Synopses & Reviews
In A Song for You, Betsy Thornton returns to her dynamic character Chloe Newcombe, victim advocate at the Cochise County Attorneys Office.
A heavy storm hits Dudley, Arizona, wreaking havoc. A local woman drowns in a flash flood. A heavy drinker falls into the draining system and is finally found a few days later. The Barnetts, who moved into town six months ago, are unhappy to learn that a retaining wall on their property will need immediate fixing. And theyre even more dismayed when the workers digging unearths a dead body.
The mans body has obviously been there a long time. When Rachel Macabee reads about it in the local paper, she is convinced that the dead man was a member of the band that her mom sang with when Rachel was a little girl. He had disappeared just a few days before her mother was killed. The band members assumed that he had left in search of a better job, but Rachel had never believed that---and now she knows she was right.
She doesnt trust the police---they were wrong the first time. So she approaches private detective Brian Flynn, a former police officer as well as Chloe Newcombes former lover. He agrees to try to discover what really happened. And after all these years, Rachel may finally find her mothers killer.
Betsy Thornton pens the stories about the inhabitants of this very real-life mountain town with great style. A Song for You promises more atmosphere, likable characters, and another entertaining puzzle.
Review
When workmen uncover skeletal remains behind a retaining wall in Thorntons well-crafted fifth mystery to feature Cochise County, Ariz., victim advocate Chloe Newcombe (after 2004s Dead for the Winter ), the body turns out to be that of Wynn Wykoff, a member of the band Point of No Return, who disappeared 17 years earlier. The news of this macabre find prompts Rachel Macabee, the daughter of the bands singer, Annie Glenn, to hire Chloes private detective friend, Brian Flynn, to look into her mothers unsolved murder, which occurred around the same time at the same location. Aided by Chloe, Flynn interviews the people originally questioned about Annas murder, including former band members and their hangers-on. After Chloe discovers a link between Annies and Wynns homicides, additional lives are suddenly at risk. Appealing, nuanced characters, a simmering Southwest backdrop and an artfully unpredictable conclusion make this one a winner.
About the Author
Betsy Thornton works for the Cochise County Attorneys Victim Witness Program as a victim compensation advocate and a victim advocate. She lives in Bisbee, Arizona.