REVIEWS+

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady

by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
Doubleday. Feb. 2011. c.320p. ISBN 9780385510646. $25.95. F
COPY ISBN
Revenge is a dish best served cold—and after 50 years, Marylou Ahearn's dish is just about properly chilled. Once the unwitting subject of an experiment in radioactivity, brokenhearted and bitter Marylou sets out to avenge the dire consequences of that same study. Her target? Dr. Wilson Spriggs, the man who engineered and oversaw the experiment that eventually ruined Marylou's life. Dr. Spriggs now lives in a cheerful, innocuous Florida suburb with his daughter and her family and has what appears to be an idyllic life. With vengeance in her heart, Marylou adopts a fake persona and moves in on the doctor's life, offering friendship, with an actual intent to kill. But she soon discovers that the lives of Dr. Spriggs and his family are far from perfect, and, what's more, she rather likes them, in all their dysfunctional glory, making her task difficult to carry out.
VERDICT Mixing the suburban angst of Tom Perrotta (The Abstinence Teacher) with the snarky humor of Carl Hiaasen (Stormy Weather), Stuckey-French (Mermaids on the Moon) has written a page-turner that is thoughtful, amusing, and nearly impossible to put down. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/10.]
Reviewed by Leigh Wright, Bridgewater, NJ , Feb 01, 2011
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?