El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott
Megan Abbott strikes gold again with El Dorado Drive, a wicked new mystery novel set during the early days of the Great Recession of 2008, where the Bishop sisters — Pam, Debra and Harper — are each contending with their financial burdens.
The fascinating plot deepens as a lifeline is offered to extricate the women from their dire straits, but the rescue comes with a quid pro quo that they may come to regret.
Financial difficulties are not foreign to any of the Bishop siblings, as their youth was marked by their family’s sudden decline from riches to rags in a short period. However, the predicament each faces now is challenging.
A Family in Financial Freefall
Pam Bishop is a divorced mother raising two teenage children and dealing with the fallout of her ex-husband’s theft of the kids’ funds. Debra’s husband has cancer, and the chemotherapy treatments are exorbitant, while Harper Bishop has bill collectors and landlords chasing her down. One of Harper’s creditors represents an even bigger problem, as this lender surreptitiously gave her money in a time of need and is now demanding payment.
The stress of her predicament forces Harper to leave town for a few months, but her problems remain upon her return. She is evicted from her apartment and is forced to move in with Pam. All hope appears lost, but Pam informs Harper of a way in which she might get money relatively quickly: an unnamed group designed to assist women in need.
At the center of this group is “The Wheel,” which members are able to spin with the chance of winning much-needed funds. To get access to this group, Harper would need to sacrifice a little money and enlist future members, but the potential rewards could be life-changing.
Sisterhood Strained by Secrets and Sides
The possibility of paying off outstanding debt is alluring, yet Harper retains a healthy skepticism. However, Pam and Debra are both steadfast believers in the club and the way it has helped them.
Harper puts her best foot forward in becoming an enthusiastic new member and recruiting others, yet discord begins to grow within the group. Despite its benevolent intent, there have been rumblings that wealth is being flaunted.
Meanwhile, Pam is facing a grueling legal battle with her ex-husband Doug over a family trust. With Harper caught in the middle — both as Pam’s sister and an old friend of Doug’s — the ex-spouses wage a war of words that threatens to spill over into violence as Pam’s paranoia begins to reach epic levels.
Megan Abbott Cements Her Status as a Master of Suspense
Megan Abbott (author of Beware the Woman) continues her mastery of the intense whodunit with El Dorado Drive. The dynamic narrative is about the bonds of sisterhood, but also explores the harsh realities and daily stress of debt, along with the soul-crushing guilt of concealing the truth.
The Bishop sisters are unique, complex and tremendous characters. While Abbott has brilliantly examined the precarious bonds of family in previous works like The Turnout, her newest release captures the dichotomy between sisterly love and sibling rivalry.
El Dorado Drive captivates from start to finish, and Megan Abbott’s star continues to shine. The story promises shocking surprises in its early pages, and it delivers on multiple fronts, including a spellbinding denouement. Readers who enjoy a well-rounded and suspenseful mystery will enjoy this book.
About Megan Abbott:
Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of seven novels, including DARE ME, THE END OF EVERYTHING and her latest, THE FEVER, which won both the International Thriller Writers and Strand Critics Award for Best Novel and was chosen one of the Best Books of the Year by Amazon, National Public Radio, the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times. Her stories have appeared in anthologies including Detroit Noir, Queens Noir and the Best American Mystery Stories of 2014.
She is also the author of The Street Was Mine, a study of hardboiled fiction and film noir. Her next novel, You Will Know Me, comes out in July 2016. She has been nominated for awards including the Steel Dagger, the LA Times Book Prize and the Pushcart Prize. Currently, she is working on developing DARE ME and THE FEVER for television. Megan is a staff writer on HBO’s forthcoming David Simon show, The Deuce.
Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English Literature and went on to receive her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She lives in Queens, New York City.
