13 Apr / These Women by Ivy Pochoda [in Booklist]
Bahni Turpin opens and ends Pochoda’s thriller with electrifying energy as Feelia, the sole survivor of a serial killer who claimed 13 victims 15 years ago. All – including Feelia – had their throats slit, their heads covered in plastic bags, their bodies dumped. All were sex workers, except for the 13th victim, Lecia, whose mother, Dorian, still runs the fast-food fry shop, one of the few places where these women walking the rough South LA streets are welcome.
Suddenly, more bodies are turning up – throat slit, plastic bagged, body dumped. Detective Essie Perry, who has her own skeletons, insists on a connection between then and now, despite the department’s attempts to silence her. The chase is on.
While Turpin commands truculent, in-your-face Feelia, who interrupts intermittently throughout, the rest of the growing cast belongs to Frankie Corzo. She assumes Dorian’s still-mourning desperation, Essie’s against-the-odds determination, party-girl Juliana’s indecision, and burgeoning artist-in-the-making Marella’s bravado.
The law – and most everyone else – doesn’t care about these women, but memorably enabled by Turpin and Corzo, the tenacious, justice-seeking few will finally be heard.
Review: “Media,” Booklist Online, March 26, 2021
Readers: Adult
Published: 2020