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Corie Geller #1
Takes One to Know One
Just a few years ago, Corie Geller was busting terrorists as an agent for the FBI. But at thirty-five, she traded in her badge for the stability of marriage and motherhood. Now Corie is married to the brilliant and remarkably handsome Judge Josh Geller and is the adoptive mother of his lovely 14-year-old daughter. Between cooking meals and playing chauffeur, Corie scouts Arabic fiction for a few literary agencies and, on Wednesdays, has lunch with her fellow Shorehaven freelancers at a so-so French restaurant. Life is, as they say, fine.
But at her weekly lunches, Corie senses that something's off. Pete Delaney, a milquetoast package designer, always shows up early, sits in the same spot (often with a different phone in hand), and keeps one eye on the Jeep he parks in the lot across the street. Corie intuitively feels that Pete is hiding something--and as someone who is accustomed to keeping her FBI past from her new neighbors, she should know. But does Pete really have a shady alternate life, or is Corie just imagining things, desperate to add some spark to her humdrum suburban existence? She decides that the only way to find out is to dust off her FBI toolkit and take a deep dive into Pete Delaney's affairs.
Always sassy, smart, and wickedly witty, Susan Isaacs is at her formidable best in a novel that is both bitingly wry and ominously thrilling.
But at her weekly lunches, Corie senses that something's off. Pete Delaney, a milquetoast package designer, always shows up early, sits in the same spot (often with a different phone in hand), and keeps one eye on the Jeep he parks in the lot across the street. Corie intuitively feels that Pete is hiding something--and as someone who is accustomed to keeping her FBI past from her new neighbors, she should know. But does Pete really have a shady alternate life, or is Corie just imagining things, desperate to add some spark to her humdrum suburban existence? She decides that the only way to find out is to dust off her FBI toolkit and take a deep dive into Pete Delaney's affairs.
Always sassy, smart, and wickedly witty, Susan Isaacs is at her formidable best in a novel that is both bitingly wry and ominously thrilling.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2019
886 people are currently reading
4661 people want to read
About the author
Susan Isaacs
48 books504 followersI was born in a thatched cottage in the Cotswolds. Oh, you want the truth. Fine. I was born in Brooklyn and educated at Queens College. After leaving school, I saw one of those ads: BE A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER! Take our aptitude test. Since I had nothing else in mind, I took the test-and flunked. The guy at the employment agency looked at my resume and mumbled, “You wrote for your college paper? Uh, we have an opening at Seventeen magazine.” That’s how I became a writer.
I liked my job, but I found doing advice to the lovelorn and articles like “How to Write a Letter to a Boy” somewhat short of fulfilling. So, first as a volunteer, then for actual money, I wrote political speeches in my spare time. I did less of that when I met a wonderful guy, Elkan Abramowitz, then a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.
We were married and a little more than a year later, we had Andrew (now a corporate lawyer). Three years later, Elizabeth (now a philosopher and writer) was born. I’d left Seventeen to be home with my kids but continued to to do speeches and the occasional magazine piece. During what free time I had, I read more mysteries than was healthy. Possibly I became deranged, but I thought, I can do this.
And that’s how Compromising Positions, a whodunit with a housewife-detectives set on Long Island came about. Talk about good luck: it was chosen the Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, auctioned for paperback, sold to the movies, translated into thirty languages, and became a bestseller. I was a little overwhelmed by the success. However, it’s hard to rise to a state of perpetual cool and go to slick downtown parties when you’re living in the suburbs with a husband, two kids, two dogs, and a mini-van, I simply wrote another book… and then another and another.
About half my works are mysteries, two fall into the category of espionage, and the rest are…well, regular novels. In the horn-tooting department, nearly all my novels have been New York Times bestsellers.
My kids grew up. My husband became a defense lawyer specializing in white collar matters: I call him my house counsel since I’m always consulting him on criminal procedure, the justice system, and law enforcement jargon. Anyway, after forty-five years of writing all sorts of novels—standalones—I decided to write a mystery series. I conceived Corie Geller with a rich enough background to avoid what I’d always been leery of—that doing a series would mean writing the same book over and over, changing only the settings.
I also produced one work of nonfiction, Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women are Really Doing on Page and Screen. I wrote a slew of articles, essays, and op-ed pieces as well. Newsday sent me to write about the 2000 presidential campaign, which was one of the greatest thrills of my life-going to both conventions, riding beside John McCain on the Straight Talk Express, interviewing George W. Bush. I also reviewed books for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsday. (My website has far more information about my projects than most people would want to know, but have a look.)
In the mid-1980s, I wrote the screenplay for Paramount’s Compromising Positions which starred Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. I also wrote and co-produced Touchstone’s Hello Again which starred Shelley Long, Gabriel Byrne, and Judith Ivey. (My fourth novel, Shining Through, set during World War II became the 20th Century Fox movie starring Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith and Liam Neeson. I would have written the script, except I wasn’t asked.)
Here’s the professional stuff. I’m a recipient of the Writers for Writers Award, the Marymount Manhattan Writing Center Award, and the John Steinbeck Award. I just retired (after over a decade) as chairman of the board of the literary organization, Poets & Writers. I also served as president of Mystery Writers of America. I belong to the National Book Critics Circle, the Creative Coalition, PEN, the Ameri
I liked my job, but I found doing advice to the lovelorn and articles like “How to Write a Letter to a Boy” somewhat short of fulfilling. So, first as a volunteer, then for actual money, I wrote political speeches in my spare time. I did less of that when I met a wonderful guy, Elkan Abramowitz, then a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.
We were married and a little more than a year later, we had Andrew (now a corporate lawyer). Three years later, Elizabeth (now a philosopher and writer) was born. I’d left Seventeen to be home with my kids but continued to to do speeches and the occasional magazine piece. During what free time I had, I read more mysteries than was healthy. Possibly I became deranged, but I thought, I can do this.
And that’s how Compromising Positions, a whodunit with a housewife-detectives set on Long Island came about. Talk about good luck: it was chosen the Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, auctioned for paperback, sold to the movies, translated into thirty languages, and became a bestseller. I was a little overwhelmed by the success. However, it’s hard to rise to a state of perpetual cool and go to slick downtown parties when you’re living in the suburbs with a husband, two kids, two dogs, and a mini-van, I simply wrote another book… and then another and another.
About half my works are mysteries, two fall into the category of espionage, and the rest are…well, regular novels. In the horn-tooting department, nearly all my novels have been New York Times bestsellers.
My kids grew up. My husband became a defense lawyer specializing in white collar matters: I call him my house counsel since I’m always consulting him on criminal procedure, the justice system, and law enforcement jargon. Anyway, after forty-five years of writing all sorts of novels—standalones—I decided to write a mystery series. I conceived Corie Geller with a rich enough background to avoid what I’d always been leery of—that doing a series would mean writing the same book over and over, changing only the settings.
I also produced one work of nonfiction, Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women are Really Doing on Page and Screen. I wrote a slew of articles, essays, and op-ed pieces as well. Newsday sent me to write about the 2000 presidential campaign, which was one of the greatest thrills of my life-going to both conventions, riding beside John McCain on the Straight Talk Express, interviewing George W. Bush. I also reviewed books for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsday. (My website has far more information about my projects than most people would want to know, but have a look.)
In the mid-1980s, I wrote the screenplay for Paramount’s Compromising Positions which starred Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. I also wrote and co-produced Touchstone’s Hello Again which starred Shelley Long, Gabriel Byrne, and Judith Ivey. (My fourth novel, Shining Through, set during World War II became the 20th Century Fox movie starring Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith and Liam Neeson. I would have written the script, except I wasn’t asked.)
