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Finding Mrs. Ford Lib/E
On a sunny summer morning by the sea in New England, Susan Ford’s cocoon of privilege is threatened when an Iraqi man from her distant past boards a plane in Baghdad to come find her. Mrs. Ford leads a privileged life. From her Blenheim spaniels to her cottage on the coast of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, she carefully curates her world. Hair in place, house in place, life in place, Susan Ford keeps it under control. Early one morning in the summer of 2014, the past pays a call to collect. The FBI arrives to question her about a man from Iraq—a Chaldean Christian from Mosul—where ISIS has just seized control. Sammy Fakhouri, they say, is his name and they have taken him into custody, picked up on his way to her house. Back in the summer of 1979, on the outskirts of a declining Detroit, college coed Susan meets charismatic and reckless Annie. They are an unlikely pair of friends, but they each see something in the other—something they’d like to possess. Studious Susan is a moth to the flame that is Annie. Yet, it is dazzling Annie who senses that Susan will be the one who makes it out of Detroit. Together, the girls navigate the minefields of a down-market disco where they work their summer jobs. It’s a world filled with pretty girls and powerful men, some of whom—like Sammy Fakhouri—happen to be Iraqi Chaldeans. What happened in that summer of 1979 when Susan and Annie met? Why is Sammy looking for Susan all these years later? And why is Mrs. Ford lying?
Audio CD
First published June 25, 2019
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About the author
Deborah Goodrich Royce
4 books615 followersDeborah Goodrich Royce’s Reef Road, a national bestseller, was named one of the best
books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews and an Indie Next pick by the ABA. Ruby Falls won
the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist, and Finding Mrs. Ford was hailed by Forbes, Book
Riot, and Good Morning America. Her newest, Best Boy, will be published on February
24, 2026.
Her Ocean House Author Series—in partnership with Martin House Books and WCRI—
brings world-class authors like Sarah Ferguson, Emma Straub, Chris Bohjalian, and
Katie Couric to Watch Hill. With fellow authors, Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe, she
created the Deer Mountain Writers’ Retreat in the Catskills.
Deborah writes a book column for Providence Monthly and Hey Rhody magazines. She
began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the
role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago
and A Wrinkle in Time.
Deborah holds a bachelor’s degree and two honorary doctorates, from both Lake
Erie College and the University of Rhode Island. With her husband, Chuck, Deborah
restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, United Theatre,
Martin House Books, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island
and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards.
books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews and an Indie Next pick by the ABA. Ruby Falls won
the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist, and Finding Mrs. Ford was hailed by Forbes, Book
Riot, and Good Morning America. Her newest, Best Boy, will be published on February
24, 2026.
Her Ocean House Author Series—in partnership with Martin House Books and WCRI—
brings world-class authors like Sarah Ferguson, Emma Straub, Chris Bohjalian, and
Katie Couric to Watch Hill. With fellow authors, Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe, she
created the Deer Mountain Writers’ Retreat in the Catskills.
Deborah writes a book column for Providence Monthly and Hey Rhody magazines. She
began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the
role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago
and A Wrinkle in Time.
Deborah holds a bachelor’s degree and two honorary doctorates, from both Lake
Erie College and the University of Rhode Island. With her husband, Chuck, Deborah
restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, United Theatre,
Martin House Books, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island
and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 478 reviews
March 25, 2020
Finding Mrs. Ford is an intriguing storyline from the start. Susan Ford lives an easy life in her upscale cottage. Appearances are good. One day her perfect bubble is no longer when the police arrive at her door questioning how she knows Sammy Fakhouri, a mystery man from Mosul, Iraq, where ISIS has recently taken control.
The book then flashes back to summer in the 1970s when Susan meets Annie while in college. Annie is wild and carefree, quite different from Susan’s containment. The two work and play and visit discos. It’s there that they meet powerful men, some of them from Iraq.
The mystery lies in what happened that summer of 1979. How does Sammy play a role and why is he searching for Susan?
Finding Mrs. Ford is an exciting and original mystery. I had no idea where the story would take me, and I loved that. If you are looking for a book that will keep you guessing with a fresh storyline, give this one a try.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
The book then flashes back to summer in the 1970s when Susan meets Annie while in college. Annie is wild and carefree, quite different from Susan’s containment. The two work and play and visit discos. It’s there that they meet powerful men, some of them from Iraq.
The mystery lies in what happened that summer of 1979. How does Sammy play a role and why is he searching for Susan?
Finding Mrs. Ford is an exciting and original mystery. I had no idea where the story would take me, and I loved that. If you are looking for a book that will keep you guessing with a fresh storyline, give this one a try.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 1, 2023
I’ll admit to buying this audiobook solely because it takes place in Watch Hill, RI, a place we vacationed several times decades ago. Royce took me immediately back to that lovely town with its “cottages” originally built for the Catholic well to do vs. the Episcopal set of Newport.
The story takes place in 2014 but flashes back to 1979. In 2014, Susan was a well off matron with one of those lovely Watch Hill cottages. Her world is disrupted when a pair of FBI agents show up at her door. But in the summer of 1979, she was in between her junior and senior years of college and working as a waitress in a seedy disco in the Detroit suburbs. She makes friends with wild girl Annie, who is everything Susan is not. The club is run and frequented by nefarious criminals and Annie becomes involved with the owner.
