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As Husbands Go
A rare mix of wit, social satire, and suspense, along with characters who leap from the page to speak directly to the reader, As Husbands Go is a moving story about a love that just won't give up.
Call her superficial, but Susie B Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten assumed her marriage was great—and why not? Jonah Gersten, MD, a Park Avenue plastic surgeon, clearly adored her. He was handsome, successful, and a doting dad to their four-year-old triplets. But when Jonah is found dead in the Upper East Side apartment of second-rate “escort” Dorinda Dillon, Susie is overwhelmed with questions left unanswered. It’s bad enough to know your husband’s been murdered, but even worse when you’re universally pitied (and quietly mocked) because of the sleaze factor. None of it makes sense to Susie—not a sexual liaison with someone like Dorinda, not the “better not to discuss it” response from Jonah’s partners. With help from her tough-talking, high-style grandma Ethel, who flies in from Miami, she takes on her snooty in-laws, her husband’s partners, the NYPD, and the DA as she tries to prove that her wonderful life with Jonah was no lie.
Susan Isaacs brilliantly turns the conventions of the mystery on end as Susie Gersten, suburban mom, floral designer, and fashion plate, searches not so much for answers to her husband's death as for answers to her own life.
Call her superficial, but Susie B Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten assumed her marriage was great—and why not? Jonah Gersten, MD, a Park Avenue plastic surgeon, clearly adored her. He was handsome, successful, and a doting dad to their four-year-old triplets. But when Jonah is found dead in the Upper East Side apartment of second-rate “escort” Dorinda Dillon, Susie is overwhelmed with questions left unanswered. It’s bad enough to know your husband’s been murdered, but even worse when you’re universally pitied (and quietly mocked) because of the sleaze factor. None of it makes sense to Susie—not a sexual liaison with someone like Dorinda, not the “better not to discuss it” response from Jonah’s partners. With help from her tough-talking, high-style grandma Ethel, who flies in from Miami, she takes on her snooty in-laws, her husband’s partners, the NYPD, and the DA as she tries to prove that her wonderful life with Jonah was no lie.
Susan Isaacs brilliantly turns the conventions of the mystery on end as Susie Gersten, suburban mom, floral designer, and fashion plate, searches not so much for answers to her husband's death as for answers to her own life.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2010
About the author
Susan Isaacs
63 books482 followersI was born in a thatched cottage in the Cotswolds. Oh, you want the truth. Fine. I was born in Brooklyn and educated at Queens College. After leaving school, I saw one of those ads: BE A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER! Take our aptitude test. Since I had nothing else in mind, I took the test-and flunked. The guy at the employment agency looked at my resume and mumbled, “You wrote for your college paper? Uh, we have an opening at Seventeen magazine.” That’s how I became a writer.
I liked my job, but I found doing advice to the lovelorn and articles like “How to Write a Letter to a Boy” somewhat short of fulfilling. So, first as a volunteer, then for actual money, I wrote political speeches in my spare time. I did less of that when I met a wonderful guy, Elkan Abramowitz, then a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.
We were married and a little more than a year later, we had Andrew (now a corporate lawyer). Three years later, Elizabeth (now a philosopher and writer) was born. I’d left Seventeen to be home with my kids but continued to to do speeches and the occasional magazine piece. During what free time I had, I read more mysteries than was healthy. Possibly I became deranged, but I thought, I can do this.
And that’s how Compromising Positions, a whodunit with a housewife-detectives set on Long Island came about. Talk about good luck: it was chosen the Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, auctioned for paperback, sold to the movies, translated into thirty languages, and became a bestseller. I was a little overwhelmed by the success. However, it’s hard to rise to a state of perpetual cool and go to slick downtown parties when you’re living in the suburbs with a husband, two kids, two dogs, and a mini-van, I simply wrote another book… and then another and another.
About half my works are mysteries, two fall into the category of espionage, and the rest are…well, regular novels. In the horn-tooting department, nearly all my novels have been New York Times bestsellers.
My kids grew up. My husband became a defense lawyer specializing in white collar matters: I call him my house counsel since I’m always consulting him on criminal procedure, the justice system, and law enforcement jargon. Anyway, after forty-five years of writing all sorts of novels—standalones—I decided to write a mystery series. I conceived Corie Geller with a rich enough background to avoid what I’d always been leery of—that doing a series would mean writing the same book over and over, changing only the settings.
I also produced one work of nonfiction, Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women are Really Doing on Page and Screen. I wrote a slew of articles, essays, and op-ed pieces as well. Newsday sent me to write about the 2000 presidential campaign, which was one of the greatest thrills of my life-going to both conventions, riding beside John McCain on the Straight Talk Express, interviewing George W. Bush. I also reviewed books for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsday. (My website has far more information about my projects than most people would want to know, but have a look.)