Here’s the professional stuff. I’m a recipient of the Writers for Writers Award, the Marymount Manhattan Writing Center Award, and the John Steinbeck Award. I just retired (after over a decade) as chairman of the board of the literary organization, Poets & Writers. I also served as president of Mystery Writers of America. I belong to the National Book Critics Circle, the Creative Coalition, PEN, the Ameri
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 564 reviews
October 1, 2019
An entertaining cozy mystery/ thriller about a former FBI agent living her new married life in suburbia and stumbling upon strange behaviour of one of her acquaintances. Corie Geller's family and relatives say she might just be bored and reading too much into something harmless, but Corie knows better than ignore her instincts and training.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Atlantic Monthly for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Atlantic Monthly for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
April 30, 2025
Corie Geller is our main protagonist who started her career on the FBI Terrorism Task Force. But when she meets widower Josh Geller in her early 30’s who is a handsome federal judge with a 14-year-old daughter named Eliza, she is happy to become his new wife and a ready-made mother. Even adopting Eliza and considering having a child with Josh.
Corie’s new job is working for a literary agency, reading books for a living. At one of her lunch groups, she finds herself disturbed by a fellow diner named Pete Delaney. What is going on with him? Her investigative skills kick in, and she can’t help but want to know more about him.
As suspense builds, so do questions. And, many other character interactions.
As a first in the series, it is clear that the author intends to make Corie a scene stealer, with intentions for more investigative plans for the future. Which may make this an interesting read for many who enjoy easy reads with funny eclectic quirky characters.
3.5 stars
Corie’s new job is working for a literary agency, reading books for a living. At one of her lunch groups, she finds herself disturbed by a fellow diner named Pete Delaney. What is going on with him? Her investigative skills kick in, and she can’t help but want to know more about him.
As suspense builds, so do questions. And, many other character interactions.
As a first in the series, it is clear that the author intends to make Corie a scene stealer, with intentions for more investigative plans for the future. Which may make this an interesting read for many who enjoy easy reads with funny eclectic quirky characters.
3.5 stars
August 14, 2019
Corie is a former FBI agent who is bored with her life and thinks something is up with her neighbor. Unfortunately, I got extremely bored with Corie and her life, too. Her air of superiority was grating. So was Susan Isaac’s calvacade of brand names and upscale signifiers. I found myself actively rooting against Corie, and motored through this so I could read something more interesting, such as the latest flyer from the supermarket, with a clear conscience.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC for a fair and honest review. I know this may be a bit more “honesty” than was intended!
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC for a fair and honest review. I know this may be a bit more “honesty” than was intended!
July 25, 2019
I really wanted to like this book. I've been a Susan Isaacs fan for years -- some of her books are among my favorites ever. And I've missed her lately -- she doesn't come out with new stuff as often as she used to, it seems. So I REALLY wanted to like this book.
I didn't.
It was a real slog to even finish it. Normally I wouldn't have -- life is too short to read bad books. But I'd received a free advance copy from the publisher, and I didn't feel I could fairly review a book I hadn't finished. So I kept at it. It took me ten days to finish this book. TEN DAYS. I usually polish off a novel this size in 3-4 days, max.
If you're familiar with Susan Isaacs, you know that the heroines of her murder mysteries tend to be Long Island housewives who find themselves in the middle of a mess, usually the result of coincidence, circumstance, and the heroine's nosy/plucky tendencies. These women tend to be witty, self-deprecating and smart, and I have loved so many of them. Corie Geller was not one of those heroines.
Corie is a former FBI agent married to a widowed judge and new mom to his teenage daughter. But she's bored. Life as a Long Island wife is not what she was expecting, and she really doesn't seem to like her husband all that much. She seems to like being a mom, although it's hard to know that for sure -- we don't get to know her daughter well at all. I didn't feel that I got to know Corie, either -- even at the end, I had no sense of what motivated her, or why she was allowing herself to be stuck in this life she clearly didn't like.
In any case, Corie meets a perfectly ordinary guy in her Wednesday networking group, and finds something "off" about him. Next thing we know, Corie and her former NYPD dad are investigating this poor schmuck who hasn't done anything wrong except be weird. It just didn't work. It made Corie look nuts -- why invest all this time and effort, and drag your poor elderly dad into it as well? If I had been her dad, I would have told her to get herself a life. The way the story is told, there's just absolutely no reason for her to go off the deep end about this guy. Come on, Susan -- help a girl out and offer a little more motivation for all this suspicion.
Of course, Corie's instincts turn out to be correct, and suddenly we've gone from a fairly silly story about a fairly silly woman to a story about life and death. Things get pretty grim, actually, which doesn't fit with the rest of the book at all. And worst of all, you have to slog your way through 75 percent of the book to get to the part where anything actually HAPPENS.
I missed Isaacs' trademark humor. There's a funny line here and there, but generally Corie takes herself way too seriously -- very unlike a Susan Isaacs protagonist. Corie has very little personality, her parents are annoying caricatures, and her husband is dull as dishwater. There just wasn't anyone in the entire book for me to care about.
I wish I had enjoyed this book. I'm grateful to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read one of my favorite authors, but I just can't recommend this one.
I didn't.
It was a real slog to even finish it. Normally I wouldn't have -- life is too short to read bad books. But I'd received a free advance copy from the publisher, and I didn't feel I could fairly review a book I hadn't finished. So I kept at it. It took me ten days to finish this book. TEN DAYS. I usually polish off a novel this size in 3-4 days, max.
If you're familiar with Susan Isaacs, you know that the heroines of her murder mysteries tend to be Long Island housewives who find themselves in the middle of a mess, usually the result of coincidence, circumstance, and the heroine's nosy/plucky tendencies. These women tend to be witty, self-deprecating and smart, and I have loved so many of them. Corie Geller was not one of those heroines.
Corie is a former FBI agent married to a widowed judge and new mom to his teenage daughter. But she's bored. Life as a Long Island wife is not what she was expecting, and she really doesn't seem to like her husband all that much. She seems to like being a mom, although it's hard to know that for sure -- we don't get to know her daughter well at all. I didn't feel that I got to know Corie, either -- even at the end, I had no sense of what motivated her, or why she was allowing herself to be stuck in this life she clearly didn't like.
In any case, Corie meets a perfectly ordinary guy in her Wednesday networking group, and finds something "off" about him. Next thing we know, Corie and her former NYPD dad are investigating this poor schmuck who hasn't done anything wrong except be weird. It just didn't work. It made Corie look nuts -- why invest all this time and effort, and drag your poor elderly dad into it as well? If I had been her dad, I would have told her to get herself a life. The way the story is told, there's just absolutely no reason for her to go off the deep end about this guy. Come on, Susan -- help a girl out and offer a little more motivation for all this suspicion.
Of course, Corie's instincts turn out to be correct, and suddenly we've gone from a fairly silly story about a fairly silly woman to a story about life and death. Things get pretty grim, actually, which doesn't fit with the rest of the book at all. And worst of all, you have to slog your way through 75 percent of the book to get to the part where anything actually HAPPENS.
I missed Isaacs' trademark humor. There's a funny line here and there, but generally Corie takes herself way too seriously -- very unlike a Susan Isaacs protagonist. Corie has very little personality, her parents are annoying caricatures, and her husband is dull as dishwater. There just wasn't anyone in the entire book for me to care about.
I wish I had enjoyed this book. I'm grateful to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read one of my favorite authors, but I just can't recommend this one.
August 30, 2019
(2.5 stars) I've read books by Susan Isaacs in the past, but probably close to a decade ago, so I decided to try this new one. I feel a bit lukewarm about it. Although well written and with some snappy dialogue and sharp, humorous observations on life, people, and relationships, the book failed to keep me engaged and interested. It took weeks to finish this because I would put it down after a chapter or two and pick up other books to read in between the chapters of this one.
This is a mystery, but it doesn't gain much traction as such until the last quarter or so of the book. Instead it's mostly a sometimes clever, but more often tedious, story of a former FBI agent, Corie Geller, 30-something, who has given up her exciting and fulfilling life fighting terrorism to marry a handsome, rich judge, widower Josh Geller, and become mother to his teen-aged daughter.
Corie works part-time for literary agencies, vetting books in Arabic for possible publication, and does the very occasional job for the FBI, and every Wednesday she has a lunch/meeting with other work-at-home freelancers of the area. One of these, Peter Delaney, seems a bit off to Corie. His behavior is strange; he's a bit of an enigma, and his personality is hard to define, mostly seeming nondescript. He's hiding something, Corie thinks, and she sets out, sometimes with the help of her retired police officer father, to find out more about him.