There’s a big twist at the 50% point, which totally caught me off guard.
There’s a nice sense of tension throughout and the reader is kept guessing about what happened back in 1979. But I can’t say the story totally worked for me. I couldn’t buy into some of the plot points. Still, this was decent entertainment that goes by quickly. This is the first book by Royce that I’ve read. I can’t say I’ll be running off to start another.
Saikia Maarleveld is the narrator and does a fine job.
The story takes place in 2014 but flashes back to 1979. In 2014, Susan was a well off matron with one of those lovely Watch Hill cottages. Her world is disrupted when a pair of FBI agents show up at her door. But in the summer of 1979, she was in between her junior and senior years of college and working as a waitress in a seedy disco in the Detroit suburbs. She makes friends with wild girl Annie, who is everything Susan is not. The club is run and frequented by nefarious criminals and Annie becomes involved with the owner.
There’s a big twist at the 50% point, which totally caught me off guard.
There’s a nice sense of tension throughout and the reader is kept guessing about what happened back in 1979. But I can’t say the story totally worked for me. I couldn’t buy into some of the plot points. Still, this was decent entertainment that goes by quickly. This is the first book by Royce that I’ve read. I can’t say I’ll be running off to start another.
Saikia Maarleveld is the narrator and does a fine job.
June 5, 2021
“Finding Mrs Ford” by Deborah Goodrich Royce
🌟🌟🌟
I listened to the audiobook and unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I’m not sure if it was the audiobook or perhaps my mindset. Being that it has been highly rated I plan to revisit “Finding Mrs Ford” but read the book next time.
🌟🌟🌟
I listened to the audiobook and unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I’m not sure if it was the audiobook or perhaps my mindset. Being that it has been highly rated I plan to revisit “Finding Mrs Ford” but read the book next time.
April 6, 2020
There were two things that attracted me to this book, firstly Baghdad was mentioned and I'm a sucker for all book's Middle East and secondly, the author was in Beverley Hills 91210 and we all loved a bit of that back in the day.
Sadly Baghdad is barely featured, its only really there as a reference as all of the actual story line is based in the USA.
I admit that the first few chapters I was regretting my choice, then all of a sudden I was there, involved, right in the center not knowing where to look first.
There's only one other book that has turned my head like this, only one other book that has made me scroll back through the pages to search for the clues I'd missed to the revelation (Between You and Me by Lisa Hall if your interested). My head literally spun.
I'm giving this four stars as I did feel the ending was rushed and not really in keeping with the rest of the book.
I've enjoyed the ride and its definitely going to be memorable. It certainly goes down on my 'I cant believe I didn't see this coming' list.
Sadly Baghdad is barely featured, its only really there as a reference as all of the actual story line is based in the USA.
I admit that the first few chapters I was regretting my choice, then all of a sudden I was there, involved, right in the center not knowing where to look first.
There's only one other book that has turned my head like this, only one other book that has made me scroll back through the pages to search for the clues I'd missed to the revelation (Between You and Me by Lisa Hall if your interested). My head literally spun.
I'm giving this four stars as I did feel the ending was rushed and not really in keeping with the rest of the book.
I've enjoyed the ride and its definitely going to be memorable. It certainly goes down on my 'I cant believe I didn't see this coming' list.
July 15, 2019
Twists and turns kept me glued to the pages of Finding Mrs. Ford, this fun and mysterious debut from Deborah Goodrich Royce, the actress who played Silver Kane, sister to Erica Kane in All My Children.
Summertime, late 1970s, Detroit…Susan and Annie meet at their mundane jobs at a clothing store and become fast friends. The girls are saving up for college and Annie, the spitfire, decides they both will quit and go to work at a disco to make more money, so Susan goes along with it. Dangerous and powerful men run the disco and Annie gets caught up with one of the bosses and becomes involved in drugs, while Susan continually tries to keep away from trouble and controversy. Feeling disappointed in how the girls’ friendship has dissipated, Susan becomes distracted by her thoughts about a handsome and mysterious Chaldean man she meets at the disco. And then a tragic accident changes everything.
Now it is present day in Watch Hill Rhode Island, and Susan is the widow of wealthy, respectable Jack, and she and her stepson, Jack Jr are partners in the family business. Then Susan’s past begins to haunt her when the FBI knocks on her door….
Secrets and suspense abound in Finding Mrs. Ford, a true page turner! Lies from the past are uncovered in this thrilling and entertaining debut – incredibly well written and so visual at times it will catch your breath; this book would make a wonderful movie!
Q & A With Author Deborah Goodrich Royce
Q: Finding Mrs Ford has many wonderful characters who seem to experiment with different identities. How did you come up with this idea of personal reinvention and what was the writing process for character development?
Full interview at https://booknationbyjen.com.
