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A Novel
by Molly Fader
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.
"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
"An honest, unflinching story of female rage and the persistence of legends. Molly Fader's vibrant characters and singing prose will grip you from the first page, and as you travel from modern Hollywood to 1970s New York, it feels as seamless and compelling as a movie. This is a truly powerful reading experience." —Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of Murder Road
"Bold, atmospheric, and furious, this explosive thrill ride of a book spans the country, the last four decades, and the breadth of female rage. This is a smart, cathartic book for right exactly now, and I could not put it down." —Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Missing Sister
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.
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