The investigation goes slowly for most of the book. Meanwhile, we have to read about Corie's new life as a wife and mother and her dissatisfaction with some of it. Now that the newly-wed glow is off the relationship, she finds Josh a bit stuffy and dull at times, although still handsome enough to take her breath away at other times.
But I didn't really care about Corie's life. Corie felt self-indulgent to me and a bit whiny so I didn't really enjoy her or her personal story, except for the interactions with her father, which were the best part of the book. The rest of the characters here, including Josh and his daughter, felt more like props than real people. And the mystery itself was developed very slowly and painfully and required a lot of coincidence and serendipity to move forward. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, boom, we get a total thriller-type story for the last chapters.
So the book's okay for an escape read but I've read better. The story suffers from an identity crisis. Is it a mystery? Is it a story about a bored housewife? It's supposed to be both but at the same time neither is developed satisfactorily.
This is a mystery, but it doesn't gain much traction as such until the last quarter or so of the book. Instead it's mostly a sometimes clever, but more often tedious, story of a former FBI agent, Corie Geller, 30-something, who has given up her exciting and fulfilling life fighting terrorism to marry a handsome, rich judge, widower Josh Geller, and become mother to his teen-aged daughter.
Corie works part-time for literary agencies, vetting books in Arabic for possible publication, and does the very occasional job for the FBI, and every Wednesday she has a lunch/meeting with other work-at-home freelancers of the area. One of these, Peter Delaney, seems a bit off to Corie. His behavior is strange; he's a bit of an enigma, and his personality is hard to define, mostly seeming nondescript. He's hiding something, Corie thinks, and she sets out, sometimes with the help of her retired police officer father, to find out more about him.
The investigation goes slowly for most of the book. Meanwhile, we have to read about Corie's new life as a wife and mother and her dissatisfaction with some of it. Now that the newly-wed glow is off the relationship, she finds Josh a bit stuffy and dull at times, although still handsome enough to take her breath away at other times.
But I didn't really care about Corie's life. Corie felt self-indulgent to me and a bit whiny so I didn't really enjoy her or her personal story, except for the interactions with her father, which were the best part of the book. The rest of the characters here, including Josh and his daughter, felt more like props than real people. And the mystery itself was developed very slowly and painfully and required a lot of coincidence and serendipity to move forward. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, boom, we get a total thriller-type story for the last chapters.
So the book's okay for an escape read but I've read better. The story suffers from an identity crisis. Is it a mystery? Is it a story about a bored housewife? It's supposed to be both but at the same time neither is developed satisfactorily.
September 18, 2019
The best way I can think of to define TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE by Susan Issac is a novel of intrigue, written in a primarily cozy style. There is not a specific murder mystery to solve. Instead, the entire book follows Corie Geller as she pursues questions she has about one of the regular attendees in her weekly luncheon group. Corie, who is a former FBI agent, now married and doing occasional contract work for them, is working hard to adjust to a more “normal” life, being married to a widowed judge. She has adopted his now young teenage daughter and has a cushy life in suburbia, but she finds something missing. As a result, she begins to have questions about one of her luncheon regulars who seems to be a study in bland; a persona he has created rather than his actual personality.
With the exception of a few pages toward the end of the novel, there is little physical danger or description about activities, which is much more like a cozy than an actual thriller where there is danger in almost every chapter. Instead, the reader follows along as Corie pursues first one then another of her hunches about the true identity of her luncheon companion. She is aided on a couple of her quests by her father, a retired NYPD detective and her best friend, an exclusive designer who can gain entry for Corie into an elite group in Texas.
Although there is more included about Corie’s father and her best friend, all of the characters seem to lack much depth. The book is narrated by Corie and spends time with her telling the reader about her activities rather than giving information that allows the reader to see the action as it takes place. While it is grammatically well-written, this style of writing can veer into becoming tedious as there is little information for the reader to develop any mental pictures regarding the participants, the location or the action itself.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic’s Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance digital reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2019
I have loved Susan Isaacs’s work for decades, and so when I saw her newest novel up for grabs on Edelweiss, I jumped at the chance to read it. This book is for sale now.
Corie Geller is a former FBI agent. Now she is the stay-home mom of a fourteen year old stepdaughter, and the wife of a prominent judge. She works as a scout for quality Arabic fiction. And she’s bored out of her mind.
But old habits die hard, and she can’t help noticing that a member of her regular lunch group, Pete Delaney, has habits that raise red flags. He’s too normal, almost as if he’s working at it. His appearance is forgettable, his occupation is dull…but he always sits facing the door when he goes out to lunch. He sets Corie’s professional sense a-jangling. Is Pete really this bland, or is it a front for something more sinister?
The few people that Corie confides in are sure she is jumping at shadows. She needs a job, or a hobby. Briefly I wondered whether Pete and Corie were going to fall madly in love, but then I remembered who my author is. Isaacs would never.
The one person that takes Corie’s questions seriously is her father, a retired cop who’s bored also. As she and her papa peel away Pete’s façade, they grow closer to uncovering his secrets. And Josh—Corie’s husband, whose work requires a whole lot of travel—knows nothing of any of it.
The thing that elevates Isaacs above other novelists is her feminist snark. It’s put to excellent use here. Aspects that don’t work as well for me are the detailed descriptions of upscale furnishings and other expensive possessions, and the whole Arabic literature thing, which adds nothing at all to the story and is a trifle distracting; I kept wondering when it would become relevant to the story, but then it didn’t. But both of these are minor factors.
The reader should also know that this is not a thriller. There seems to be a trend among publicists to promote all mysteries as thrillers, and perhaps this helps sales in the short run, who knows; but it doesn’t serve the author well in the long run. Isaacs doesn’t write thrillers, she writes solid, feminist mysteries that pull the reader in with the story arc characteristic of strong fiction. When I hit the 62% mark at bedtime one evening, I understood that the next time I read it, I would have to finish it, and indeed, it was too exciting to read flopped in bed as I usually do. I had to sit up straight, and I kept finding myself leaning forward as I read, as if I might need to jump up at any minute.
I would love to see Isaacs use this protagonist in a series. I’ve missed this writer and look forward to her next book, whether it’s another Corie Geller story or something else. I recommend this book to feminist mystery readers that are ready for a chuckle or two.
Corie Geller is a former FBI agent. Now she is the stay-home mom of a fourteen year old stepdaughter, and the wife of a prominent judge. She works as a scout for quality Arabic fiction. And she’s bored out of her mind.
But old habits die hard, and she can’t help noticing that a member of her regular lunch group, Pete Delaney, has habits that raise red flags. He’s too normal, almost as if he’s working at it. His appearance is forgettable, his occupation is dull…but he always sits facing the door when he goes out to lunch. He sets Corie’s professional sense a-jangling. Is Pete really this bland, or is it a front for something more sinister?
The few people that Corie confides in are sure she is jumping at shadows. She needs a job, or a hobby. Briefly I wondered whether Pete and Corie were going to fall madly in love, but then I remembered who my author is. Isaacs would never.
The one person that takes Corie’s questions seriously is her father, a retired cop who’s bored also. As she and her papa peel away Pete’s façade, they grow closer to uncovering his secrets. And Josh—Corie’s husband, whose work requires a whole lot of travel—knows nothing of any of it.
The thing that elevates Isaacs above other novelists is her feminist snark. It’s put to excellent use here. Aspects that don’t work as well for me are the detailed descriptions of upscale furnishings and other expensive possessions, and the whole Arabic literature thing, which adds nothing at all to the story and is a trifle distracting; I kept wondering when it would become relevant to the story, but then it didn’t. But both of these are minor factors.
The reader should also know that this is not a thriller. There seems to be a trend among publicists to promote all mysteries as thrillers, and perhaps this helps sales in the short run, who knows; but it doesn’t serve the author well in the long run. Isaacs doesn’t write thrillers, she writes solid, feminist mysteries that pull the reader in with the story arc characteristic of strong fiction. When I hit the 62% mark at bedtime one evening, I understood that the next time I read it, I would have to finish it, and indeed, it was too exciting to read flopped in bed as I usually do. I had to sit up straight, and I kept finding myself leaning forward as I read, as if I might need to jump up at any minute.