Summertime, late 1970s, Detroit…Susan and Annie meet at their mundane jobs at a clothing store and become fast friends. The girls are saving up for college and Annie, the spitfire, decides they both will quit and go to work at a disco to make more money, so Susan goes along with it. Dangerous and powerful men run the disco and Annie gets caught up with one of the bosses and becomes involved in drugs, while Susan continually tries to keep away from trouble and controversy. Feeling disappointed in how the girls’ friendship has dissipated, Susan becomes distracted by her thoughts about a handsome and mysterious Chaldean man she meets at the disco. And then a tragic accident changes everything.
Now it is present day in Watch Hill Rhode Island, and Susan is the widow of wealthy, respectable Jack, and she and her stepson, Jack Jr are partners in the family business. Then Susan’s past begins to haunt her when the FBI knocks on her door….
Secrets and suspense abound in Finding Mrs. Ford, a true page turner! Lies from the past are uncovered in this thrilling and entertaining debut – incredibly well written and so visual at times it will catch your breath; this book would make a wonderful movie!
Q & A With Author Deborah Goodrich Royce
Q: Finding Mrs Ford has many wonderful characters who seem to experiment with different identities. How did you come up with this idea of personal reinvention and what was the writing process for character development?
Full interview at https://booknationbyjen.com.
April 28, 2020
Thrilling and suspenseful. Deborah Goodrich Royce (Who was an actress in one of my all-time favorite soaps, All My Children) has delivered a compulsive and addictive fast paced thriller. Mrs. Susan Ford is living a perfect privileged life in New England until one day the FBI comes a knocking on her door. Looks as though her past has caught up with her. In the late 1970s Susan lived a much wilder life working in a disco alongside her Bestie Annie. What happened all those years ago and how does it tie back to the Iraqi man they are questioning her about today? What a wild ride. This book was so packed with twists and turns. Salacious entitled unlikable characters behaving badly. And an ending that left my head spinning.
*** Big thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
*** Big thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
March 21, 2020
Who is a fan of All My Children? Erica Kanes sister Sliver Kane has written a book. You say on no an actress writing a book, I don't know about that. Well let me tell you the vocabulary in this book is unbelievable. It is so beautifully written. You are going to expand you vocabulary reading this one. I loved the drama and the suspense from the very beginning. This is a very well written thriller. I loved the plot. I can't wait for Royce's next book she is going to fly to the top of my list fast.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
May 23, 2021
I was interested in the few chapters but lost interest along the way.
It became predictable to me.
It became predictable to me.
June 4, 2020
Why would the FBI want to talk to her?
Susan is pretty sure she knows why and didn't want to think about.
We meet Susan Ford whose life was changed when she quit her job in a dress shop to work in a night club, Frankie’s Disco, and met Sammy Fakhouri.
Now it is coming back to haunt her, and she has questions of her own.
Does she know the answers, though? She might need to make sure she does because others have questions as well.
Susan spent the summer of 1979 always worried about working at Frankie’s Disco and who was working there. It actually was a dangerous place to be.
Frankie's Disco actually changed Susan's life and not in a good way until she met Jack Ford.
Jack saved her, but he didn’t know she hadn't finished college or where she worked the summer of 1979.
The year 2014 brings things crashing down as the FBI wants to interview her, Sammy is looking for her, and her stepson finds out things she has lied about to him and his father.
The beginning and middle chapters of the book give us background information on the life of Susan Ford in 1979 and currently in 2014.
There is a twist in the middle that will have your jaw dropping and have you staying up late to finish the book.
Ms. Royce’s novel had a unique way in terms of a time line.
ENJOY if you read FINDING MRS. FORD - I am quite sure you will. 5/5
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Susan is pretty sure she knows why and didn't want to think about.
We meet Susan Ford whose life was changed when she quit her job in a dress shop to work in a night club, Frankie’s Disco, and met Sammy Fakhouri.
Now it is coming back to haunt her, and she has questions of her own.
Does she know the answers, though? She might need to make sure she does because others have questions as well.
Susan spent the summer of 1979 always worried about working at Frankie’s Disco and who was working there. It actually was a dangerous place to be.
Frankie's Disco actually changed Susan's life and not in a good way until she met Jack Ford.
Jack saved her, but he didn’t know she hadn't finished college or where she worked the summer of 1979.
The year 2014 brings things crashing down as the FBI wants to interview her, Sammy is looking for her, and her stepson finds out things she has lied about to him and his father.
The beginning and middle chapters of the book give us background information on the life of Susan Ford in 1979 and currently in 2014.
There is a twist in the middle that will have your jaw dropping and have you staying up late to finish the book.
Ms. Royce’s novel had a unique way in terms of a time line.
ENJOY if you read FINDING MRS. FORD - I am quite sure you will. 5/5
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2019
Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce is a thriller, alternating between 1970’s Detroit (think sex, drugs and gangsterism) and present-day Rhode Island (the subdued, wealthy, upper-class hidden away from the rest of us).
The premise of the book is interesting, and I was looking forward to the fast-paced writing filling the pages with twists and turns. I was disappointed. It is an easy, quick to read novel, but it fell short of what I expected from Ms. Royce. I saw the major twist coming. Even so, I could have enjoyed it if the Chaldean story was more seriously incorporated into the book, and the characters better developed. Ms. Royce seemed to write with such control that she let nothing go. I experienced no passion in the pages and felt no affinity for any of the characters. It felt hollow. She scratched the surface of so many themes (friendship, sacrifice, loss, war) and I just wish she had explored at least one of them intimately.