In the mid-1980s, I wrote the screenplay for Paramount’s Compromising Positions which starred Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. I also wrote and co-produced Touchstone’s Hello Again which starred Shelley Long, Gabriel Byrne, and Judith Ivey. (My fourth novel, Shining Through, set during World War II became the 20th Century Fox movie starring Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith and Liam Neeson. I would have written the script, except I wasn’t asked.)
Here’s the professional stuff. I’m a recipient of the Writers for Writers Award, the Marymount Manhattan Writing Center Award, and the John Steinbeck Award. I just retired (after over a decade) as chairman of the board of the literary organization, Poets & Writers. I also served as president of Mystery Writers of America. I belong to the National Book Critics Circle, the Creative Coalition, PEN, the Ameri
I liked my job, but I found doing advice to the lovelorn and articles like “How to Write a Letter to a Boy” somewhat short of fulfilling. So, first as a volunteer, then for actual money, I wrote political speeches in my spare time. I did less of that when I met a wonderful guy, Elkan Abramowitz, then a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.
We were married and a little more than a year later, we had Andrew (now a corporate lawyer). Three years later, Elizabeth (now a philosopher and writer) was born. I’d left Seventeen to be home with my kids but continued to to do speeches and the occasional magazine piece. During what free time I had, I read more mysteries than was healthy. Possibly I became deranged, but I thought, I can do this.
And that’s how Compromising Positions, a whodunit with a housewife-detectives set on Long Island came about. Talk about good luck: it was chosen the Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, auctioned for paperback, sold to the movies, translated into thirty languages, and became a bestseller. I was a little overwhelmed by the success. However, it’s hard to rise to a state of perpetual cool and go to slick downtown parties when you’re living in the suburbs with a husband, two kids, two dogs, and a mini-van, I simply wrote another book… and then another and another.
About half my works are mysteries, two fall into the category of espionage, and the rest are…well, regular novels. In the horn-tooting department, nearly all my novels have been New York Times bestsellers.
My kids grew up. My husband became a defense lawyer specializing in white collar matters: I call him my house counsel since I’m always consulting him on criminal procedure, the justice system, and law enforcement jargon. Anyway, after forty-five years of writing all sorts of novels—standalones—I decided to write a mystery series. I conceived Corie Geller with a rich enough background to avoid what I’d always been leery of—that doing a series would mean writing the same book over and over, changing only the settings.
I also produced one work of nonfiction, Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women are Really Doing on Page and Screen. I wrote a slew of articles, essays, and op-ed pieces as well. Newsday sent me to write about the 2000 presidential campaign, which was one of the greatest thrills of my life-going to both conventions, riding beside John McCain on the Straight Talk Express, interviewing George W. Bush. I also reviewed books for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsday. (My website has far more information about my projects than most people would want to know, but have a look.)
In the mid-1980s, I wrote the screenplay for Paramount’s Compromising Positions which starred Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. I also wrote and co-produced Touchstone’s Hello Again which starred Shelley Long, Gabriel Byrne, and Judith Ivey. (My fourth novel, Shining Through, set during World War II became the 20th Century Fox movie starring Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith and Liam Neeson. I would have written the script, except I wasn’t asked.)
Here’s the professional stuff. I’m a recipient of the Writers for Writers Award, the Marymount Manhattan Writing Center Award, and the John Steinbeck Award. I just retired (after over a decade) as chairman of the board of the literary organization, Poets & Writers. I also served as president of Mystery Writers of America. I belong to the National Book Critics Circle, the Creative Coalition, PEN, the Ameri
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 606 reviews
August 5, 2023
I couldn't stand the protagonist, Susan B. Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten! Susie comes off sounding like a superficial (at least she admits that), snobbish cold b***h!
Her husband, Jonah, is found murdered in a call-girl's apartment, and all Susie seems to focus on is makeup, clothing, body type, flower arrangements, etc. Everyone else she meets is unfortunate-looking, boring and/or stupid (including her parents), except for her long-lost Grandma Ethel, who at almost 80 years, is a drop-dead gorgeous, slightly older-looking version of Susie. Susie and Ethel team up like two Nancy Drew sleuths (although I think Nancy is more believable and likeable) to find out who really killed Jonah. He couldn't have been cheating on Susan with a prostitute, because she is too perfect! Susie sounds dull and disinterested in most of her conversations. For someone so in love with her husband (and supposedly vice versa), Susie barely shows any emotional feelings of betrayal - oh, wait a minute, any emotion whatsoever!
This was an eye-rolling, boring so-called mystery. I would have had empathy for Susie if she acted more like a grieving widow and less like a narcissistic diva!
