The Abortionist's Daughter

by Elizabeth Hyde

I'm not a diehard fan of thrillers or whodunnits. I'll pick one up occasionally if the jacket description makes me believe the book isn't just about trying to figure out who did what. This book falls into that category.

Diana Duprey, a notorious abortion provider in Colorado, is found dead in her lap pool. Suspicion falls on the likely suspects: her husband, with whom she had a loud disagreement hours before her body is discovered; the followers of the local right-to-life protesters; even an old flame of her husband's.

The book does a good job of fleshing out the relationships Frank and Megan had with Diana as husband and daughter, respectively. This saved the book for me since I had a very strong suspicion as to who did her in from very early in the book--even if I was right, it didn't matter--I read on because I enjoyed how who Diana (along with Megan, in particular) was slowly revealed through conversations and memories, and not just through narrative.

The way the story also details the relationship between Diana and Megan was a clincher for me. It was a great anatomy of mother-daughter tension--if I can remember this story if I ever have a daughter someday, it sure will provide a balm in her adolescence.