I would love to see Isaacs use this protagonist in a series. I’ve missed this writer and look forward to her next book, whether it’s another Corie Geller story or something else. I recommend this book to feminist mystery readers that are ready for a chuckle or two.
August 28, 2019
Over 40 years ago, Susan Isaacs wrote Compromising Positions, a thriller unlike anything anyone had seen before. A truly comic, double entendre of a hysterically funny mystery. This is the first of her books I've read in my goodreads days, and it shows she has lost none of her spark.
Corie Geller has traded her FBI career for that of a book scout, specifically, books in Arabic that warrant translation into English. Her nice new life with her trophy husband and child in a Long Island version of Westchester is, just that, nice. She still keeps her hand in as an operative on a contract basis since her specialty was interviewing and nailing Islamic terrorists, but has kept this fact of her life a secret from her new neighbors. Her heightened perceptions are tweaked at her weekly lunch with other work-from-home professionals, when the behavior of one of the members strikes her as "off." So this isn't so much a mystery or even a whodunnit, but a character study of a woman who wants to keep her hand in while not giving the game away.
Yes, she is certifiably a badass, but I enjoyed a brief moment of identifying with her when she cleaned out the gross science experiments that had taken root in her refrigerator while singing songs from Hamilton. There is a blip towards the end, referenced by others, that changed the tone, but for the most part, Isaacs' humor makes this a fun read.
Corie Geller has traded her FBI career for that of a book scout, specifically, books in Arabic that warrant translation into English. Her nice new life with her trophy husband and child in a Long Island version of Westchester is, just that, nice. She still keeps her hand in as an operative on a contract basis since her specialty was interviewing and nailing Islamic terrorists, but has kept this fact of her life a secret from her new neighbors. Her heightened perceptions are tweaked at her weekly lunch with other work-from-home professionals, when the behavior of one of the members strikes her as "off." So this isn't so much a mystery or even a whodunnit, but a character study of a woman who wants to keep her hand in while not giving the game away.
Yes, she is certifiably a badass, but I enjoyed a brief moment of identifying with her when she cleaned out the gross science experiments that had taken root in her refrigerator while singing songs from Hamilton. There is a blip towards the end, referenced by others, that changed the tone, but for the most part, Isaacs' humor makes this a fun read.
August 4, 2022
The narrator was the best part of this audiobook. The fact that she didn't begin alternating paragraphs with a deep sigh and the words, "Are you fucking kidding me?" speaks volumes as to her capability as an actress.
Corie is way too scatterbrained and neurotic to be believable as a former FBI agent. No way did she pass the requisite psych tests. Your protagonist has to be believable, and she wasn't. Neither was the antagonist, for that matter. Or the plot. Or the fact that I spent 13 hours, 56 minutes, and 13 seconds of my life listening to this mess.
1 out of 5 stars, and a new author to avoid at all costs.
Corie is way too scatterbrained and neurotic to be believable as a former FBI agent. No way did she pass the requisite psych tests. Your protagonist has to be believable, and she wasn't. Neither was the antagonist, for that matter. Or the plot. Or the fact that I spent 13 hours, 56 minutes, and 13 seconds of my life listening to this mess.
1 out of 5 stars, and a new author to avoid at all costs.
January 3, 2020
I've heard that police work/detective work can be 95% boredom, 5% terror; this book has the 95% down pat. I get all my books from my local library, and I'm at the point in life where I don't want to waste it (my life), so I have no trouble giving up the ghost for a book I'm not enjoying. I simply found this book tedious. I made it to the half way point and then skipped ahead to find out what all the fuss was about. I skimmed through that. I just found it extremely boring.
March 13, 2020
Originally posted on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Back in the day, Susan Isaacs was an auto-buy author for me. But that was literally decades ago. When I happened to read an excerpt of her 2019 book, Takes One to Know One, I thought it was time to give her writing another try. And this was an enjoyable, if not completely gripping, read. Or actually, a listen, since I found the audiobook on Scribd.
Corie Geller is a suburban housewife with a checkered past. Not that kind of checkered—she’s a former FBI agent. And some days she regrets trading in her badge for a generally quiet life on Long Island. Her husband Josh is a Federal judge, who delights in intellectual dinner discussions. Their daughter is a tween with requisite attitude. And Corie’s work life is pretty staid overall.
As a freelancer for both publishers and the FBI, Corie works at home. She also belongs to a group of fellow entrepreneurs that meets for lunch every Wednesday. Networking becomes a game of intrigue when Corie starts to question the all-too-familiar behavior of one of her fellow entrepreneurs, Pete Delaney.
My conclusions
Birds of a feather … are more suspicious of each other. And Corie is certainly an inquisitive soul. She starts to dig into Pete’s background and just won’t let go. I can appreciate this aspect of her personality! Plus, if she behaved any other way, Isaacs wouldn’t have a story to tell.
I would have been happier with a little less marital angst. The cognitive dissonance of presenting Corie as a whip-smart former agent while she also anguishes about her move to marriage and suburbia rankled for me. While, some conflicting feelings are probably logical, I think Corie’s mental review of the situation captured too many pages.
Isaac’s writing is crisp and well-honed. She knows when to dive into a descriptive passage, and when action-packed plot progression is the best choice. Now I recall why I liked her all those years ago.
If you’re looking for an escapist mystery that’s not gruesome but not a cozy, this is a solid pick.
Pair with a series like Maisie Dobbs from Jacqueline Winspear or a memoir of real-life FBI experience like Andrew McCabe’s 2019 book, The Threat.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic / Atlantic Monthly Press, and the author for an advanced reader’s copy of the book, in exchange for this honest review.
Back in the day, Susan Isaacs was an auto-buy author for me. But that was literally decades ago. When I happened to read an excerpt of her 2019 book, Takes One to Know One, I thought it was time to give her writing another try. And this was an enjoyable, if not completely gripping, read. Or actually, a listen, since I found the audiobook on Scribd.
Corie Geller is a suburban housewife with a checkered past. Not that kind of checkered—she’s a former FBI agent. And some days she regrets trading in her badge for a generally quiet life on Long Island. Her husband Josh is a Federal judge, who delights in intellectual dinner discussions. Their daughter is a tween with requisite attitude. And Corie’s work life is pretty staid overall.
As a freelancer for both publishers and the FBI, Corie works at home. She also belongs to a group of fellow entrepreneurs that meets for lunch every Wednesday. Networking becomes a game of intrigue when Corie starts to question the all-too-familiar behavior of one of her fellow entrepreneurs, Pete Delaney.
My conclusions
Birds of a feather … are more suspicious of each other. And Corie is certainly an inquisitive soul. She starts to dig into Pete’s background and just won’t let go. I can appreciate this aspect of her personality! Plus, if she behaved any other way, Isaacs wouldn’t have a story to tell.
I would have been happier with a little less marital angst. The cognitive dissonance of presenting Corie as a whip-smart former agent while she also anguishes about her move to marriage and suburbia rankled for me. While, some conflicting feelings are probably logical, I think Corie’s mental review of the situation captured too many pages.
Isaac’s writing is crisp and well-honed. She knows when to dive into a descriptive passage, and when action-packed plot progression is the best choice. Now I recall why I liked her all those years ago.
If you’re looking for an escapist mystery that’s not gruesome but not a cozy, this is a solid pick.
Pair with a series like Maisie Dobbs from Jacqueline Winspear or a memoir of real-life FBI experience like Andrew McCabe’s 2019 book, The Threat.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic / Atlantic Monthly Press, and the author for an advanced reader’s copy of the book, in exchange for this honest review.
September 23, 2019
2.5
Thank you NetGalley. Here's my honest review.
I was eager to read Susan Isaacs but this one... I SLOGGED THROUGH IT. Never really engaged. Just wanted to finish it. So disappointed. Cannot round up because that would mean I thought the book was good! It could have been interesting, but not!
There were many haha moments but not enough to sustain/recommend.