Her husband, Jonah, is found murdered in a call-girl's apartment, and all Susie seems to focus on is makeup, clothing, body type, flower arrangements, etc. Everyone else she meets is unfortunate-looking, boring and/or stupid (including her parents), except for her long-lost Grandma Ethel, who at almost 80 years, is a drop-dead gorgeous, slightly older-looking version of Susie. Susie and Ethel team up like two Nancy Drew sleuths (although I think Nancy is more believable and likeable) to find out who really killed Jonah. He couldn't have been cheating on Susan with a prostitute, because she is too perfect! Susie sounds dull and disinterested in most of her conversations. For someone so in love with her husband (and supposedly vice versa), Susie barely shows any emotional feelings of betrayal - oh, wait a minute, any emotion whatsoever!
This was an eye-rolling, boring so-called mystery. I would have had empathy for Susie if she acted more like a grieving widow and less like a narcissistic diva!
April 20, 2011
This book was so bad, I stopped reading it after 50 pages. Against my better judgement, I decided to give it a second chance and read another 50 pages. The main character, Susan, was amazed at how beautiful she was and had such a perfect body even after giving birth to triplets, no less. Even her best friend's husband didn't escape ridicule. Susan and her friend referred to the husband as Fat Boy and described him as nail-gnawing, buffoonish, 300 lb, waxy-skinned and not a dreamboat). Every other person in the book wasn't worth living in Susan's world. Some of the actual descriptions of these pathetic people included, fat, stupid, bucktooth, boring, zitty, blobby, mongoose (describing her own mother), etc., etc. If they didn't have one flaw, it was many - one lady was needed to attend both overeaters and alcoholics anonymous. I had enough when a policeman showed up at her door and had such bad B.O. that Susan actually got dizzy and had to hold herself so she didn't pass out because of his smell. On the pages that someone wasn't being insulted, we were treated to constant brand-name dropping. After 100 pages, I didn't see any relief in this very childish, hate-filled book.
August 18, 2010
Absolutely one of the worst books I've read in a long time. I am being generous with two stars, probably overly generous. Susan Isaacs used to be an awesome writer; this one isn't even worthy of Jackie Collins. It's shallow, full of pretentious brand name dropping and hateful, unlikeable characters. Obsessed with looks, the only "nice" people in the book are described as obese, hairy, stupid looking, or otherwise unfit to habit Susan's ultra nouveau riche, designer world. If you like your laughter at the expense of making hideous fun of people you might consider beneath you, you might find this book humorous. I didn't.
The end wraps up the mystery but leaves all of the interpersonal relationships hanging - does Grandma Ethel ever even call the daughter she abandoned? (She's a hideous character as an adult, and you get the feeling she was a hideous child and deserved to be abandoned.) Do the in laws and awful brother in law apologize for their out of line, insulting, hateful behavior? It doesn't even feel like Susan herself has any resolution, even knowing what happened to her husband.
I can't believe I even finished this but it was light and mindless which I needed at the moment. But there have to be better mindless diversionary reads.
The end wraps up the mystery but leaves all of the interpersonal relationships hanging - does Grandma Ethel ever even call the daughter she abandoned? (She's a hideous character as an adult, and you get the feeling she was a hideous child and deserved to be abandoned.) Do the in laws and awful brother in law apologize for their out of line, insulting, hateful behavior? It doesn't even feel like Susan herself has any resolution, even knowing what happened to her husband.
I can't believe I even finished this but it was light and mindless which I needed at the moment. But there have to be better mindless diversionary reads.
October 5, 2013
I don't have much to add to other one star ratings. Life is too short to read bad books and I generally don't ever feel the need to finish one. I was intrigued by the loving husband being found murdered in a hooker's apartment and so I continued reading. The wife is such an unlikeable person that it made reading her narratives, for example, about how her financial situation was stable after her husband's death and wouldn't result in her having to wear Vanity Fair panties, almost unbearable. She has 4-year old triplets which she really has nothing to do with except to put them to bed at night or complain about the noise they make all day while being cared for by two au pairs. The option of getting a real nanny rather than keeping the two au pairs went right over my head as I have no clue what the difference is but I really don't care. Bottom line, Susan is just not a very nice person.
August 20, 2013
I'm ashamed to have read this. I'm ashamed of the author. I'm almost ashamed of the English language. Detective novels don't have to be literature, but they do have to have plot.
Read
October 10, 2011I was looking for a fun, light, chic lit whodunnit. Having read a few previous books by Susan Isaacs (Compromising Positions, Shining Through)which fit that bill, I thought this might be another winner. Was I ever wrong! The other Isaacs books I'd read were generally 3-stars but at least they were entertaining and satisfying. However, if the Goodreads system allowed for a minus rating, a -3 is what I'd give this one.
