the setup…
It’s the summer of 2024 and in the blink of an eye, Margot Cooper’s life imploded. Her Hollywood star husband Jack is exposed as having sent sexually explicit pictures to young girls on social media. Their carefully curated marriage was a sham, along with the brand she built. She and sixteen-year old daughter Skye flee to her parents’ home in Pittsburgh to escape the madness, joining her sister Julia who now lives there. As they work to sort through the attic, they discover a box with newspaper clippings from the summer of 1977 New York City where the Son of Sam terrorized the boroughs, the infamous blackout brought chaos and Lady X struck fear into the hearts of badly behaving men. But one of the Lady X articles appears to include a photo of their mother, Ginger. Could it be…?
the heart of the story…
The transitions between 2024 and 1977 were expertly timed and fascinating with Margot and Ginger as the storytellers. Margot and Julia were completely unaware their mother ever lived in New York. Ginger and roommates Rachel and Faye were not only there during that infamous summer but were in the thick of everything, forced to deal with the commonplace misogyny and sexual harassment of the time. Was Lady X an urban legend or were they somehow connected?
the narration…
Helen Laser delivered (again) a fabulous performance with riveting storytelling, giving distinctive voices for a host of characters.
the bottom line…
Fader is masterful in capturing the vibe of 1977 NYC and the emotional punch of Margot’s 2024 public marriage meltdown. The emergence of female rage expressed through Lady X was empowering and unsettled men as it does today. I loved how Ginger, Rachel and Faye bonded through the experience and supported each other. It’s an extremely powerful, well crafted story.
Book Info
- Release Date: July 14, 2026
- Narrator: Helen Laser
- Audio Length: 10 hours, 40 minutes
- Publisher: Random House Audio
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Blue Mood Café 
Great review. You certainly have me intrigued!
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