High Lonesome Road

Rating:
Summary: Excellent mystery with great characters
Review: Erica Hill could get on your nerves. She certainly got on victim advocate Chloe Newcombe's nerves and, when Erica suggested getting together, Chloe made it a point not to call her. Two weeks later, Erica was dead and Chloe felt responsible. Her responsibility grew when the local police named Erica's precious son as a suspect.

The more Chloe investigated the case, the more she found that Erica had been to bed with just about every man she met. Yet, until recently, Erica had loved them and left them. Suddenly, about the time she'd contacted Chloe, she'd also contacted many of her former acquaintences looking for something. Like Chloe, however, few of them had bothered to listen. Except maybe someone had. Chloe can't believe that the murder is a coincidence. It has to be connected with whatever Erica was looking for.

Betsy Thornton has written a small gem of a mystery here. Her characters are well developed with both flaws and virtues that make the reader concerned for their safety and success. Her occasional use of poetic language is actually useful. I especially enjoyed her description of Arizona where old cowboys and aging hippies live side-by-side but in complete misunderstanding of one another.

As a mystery, HIGH LONESOME ROAD is one of the best I've read this year. Thornton disguises her red herrings well enough that even an experienced mystery reader will be confused.

I very much enjoyed this fine novel.

Rating:
Summary: Another winning mystery for this talented author
Review: Two years ago, Chloe Newcomb left New York to relocate to Dudley, Arizona. Chloe inherited a home in the Old Dudley section of town from her deceased sibling's gay lover, who was like a big brother to her too. Chloe works a part-time schedule as a victim's counselor for the local police department. She not only helps individuals cope with crime, but also teaches classes.

Attending one of her classes is Erica Hill, a former neighbor of her brother in Venice, California. They agree to talk about old times, but Chloe never called. Chloe comes across old letters from her sibling that includes a comment wondering what happened to Erica. The next day, Chloe arrives at the murder scene of the bookmobile driver to provide comfort to retired schoolteacher Dot Stone, who discovered the corpse. To Chloe's shock, the body is Erica. Unable to mind her business, especially after rereading her brother's old letter, Chloe needs to know what happened to Erica, why it happened and what will happen to her teenage son?

As with her debut novel THE COWBOY RIDES AGAIN, Betsy Thornton provides readers with a deep feel for the smaller Southwest communities. Entities like bookmobiles make it seem like the 1950s to this aging urban boomer. The story line is entertaining and the characters appear genuine due to the secondary cast's interactions with Chloe. Ms. Thornton escorts her audience down the HIGH LONESOME ROAD with a strong regional cozy.

Harriet Klausner