The mystery portion of the plot was at best a nugget of a sliver of an idea, enough for a very,very short story--at best. The characters are all thinly painted and run the spectrum from benign to obnoxiously annoying. The bulk of the book reads like a product placement extravaganza with high end merchandise described in loving detail, and used as a way for the author to show how rich and tasteful the main character is. In fact, all that comes through is a sense of nouveau riche guacherie.
So why did I slog through this crap and actually finish the darned thing? Some masochistic part of me kept thinking that the story couldn't possibly be as transparent and stupid as I think. Wish I could tell you I was wrong...
The mystery portion of the plot was at best a nugget of a sliver of an idea, enough for a very,very short story--at best. The characters are all thinly painted and run the spectrum from benign to obnoxiously annoying. The bulk of the book reads like a product placement extravaganza with high end merchandise described in loving detail, and used as a way for the author to show how rich and tasteful the main character is. In fact, all that comes through is a sense of nouveau riche guacherie.
So why did I slog through this crap and actually finish the darned thing? Some masochistic part of me kept thinking that the story couldn't possibly be as transparent and stupid as I think. Wish I could tell you I was wrong...
July 10, 2012
This is a terrible book. I picked this up thinking it would be a light-hearted chick lit easy read. Not really what I got. It's really a hate-filled book, with the main character Susan, describing all the other characters flaws in GREAT detail (think several pages apiece.) The writing, even by chick lit standards, is quite poor. There is an overcompensating quality about the writing--every topic is narrative ad-nauseum. There isn't a character in the book that is likeable and every time they refer to the best friend's husband as "fat boy" I cringed. I set a fairly low standard for this book and I aimed too high. It tries, very unsuccessfully to be funny. This was my first book by the auther and I would not venture to read another. Really not a nice book. don't know what the good reviews are for--this is bad. There is nothing fun or lighthearted about this-it's just mean.
June 2, 2011
Eh. I've enjoyed some of Susan Isaacs' mysteries, most notably After All These Years and Long Time No See, for what they were -- light entertainment. This one was of that genre but not quite as good.
Susan's mysteries usually star a reluctantly suburban hausfrau, charmingly cynical and snarky while being an overall nice person. Here, the main character got on my nerves. I was tired of hearing how good she looked, and about the brand names of every designer item she owned or noticed from clothing to shoes to home furnishings and what have you. I also solved the mystery very early in the book, extremely unusual for me as I tend to be clueless when reading these things. There wasn't a whole lot of tension, and many of the characters were over the top.
For light entertainment, it wasn't terrible but you could do better.
Susan's mysteries usually star a reluctantly suburban hausfrau, charmingly cynical and snarky while being an overall nice person. Here, the main character got on my nerves. I was tired of hearing how good she looked, and about the brand names of every designer item she owned or noticed from clothing to shoes to home furnishings and what have you. I also solved the mystery very early in the book, extremely unusual for me as I tend to be clueless when reading these things. There wasn't a whole lot of tension, and many of the characters were over the top.
For light entertainment, it wasn't terrible but you could do better.
October 5, 2011
I was thrilled to win a copy of Susan Issacs most recent book from First Reads and it did not disappoint.
Susan's plastic surgeon husband turns up dead in a prostitute's Upper East Side apartment leaving Susan with her three boys, big suburban house, and lots of questions. Although the police and prosecutors quicklywind up their case against the call girl, Susan just isn't satified with their answers. She and her granny (who is ahoot) decide to track down the answers for themselves. What the reader gets is a wonderful summer read!
Susan's plastic surgeon husband turns up dead in a prostitute's Upper East Side apartment leaving Susan with her three boys, big suburban house, and lots of questions. Although the police and prosecutors quicklywind up their case against the call girl, Susan just isn't satified with their answers. She and her granny (who is ahoot) decide to track down the answers for themselves. What the reader gets is a wonderful summer read!
July 22, 2011
This book was much better than I expected it to be! Susie is a beautiful woman with a beautiful life - amazing husband Jonah, who is a successful plastic surgeon in NYC, 4 yr old triplet sons, a lovely home on Long Island, a full-time housekeeper plus twin au pairs, a career as co-owner of an upscale floral boutique. It all crumbles when Jonah is found stabbed in a low-rent call girl's apartment in Manhattan. Susie can't accept the facts - that a deranged prostitute killed her husband. She decides to investigate on her own, much to the horror of everyone around her, who are worried that she'll damage the prosecution's case.
The book is part mystery, part novel/character exploration of Susie. Susie narrates the book, and provides not only snarky comic relief but also her unique view of the world as someone who has an eye for beauty and is one herself. Everyone she meets is evaluated according to how they're dressed, and specifically, what designer they're wearing. But while the superficial is very important to Susie, she also has a strong sense of who she is and who her husband was, and she knows in her heart that he loved her and the facts don't add up.
So, while the pacing is a bit meandering, I have to say, I enjoyed the journey. And what a great title!
