Her Good Name

by Josi S. Kilpack

Chrissy is having an identity crisis. As a single women and convert to the Church, she has always managed to find her place in life- at least until someone else begins using her credit cards, her bank account, and, most important, her name. Now the real Chrissy must prove her innocence against a growing pile of collection notices and unpaid bills. But with no job, no money, a warrant for her arrest, and a closet full of high-heeled shoes, a girl can only get so far. When Chrissy meets Micah Heet, the other half of a blind date gone bad, the two discover they are facing the same battle and join forces to find the perpetrators. Little do they know that the small semblance of life they have left will be put on the line in the process.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Romance, Lds, Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Christian Fiction

320 pages, Trade Paperback

First published September 15, 2008

About the author

I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child in 1998 and haven't stopped. My most recent books have been Historical Romance through the Proper Romance line with Shadow Mountain Publishing.

I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, and children.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josi sent me this book and I devoured it that same night. Of course I am mentioned TWICE in the book - once in the dedication and once in the acknowledgements - so how could I not enjoy the story??? Come on!

I liked the story line. I felt it was good to address the importance of keeping your identity private! I worked at a credit union and at a mortgage company. IT IS A HUGE PROBLEM! They steal social security numbers from babies in hospitals. Just watch out and check your kids' numbers and credit reports too. You are NOT the only one in danger and SHREAD EVERYTHING that has any personal information on it even if you think you're being lame. If you don't own your own shredder get off your duff and buy one! It's a war baby and it $25 or your identity. You choose.

Aside from that little soap box moment, the story was great. I have several friends and was also a single sister getting older and older in the Mormon community. I went without a date in almost two years. It was really hard. Anyone that has been there knows how "fun" those valentines and Mothers' Day holidays are. Just like she says. Josi, eventhough she was not single for long, gave us a good flavor of how that is.

I liked Chrissy's tenacity but wanted to scream at her to peek at her financial life rather than sit there. It frustrated me which was proabably the point. I really liked Micah's approach to it better.

I think you should sequel this one. It left me a bit bummed that we don't know what those two are going to do at the end. Will they hook up or will they stay single forever? What will it be like raising a baby without a husband?

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very different from others that I have read by this author. The subject matter of identity theft was a bit to realistic and frightening. I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. The story moved pretty slow at the start but the last half it was hard to put down. I confess I stayed up late one night to finish it as I got pretty caught up in the story. I did not love Chrissy’s character but she was okay. She seemed to bring much of her problems on herself. At the start of the book when she quit her job without having another one I knew there would be many more bad decisions in her future.

[Rebecca Irvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was naughty last night. Yesterday I received Josi S. Kilpack's novel Her Good Name in the mail (I had won it on the LDS Women's Book Review Blog) and started reading it. I should have gone to bed at 9 pm to get enough sleep and get up early to get my things done before work. But this book was too good to put down. I read it until 11:15 pm (when I finished). And tonight I will likely be rereading it, although I am extra tired this evening.

Here is the description of the book:

"Chrissy is having an identity crisis. As a single woman and convert to the Church, she has always managed to find her place in life — at least until someone else begins using her credit cards, her bank account, and, most important, her name. Now the real Chrissy must prove her innocence against a growing pile of collection notices and unpaid bills. But with no job, no money, a warrant for her arrest, and a closet full of high-heeled shoes, a girl can only get so far.

"When Chrissy meets Micah Heet, the other half of a blind date gone bad, the two discover they are facing the same battle and join forces to find the perpetrators. Little do they know that the small semblance of life they have left will be put on the line in the process."

Here's the list of a few of the things I liked about Her Good Name (since I am too tired and lazy to expound much tonight):

1. The main character has a real body type (not the standard tall, slim, can-eat-like-a-horse-and-never-gain-weight character that seems so common lately). Chrissy is 5'1" and has curves where a woman should have curves. Being a short, curvy woman myself, I thank you, Josi, for this.

2. The ending was happy and well resolved, but not overdone. I don't want to give any spoilers here, but trust me on this--the end is strong and unique.

3. The story reads very true to life. In the acknowledgments Josi says she had assistance from a law enforcement professional to make sure the identity theft plot line was accurate. Not only was it accurate, but it was exciting to read (yep, gun shots are involved!).

4. I learned from this book that I am making some mistakes that might cause problems if my identity was ever stolen. Time to make some changes around my home.

After reading Her Good Name I look forward to delving into more of Kilpack's novels.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an LDS fiction, this is one of the better ones- hence 2 stars instead of 1... I like Josi Kilpack a lot, and I love that she writes about relevant, current topics like modern infertility and identity theft and internet predators. However, this story lost me at the point where the victim of identity theft goes to Southern California (from Idaho) to track down the people who stole her identity. I mean, I understand that it wouldn't have made a very good story if she'd just sat around in Idaho moping about her ruined life, but that was a little far fetched. If you're into MoRo's (Mormon Romances) and you want to step away from the pioneer love stories, or the "end of times" love stories- try Kilpack's Sheep's Clothing, or Unsung Lullaby.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the first book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it. Mostly I liked the realness of the characters, especially the guy. He wasn't your typical knight in shining armor from a typical romance novel. He actually could have been a very real man. He wasn't perfect and neither was the main female character. The story line itself was fun and got pretty exciting. Made me feel an urgent need to go check my credit and make sure my identity hasn't been stolen!
Fun book!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Lady Audley's Secret, I needed something light and this one was a really fast and easy read. My only complaint is that I wanted more at the end. Did she end up with the guy? Did she adopt that baby? If I knew there was going to be a sequel to this, I would have been more satisfied at the end.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave it 4 stars but I'm stingy with my stars ;). This was a book about identity theft in fictional form. I really enjoyed it, though I thought the end got a little overly dramatic (my opinion) then it just very abruptly ended, I mean VERYYYYYYY abrupt. I feel like I was left hanging. I had to sit there and wrap up all the loose ends in my head how I thought they should finish out... I liked the chemistry between the two main characters, I wish there wasn't the whole "I like you but I just can't right now" spill, I hope I never have to deal with having kids and dating. I also felt like it was trying to make you feel pity for the thief at first, almost like it was justifying it. I didn't understand the whole Guatemalan war drama. It's scary though how warped some people are. Also, the drama with her sister was just hanging out there, it never resolved it. It could be it's own book about abusive relationships... Anyway, looking at all I've written makes it sound like I didn't like it but I did overall so... we will leave it at that... :)

