Jean Scott Wood Creighton (September 26, 1923 – September 24, 2018) was an American writer of mystery fiction, under the pseudonym of J. S. Borthwick.
J. S. Borthwick | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 26, 1923 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 24, 2018 (aged 94) Yarmouth, Maine, U.S. |
| Pen name | J. S. Borthwick |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Miss Porter's School University at Buffalo |
| Genre | Mystery fiction |
| Spouse |
James Alexander Creighton Jr.
(m. 1947) |
| Children | 3 |
Biography
editCreighton was born in Buffalo, New York, and studied at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, before matriculating as a pre-medical student at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She left school to work as a nurse at an army hospital during World War II; she married James Alexander Creighton Jr. in 1947 and had three children. After their births she completed her bachelor's degree and returned to the University at Buffalo to pursue a graduate degree in English. For years a summer resident of Maine, she moved to the state full-time in 1976,[1] maintaining a residence in Thomaston.[2] Her novels, featuring as detective a student and later academic of English named Sarah Deane, are mostly set in Maine.[1] Basically cozies in nature, many featured maps and drawings created by one of her daughters to augment the narrative. The first of the books featured a mystery centered on the world of birdwatching; Creighton claimed it was inspired by her observation that birdwatchers were often so intent on their pursuit that they would likely fail, in her opinion, to notice a murder taking place in their immediate vicinity.[3]
Creighton taught English in middle and high schools in Maine, and was an instructor at Indiana University for a time; later in life she taught at Coastal Senior College in Thomaston.[2] Besides mystery fiction, she also wrote poetry and works for children. Creighton died in Yarmouth, Maine.[4]
Selected works
editList taken from:[5]
- The Case of the Hook-Billed Kites (1982)
- The Down East Murders (1985)
- The Student Body (1986)
- Bodies of Water (1990)
- Dude on Arrival (1991)
- The Bridled Groom (1994)
- Dolly is Dead (1995)
- The Garden Plot (1997)
- My Body Lies Over the Ocean (1999)
- Coup de Grace (2000)
- Murder in the Rough (2002)
- Intensive Scare Unit (2004)
- Foiled Again (2007)
References
edit- ^ a b Kathleen Gregory Klein (1994). Great Women Mystery Writers: Classic to Contemporary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-28770-1.
- ^ a b "A Maine Writer: Maine State Library". www.maine.gov. Retrieved Mar 30, 2020.
- ^ The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction. Robinson. 1 January 2002. ISBN 978-1-84119-287-1.
- ^ "Jean Creighton Obituary - Yarmouth, Maine". Concord Funeral Home. Retrieved Mar 30, 2020.
- ^ "J S Borthwick". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved Mar 30, 2020.