The book is part mystery, part novel/character exploration of Susie. Susie narrates the book, and provides not only snarky comic relief but also her unique view of the world as someone who has an eye for beauty and is one herself. Everyone she meets is evaluated according to how they're dressed, and specifically, what designer they're wearing. But while the superficial is very important to Susie, she also has a strong sense of who she is and who her husband was, and she knows in her heart that he loved her and the facts don't add up.
So, while the pacing is a bit meandering, I have to say, I enjoyed the journey. And what a great title!
April 8, 2011
I'm not certain the author meant this to be a serious crime novel, or the intention was for humor. I found myself chuckling as the characters are so superficial and vain. In some ways the characters reminded me of those in Seinfeld, likeable but with little real purpose to their lives. Good for a laugh.
April 8, 2017
Indulgent, spoiled & entitled main character solves murder of her husband. Some LGBA references. Well narrated but I hope it's not a series.
February 1, 2011
Susan B. Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten is married to Jonah Gersten, a well to do plastic surgeon. The are happily married, have triplets (all boys), and have a very comfortable lifestyle.
Susan's like turns upside down when Johah, her loving husband, is found dead (murdered) in the apartment of a second rate escourt (prostitute) by the name of Dorinda Dillon, aka Cristal Rosseau.
Susan must now prepare for a funeral, take care of the boys, answer questions not only from her family, but the press and the police. Dorinda has disappeared and althogh she is a prime suspect, there is no direct link to her committing the murder.
Susan believing in her husband begins her own investigation. Her inquiries lead to more questions than answers. Of course there is Dorinda but Susan finds it hard to believe that her faithful husband would be involved with a prostitute, but then again what was he doing in her apartment.
Jonah was a partner in a business that may have some financial holes in it. Their business manager seems suspect when questions come up concerning the monies earned by the Doctors. The partners themselves become suspect when some of their work might be considered illegal.
Oh, of course, where is Dorinda (or Cristal)?
When all seems hopeless, Grandma Ethel comes flying in from Miami to lend assistence. Grandma is considered the Black Sheep of the family. Ethel answers to no one, does her own thing, and the devil be damned.
It is with Grandma Ethel in charge that the mystery of Jonah's death is unraveled.
"As Husband's Go" is classified as fiction/literature but might just as easily have been classified as a mystery, with a little chick lit for good measure. If you looking for a nice, easy, uncomplicated, read with no brain drain, this would be the perfect read.
Susan's like turns upside down when Johah, her loving husband, is found dead (murdered) in the apartment of a second rate escourt (prostitute) by the name of Dorinda Dillon, aka Cristal Rosseau.
Susan must now prepare for a funeral, take care of the boys, answer questions not only from her family, but the press and the police. Dorinda has disappeared and althogh she is a prime suspect, there is no direct link to her committing the murder.
Susan believing in her husband begins her own investigation. Her inquiries lead to more questions than answers. Of course there is Dorinda but Susan finds it hard to believe that her faithful husband would be involved with a prostitute, but then again what was he doing in her apartment.
Jonah was a partner in a business that may have some financial holes in it. Their business manager seems suspect when questions come up concerning the monies earned by the Doctors. The partners themselves become suspect when some of their work might be considered illegal.
Oh, of course, where is Dorinda (or Cristal)?
When all seems hopeless, Grandma Ethel comes flying in from Miami to lend assistence. Grandma is considered the Black Sheep of the family. Ethel answers to no one, does her own thing, and the devil be damned.
It is with Grandma Ethel in charge that the mystery of Jonah's death is unraveled.
"As Husband's Go" is classified as fiction/literature but might just as easily have been classified as a mystery, with a little chick lit for good measure. If you looking for a nice, easy, uncomplicated, read with no brain drain, this would be the perfect read.
September 3, 2018
This was a very slow starting story. Susie Gersten, mother of toddler triplets and wife to wealthy plastic surgeon Jonah Gersten loses her mind when he doesn't come home one night or the next morning. She calls in the police, a private detective, anyone she can think of. He turns up dead in a call-girl's apartment. This fact puts everything she believed about her marriage at risk. Was Jonah cheating on her? In an ordinary novel the answer might be yes. But this isn't ordinary. Because although Susie might have been floating on life up until now, she suddenly has to live it. This is her life, her marriage, her memories and she isn't going to let them melt away unchallenged. The police arrest the call-girl but it is apparent to Susie that the police are ignoring her story and going with the easy arrest because it is surprisingly clear to Susie that the other woman simply didn't have a motive. The biggest problem with the book is it is heavily weighted on emotion not action so it takes forever to get anywhere and after a while, all the emoting got dull. Susie portrayed herself as a bit of a empty-headed beauty but in fact she was extremely bright and willing to seek out the truth rather than just accept what the cops and the DA were telling her. But certainly a quarter of the book could have been cut and either replaced with action or just cut. It would have made the book not feel quite so endless despite the positive ending.