I’d recommend it for a quick, light, almost predictable read but if you’re looking for a novel that leaves you with something when the last page is read, this is not it.
The premise of the book is interesting, and I was looking forward to the fast-paced writing filling the pages with twists and turns. I was disappointed. It is an easy, quick to read novel, but it fell short of what I expected from Ms. Royce. I saw the major twist coming. Even so, I could have enjoyed it if the Chaldean story was more seriously incorporated into the book, and the characters better developed. Ms. Royce seemed to write with such control that she let nothing go. I experienced no passion in the pages and felt no affinity for any of the characters. It felt hollow. She scratched the surface of so many themes (friendship, sacrifice, loss, war) and I just wish she had explored at least one of them intimately.
I’d recommend it for a quick, light, almost predictable read but if you’re looking for a novel that leaves you with something when the last page is read, this is not it.
July 14, 2020
A great debut novel from Deborah Royce! A fast read with likable characters & some twists along the way.
November 12, 2019
It is 2014, and we are in New England by the seashore…. It is here that Susan Ford is enjoying a bright, sunny day; however, she has no idea that a man from her past is, at the same moment, boarding a plane in Baghdad in order to throw a wrench into her privileged life.
Of course, Mrs. Ford’s life was not always one of privilege. Although the mask she portrays while living in her lovely cottage in Watch Hill, RI is superbly set in place, she has secrets in her past.
Knocking on her pristine door are FBI agents. They are visiting her to ask questions about an Iraqi man from Mosul; a place where ISIS has just seized control. His name is Sammy Fakhouri. They have already taken him into custody, but what they want to know is why this Sammy person was en route to Mrs. Ford’s house when they caught up with him.
Readers are thrust back into the summer of 1979, in the sickly outskirts of Detroit. This is when Susan, a college coed, meets up with an unlikely friend. Her name is Annie and she is the complete opposite of calm, quiet Susan. But as they work in the disco together that summer, things occur (including Sammy coming into Susan’s life) that will have the reader up all night, completely glued to the pages.
The descriptions are vivid, the characters are memorable, and delving into the completely opposite worlds of Detroit in the 70’s and posh Rhode Island in the 21st century is beyond interesting. This debut author should know that no matter how much the acting profession may “call out to her,” it is this reviewer’s opinion that she stick to the book trail for a long time to come.
Of course, Mrs. Ford’s life was not always one of privilege. Although the mask she portrays while living in her lovely cottage in Watch Hill, RI is superbly set in place, she has secrets in her past.
Knocking on her pristine door are FBI agents. They are visiting her to ask questions about an Iraqi man from Mosul; a place where ISIS has just seized control. His name is Sammy Fakhouri. They have already taken him into custody, but what they want to know is why this Sammy person was en route to Mrs. Ford’s house when they caught up with him.
Readers are thrust back into the summer of 1979, in the sickly outskirts of Detroit. This is when Susan, a college coed, meets up with an unlikely friend. Her name is Annie and she is the complete opposite of calm, quiet Susan. But as they work in the disco together that summer, things occur (including Sammy coming into Susan’s life) that will have the reader up all night, completely glued to the pages.
The descriptions are vivid, the characters are memorable, and delving into the completely opposite worlds of Detroit in the 70’s and posh Rhode Island in the 21st century is beyond interesting. This debut author should know that no matter how much the acting profession may “call out to her,” it is this reviewer’s opinion that she stick to the book trail for a long time to come.
May 15, 2019
It's always an honor to get to read an ARC of a soon-to-be published book. This novel was even more intriguing, since it was written as a debut novel by a (former) actress. This detail lends to the mystique and glamour somehow.
Hopefully, since I am a journalist by profession, my vocabulary is pretty good, but I still had to google some words and look up specific references occasionally that I wasn't familiar with which appeared in the book. For me, this is a positive detail as it causes the reader to expand their vocabulary and to learn about new things. There was constant suspense in the book and that is a real plus to push a reader along in search of finding answers.
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and it is not a genre or topic I normally read. I write and mostly read non-fiction or primarily fiction that is Christian/inspirational genre, but the author did an incredible job within her more secular, suspenseful genre. I wanted the book to end differently, but that is only my opinion and has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. Really incredible debut novel.
Hopefully, since I am a journalist by profession, my vocabulary is pretty good, but I still had to google some words and look up specific references occasionally that I wasn't familiar with which appeared in the book. For me, this is a positive detail as it causes the reader to expand their vocabulary and to learn about new things. There was constant suspense in the book and that is a real plus to push a reader along in search of finding answers.
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and it is not a genre or topic I normally read. I write and mostly read non-fiction or primarily fiction that is Christian/inspirational genre, but the author did an incredible job within her more secular, suspenseful genre. I wanted the book to end differently, but that is only my opinion and has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. Really incredible debut novel.
March 30, 2020
Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce was an entertaining, fairly light read, which was much needed right now! Royce was an actress on All My Children (she was Erica Kane’s sister, Silver) and also a screenplay editor and writer. This is her debut novel and she did a good job!!
