The Abortionist's Daughter - Elisabeth Hyde

Note: Parts of this review also posted on RichardandJudybookclub.co.uk ‘The Abortionist’s Daughter’ by Elizabeth Hyde is one of Richard and Judy’s 2006 Summer Reads focusing on the death of Dr Diana Duprey, a high profile abortionist, as she is found face down in the pool at her home. With protesters from the coalition at the helm there is no shortage of suspects including Diana’s husband Frank and their daughter Megan. Details of each character are slowly revealed as the case opens in the hope of finding the killer and emotions run high with hatred, lust, love, obsession and grief all getting in the way. I did find this a difficult book to get ...  Read the complete review

I had heard a lot about the novel The Abortionist’s Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde and the title intrigued me too, so I bought it from Amazon. It’s a slim paperback, less than 300 pages, so it only took me two days to read. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, as I only knew what the back cover told me. But I was pleasantly surprised. The characters and story quickly drew me in and it only took a few chapters before I wanted to read on and on, only stopping in the early hours when I could no longer stay awake. The plot initially seems quite straight-forward. A woman called Diana Duprey is found dead in her swimming pool. It seems a simple case of ...  Read the complete review

Sometimes TV talk shows serve as our source for new book releases like ‘Richard & Judy’ – the weekday afternoon show in Channel 4. I got the information of the book from the show as a recommended summer read. Despite the fact I don’t know the author, Elisabeth Hyde (even her 3 previous novels: Crazy as Chocolate, Monoosook Valley and Her Native Colors), I grabbed a copy from Tesco (cost 3.73 pounds) and immediately let myself discover the story of this catchy title and cover lay-out of the book. **THE STORY The book tells us the story of the middle class family of Megan Thompson, the 19 year old daughter of Diana and Frank. As a typical ...  Read the complete review

I came across this book in a charity shop and as the title appealed to me I thought I'd give it a read. Diana Duprey is Director of the Center for Reproductive Choice, an individual who has helped many people yet also made countless enemies. When she is found dead in her swimming pool, it becomes clear that she was murdered. Detective Huck Berlin is assigned to investigate the case. It turns out that Diana had argued with various people that day, including her husband Frank, an attorney, and her wayward daughter Megan. As Huck delves further into what happened that night, secrets and dark obsessions are unveiled and throw the characters together in ...  Read the complete review

Diana Duprey is the town's abortionist. She is good at her job and she serves a purpose. However, like everything controversial she has her enemies and lots of them. Her husband Frank is the local District Attorney and their marriage is cracking at the edges, with frequent fights and an infidelity. Her daughter, Megan is mad at her, even though she has been brought up very liberally and unbeknowst to her, her ex-boyfriend has managed to arrange for pornographic photos of her to end up on the internet. So, when Diana is found dead by her pool, there are plenty of people the police can look to for clues, evidence and motives. The problem is getting ...  Read the complete review