In a word: GLIB. And yes, I did love much of the humor/descriptions.
"starring one of many extremely famous movie actors named Chris"
"...the assistant manager, Sergei, a hugely muscular guy whose pointy ears extended almost at right angles from his shaved head, making him look like a bouncer at an elf club."
"...expression was one of perpetual piss, as if he'd been sentenced to life chewing on aluminum foil"
"...his hair didnt really look like hair at all but rather like a meringue wig"
and on and on--but does not a book make!
Mostly this book seemed like a B movie in search of a solid, sustaining, plot line. Finally, at about 3/4 in--action! But, TOO LATE. And then, wham, bam!
There were no groaning, grimacing moments [which does happen to me], and it was written well enough but...
So--in a word, no.
Thank you NetGalley. Here's my honest review.
I was eager to read Susan Isaacs but this one... I SLOGGED THROUGH IT. Never really engaged. Just wanted to finish it. So disappointed. Cannot round up because that would mean I thought the book was good! It could have been interesting, but not!
There were many haha moments but not enough to sustain/recommend.
In a word: GLIB. And yes, I did love much of the humor/descriptions.
"starring one of many extremely famous movie actors named Chris"
"...the assistant manager, Sergei, a hugely muscular guy whose pointy ears extended almost at right angles from his shaved head, making him look like a bouncer at an elf club."
"...expression was one of perpetual piss, as if he'd been sentenced to life chewing on aluminum foil"
"...his hair didnt really look like hair at all but rather like a meringue wig"
and on and on--but does not a book make!
Mostly this book seemed like a B movie in search of a solid, sustaining, plot line. Finally, at about 3/4 in--action! But, TOO LATE. And then, wham, bam!
There were no groaning, grimacing moments [which does happen to me], and it was written well enough but...
So--in a word, no.
July 9, 2019
Takes One to Know One by author Susan Isaacs is a great, twisty mystery/thriller! I’m glad to have read a copy early! It will not disappoint! Full review to come closer to release date.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2023
Not my cup of tea.
Please read other reviews &/or read this book
to make your own determination.
Please read other reviews &/or read this book
to make your own determination.
August 13, 2019
I haven't read a Susan Isaacs book in years and after reading her new book, I realized what I had missed and ordered some of her earlier books. This is suspense book with a twist -- it is presented with a lot of sarcasm and humor, which I just love from a main character. I thought it was a fun book to read as well as having a very suspenseful plot.
Corie was 35 years old and a special agent for the FBI on the Counter-Terrorism Force, when she met a handsome and sexy lawyer and fell in love. She married Josh and became a mother to his 14 year old daughter. She still worked on some cases for the FBI on a free-lance basis. One day at a meeting with a group of business people, her FBI sense perceived that there was something not quite right with one of the other members of the group. Pete seems to be quiet and unassuming but he had a few quirks that make her wonder about him. At first she thinks that she is mistaken and just looking to create some excitement in her new life but her intuition makes her start to investigate him. As her look into Pete's life continues, will she make mistakes that jeopardize her life and the lives of her family? Is Pete hiding a secret life or is Corie totally wrong? This book kept me turning pages to see how Corie would handle this look into something based solely on her FBI intuition.
I liked the main character of Corie -- she was humorous and sarcastic along with being very detailed in her investigation. I thought it was very interesting the way that she worked to get information - from neighbors, group members and others and then traced her information to the next level. I must admit that the book bogged down for me during some of her investigation - there was simply too much detail and too many conversations that went on for too long. I think that the investigation part of the novel (the middle third) could have been greatly condensed and it would have made this a better book. The last third of the book makes up for it and it's full of action with a lot of twists and turns. I enjoyed Corie and the adventure that she went on. I'd like to read another book about her and her FBI investigations.
Thanks to Bookish Firsts for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Corie was 35 years old and a special agent for the FBI on the Counter-Terrorism Force, when she met a handsome and sexy lawyer and fell in love. She married Josh and became a mother to his 14 year old daughter. She still worked on some cases for the FBI on a free-lance basis. One day at a meeting with a group of business people, her FBI sense perceived that there was something not quite right with one of the other members of the group. Pete seems to be quiet and unassuming but he had a few quirks that make her wonder about him. At first she thinks that she is mistaken and just looking to create some excitement in her new life but her intuition makes her start to investigate him. As her look into Pete's life continues, will she make mistakes that jeopardize her life and the lives of her family? Is Pete hiding a secret life or is Corie totally wrong? This book kept me turning pages to see how Corie would handle this look into something based solely on her FBI intuition.
I liked the main character of Corie -- she was humorous and sarcastic along with being very detailed in her investigation. I thought it was very interesting the way that she worked to get information - from neighbors, group members and others and then traced her information to the next level. I must admit that the book bogged down for me during some of her investigation - there was simply too much detail and too many conversations that went on for too long. I think that the investigation part of the novel (the middle third) could have been greatly condensed and it would have made this a better book. The last third of the book makes up for it and it's full of action with a lot of twists and turns. I enjoyed Corie and the adventure that she went on. I'd like to read another book about her and her FBI investigations.
Thanks to Bookish Firsts for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
September 20, 2019
It Takes One to Know One by Susan Isaacs is a story about Corie Geller, married to a judge, happy adoptive mother to his 14-year-old girl. She used to work in the FBI catching terrorists so she has a suspicious mind. She goes to weekly luncheons and is suspicious about a fellow person at these luncheons, Pete Delaney. She finds that some things he does are most peculiar, like sitting in a particular chair in the restaurant, facing the window so he can look at his car. She feels that he is hiding something and sets about investigating him, eventually getting her father to assist her.
What follows is a humorous but dangerous attempt by Corie to really find out who and what Pete is up to. I loved the style of writing, the characters are believable.
I have always loved Susan Isaacs writing ever since I read Compromising Positions way back when..This is definitely a book worth reading!
What follows is a humorous but dangerous attempt by Corie to really find out who and what Pete is up to. I loved the style of writing, the characters are believable.
I have always loved Susan Isaacs writing ever since I read Compromising Positions way back when..This is definitely a book worth reading!
September 8, 2019
Corie Geller has traded in her FBI career for marriage and step parenthood. Fluent in Arabic, she reviews books in that language for possible publication in English. Her mundane life includes weekly lunches with a group of people who all work from home. Something seems suspect with one of the attendees and soon Corie plunges into her own investigation.
I have enjoyed Susan Isaacs books in the past; this one was a bit of a disappointment. While it does contain Isaacs signature biting wit with some amusing laugh out loud moments, it was also on the tedious side. I also found it a bit hard to believe that Corie had been a capable, high functioning FBI agent…..being home raising a child must have turned her brain to a bit of mush.
I have enjoyed Susan Isaacs books in the past; this one was a bit of a disappointment. While it does contain Isaacs signature biting wit with some amusing laugh out loud moments, it was also on the tedious side. I also found it a bit hard to believe that Corie had been a capable, high functioning FBI agent…..being home raising a child must have turned her brain to a bit of mush.
October 9, 2019
I almost stopped reading this book several times, but decided I had too much time invested to abandon it. I did not really like any of the characters and the storyline was not very interesting to me. A lot of books really start to take off toward the end, but this one did not. Corie is the main character who is a former FBI agent who has left the job for her new husband and his daughter who she has adopted. The daughter and husband do not have much presence in the book. Corie joins a newcomers group and she finds one man in the group very suspicious. The entire book she is checking out the man and trying to figure out what he is guilty of.
July 29, 2021
The protagonist trades a career as an FBI interrogator for marriage, motherhood, and suburbia, with occasional FBI contract jobs that keep undercover in her support group for people working from home. Why does she suspect another support group member of nefarious activity? Is it because instincts based on her own experience recognize his truly suspicious behavior? Or because she's bored with her life? Given the title, we know what the answer will be, but the unfolding of the investigation and its outcome kept me intrigued. Inventive, with strong characters and engaging dialogue.
