Road, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Ghost Towns, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Dead for the Winter, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Betsy Thornton began writing while living on the Greek island of Skopelos, because she had "nothing else to do," as she said on her Web site. She did not publish her work at this time, and later moved to New York City, then to the Southwest, where she ran a community arts center near Bisbee, Arizona.

Thornton gained background for her writing while working as a victim advocate for the Cochise County Attorney's office in Arizona. In this capacity, she helped victims of violent crime to make their way through the sometimes complex workings of the criminal justice system. "Being a victim advocate was probably the most interesting and meaningful job I have ever had," Thornton said on her Web page. The experience also gave her the background she needed to start her mysteries series featuring Chloe Newcombe, who also works as a victim advocate. Thornton began Chloe's adventures with the novel The Cowboy Rides Away, which introduces the characters and setting of her series in an "impressive debut," according to a Publishers Weekly writer. The same reviewer wrote that Thornton has the potential to establish herself as "a major new voice." In the sequel to The Cowboy Rides Away, High Lonesome Road, "Thornton triumphs," stated the Publishers Weekly reviewer.

The third volume, Ghost Towns, is a "darkly satisfying mystery," affirmed a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In it, Chloe becomes involved in investigating the murder of a judge. When she goes to the victim's home to break the news of his death to the family, she finds a dysfunctional group, none of whom seem to be feeling much grief at all. Then a reporter friend who was working on a related story vanishes, and Chloe's boyfriend checks into a drug rehabilitation facility. As she tries to unravel the mystery, she reveals herself as someone who is "plucky, fallible, and endearing," noted a Kirkus Reviews writer.

Chloe's adventures continue in Dead for the Winter, praised as an "intricate puzzle" by a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Chloe also makes a cameo appearance in another mystery Thornton wrote and set in Cochise County, one which stands alone from the series. A Whole New Life features Jackson Williams, an obscure, mostly unsuccessful poet who comes under suspicion for the murder of his wife. A Publishers Weekly writer remarked that this book provides "seamless prose and intriguing characters whose complexities are presented with plenty of delicious ambiguity and occasional unexpected slaps of humor." Another strong recommendation came from Tim Davis, who wrote on the BookLoons Web site: "Fast-paced and filled to overflowing with both compelling and quirky characterizations, Betsy Thornton's novel is skillfully crafted and hugely entertaining. So, grab yourself a copy of this stand-out mystery and enjoy yourself!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2002, Barbara Bibel, review of Ghost Towns, p. 927; October 1, 2004, Barbara Bibel, review of Dead for the Winter, p. 315.

Drood Review of Mystery, November, 2000, review of High Lonesome Road, p. 19; November, 2001, review of Ghost Towns, p. 12.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2001, review of Ghost Towns, p. 1651; September 15, 2004, review of Dead for the Winter, p. 895; September 15, 2006, review of A Whole New Life, p. 933.

Library Journal, February 1, 2001, Rex E. Klett, review of High Lonesome Road, p. 127; January 1, 2002, Rex Klett, review of Ghost Towns, p. 157; November 1, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of Dead for the Winter, p. 62.

Publishers Weekly, June 17, 1996, review of The Cowboy Rides Away, p. 51; January 22, 2001, review of High Lonesome Road, p. 305; January 21, 2002, review of Ghost Towns, p. 68; August 30, 2004, review of Dead for the Winter, p. 35; September 18, 2006, review of A Whole New Life, p. 40.