Susan Isaacs (1) (1943–)

**Compliments Of A Friend** by *Susan Isaacs*

Reading Susan Isaacs for me has always been like reconnecting with an old friend. I read **Compromising Positions** when it was first published, and after that I made it a point to keep an eye out for any new Isaacs novels. Back in those days there were 3 authors I looked forward to reading with each new novel they published: Susan Isaacs, Stephen King, and Sidney Sheldon. I didn't care what the subject of the novel was; I could depend upon those show more authors to deliver, and I was never disappointed. I wanted to know someone like Judith Singer and be her new best friend. Judith was funny, smart, and she knew exactly what she was and what she was not. She was real in ways many people I knew were not.

So I was excited to see that Judith Singer was making another appearance in Susan Isaac's recent book **Compliments Of A Friend**. I couldn't wait to start reading, and as usual, Isaacs did not disappoint except for two minor details: I wanted more, and I wanted a more complete ending. In the afterward Isaacs does explain that this was her attempt at a short story to be an included in an anthology being put together by her writing group. With that explanation I understood why this was an abbreviated story rather than the usual much longer novel Isaacs does so well. She also included photographs of her and her family at various stages in their lives. I liked that additional touch.

Judith Singer, the main character in this current book, is an inquisitive person by nature, and when a woman she knows dies at Bloomingdale's in the shoe department, supposedly from an overdose of one of her drugs, Judith is curious about the circumstances. When the death is ruled a suicide, Judith doesn't buy that explanation for a second, so she does some sleuthing on her own to find out whether this was really a case of murder. In the course of her investigation, when she can fit it into her busy schedule, she is not satisfied that the facts point to suicide at all. The people she interviews are all interesting characters themselves, so the pages seemed to fly by with thought provoking questions as well as the wonderful Isaac humor. And then at the end there is a twist that made me want to personally beg Isaacs to continue what she began to explore. I can only hope we see more of Judith Singer in the future, because she by no means should be left where she ends this particular story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was such a pleasure to discover Isaacs is still entertaining fans like me with her writing wit and style. show less

I saw the 1985 film version of Compromising Positions many years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it; however, as nearly always proves true, the book is much, much better.

Judith Singer, underappreciated Long Island housewife, becomes intrigued by the murder of periodontist and lothario Dr. Bruce Fleckstein. Fleckstein had additional legal troubles that I won’t reveal, so the list of suspects — scorned lovers, cuckolded husbands, mistreated family members, even Mafiosi — is pretty long.

But it show more wasn’t the taut, suspenseful mystery that hooked me — although author Susan Isaacs imbues her 1978 book with an excellent plot that impelled me to devour the book in two days; what really got me was Isaacs’ sly sendup of upper-middle-class expectations, limitations and hypocrisies. That especially includes her depiction of the vaguely unsatisfactory nature of modern American life for women, whether they’re at home with the kids or out in the business world. Judith Singer trained as a history scholar, but here she is, living a life in the suburbs in which her greatest intellectual challenge is getting the steak grilled at exactly the right time. Judith finds herself playing games of what if. What if I had become a college professor? What if I had married an intellectual? What if I had remained in New York City? What if, what if ….

The 1970s saw enormous changes in what women wanted out of life and love, but, even in the 21st century, we still find ourselves compromising our true selves and playing our own games of what if. Except for Erica Jong and Julie Mulhern, no one else is even in Isaacs’ league in shining a light into women’s souls. Despite nearly 40 years, Isaacs’ musings aren’t dated, and readers will still adore Compromising Positions. show less

I've read all of Susan Isaacs's novels since Compromising Positions, and I'm a big fan. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of her latest. As always, Isaacs created wonderful characters and an interesting premise. I loved the main character's sarcasm and her observations of suburban life. Her background as a former FBI agent might be making her unnecessarily suspicious of an acquaintance, but I found myself thinking she was in a perfect position to be an undercover show more agent no one would suspect if he turned out to be a criminal. The author opted to give professional credentials to the character this time, rather than her more usual "housewife turned detective". In some ways, the housewife-detective is more entertaining, but I found the way the investigation evolved in this book very interesting.

I would be happy to read a sequel to this book to learn more about what Corie chooses to do with her life both professionally and personally after the events of the book. I highly recommend this book. show less

I happened to finish reading "Past Perfect," the 2007 novel by Susan Isaacs, soon after starting "Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies," a 2008 book by Donald Spoto. So naturally I couldn't help thinking about "Past Perfect" as a Hitchcock movie and Katie Schottland as a Hitchcock heroine.

Spy stories, especially those in which ordinary people (often ordinary women with extraordinary beauty) get caught in dangerous situations) were a Hitchcock staple, from "The 39 show more Steps" to "Torn Curtain." That's what happens in the Isaacs novel. Actually Katie had worked for the CIA, writing mostly routine reports, in her early 20s, but then 15 years ago she had been fired without explanation. Now she writes a successful television series called "Spy Guys," but the unfairness of her termination still rankles. So when she gets a call from Lisa, a former CIA colleague, asking for her help and, as bait, promising to reveal the truth about why she was canned, Katie is hooked. But then Lisa never calls back.

Katie wonders if something might have happened to Lisa, but mostly she just wants to get to the bottom of her disgrace of 15 years before. So, her son off to summer camp and her husband preoccupied with his work, she begins making contact with people she worked with at the agency, including her former boss with whom, like many other women in his department, she had had a brief fling. Though a novice at actual espionage, Katie keeps digging until she uncovers the whole complicated truth, nearly at the cost of her life.

A 40-year-old Jewish mother may not seem the ideal Hitchcock leading lady, but Katie is vibrant and sexually appealing enough to have drawn the director to this story. And given his apparent delight in placing his actresses in unpleasant circumstances, such as by keeping Madeleine Carroll handcuffed to Robert Donat for long hours each day during the shooting of "The 39 Steps," he might have relished the opportunity to place his Katie in some Florida brambles as she tries to elude a killer.

Susan Isaacs writes her thriller with humor and gradually building suspense. We will never discover what Hitchcock might have done with this story, but we can certainly enjoy what Isaacs does with it. show less