Betsy Thornton, A Whole New Life

A Whole New Life

Betsy Thornton

St. Martin's, November 2006, $23.95, 288 pp.

ISBN 0312357591

Jenny Wilson is a health fanatic who uses herbs, supplements and other items to keep in tip top shape. She is driving home one day when she feels ill, loses control of her car and dies. Her husband Jackson thinks her bald tires caused the vehicle to spin out of control, but he gets an inkling that something more is going on when the police do an autopsy and report she was poisoned. The poison was found in her pro-biotic herb and mineral mixture.

The police serve Jackson with a warrant to search his house, taking items like his computer and stuff from his medicine cabinet. They later arrest him; his mother-in-law writes a letter to the judge claiming ill health, and that she will die if Jackson is released from prison. Jackson is denied bail, but his lawyer finds interesting things about Jenny, including the fact think she let a druggie into her home; she was having an affair with Jackson's colleague, and has a brother who is alive, even though she told everyone he was dead. Mara, the daughter he hasn't seen since she was three years old, has come to see her father and is asking questions in the hope of learning information that will exonerate him.

This is a very interesting and fascinating crime thriller, because the defense and the prosecution have equal amounts of information that could either convict or exonerate Jackson. The protagonist feels like a fool because he turned his wife out and wasn't aware of what had gone on around him. He is an honorable man, but his disintegrating marriage is the reason the prosecution has so much evidence against him. This is a deeply satisfying reading experience due to the eccentric cast of characters and a fast paced plot.