The blurb - What is everything you’ve worked so hard to overcome and forget about your past - including the person you used to be, 35 years and another lifetime ago - abruptly came crashing back?
The story‘s timeline and setting alternate between 2014 in prestigious Watch Hill, RI and 1979 in gang-riddled Detroit, MI. Mrs. Susan Ford has worked very hard through the year to escape the past, but the appearance of an old friend who happens to be a man from an ISIS controlled area of Iraq threatens to unravel it all and the journey takes us from seedy discotheques and gang battles, through drug use, to an eventual stable luxurious life.
While there were parts and characters in the book that seemed too outrageous and a few situations that seemed implausible, it really was a entertaining story! I think this will make a perfect beach read (or quarantine read) if you are looking for a light story with some interesting characters and intrigue! I’ll also be on the lookout for Royce’s next book as I expect she’ll just get better!!
The blurb - What is everything you’ve worked so hard to overcome and forget about your past - including the person you used to be, 35 years and another lifetime ago - abruptly came crashing back?
The story‘s timeline and setting alternate between 2014 in prestigious Watch Hill, RI and 1979 in gang-riddled Detroit, MI. Mrs. Susan Ford has worked very hard through the year to escape the past, but the appearance of an old friend who happens to be a man from an ISIS controlled area of Iraq threatens to unravel it all and the journey takes us from seedy discotheques and gang battles, through drug use, to an eventual stable luxurious life.
While there were parts and characters in the book that seemed too outrageous and a few situations that seemed implausible, it really was a entertaining story! I think this will make a perfect beach read (or quarantine read) if you are looking for a light story with some interesting characters and intrigue! I’ll also be on the lookout for Royce’s next book as I expect she’ll just get better!!
November 27, 2019
I was pleasantly surprised by this debut. I saw the author speak at a conference and sometimes when authors promote their books,you are never sure what it’s really going to be. This had lots of unexpected twists and turns. The chapters were short and I found myself saying “Just one more...”.
January 26, 2019
On a sunny summer morning by the sea in New England, Susan Ford’s cocoon of privilege is threatened when an Iraqi man from her distant past boards a plane in Baghdad to come find her.
We meet Mrs Ford in her carefully curated life - Blenheim Spaniels, Watch Hill Cottage in Rhode Island, close community, not a hair out of place... Mrs Ford has everything under control. Until the FBI arrive at her front door...
The book focuses on the current time (2014) with flashes back to the Summer of 1979, on the outskirts of declining Detroit where college coed Susan meets reckless and charismatic Annie. An unlikely duo, but their friendship will change both of their lives forever. Slowly, the reader is taken on a journey to unravel Mrs Ford's past as her present life begins to crumble.
This is Deborah Goodrich Royce's first novel as her career has largely been focused on acting and screenwriting. Perhaps her expertise in the area of screenwriting contributes greatly to the gritty feel of this book and the overwhelming feeling that it would make a fantastic movie on the big screen. For a debut, this was strong and entertaining enough to keep the momentum going throughout. Self control and calculating precision combine as the characters lives and lies are exposed.
We meet Mrs Ford in her carefully curated life - Blenheim Spaniels, Watch Hill Cottage in Rhode Island, close community, not a hair out of place... Mrs Ford has everything under control. Until the FBI arrive at her front door...
The book focuses on the current time (2014) with flashes back to the Summer of 1979, on the outskirts of declining Detroit where college coed Susan meets reckless and charismatic Annie. An unlikely duo, but their friendship will change both of their lives forever. Slowly, the reader is taken on a journey to unravel Mrs Ford's past as her present life begins to crumble.
This is Deborah Goodrich Royce's first novel as her career has largely been focused on acting and screenwriting. Perhaps her expertise in the area of screenwriting contributes greatly to the gritty feel of this book and the overwhelming feeling that it would make a fantastic movie on the big screen. For a debut, this was strong and entertaining enough to keep the momentum going throughout. Self control and calculating precision combine as the characters lives and lies are exposed.
January 29, 2019
This book is a GOOD read from cover to cover, with vivid visual imagery that totally transports the reader from the serenity of an elite seaside town on the picturesque East Coast to a late 70's era Detroit suburban disco, where the characters you meet entice you to go on a compelling and unexpected journey! Deborah Goodrich Royce is a clever writer with a keen sense of how to captivate, with cryptic clues, knowable characters and engaging dialogue. Anybody who ever explored the club scene of the late 20th century will be in for a fabulous flashback! Get this book and enjoy the ride!
August 3, 2019
I was lucky to be an early reader of this fantastic page turner. Entertaining, suspenseful and vibrant settings. You won't be able to put it down!
September 15, 2020
I hope you all like reading this book as much as I loved writing it!
February 24, 2020
Absolutely a great read!
Twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I always sneak a read at the end and this one I did not, and so glad
I didn't. Set in the spots I grew up in and the same era, I found it
very well researched and written about. It will leave you wanting
and needing more!
Twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I always sneak a read at the end and this one I did not, and so glad
I didn't. Set in the spots I grew up in and the same era, I found it
very well researched and written about. It will leave you wanting
and needing more!
