And When She Was Good

Somehow I went from a women’s fiction kick to reading two mystery thrillers back to back.

When I received And When She Was Good on my doorstep, I remembered Elizabeth’s favorable review of Laura Lippman’s I’d Know You Anywhere, so I decided to give it a try.

On the outside Heloise seems to have it all. She lives in a beautiful home in a perfect suburb with good schools ideal for her 12-year-old son, she has a good job, she looks put-together. But that good job? Her front is that she’s a lobbyist for women’s issues. The reality is that she’s a high dollar madam. Her abusive father caused her to leave home at 17 with a guy who turned out to be a deadbeat. Her savior came in the form of Val, who seemed nice enough, but led her into prostitution.

Years later, Val is in prison for murder. Heloise is the one who turned him in to protect her future, but she still visits him, seemingly living out the adage to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Heloise has been considering leaving her old life behind her, but she things get complicated and troubling when Val’s sentence seems like it might be turned over, and a prostitute from hers and Val’s past turns up dead.

This novel alternates between Helen’s past — how she got where she was (and when she changed her name to Heloise) — which works seamlessly when her past begins to enter into her present.

The topic of prostitution makes this a difficult read, but Lippman manages to round out Heloise as a complete person — mom, friend, businesswoman — as well as the supporting cast which runs the gamut from suburban moms to single office assistants, to college students who moonlight with her firm. This complete character development and gentle unfolding and explanation of who they are and why they are that way drew me into the story page by page.

The heart-pounding ending with a surprise twist gave this book a strong and exciting finish.