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off so well. The writing is intriguing, at first, but then deteriorates. I truly loved the idea behind the story of identity theft.
However, the execution felt contrived and iditotic at times.
Why would someone who knows NOTHING about investigation go and look into her identity theft? Then once it became dangerous guns, etc. Why would you not go to the police.

No chemistry between the two love interests. The ending is terrible. Things are left open and unfinished in multiple ways.
Literally threw the book when I finished reading it.

A very contrived story that started of with lots of potential.

[ab-drizz · Rating 1 out of 5]

if you have any questions regarding identity theft, either as a victim or a thief, this book may be for you

but before you read, please know this is my personal opinion of this book:

wholly unsatisfying..

book was mid in and if itself but resolved the stuff with the bad guy completely in basically a chapter with only 6 pages following but like after the entire book, 330 pages to be exact) i deserved a little more of a happy ending

but if you are reading this review because you have questions about identity theft, that is provided in the authors note.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this book a 3.5 star rating. I have read several of Josi Kilpack's books and think that she does a good job with writing books that have good LDS standards without coming across as cheesy in her writing.

I also liked how this book was not just a romance, but had a little more to it. It talked about identity theft and had some deeper issues (such as divorce, abuse and step families) while still managing to throw in some romance.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book and I didn’t want to stop reading it until I got to the end. I agree with many of the reviews I’ve read in here. I will say that if it was a movie I probably wouldn’t have watched it due to the violence. And the lecherous behavior of many of the male characters made me uncomfortable with parts of it. The emotions and relationship challenges seemed pretty true to life. I’ve enjoyed all of the books by Josi Kilpack that I’ve read so far.

[Jessica Liza]

This was a good, informative book. It was great to read the frustrating journey they both had to go on with their identity stolen. I appreciated the author’s notes of tips and tricks at the end. Some parts were definitely slow. I didn’t like how stubborn she was at using the police, but it kind of made sense with her past. The relationship between the two was odd sometimes and I’m glad she left that open. I wish we would have closure on the adoption because I was really hoping for that.

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language: G+ (0+ swears, 0+ "f"); Mature Content: G+; Violence: G+
I thought I could handle this story, but the hardships hit too close to home and I had to put it down. From the couple chapters that I read, this book is well-written and keeps up the suspense; from what I know about Kilpack's writing, everything comes together satisfyingly in the end.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt my heart beat fast and faster as I read the book, horrified at the abilities of those who steal identities. These days it is such a prevalent crime. The author gives excellent advice at the close of the book with ways to avoid or deal with such crime. A suggested read for all.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little far fetched at times but real enough that I caught myself getting irritated for the heroine. From personal experience if this does happen to you protect your cash assets first! Change your online banking passwords and call the bank to put additional protection on your account.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a page turner but I didn’t enjoy it very much. I was looking for something light (LDS romance) and it was kind of light but not in the way I wanted. It was light in that the characters were superficial.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I am a huge fan of this author. Clean language, great characters, and just the right amount of romance. This book in particular was very eye opening to the world of identity theft. I just love a happy ending too.

[Suze Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a great story. But I was severely disappointed in the ending. Typically books end with some sort of closure, with you wanting more. This one ended and I was like, “What? That’s it!?” The author could’ve at least given us an Epilogue, so we’re not all wondering what happens next

[Faelynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had just finished this book when we found out my sisters social security number was stolen and being used by someone else. I was able to use the ideas from this book to help my sister with her problem.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book makes you feel the emotions. I’m a very “fair” person and this book made me so angry that people could do this to someone else, and it seemed like she couldn’t get out of it. Ended well, but boy in the middle it makes you wonder.

[Terrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who stole her identity.?

I enjoyed this story dealing with one of the fastest growing crimes in the world--identity theft. I really appreciated the authors information at the end of the Book on how to better protect ourselves and steps to take if you are a victim.

[Suzanne Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I inadvertently read this twice. I didn’t love it that much, I just needed an easy read and it was available. A few pages in I recognized it, but I couldn’t remember a lot of details so I kept on reading. Entertaining.

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information on identity theft - besides an interesting story

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book caused me stress and anxiety as I read. I definitely know now that I'm not a fan of reading about people's financial problems. Crazy story.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars This was a book about a woman who has her identity stolen. The story flowed well for the most part and was interesting. Makes me want to get my credit checked! Fun read.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how imperfect the main characters were. A short and curvy woman meets a balding 30 something guy. Overall it was a fast moving, interesting book.

[mom2wah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Clean, lots of action with a twist of romance.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good mystery

[Ashley Self · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really captivating and unlike other traditional romance novels. Some parts were a little slow but overall great. Another win by Josi Kilpack

[Ryan Thalman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good realistic modern fiction.