Good Girls

I really liked this book and the story held my attention. The only complaint I had was that Jack never really had to suffer for all the things he did. And boy did he deserve to suffer!

This was my first Karen Young book. But, it won't be my last. I have already surfed the net to find more. It was such a tender love story mixed with enough suspense to keep you from being bored or thinking you were reading a mushy soap opera. There was so much betrayal in Suzzanne Stafford's life, but she never let it keep her down or cause her self pity. Her main goal was to keep her son from knowing who his real father was.......and why.I had begun to think that she would never get over her tragedies and have a normal life, but Karen Young was full of surprises. I am in such a hurry to get my next books and I have a love for variety when I read. This I got in this one book.

Karen Young's novel Good Girls is a real page turner, the action takes place in the first chapter. Super handsome, charismatic Jack Sullivan has just won the governorship of Mississippi, but a bullet cuts him down during a public appearance. Turns out that Jack was a bully and a mad-man rolled into one, and so many people wanted him dead, including the family he married into. If you enjoy a good read that never slows down, I strongly advise this book. It is the first book I've ever read by Karen Young, and you can be sure I plan to read more of her work.

In 1981 Mississippi, Taylor Stafford has finally earned the approval of her powerful mother, Judge Lily Stafford because she is marrying the golden boy of the moment, Jack Sullivan. However, the night of the wedding party, Jack rapes Taylor's sister Suzanne. Afterward, he warns her to keep quiet if she knows what is good for her sister. The violent act leaves her pregnant. Fifteen years later, Suzanne is a judge, Jack is the governor-elect, and Taylor pretends to be happy to the outside world. Suzanne's world collapses when Jack, wanting a political favor, threatens to reveal the identity of their teenage child. However, Suzanne refuses. At a reception, Jack is assassinated. Did Suzanne do it to hide the truth? Did Taylor do it because she could no longer abide being the victim of a masterful manipulator? Or perhaps their cousin Annie did it out of love for her two closest friends? The one thing Jack's murder does do to the three women, is force them to depend on each other like they did as children. GOOD GIRLS is a great blending of a character study with a murder mystery. All three leading ladies are wonderful, empathetic characters even when they accept being victims to protect one another. However, it is the vile Jack who steals the show as he beguiles the media with his charismatic charm and manipulates the sisterly love that the three women have for each other in order to further his own ambition. The well designed who-done-it adds suspense to the fabulous story line. With her intriguing take on the down side of loving someone, Karen Young demonstrates that she is one of the nineties most talented and resourceful authors. Harriet Klausner