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Allen & Unwin reissue, January 2006
Reviewed by Sally Roddom
Jo Slater moves in the rarefied air of New York high society. She is one
of the grandest of the grande dames. But the good life ends when her
husband, Lucius, dies suddenly under strange circumstances. The strange
circumstances are that when Jo catches him poolside with an attractive
young countess, Monique, Lucius drops dead with a heart attack. Jo had
befriended Monique and taken her under her wing to guide her through the
strange world of New York society. When the will is read out, Jo finds all
the money has been divided between Lucius’s son and Monique. Not only has
Monique stolen Jo’s husband and fortune, but her place in society as well.
This latter horror is unforgivable in Jo’s eyes. She is out for revenge
and her place back in the fickle high society. Jo soon discovers there was
a plot to relieve her husband of his fortune. Jo is convinced that Monique
knew that Lucius had a heart condition and arranged for them to get caught
out after tricking Lucius into changing his will. Proving it is difficult,
so Jo decides to take the law into her own hands and hatches up a plot for
revenge.
SOCIAL CRIMES is a fast, caustic and witty look at the New York upper
crust. I was hooked from the very first sentence: "Murder was never my
goal in life." Jo Slater is smart and knows how to use her connections
even when she is poverty stricken. She is such a nice, bubbly person that
even when she’s thinking her dark and revengeful thoughts you accept it
and even laugh at her exploits. She is one of those rare characters who
make you feel as though she is real, that you could give her a call and
pop over to Paris with her for a weekend of shopping. The plot kept me
enthralled right through to the shocking, yet strangely satisfying, end.
New York society is portrayed in all its artificial backstabbing best, and
if only half of what Jane Stanton Hitchcock writes is true, I’m happy to
remain poor. SOCIAL CRIMES has a great plot, fast pace, sex, lies,
secrets, and murder. Perfect for a holiday read, or when you are looking
for something light and fluffy. Be warned, there is a dark and serious
side to the book. It explores, admittedly in a humorous way, how even the
nicest person can act wickedly if pushed into a corner.
April 2006 Review, original version published on Murder and Mayhem
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