Read
July 26, 2019Deborah Goodrich Royce’s debut novel Finding Mrs. Ford (Post Hill Press) stars two young women who routinely make astonishingly bad choices while the reader cringes, hoping for the best despite the odds.
Susan is the sensible one of the two, but she is beguiled by the beautiful, willful, capricious, and uninhibited Annie who talks her friend into one sketchy situation after another. Susan even goes on one fool’s errand in the middle of the night dressed in her nightgown (Put on some pants, girl.) Guns and drugs and thugs are involved.
We know none of this when the book begins, however, on a quiet morning in Watch Hill, a comfortably moneyed coastal town in Rhode Island. Here, Susan, all grown up now, lives with her dogs and the household help in a big house where she can hear the ringing of halyards and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks. Tourists come to gawk at the fine houses. Susan lives the privileged life that the tourists dream of.
We only have a few pages of this idyllic scenario before the FBI shows up and tilts Susan’s world. By page 11, she’s already told her first lie.
Finding Mrs. Ford shifts back and forth between two summers thirty-five years and some 800 miles apart: Watch Hill in 2014 and Detroit in 1979. The author does a first-rate job of making each of these locations alive for her readers. We have the smell of the sea versus the hot concrete of Detroit, the bucolic Watch Hill seaside versus the colorless brick of a bad neighborhood where bad guys in shiny suits deal drugs and lure clueless young women into bed.
The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/07/302614/
Susan is the sensible one of the two, but she is beguiled by the beautiful, willful, capricious, and uninhibited Annie who talks her friend into one sketchy situation after another. Susan even goes on one fool’s errand in the middle of the night dressed in her nightgown (Put on some pants, girl.) Guns and drugs and thugs are involved.
We know none of this when the book begins, however, on a quiet morning in Watch Hill, a comfortably moneyed coastal town in Rhode Island. Here, Susan, all grown up now, lives with her dogs and the household help in a big house where she can hear the ringing of halyards and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks. Tourists come to gawk at the fine houses. Susan lives the privileged life that the tourists dream of.
We only have a few pages of this idyllic scenario before the FBI shows up and tilts Susan’s world. By page 11, she’s already told her first lie.
Finding Mrs. Ford shifts back and forth between two summers thirty-five years and some 800 miles apart: Watch Hill in 2014 and Detroit in 1979. The author does a first-rate job of making each of these locations alive for her readers. We have the smell of the sea versus the hot concrete of Detroit, the bucolic Watch Hill seaside versus the colorless brick of a bad neighborhood where bad guys in shiny suits deal drugs and lure clueless young women into bed.
The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/07/302614/
March 14, 2020
Lindas Book Obsession Reviews "Finding Mrs. Ford" by Deborah Goodrich Royce, Post Hill Press, June 25, 2019, part of Suzy Approved Book Tours
Deborah Goodrich Royce, author of "Finding Mrs. Ford" has written an intriguing, suspenseful, captivating, and riveting novel. The Genres for this book are Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Literary Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in 2014 and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The story takes place in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and New York, and Detroit. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are twists and turns, and an edgy and intense feel to this story. There are also some unexpected surprises and turns of events.
I appreciate the way the author tells her story, and vividly describes the characters and landscape and setting. In 1979, two young women find themselves working together in Detroit. Susan and Annie start to work in a store and then decide to make more money by working in a bar. Both girls are opposite in many ways. Some serious and dangerous activities occur this particular summer.
It is now, 2014, and Mrs. Susan Ford, a wealthy widow is enjoying her view of her property in Rhode Island, when the FBI comes to question her about someone who is looking for her. Mrs. Ford denies knowing this person. For the first time in many years, Mrs. Ford is actually frightened. What happened so many years ago? Who is this person looking for her and why? Why is Mrs. Ford denying that she knows this person?
I would highly recommend this tingling, suspenseful and thought-provoking novels for readers who enjoy a great mystery.
Deborah Goodrich Royce, author of "Finding Mrs. Ford" has written an intriguing, suspenseful, captivating, and riveting novel. The Genres for this book are Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Literary Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in 2014 and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The story takes place in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and New York, and Detroit. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are twists and turns, and an edgy and intense feel to this story. There are also some unexpected surprises and turns of events.
I appreciate the way the author tells her story, and vividly describes the characters and landscape and setting. In 1979, two young women find themselves working together in Detroit. Susan and Annie start to work in a store and then decide to make more money by working in a bar. Both girls are opposite in many ways. Some serious and dangerous activities occur this particular summer.
It is now, 2014, and Mrs. Susan Ford, a wealthy widow is enjoying her view of her property in Rhode Island, when the FBI comes to question her about someone who is looking for her. Mrs. Ford denies knowing this person. For the first time in many years, Mrs. Ford is actually frightened. What happened so many years ago? Who is this person looking for her and why? Why is Mrs. Ford denying that she knows this person?
I would highly recommend this tingling, suspenseful and thought-provoking novels for readers who enjoy a great mystery.
August 18, 2020
Trivia: Remember Erica Kane’s sister, Silver, on “All My Children”? She was played by Deborah Goodrich Royce, author of FINDING MRS FORD.