March 18, 2020
Ugh. I got this because I’ve read a book by this author in the past and really enjoyed it. But this was 355 pages of a whole lot of nothing happening. What little excitement/suspense there was happened after so much buildup that I expected much more. In addition, the main character’s relationship with her husband was discussed quite a bit and I’m still not sure why—if there was a story there, she never got to it.
July 7, 2019
Isaacs does what she does best, using humor to sharpen dialog and create a mystery that keeps you reading. Corie Geller is ex FBI, now married to Josh, a widower and Dad to Eliza. Corie is unsure whether her suspicion about a man in her networking group is due to her honed instincts, or a feeling of boredom in her new, more staid life. I enjoyed the book, and recommend as a good summer read.
December 26, 2019
Love this thriller from a favorite author. Her female characters have intelligence, strength, complexity and verve. But most of all they are funny. Here a somewhat retired FBI agent marries a great guy who has a great little girl and tries to adjust to a quieter life in the suburb. But then she spots something a little funny looking – and gets pulled into trouble once again.
September 29, 2019
I was excited by the premise of Susan Isaacs Takes One To Know One and I’d really been looking forward to it reaching the top of my pile.
“Just a few years ago, Corie Geller was busting terrorists as an agent for the FBI. But at thirty-five, she traded in her badge for the stability of marriage and motherhood. Now Corie is married to the brilliant and remarkably handsome Judge Josh Geller and is the adoptive mother of his lovely 14-year-old daughter. Between cooking meals and playing chauffeur, Corie scouts Arabic fiction for a few literary agencies and, on Wednesdays, has lunch with her fellow Shorehaven freelancers at a so-so French restaurant. Life is, as they say, fine.
But at her weekly lunches, Corie senses that something's off. Pete Delaney, a milquetoast package designer, always shows up early, sits in the same spot (often with a different phone in hand), and keeps one eye on the Jeep he parks in the lot across the street. Corie intuitively feels that Pete is hiding something--and as someone who is accustomed to keeping her FBI past from her new neighbors, she should know. But does Pete really have a shady alternate life, or is Corie just imagining things, desperate to add some spark to her humdrum suburban existence? She decides that the only way to find out is to dust off her FBI toolkit and take a deep dive into Pete Delaney's affairs.”
So when I was considering giving up on it, just a little more than a quarter of the way through, I opted instead to put it aside for twenty four hours, and then try again. Honestly I picked it back up reluctantly and I have to admit the next quarter or so was still a slog, then at about the halfway point, the pace picked up and I suddenly couldn’t put it down.
I’m not exactly sure why I found the first half of Takes One To Know One so laborious. Told through Corie Geller’s first person perspective, the narrative felt, at times, closer to a stream of consciousness, bogged down in the details of Corie’s life. To be fair I think the poor formatting of the e-arc may have contributed to that impression, as there is no spacing between paragraphs, or even chapters, resulting in an uncomfortable run-on effect. That I didn’t really warm to Corie’s angst regarding the changes her marriage had wrought, probably didn’t help either.
For me the story finally got interesting when Corie began seriously investigating Pete Delaney and the narrative became more interactive (if that makes sense). As Corie considers and discards potential criminal scenarios that Pete Delaney could be involved in, she calls on ex colleagues for information, uses her best friend, Wynne, as a sounding board, and involves her dad, a retired police detective, in her investigation. It all eventually leads to a tense confrontation that I found unexpectedly thrilling.
I’m not sure that I can say the last half of the book was enough to redeem Takes One To Know One for me, but it’s entirely possible that you may not find the first half as problematic as I did, it may be worth a try if the premise appeals.
“Just a few years ago, Corie Geller was busting terrorists as an agent for the FBI. But at thirty-five, she traded in her badge for the stability of marriage and motherhood. Now Corie is married to the brilliant and remarkably handsome Judge Josh Geller and is the adoptive mother of his lovely 14-year-old daughter. Between cooking meals and playing chauffeur, Corie scouts Arabic fiction for a few literary agencies and, on Wednesdays, has lunch with her fellow Shorehaven freelancers at a so-so French restaurant. Life is, as they say, fine.
But at her weekly lunches, Corie senses that something's off. Pete Delaney, a milquetoast package designer, always shows up early, sits in the same spot (often with a different phone in hand), and keeps one eye on the Jeep he parks in the lot across the street. Corie intuitively feels that Pete is hiding something--and as someone who is accustomed to keeping her FBI past from her new neighbors, she should know. But does Pete really have a shady alternate life, or is Corie just imagining things, desperate to add some spark to her humdrum suburban existence? She decides that the only way to find out is to dust off her FBI toolkit and take a deep dive into Pete Delaney's affairs.”
So when I was considering giving up on it, just a little more than a quarter of the way through, I opted instead to put it aside for twenty four hours, and then try again. Honestly I picked it back up reluctantly and I have to admit the next quarter or so was still a slog, then at about the halfway point, the pace picked up and I suddenly couldn’t put it down.
I’m not exactly sure why I found the first half of Takes One To Know One so laborious. Told through Corie Geller’s first person perspective, the narrative felt, at times, closer to a stream of consciousness, bogged down in the details of Corie’s life. To be fair I think the poor formatting of the e-arc may have contributed to that impression, as there is no spacing between paragraphs, or even chapters, resulting in an uncomfortable run-on effect. That I didn’t really warm to Corie’s angst regarding the changes her marriage had wrought, probably didn’t help either.
For me the story finally got interesting when Corie began seriously investigating Pete Delaney and the narrative became more interactive (if that makes sense). As Corie considers and discards potential criminal scenarios that Pete Delaney could be involved in, she calls on ex colleagues for information, uses her best friend, Wynne, as a sounding board, and involves her dad, a retired police detective, in her investigation. It all eventually leads to a tense confrontation that I found unexpectedly thrilling.
I’m not sure that I can say the last half of the book was enough to redeem Takes One To Know One for me, but it’s entirely possible that you may not find the first half as problematic as I did, it may be worth a try if the premise appeals.
August 25, 2022
In the past, Susan Isaacs has dished up some of the best books I've ever read (Black and Blue, Shining Through). Her trademark feminist snark is a lot of fun, and should have propelled me through this slow-moving plot, but, alas, it did not. If the protagonist, Corie Geller, had been a working class woman with some meaty issues to deal with, or a suburbanite in real danger, I might have found her to be more engaging. But I kept thinking that this woman is bored in her cushy life simply because she lacks the imagination to be happy. I tried to like her, but I just couldn't.
For for my money, Isaacs missed the mark with this one.
For for my money, Isaacs missed the mark with this one.
October 1, 2019
This book was just okay for me. It didn't make me feel anything for the characters. It's no page turner and it didn't really hold me to it.
done-with
July 30, 2019Yeah, so this is a book about a former FBI agent who retires and becomes a suburban housewife who is so bored with her life that she starts eyeballing a neighbor as a Person of Interest. She can't tell if she's trusting her well-honed instincts or just, well, bored.
I vote for bored. I don't care what the revelations throughout the story say or what the neighbor is actually up to. Want to know why? Because if I was living her life, as told in the book, I'd be bored too. I was, in fact. So bored that I literally had to force myself to turn pages until I finally realized that I Just. Didn't. Care. And that's when I stopped and called it...
I just couldn't get into this one. The characters never grabbed me, the plot (such as I found it) never engaged me, the credibility never hit green (or even an extreme red such that I wanted to suspend disbelief). It just felt flat, from the opening gambit. I'm coming off of a string of VERY strong thrillers full of action and secrets and lies and misdirection. It is entirely possible that this one was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me. But it's also possible that this writer's style (dry to the point of Sahara) just didn't resonate with me. Either way, this one didn't work for me...
My review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I vote for bored. I don't care what the revelations throughout the story say or what the neighbor is actually up to. Want to know why? Because if I was living her life, as told in the book, I'd be bored too. I was, in fact. So bored that I literally had to force myself to turn pages until I finally realized that I Just. Didn't. Care. And that's when I stopped and called it...
I just couldn't get into this one. The characters never grabbed me, the plot (such as I found it) never engaged me, the credibility never hit green (or even an extreme red such that I wanted to suspend disbelief). It just felt flat, from the opening gambit. I'm coming off of a string of VERY strong thrillers full of action and secrets and lies and misdirection. It is entirely possible that this one was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me. But it's also possible that this writer's style (dry to the point of Sahara) just didn't resonate with me. Either way, this one didn't work for me...