April 2, 2015
Isaacs writes wry, funny suburban novels, and I was delighted to find one in the local library to read during a long wait. Susie Rabinowitz Gersten has a perfect life as wife to a respected plastic surgeon. OK, not perfect: her parents are disappointingly dull and not supportive, her in-laws think she is beneath them (and their son) socially, and her WASPy best friend/business partner is rather self-centered and mean. But, mostly, she has a great life, with all the right possessions to prove it. It all falls apart when her husband is murdered in a prostitute's apartment. Susie is rather self-centered, but she knows her Jonah wouldn't buy sex. She sets out to discover what happened to Jonah, and the book takes off. I liked that Isaacs kept Susie fighting her grief and loss; many authors get into the mystery and dispense with the feeling of loss when a character is killed. Ms. Gersten is definitely attuned to fashion and price tags, but she is demonstrably a good mother to her triplet sons, and a good wife. Her world tilts when Jonah dies, but she picks herself up and sets out to straighten it out.
October 28, 2010
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah... This book has so much description of what people are wearing (couture) and what kinds of chairs they're sitting in (antique), I actually got a little nostalgic for Hemingway. The only reason I kept going, wading through all those many, many adjectives, was the chance to find out at the end who'd killed the protagonist's husband.
The plot was interesting--well suited, I think, for a movie on Lifetime. If this had been a movie on Lifetime I never would have watched it, but I might have spent that time reading a much better book.
The plot was interesting--well suited, I think, for a movie on Lifetime. If this had been a movie on Lifetime I never would have watched it, but I might have spent that time reading a much better book.
January 5, 2020
Much below the usual standard for this author. The first part of the book dragged on and on and the action in the last part was very disjointed.
February 21, 2024
I picked this up simply because I haven’t heard about Susan Isaacs in years, and I mean years. I had no problem with most of the book, but…
I loved the Grandmother. She was marvelously unapologetic about life. Her lover was spot on.
There was just enough of the triplets.
Fat Boy, I adored him.
The Protagonist was strong and smart overall.
The ending was way too abrupt. I was left with too many questions. Did grandmother and mother find any kind of civil ground? How did they make out? Money? Argh, I just wasn’t satisfied at the end.
I loved the Grandmother. She was marvelously unapologetic about life. Her lover was spot on.
There was just enough of the triplets.
Fat Boy, I adored him.
The Protagonist was strong and smart overall.
The ending was way too abrupt. I was left with too many questions. Did grandmother and mother find any kind of civil ground? How did they make out? Money? Argh, I just wasn’t satisfied at the end.
February 14, 2013
Okay, I really wanted to like this book. I have read all of her other mystery novels and loved the death out of them but this one fell a little flat. I felt it never really got going as a mystery and when the killer was finally unveiled, I almost missed it. It was a case of "what?! wait a minute...." (flipping back several pages trying to locate where his/her identity was revealed).
The main character Susan was too much like many people I really can't stomach in society anymore. I hated her best friend. Her grandmother reminded me of all of the elements of my family story that I would just as soon forget. And her mother was too close to home. Were they real? Absolutely. Just vivid representations of a society self absorbed with itself, how it looks, what it's standard of living is and how to keep it at those impossibly high levels in a world where so many want so much of the basics of human existence.
I recognize that this may say more about me that the novel or the author. I have become jaded with the "haves" and committed to addressing the situations of the "have nots." My social conscience was squawking at me for the entire book and would not let me rest. Maybe if Susan (the character) had been a little self reflective or even appreciative of the blessed life she lived. Maybe next time.....
The main character Susan was too much like many people I really can't stomach in society anymore. I hated her best friend. Her grandmother reminded me of all of the elements of my family story that I would just as soon forget. And her mother was too close to home. Were they real? Absolutely. Just vivid representations of a society self absorbed with itself, how it looks, what it's standard of living is and how to keep it at those impossibly high levels in a world where so many want so much of the basics of human existence.
I recognize that this may say more about me that the novel or the author. I have become jaded with the "haves" and committed to addressing the situations of the "have nots." My social conscience was squawking at me for the entire book and would not let me rest. Maybe if Susan (the character) had been a little self reflective or even appreciative of the blessed life she lived. Maybe next time.....
August 6, 2010
Smart and Sassy, but Sweet, too
When Park Avenue plastic surgeon Jonah Gersten is found murdered in a prostitute's apartment, his wife Susie is devastated--and no wonder! She adored her husband and loved their life in a beautiful Long Island home with their rambunctious 4-year-old triplet sons, and knew in her heart Jonah felt the same about her. So not only does she have to face the tragic loss of this wonderful guy, and the snide remarks of her sometimes friends and neighbors about the circumstances surrounding his death, but the New York police department and the DA, as well as Jonah's partners and his snooty parents, are all convinced the call girl Dorinda Dillon, in whose apartment Jonah was found, is the culprit.