Review: FINDING MRS FORD Is about two girls in their 20s, Susan and Annie, who become friends while they both work at a women’s clothing store. Together they leave that job for waitress jobs at a disco, which is where their troubles begin. It is 1979.
Cut to 2014. Susan is living a cushy life in New England, in a very large “cottage," with two little dogs and a housekeeper. Her life is ideal until visitors from the FBI question it.
The first half of FINDING MRS FORD alternates between these two years. In 1979 Susan and Annie become involved with Middle Easterners, and Susan finds she must still deal with them in 2014. Is there no escape?
At the end of the first half, right about the midway point of the book, comes a twist. Everyone loves a book with a twist, and this is the high point of FINDING MRS FORD.
The second half of the book explains what happened between 1979 and 2014. Although one aspect of FINDING MRS FORD seems implausible to me, the twist along with the circumstances in 2014 make for a lot of suspense. No doubt, this book will make you anxious to read Royce's next, coming in 2021.
By the way, the names and places in 1979 suburban Detroit are accurate. I'm just about the same age as Susan and Annie, and I also lived there then. The book even mentions the store across from my high school, the church I attended for 17 years, and the cemetery where my uncle is buried.
Review: FINDING MRS FORD Is about two girls in their 20s, Susan and Annie, who become friends while they both work at a women’s clothing store. Together they leave that job for waitress jobs at a disco, which is where their troubles begin. It is 1979.
Cut to 2014. Susan is living a cushy life in New England, in a very large “cottage," with two little dogs and a housekeeper. Her life is ideal until visitors from the FBI question it.
The first half of FINDING MRS FORD alternates between these two years. In 1979 Susan and Annie become involved with Middle Easterners, and Susan finds she must still deal with them in 2014. Is there no escape?
At the end of the first half, right about the midway point of the book, comes a twist. Everyone loves a book with a twist, and this is the high point of FINDING MRS FORD.
The second half of the book explains what happened between 1979 and 2014. Although one aspect of FINDING MRS FORD seems implausible to me, the twist along with the circumstances in 2014 make for a lot of suspense. No doubt, this book will make you anxious to read Royce's next, coming in 2021.
By the way, the names and places in 1979 suburban Detroit are accurate. I'm just about the same age as Susan and Annie, and I also lived there then. The book even mentions the store across from my high school, the church I attended for 17 years, and the cemetery where my uncle is buried.
April 17, 2020
I remember growing up and watching soap operas with my mom or my grandma. One of the favorites was All My Children. I remember watching almost every episode that came on and I definitely remember the legendary Silver Kane! So, I was beyond thrilled to learn that she wrote a book and even more thrilled to know I got to review it! Let me tell you what. This book was amazing! Deborah Royce’s talent shines through with this thrilling novel and really kept me captive through out.
Her characters are wonderfully chiseled. They have so much depth and I felt like I knew each one on a personal level, that’s how amazingly created they are. Added to these amazing characters, is a detailed and twisting plot. The suspense is riveting and the pages were turning late into the night for me. That’s just how I love my thriller novels!
If you have not picked it up yet, you must. You’ll find yourself getting pulled into the story instantly and held there, following each turn, and gasping at every twist. Mrs. Royce wrote this novel like a seasoned author and it is one I won’t soon forget it! I highly recommend it to all who love thrillers. From hit actress, to amazingly talented author…..Mrs. Royce is now on my must reads list! Well done! I can’t wait for the next one!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Her characters are wonderfully chiseled. They have so much depth and I felt like I knew each one on a personal level, that’s how amazingly created they are. Added to these amazing characters, is a detailed and twisting plot. The suspense is riveting and the pages were turning late into the night for me. That’s just how I love my thriller novels!
If you have not picked it up yet, you must. You’ll find yourself getting pulled into the story instantly and held there, following each turn, and gasping at every twist. Mrs. Royce wrote this novel like a seasoned author and it is one I won’t soon forget it! I highly recommend it to all who love thrillers. From hit actress, to amazingly talented author…..Mrs. Royce is now on my must reads list! Well done! I can’t wait for the next one!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
September 2, 2021
I can’t even finish this. Annie is completely selfish and has lived a nice life after killing Susan. It was 100% Annie’s actions that got Susan killed. I have no interest in finishing this book. It completely drags on and on, this book could have been finished in half the time, so much unnecessary details clogging up the story. You start to lose interest because you have to read about what the character is wearing, right down to the color. Very unnecessary and took away from the story. Will not be reading this author again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2019
It's always daunting when a friend asks you to read their book, but marvelous when the book turns out to be a page-turner from cover to cover. The author draws you in to a suspenseful yarn, threading between past and present, with constant mystery and foreboding. Her style reminds me very much of Patricia Highsmith, where nothing is ever what is seems. A very fun and worthwhile read. Congratulations to Deborah Royce, a born writer.
May 26, 2019
This is a great, fast paced story with some unexpected twists, interesting characters and memorable scenes!
May 2, 2020
Way too flowery language and $10 words - totally took away from the story. Half the time you can’t tell what is Annie’s fantasy and what is the actual story.