My review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
November 23, 2024
Hoo Boy.
The other day I went to my local library's website only to find out that because they are merging another library system into theirs, I couldn't place holds or search the catalog for FOUR WHOLE DAYS. The gall, the cheek, the nerve, the gumption.
When I drove to my local branch instead, I didn't see any of the mysteries I was looking for but my eyes did land on the Susan Isaacs shelf. It's been years--decades--since I read her but I really did like Compromising Positions by Susan Isaacs so I thought, why not.
I took a look at some of the other reviews before I wrote mine and they all pretty much said what I was thinking. This was dull and I immediately didn't like the protagonist. And she's not unlikable in an intentional way. I read Roxanne Gay's essay about likability being an inessential quality for a character and I get it. I'm supposed to root for Corie though and I didn't give a shit and that's a problem.
What is the problem with this character? She is married to a hot, rich guy. But oh, like he's kind of boring sometimes? So she just works from home on a whim cause she doesn't really have to work anymore and joined a local group of other self-employed people but she finds they are kind of boring and uncool too. Oh, and one of them seems off and she thinks he's up to something.
Is she right? Eh, probably?
This is kind of the setup of Compromising Positions--a Long Island housewife gets mixed up with a murder investigation because she's bored--but that novel was at least saying SOMETHING about why this intelligent woman was bored. She had nothing to do, a degree but no outlet for her curiosity (Although, I guess she wasn't that nice either because in the course of her amateur murder investigation she cheats on her perfectly nice husband because.....wait, it was because he was kind of boring. Uh oh, I sense a pattern.) Corie chose to quit the FBI to become a Long Island housewife with a freelance job (and she doesn't need to work because her husband is rich, did I mention that? Did I mention he's hot too? But kind of dull?) There's no tension in her inner turmoil, she just comes across as spoiled and mean.
This wasn't working for me but I guess some people like it because this is a series with two books so far.
The other day I went to my local library's website only to find out that because they are merging another library system into theirs, I couldn't place holds or search the catalog for FOUR WHOLE DAYS. The gall, the cheek, the nerve, the gumption.
When I drove to my local branch instead, I didn't see any of the mysteries I was looking for but my eyes did land on the Susan Isaacs shelf. It's been years--decades--since I read her but I really did like Compromising Positions by Susan Isaacs so I thought, why not.
I took a look at some of the other reviews before I wrote mine and they all pretty much said what I was thinking. This was dull and I immediately didn't like the protagonist. And she's not unlikable in an intentional way. I read Roxanne Gay's essay about likability being an inessential quality for a character and I get it. I'm supposed to root for Corie though and I didn't give a shit and that's a problem.
What is the problem with this character? She is married to a hot, rich guy. But oh, like he's kind of boring sometimes? So she just works from home on a whim cause she doesn't really have to work anymore and joined a local group of other self-employed people but she finds they are kind of boring and uncool too. Oh, and one of them seems off and she thinks he's up to something.
Is she right? Eh, probably?
This is kind of the setup of Compromising Positions--a Long Island housewife gets mixed up with a murder investigation because she's bored--but that novel was at least saying SOMETHING about why this intelligent woman was bored. She had nothing to do, a degree but no outlet for her curiosity (Although, I guess she wasn't that nice either because in the course of her amateur murder investigation she cheats on her perfectly nice husband because.....wait, it was because he was kind of boring. Uh oh, I sense a pattern.) Corie chose to quit the FBI to become a Long Island housewife with a freelance job (and she doesn't need to work because her husband is rich, did I mention that? Did I mention he's hot too? But kind of dull?) There's no tension in her inner turmoil, she just comes across as spoiled and mean.
This wasn't working for me but I guess some people like it because this is a series with two books so far.
September 2, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of
Takes One to Know One.
I used to read Susan Isaacs in high school and college before moving toward more darker subjects, aka. horror.
I was excited when my request was approved because from what I do remember of Ms. Isaacs' books, her heroines are intelligent, witty Long Island housewives who get into some kind of mischief through some personality quirk.
Takes One to Know One has all the makings of a classic Susan Isaacs, but it failed to meet my expectations.
The setup isn't bad, actually.
Corie Geller is happily married to a widower, a judge, who is kind and smart. She has a good relationship with her stepdaughter, who she adopted, and is living a privileged life.
But, she's bored. As a former FBI agent catching terrorists, she misses the excitement and thrill of the chase.
Now, she's freelancing for a couple of literary agencies, reading Arabic-centric novels and writing professional critiques.
Corie also attends a freelancers lunch once a week and that's when her instincts go into overdrive.
One of the freelancers, Pete Delaney, has a few personality quirks of his own Corie originally dismisses but can't help noticing. Something is off.
Or is Corie looking for something that isn't there?
And, the story takes off.
Well, it tries to.
The problem is that there's a lot of filler. A lot of exposition on secondary characters, Corie's social circle. I don't need to know what everyone does for a living, how annoying some people are, etc.
I enjoy Ms. Isaac's writing but there is such a thing as too much.
Also, Corie mentions (numerous times) how handsome her husband is.
He's handsome but not self-centered. He's kind but not a snob. He's handsome and he wants her! How amazing is that!
Okay, I get it.
In many ways, this repetitive (and unnecessary) reminder takes me out of the story because, come on, how many people do you know are married to handsome gods?
Most of my friends are married or in a long-term relationship and I can assure you, none of them can give Idris Elba a run for his money.
The run up to how Corie discovers the truth behind Pete's activities is a slow, ponderous trek, made more so by the inclusion of Corie's well meaning parents, especially her dad, who is wasting away on retirement.
Naturally, she pulls him into her shenanigans. And it invigorates him! Thanks, dad for your help!
Corie is smart and competent but I didn't like her.
It was as if she was hoping Pete was a terrible person just so she could inject a little excitement into her life.
She made it seem like she was unhappy with her current life as a wife and mother, despite the love and security she had.
She's the one who settled for married life and leave the FBI (as she mentions plenty of times) yet her pursuit of Pete suggests she regrets the choice she made but never voices it.
The cast of characters is large, but development is poor, especially in regards to her husband and stepdaughter.
I didn't feel the love or chemistry between her and her husband, and there is very little interaction between her and her stepdaughter.
The story lacked suspense and urgency, mostly because it was bogged down with so many details, and could have used another edit to create tension and more focus on Corie and her family.
I used to read Susan Isaacs in high school and college before moving toward more darker subjects, aka. horror.
I was excited when my request was approved because from what I do remember of Ms. Isaacs' books, her heroines are intelligent, witty Long Island housewives who get into some kind of mischief through some personality quirk.
Takes One to Know One has all the makings of a classic Susan Isaacs, but it failed to meet my expectations.
The setup isn't bad, actually.
Corie Geller is happily married to a widower, a judge, who is kind and smart. She has a good relationship with her stepdaughter, who she adopted, and is living a privileged life.
But, she's bored. As a former FBI agent catching terrorists, she misses the excitement and thrill of the chase.
Now, she's freelancing for a couple of literary agencies, reading Arabic-centric novels and writing professional critiques.
Corie also attends a freelancers lunch once a week and that's when her instincts go into overdrive.
One of the freelancers, Pete Delaney, has a few personality quirks of his own Corie originally dismisses but can't help noticing. Something is off.
Or is Corie looking for something that isn't there?
And, the story takes off.
Well, it tries to.
The problem is that there's a lot of filler. A lot of exposition on secondary characters, Corie's social circle. I don't need to know what everyone does for a living, how annoying some people are, etc.
I enjoy Ms. Isaac's writing but there is such a thing as too much.
Also, Corie mentions (numerous times) how handsome her husband is.
He's handsome but not self-centered. He's kind but not a snob. He's handsome and he wants her! How amazing is that!
Okay, I get it.
In many ways, this repetitive (and unnecessary) reminder takes me out of the story because, come on, how many people do you know are married to handsome gods?
