Talton, Jon

PERSONAL:

Born in AZ; married; wife's name Susan. Education: Attended Arizona State University; Southeastern Oklahoma State University, B.A.; attended Miami University, Oxford, OH.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Phoenix, AZ. Office—Arizona Republic, 200 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. E-mail—jon.talton@arizonarepublic.com.

CAREER:

Journalist and writer. Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OH; Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, executive business editor; Arizona Republic, Phoenix, business columnist, 2000—; also wrote for newspapers in San Diego, CA, Denver, CO, and Cincinnati, OH. Syndicated columnist for numerous national newspapers; regular guest on CNBC-TV. Has also worked as an ambulance driver, Phoenix, and instructor at a college in Oklahoma. Knight-Western Fellow in Journalism, University of Southern California; Arizona State University/Morrison Institute Community Fellow.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Finalist, Pulitzer Prize in Public Services, 1991; Best in Business award, Society of American Business Editors, 2000, for the business section of the Charlotte Observer.

WRITINGS:

"MAPSTONE MYSTERY" SERIES

Concrete Desert, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2001.

Camelback Falls, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2003.

Dry Heat, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2004.

Arizona Dreams, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2006.

Cactus Heart, Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2007.

Also author of a Web log for Azcentral.com.

SIDELIGHTS:

Journalist Jon Talton is also a popular mystery novelist who situates the tales of his "Mapstone Mystery" series in his hometown of Phoenix. The scorched Arizona desert features prominently in the novels, providing an expansive stage for the sleuthing of Talton's protagonist, David Mapstone. A sheriff's deputy turned history professor, David finds himself returning to law enforcement after he is denied tenure. His training as a historian gives him a unique approach to crime investigation, and the series takes him from part-time cold-case investigator to veteran detective known throughout the region for solving both new and decades-old crimes.

David makes his debut in Concrete Desert, in which he joins the Maricopa County sheriffs's office as a consultant to investigate a series of forty-year-old murders. At the same time, an old lover resurfaces and solicits his aide in finding her sister, who has recently disappeared. The two cases coalesce as David pieces together evidence of what may be Phoenix's first serial killer. Writing for Library Journal, Rex Klett commented that Talton's first novel offers "clean prose, complex characters, [and] changing scenery." A Publishers Weekly critic found Talton to be "a competent writer" whose "historical anecdotes are genuinely interesting," but felt the book was overly conventional and "pedestrian-plotted." To the contrary, Connie Fletcher, writing for Booklist, called the book "a stunning debut" that demonstrates "how fertile the desert can be as mystery setting."

In the series' next installment, Camelback Falls, David becomes acting sheriff when the new sheriff, David's old friend and partner Mike Peralta, is shot after his swearing-in ceremony. Along with his computer-expert girlfriend and colleague, Lindsey, David embarks on a quest to discover who shot Peralta. In the process, he uncovers financial documents that suggest his former partner was crooked. To find the assailant and clear his friend, whom he believes to be innocent, David must reconcile current events with the evidence that points to a twenty-year-old case he and Peralta had investigated. In a review of Camelback Falls posted on the Harriet Klausner Reviews Web site, Harriet Klausner noted that "Talton writes with a discerning eye and a subtle sense of irony," adding that "his hero is likable and realistic." A Publishers Weekly contributor echoed such sentiments, stating that "Talton handles the difficult task of having his hero play simultaneous roles of acting sheriff and lone wolf without losing credibility."

Subsequent novels in the series find David married to Lindsey and more established in his position as a sheriff's deputy, though he continues to work both for and against the establishment. He faces off against the FBI, jealous rivals, and politicians in addition to serial killers, and his wife's work and relationships often figure into David's cases. As with the previous novels, the past and present commingle in the later mysteries, resulting in several layers of intrigue. Many critics have commended Talton's lean prose and complex characterization, finding the sympathetic David a welcome change from the gruff detectives so prevalent in the mystery genre. However, opinions of Talton's plotlines vary; some critics have found them to be too formulaic while others have considered them both clever and suspenseful. A Publishers Weekly critic, in a review of Dry Heat, the third volume in the series, concluded: "While Talton breaks no new ground, he knows all the angles and plays them for maximum impact." Writing for Booklist, Wes Lukowsky called Talton's fourth mystery, Arizona Dreams, "as engaging as its predecessors," and a Publishers Weekly contributor reviewing the same title stated: "Talton crisply evokes Phoenix's New West ambience and keeps readers guessing."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2001, Connie Fletcher, review of Concrete Desert, p. 1852; December 1, 2002, Wes Lukowsky, review of Camelback Falls, p. 650; May 1, 2006, Wes Lukowsky, review of Arizona Dreams, p. 40.

Business Journal (Raleigh, NC), November 3, 2000, Dale Gibson, "Jon Talton," p. 54.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2001, review of Concrete Desert, p. 711; December 1, 2002, review of Camelback Falls, p. 1739; October 15, 2004, review of Dry Heat, p. 988.

Library Journal, July 2001, Rex Klett, review of Concrete Desert, p. 129; January, 2003, Rex E. Klett, review of Camelback Falls, p. 163; December 1, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of Dry Heat, p. 95.

Publishers Weekly, May 14, 2001, review of Concrete Desert, p. 55; December 23, 2002, review of Camelback Falls, p. 49; November 22, 2004, review of Dry Heat, p. 42; June 5, 2006, review of Arizona Dreams, p. 40.

Washington Post Book World, July 29, 2001, Katy Munger, review of Concrete Desert, p. 13.

ONLINE

Arizona State University Web site,http://www.asu.edu/ (September 22, 2004), faculty biography.

BookLoons,http://www.bookloons.com/ (March 5, 2007), Harriet Klausner, review of Concrete Desert.

Harriet Klausner Reviews,http://harrietklausner.wwwi.com/ (March 5, 2007), Harriet Klausner, review of Camelback Falls; Harriet Klausner, review of Dry Heat.

John Talton Home Page,http://www.jontalton.com (March 5, 2007).

KJZZ 91.5 FM Online,http://www.kjzz.org/ (March 10, 2004), Steve Goldstein, "Interview with Jon Talton."

Mysterious Galaxy,http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ (May 7, 2003), review of Camelback Falls.

Mystery Reader,http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (March 5, 2007), Jennifer Monahan Winberry, review of Arizona Dreams.

St. Martin's Minotaur Web site,http://www.minotaurbooks.com/ (May 7, 2003).