November 10, 2020
Mrs. Ford leads a privileged life. From her Blenheim spaniels to her cottage on the coast of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, she carefully curates her world. Hair in place, house in place, life in place, Susan Ford keeps it under control.
Early one morning in the summer of 2014, the past pays a call to collect. The FBI arrives to question her about a man from Iraq—a Chaldean Christian from Mosul—where ISIS has just seized control. Sammy Fakhouri, they say, is his name and they have taken him into custody, picked up on his way to her house.
Back in the summer of 1979, on the outskirts of a declining Detroit, college coed Susan meets charismatic and reckless Annie. They are an unlikely pair of friends but they each see something in the other—something they’d like to possess. Studious Susan is a moth to the flame that is Annie. Yet, it is dazzling Annie who senses that Susan will be the one who makes it out of Detroit.
Together, the girls navigate the minefields of a down-market disco where they work their summer jobs. It’s a world filled with pretty girls and powerful men, some of whom—like Sammy Fakhouri—happen to be Iraqi Chaldeans.
What happened in that summer of 1979 when Susan and Annie met? Why is Sammy looking for Susan all these years later? And why is Mrs. Ford lying?
My Thoughts: Flipping back and forth in time, and narrated by two separate characters, Finding Mrs. Ford kept my interest…for the most part. But the pace was slow and the characters were often glib and even unlikable.
I had to keep reading, however, because I wanted to know what would happen. I began to suspect the eventual twist, but why it took the turn it did puzzled me. Also, the connection between the young women and the Iraqi characters could have been more understandable if their motives had been clear. Instead the men seemed to be criminals and drug addicts typical of their circumstances and the times in which they lived. I kept waiting for something that would make me care about any of them. But that did not happen.
The book was interesting enough, but I wasn't invested in what happened to any of them. Therefore, this book earned 3.5 stars from me.
Early one morning in the summer of 2014, the past pays a call to collect. The FBI arrives to question her about a man from Iraq—a Chaldean Christian from Mosul—where ISIS has just seized control. Sammy Fakhouri, they say, is his name and they have taken him into custody, picked up on his way to her house.
Back in the summer of 1979, on the outskirts of a declining Detroit, college coed Susan meets charismatic and reckless Annie. They are an unlikely pair of friends but they each see something in the other—something they’d like to possess. Studious Susan is a moth to the flame that is Annie. Yet, it is dazzling Annie who senses that Susan will be the one who makes it out of Detroit.
Together, the girls navigate the minefields of a down-market disco where they work their summer jobs. It’s a world filled with pretty girls and powerful men, some of whom—like Sammy Fakhouri—happen to be Iraqi Chaldeans.
What happened in that summer of 1979 when Susan and Annie met? Why is Sammy looking for Susan all these years later? And why is Mrs. Ford lying?
My Thoughts: Flipping back and forth in time, and narrated by two separate characters, Finding Mrs. Ford kept my interest…for the most part. But the pace was slow and the characters were often glib and even unlikable.
I had to keep reading, however, because I wanted to know what would happen. I began to suspect the eventual twist, but why it took the turn it did puzzled me. Also, the connection between the young women and the Iraqi characters could have been more understandable if their motives had been clear. Instead the men seemed to be criminals and drug addicts typical of their circumstances and the times in which they lived. I kept waiting for something that would make me care about any of them. But that did not happen.
The book was interesting enough, but I wasn't invested in what happened to any of them. Therefore, this book earned 3.5 stars from me.
March 30, 2020
In this page turning debut we find Susan Ford living a privileged life on the coast of Rhode Island. It's 2014 and recently widowed Susan runs the family business with her best friend and stepson Jack Jr. Her easy going life soon changes though when the FBI show up inquiring about a man from Mosul named Sammy who was on his way to her house when he was picked up.
The story is told from the duel timelines of 2014 and the summer of 1979 when college student Susan Bentley meets Annie at her summer job becoming fast friends. Annie's a live wire seeking excitement and soon convinces Susan to follow her when she finds a new job at a disco.
From here the suspenseful story takes some twists and turns I didn't expect. With wonderfully descriptive writing that with the help of short chapters make this a compellingly fast read, I found myself completely captivated from start to finish. By the end, the two timelines come together seamlessly delivering a thrilling and even heartfelt conclusion. I highly recommend this original story to all of you who like to be kept on their toes while trying to figure out a good mystery.
Thank you Post Hill Press and Suzy Approved Book Tours for including me on this tour.
The story is told from the duel timelines of 2014 and the summer of 1979 when college student Susan Bentley meets Annie at her summer job becoming fast friends. Annie's a live wire seeking excitement and soon convinces Susan to follow her when she finds a new job at a disco.
From here the suspenseful story takes some twists and turns I didn't expect. With wonderfully descriptive writing that with the help of short chapters make this a compellingly fast read, I found myself completely captivated from start to finish. By the end, the two timelines come together seamlessly delivering a thrilling and even heartfelt conclusion. I highly recommend this original story to all of you who like to be kept on their toes while trying to figure out a good mystery.
Thank you Post Hill Press and Suzy Approved Book Tours for including me on this tour.
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