Most of my friends are married or in a long-term relationship and I can assure you, none of them can give Idris Elba a run for his money.
The run up to how Corie discovers the truth behind Pete's activities is a slow, ponderous trek, made more so by the inclusion of Corie's well meaning parents, especially her dad, who is wasting away on retirement.
Naturally, she pulls him into her shenanigans. And it invigorates him! Thanks, dad for your help!
Corie is smart and competent but I didn't like her.
It was as if she was hoping Pete was a terrible person just so she could inject a little excitement into her life.
She made it seem like she was unhappy with her current life as a wife and mother, despite the love and security she had.
She's the one who settled for married life and leave the FBI (as she mentions plenty of times) yet her pursuit of Pete suggests she regrets the choice she made but never voices it.
The cast of characters is large, but development is poor, especially in regards to her husband and stepdaughter.
I didn't feel the love or chemistry between her and her husband, and there is very little interaction between her and her stepdaughter.
The story lacked suspense and urgency, mostly because it was bogged down with so many details, and could have used another edit to create tension and more focus on Corie and her family.
September 10, 2019
Goodness, this is a hard book to review. I always want to focus on the positive but in this case, I’m kind of at a loss. Anyway, here goes . . .
Corie Geller gives up her FBI job to marry Josh, a federal judge with (at the time) a 9-year-old daughter. A girl that she loves and adopts within a year. By leaving the FBI, Corie figures she will help care for her daughter and live a quiet family life. She also adds being a scout for several literary agencies, to her daily routine.
Every Wednesday she meets at a restaurant with a few other self-employed business people to share thoughts and ideas. But early in the story, Corie has an odd feeling about Pete Delaney, one of the Wednesday entrepreneurs. Each week he sits in the same chair so that he can look out the window at his Jeep. Later we learn that Pete changes phones often. And in time Corie worries that Pete’s business trips are too long for what he claims to be doing.
So far this all sounds like the start to a fine mystery. But here is the problem. It takes many chapters to learn what I mentioned above. The story attempts to add way too many details that don’t apply to the plot.
When Corie begins to suspect a problem with Pete, she visits with her dad since she values his opinion. And, really, she quizzes most of her friends as well, in order to get their thoughts about Pete. The problem? It’s not unusual for the story to gallop off on a wild ride of Corie’s history with the friend.
In all honesty, which by now should be only too apparent, I never cared for Corie, either. She came across as an insecure, knuckle chewing protagonist at times.
I’m sorry to say the characters and story just didn’t rate high with me.
My gratitude to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for allowing me to read an ARC of this book and give my opinion regarding it.
What Concerned Me:
Corie’s suspicions about Pete went on for many many chapters. And especially in the beginning, it was based more or less on her gut feeling. It was only later that other concerns were noticed and mentioned.
The fancy footwork around and around the main story just wore me out.
What I Liked Best:
The writing appeared to be very good. Perhaps another book by this author would result in a much different review.
for more reviews: https://pickagoodbook.com
Corie Geller gives up her FBI job to marry Josh, a federal judge with (at the time) a 9-year-old daughter. A girl that she loves and adopts within a year. By leaving the FBI, Corie figures she will help care for her daughter and live a quiet family life. She also adds being a scout for several literary agencies, to her daily routine.
Every Wednesday she meets at a restaurant with a few other self-employed business people to share thoughts and ideas. But early in the story, Corie has an odd feeling about Pete Delaney, one of the Wednesday entrepreneurs. Each week he sits in the same chair so that he can look out the window at his Jeep. Later we learn that Pete changes phones often. And in time Corie worries that Pete’s business trips are too long for what he claims to be doing.
So far this all sounds like the start to a fine mystery. But here is the problem. It takes many chapters to learn what I mentioned above. The story attempts to add way too many details that don’t apply to the plot.
When Corie begins to suspect a problem with Pete, she visits with her dad since she values his opinion. And, really, she quizzes most of her friends as well, in order to get their thoughts about Pete. The problem? It’s not unusual for the story to gallop off on a wild ride of Corie’s history with the friend.
In all honesty, which by now should be only too apparent, I never cared for Corie, either. She came across as an insecure, knuckle chewing protagonist at times.
I’m sorry to say the characters and story just didn’t rate high with me.
My gratitude to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for allowing me to read an ARC of this book and give my opinion regarding it.
What Concerned Me:
Corie’s suspicions about Pete went on for many many chapters. And especially in the beginning, it was based more or less on her gut feeling. It was only later that other concerns were noticed and mentioned.
The fancy footwork around and around the main story just wore me out.
What I Liked Best:
The writing appeared to be very good. Perhaps another book by this author would result in a much different review.
for more reviews: https://pickagoodbook.com
September 13, 2019
I received a free publisher's review copy.
I was shocked to realize that I read Susan Isaacs’s first novel, Compromising Positions, 40 years ago. Congratulations to her for her long and successful writing career, but having read every one of her novels I have to say that this decade she’s been pretty much mailing it in.
When I first started reading this one, I thought it seemed like Compromising Positions redux. Both novels are about a working woman who has given up her career for family life in Long Island, New York. Each gets curious about something nobody else sees as suspicious, and she starts investigating.
Judith Singer, from Compromising Positions, was a journalist, while Corie Geller had been an FBI agent. That difference should mean that Corie has slightly more savvy and effective investigative chops, but not in this book. Her sleuthing is so slow moving, and it mostly consists of asking friends and colleagues to look at resources that Corie can no longer access. For fully half the book, that’s all that happens. I had a hard time slogging through that.
At about the halfway point, Corie finally is onto something with her sleuthing. Even then, it’s not until the last quarter of the book that things really take off. I’m glad I didn’t quit reading, but even though the book improved after that first half, it’s still not good. And it’s a shame, because Isaacs still has a smart-alecky writing style and I know she could have turned this into a much better book.
There’s a line near the end of the book when Corie’s friend says to her “you haven’t created your own bio.” And that’s ultimately my big problem with this book. I never related to Corie as a person. She seemed very much a work of fiction, and a half-hearted one at that.
I should note one thing that struck me, and that’s the frequent use of the f-word in this book. I would imagine that most people clamoring to read a Susan Isaacs novel are at least 60 years old, and this seems like something that will annoy a decent percentage of them. And for nothing. You could easily eliminate the vulgarity and nobody would notice that it’s not there. It didn’t affect how I feel about the book; it just seems like an odd choice for this author.
I was shocked to realize that I read Susan Isaacs’s first novel, Compromising Positions, 40 years ago. Congratulations to her for her long and successful writing career, but having read every one of her novels I have to say that this decade she’s been pretty much mailing it in.
When I first started reading this one, I thought it seemed like Compromising Positions redux. Both novels are about a working woman who has given up her career for family life in Long Island, New York. Each gets curious about something nobody else sees as suspicious, and she starts investigating.
Judith Singer, from Compromising Positions, was a journalist, while Corie Geller had been an FBI agent. That difference should mean that Corie has slightly more savvy and effective investigative chops, but not in this book. Her sleuthing is so slow moving, and it mostly consists of asking friends and colleagues to look at resources that Corie can no longer access. For fully half the book, that’s all that happens. I had a hard time slogging through that.
At about the halfway point, Corie finally is onto something with her sleuthing. Even then, it’s not until the last quarter of the book that things really take off. I’m glad I didn’t quit reading, but even though the book improved after that first half, it’s still not good. And it’s a shame, because Isaacs still has a smart-alecky writing style and I know she could have turned this into a much better book.
There’s a line near the end of the book when Corie’s friend says to her “you haven’t created your own bio.” And that’s ultimately my big problem with this book. I never related to Corie as a person. She seemed very much a work of fiction, and a half-hearted one at that.
I should note one thing that struck me, and that’s the frequent use of the f-word in this book. I would imagine that most people clamoring to read a Susan Isaacs novel are at least 60 years old, and this seems like something that will annoy a decent percentage of them. And for nothing. You could easily eliminate the vulgarity and nobody would notice that it’s not there. It didn’t affect how I feel about the book; it just seems like an odd choice for this author.
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