Only Susie doesn't buy it, and with the help of her feisty grandma Ethel she sets out to find the real murderer and solve the mystery of Jonah's death. You can't help admiring this gal's pluck and courage, as well as her fine-toned wit, and I must confess I found the journey not only intriguing but lots of fun, too, as sweet, smart-talking Susie never loses faith in her man.
December 29, 2010
I gave this 2 stars, but I went back and forth between 2 and 3 a few times. I liked that it was told from the victim's wife's view, and the basic premise of the mystery was good, but at the same time I found the wife's detective work a little annoying and unbelievable. (Getting into a prison with false credentials and no ID? Visiting the accused and her lawyer with false credentials? Getting to hear the whole story from the killer as part of the deal?) I also thought the parents of both the husband and the wife were too stereotypical and could have done without the wife's parents altogether. Their presence didn't really lend much to the story that couldn't have just been said once instead of several times. Mrs. R's mother left when she was young and now shows up in her granddaughter's life and Mrs. R wants nothing to do with her. Fine, we get it, no need to hear about over and over. Overall, it was an okay read and while I could've lived without some of the details, the mystery itself made me wonder who did it and kept me reading. I just think that it would've been more believable if one of the cops would've helped in the detective work instead of the wife doing it all.
June 21, 2010
Susan's got a pretty fantastic life--her husband, Jonah, is an in-demand plastic surgeon and they have four-year-old triplet sons who are adorable (if quite loud and demanding, as four year olds are apparently prone to be). Things are almost perfect--until the day that Jonah doesn't come home. His partners don't know where he is; neither do his family or friends. He's missing for several days until his body is found. He was stabbed to death in a call girl's apartment. And nobody knows where the call girl is.
Susan starts to do some investigating (just like the main character in another Isaacs book, Compromising Positions) and learns a lot of things aren't quite what they seem.
If you like mysteries that are suspenseful but not scary, this is for you. And if you like books that are just laugh out loud funny, this is also for you.
I loved this book but I'm sad I'll probably have to wait another few years for the next offering. I hope there will eventually be a sequel. (She doesn't do them often, but it happened once so now hope springs eternal.)
Susan starts to do some investigating (just like the main character in another Isaacs book, Compromising Positions) and learns a lot of things aren't quite what they seem.
If you like mysteries that are suspenseful but not scary, this is for you. And if you like books that are just laugh out loud funny, this is also for you.
I loved this book but I'm sad I'll probably have to wait another few years for the next offering. I hope there will eventually be a sequel. (She doesn't do them often, but it happened once so now hope springs eternal.)
August 13, 2010
Susan's rich, plastic surgeon, supposedly devoted husband is murdered in the apartment of a call girl so ugly even plastic surgery couldn't fix it. While the DA builds a case against the call girl, Susan does her best to find an alternate killer and prove her husband was still faithful to her. Aided by her eccentric grandmother and her best friend's husband, she tracks down the real killer.
The book was going ok until the last chapter, when suddenly, the killer has cut a deal with the DA and is telling Susan what happened, how he did it and why. Huh? She had some dirt and a theory, but not enough proof for an arrest and certainly not enough to scare a smart man into turning himself in.
Frequently, I wish an editor would cut swaths out of a book to keep the story going. This one is missing at least a chapter where enough evidence is collected to make the arrest. Or it could have followed the Christy format where the killer confesses and THEN is arrested. Either way, would have made a more believable ending.
The book was going ok until the last chapter, when suddenly, the killer has cut a deal with the DA and is telling Susan what happened, how he did it and why. Huh? She had some dirt and a theory, but not enough proof for an arrest and certainly not enough to scare a smart man into turning himself in.
Frequently, I wish an editor would cut swaths out of a book to keep the story going. This one is missing at least a chapter where enough evidence is collected to make the arrest. Or it could have followed the Christy format where the killer confesses and THEN is arrested. Either way, would have made a more believable ending.
March 15, 2013
Considering the book starts by telling us that Jonah Gersten was found dead in a call girl's apartment - in fact, this plot point is revealed on the book jacket - it is really annoying that our main character and narrator doesn't learn this fact until chapter 9. It would have been far more interesting and engaging if Isaacs had hidden this fact from us so that we could feel the shock and horror of that moment with Susan Gersten. Instead, it was nine chapters of waiting around for the book to catch up with its own premise. Bad decision, Isaacs! Susan's investigation into why her husband was there was also slow, because it kept being put off for conversations. A lot of conversations - about family, feelings, etc. The resolution of the book feels very sudden compared to the slowness of the rest of it. However, I actually liked Susan Gersten and her voice. I found her snarky observations funny, but she remained sympathetic in my eyes. This book definitely has some pacing flaws, but I was entertained nonetheless.
