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(1923-09-26)September 26, 1923
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 24, 2018(2018-09-24) (aged 94)
Yarmouth, Maine, U.S.
Pen nameJ. S. Borthwick
OccupationWriter
Alma materMiss Porter's School
University at Buffalo
GenreMystery fiction
Spouse
James Alexander Creighton Jr.
(m. 1947)
Children3

Biography

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Creighton 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

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List 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

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  1. ^ a b Kathleen Gregory Klein (1994). Great Women Mystery Writers: Classic to Contemporary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-28770-1.
  2. ^ a b "A Maine Writer: Maine State Library". www.maine.gov. Retrieved Mar 30, 2020.
  3. ^ The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction. Robinson. 1 January 2002. ISBN 978-1-84119-287-1.
  4. ^ "Jean Creighton Obituary - Yarmouth, Maine". Concord Funeral Home. Retrieved Mar 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "J S Borthwick". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved Mar 30, 2020.