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Book Summary and Reviews of Lady X by Molly Fader

Lady X by Molly Fader

Lady X

A Novel

by Molly Fader

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • Publishes:
  • Jul 14, 2026, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

The search for a notorious vigilante exposes the secrets between three generations of women in this propulsive novel of female resistance and rage, sweeping from contemporary L.A. to gritty, 1970s New York.

Los Angeles, 2024. After learning that her A-List actor husband sent explicit photos to multiple girls on social media, Margot Cooper runs away from the world—and the paparazzi—by fleeing to her childhood home with her teenage daughter in tow.

But home isn't the sanctuary Margot was hoping for. In a cardboard box in the corner of the attic, she finds damning evidence of an infamous urban legend, the mysterious vigilante "Lady X"—including a blurry newspaper photo of a woman who looks an awful lot like Margot's mother.

New York City, 1977. In the midst of an infamous summer, Ginger Daughtry and her two beloved roommates are able to shield each other from the chaos—until one of them is assaulted. Astounded by the lack of response from police, the young women decide to engage in some light payback, signing their handiwork as "Lady X."

Soon copycats appear, and a movement inspired by acts of vandalism against terrible men spirals out of control, with criminals running amok under the guise of the enigmatic "Lady X." When a body is found fallen—or pushed—from five stories high, the hunt reaches a boiling point.

But Lady X has vanished into thin air.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"This intense yet thoughtful novel pulses with mystery and secrets, and its two time periods are perfectly detailed. Fader explores women's rage across generations." —Booklist (starred review)

"Fader's novel is enthralling and fast-paced, featuring illustrative writing and engaging characters of diverse race, class, and sexuality." —Library Journal (starred review)

"Author Fader sets up an intriguing premise that doesn't quite work in its execution...Despite its flaws, an intriguing feminist thriller." —Kirkus Reviews

This information about Lady X was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Janine_S

Dual timeline thriller
Propulsive dual timeline thriller exposing the violence perpetrated on women and how crime against women is perceived.

On the day Margot Cooper learns her “loving” husband, Jack, a famous actor, has cheated on her, she leaves with her teenage daughter, Skye, and drives to her family home in Pittsburgh to be with her sister, Julia. Julia and Margot decide to clean up the home’s attic where they discover newspapers going back to 1977 dealing with a female vigilante, Lady X. Was their mother, Ginger, Lady X? As the sisters investigate, Margot’s husband, Jack, is harassing her to make a public statement and basically save his career. What Margot learns from the Lady X story is that woman can survive the slings and arrows of misogyny and abuse.

The book is a dual timeline alternating between 2024 and 1977. Ginger, Margot and Julia’s mother tells her story in 1977 while Margot does on 2024. Both women share a story about abuse at the hands of makes but I thought Lady X’s story was the better one. I liked that the author was trying to fit the two stories together but I wonder if that was necessary. I think too Margot missed the boat in understanding what Lady X was all about. Though I do applauded her At the end of the book.

This is an intriguing feminist book. It’s got enough suspense to keep you reading. And it’d make a great beach read.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting me access to this ARC.

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Author Information

Molly Fader

Molly Fader lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

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Read-Alikes

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