October 14, 2011
I think that this book could be broken down into thirds:
The first third was the toughest to get through. Susie wakes to find that her husband is not in bed with her, therefore he is missing. She is instantly unreasonable and having a meltdown.
The middle, the police have discovered the husband dead in the apartment of a call girl and the call girl is missing.
The third portion, Susie doesn't believe that the call girl killed her husband so she begins to investigate things herself.
For the first part of the book to the end of the book Susie's character has changed drastically. It doesn't even seem like she is the same person. She goes from being very self obessed to inquisitive detective. I don't buy it. Also, the last chapter is very abrupt and it simply ends with a confession, although I won't tell you who's. It was like the publisher needed something and Susan Isaacs wasn't quite finished writing it story.
The first third was the toughest to get through. Susie wakes to find that her husband is not in bed with her, therefore he is missing. She is instantly unreasonable and having a meltdown.
The middle, the police have discovered the husband dead in the apartment of a call girl and the call girl is missing.
The third portion, Susie doesn't believe that the call girl killed her husband so she begins to investigate things herself.
For the first part of the book to the end of the book Susie's character has changed drastically. It doesn't even seem like she is the same person. She goes from being very self obessed to inquisitive detective. I don't buy it. Also, the last chapter is very abrupt and it simply ends with a confession, although I won't tell you who's. It was like the publisher needed something and Susan Isaacs wasn't quite finished writing it story.
May 4, 2016
...a peek into the mind of a negative, self-absorbed woman as she goes through an awful ordeal.
Sure, she is going through a terrible time, but she is (and seems to always have been) so busy thinking about everyone else's flaws, I'm surprised she had time for anything else. No one was spared.... friends, family, business associates, everyone she ever knew or ran across was subject to her disdain. This may be a realistic way for some people to think and act, but not something entertaining or interesting to me. I just found it annoying... and the odd little political jabs didn't flow... just seemed like someone had an ax to grind.
It got better towards the end, but still.... ugh.
If I had been reading it, and not listening to the audio version, I wouldn't have read the whole thing. I listened to it in double time, and it still didn't go by fast enough.
Sure, she is going through a terrible time, but she is (and seems to always have been) so busy thinking about everyone else's flaws, I'm surprised she had time for anything else. No one was spared.... friends, family, business associates, everyone she ever knew or ran across was subject to her disdain. This may be a realistic way for some people to think and act, but not something entertaining or interesting to me. I just found it annoying... and the odd little political jabs didn't flow... just seemed like someone had an ax to grind.
It got better towards the end, but still.... ugh.
If I had been reading it, and not listening to the audio version, I wouldn't have read the whole thing. I listened to it in double time, and it still didn't go by fast enough.
August 1, 2022
As books go, there are many words in this book that should go. What I mean is that the author filled pages & pages with descriptive words and details that only added to the time it takes the reader to get to the good part. The underlying storyline is interesting & entertaining, especially the development of the relationship between Grandma Ethel & Susie. Instead of a floral designer, Susie should be a private investigator. The fact that the police used information she dug up is unrealistic based on how it was obtained. Anyway, I gave this book a 3 star. That might be a little generous. On the other hand, it would probably be a 4 or 5 star if the book was about 100 pages shorter showing that the author realized she was telling a story not trying to impress us with her broad vocabulary
February 25, 2020
Такаааа, сега какво да кажа за тази книга - "Разгневени съпруги" от Сюзан Айзъкс!? Честно казано ми заприлича на енциклопедия на чувствата на една вдовица с тризнаци. Толкова подробно е описано как й минал денят стъпка по стъпка, как са облечени другите, какво усещала... разпростиращо се на 160 страници, след като научаваме, че съпругът й е убит (книгата е 260 страници). Всъщност съпругата се направи на детектив едва към края на книжлето, което беше по-интересната част. Не че беше безинтересна, но заради безкрайните локуми я оцених с 2,5*
March 20, 2011
Entirely confused why this book is publicized as a funny read, because it is certainly is not funny. I don't mean that it's dramatic or serious. Rather I mean that perhaps the author and publisher intended it to be amusing or witty, but it failed miserably. And it's sort of a mystery, but not really. Sadly, what it really was was a few hours of my life I won't get back.
October 10, 2012
I don't usually read mysteries, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The main character is well-drawn, and not a stereotype. She is not always likable, but I'm okay with that. Could she exist, somewhere out there? Probably. And she would be interesting to talk to. She's dealing with a mysterious death and draws down deep to manage.
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