Lily White

by Susan Isaacs

“A big, fat, happy feast of a book. . . . [Isaacs’s] most confident and appealing. . . . [She] is both funny and piercing, a highly satisfying combination.” ―New York Times Book Review Meet Lily White, Long Island criminal defense lawyer. Smart, savvy, and down-to-earth, Lee can spot a phony the way her haughty mother can spot an Armani. Enter handsome career con-man Norman Torkelson, charged with strangling his latest mark after bilking her out of her life’s savings. As the astounding twists and reverses of the Torkelson case are revealed, so too is the riveting story behind Lee’s life. Lily White is a brilliantly crafted story of con artists and true lovers, of treachery and devotion―and of one brave lawyer’s triumphant fight for justice.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Novels, Chick Lit, Romance, Suspense, Crime

624 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

I 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

Reviews

[Jeanette]

No rating. I only got into it about 60 pages and it will be a DNF. It's far too dated and in this particular 2020 era, the crux seems almost trivial. It isn't, but in comparisons to what is happening to urban neighborhoods and good intent people in them right now. It's tone too, it just can't grab me at all. Too wordy, lawyer-like and verbose for the subject matter.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that stays with you for years. Though I read this years ago (as an older teen), there have been several occasions when I would have liked to read it again. I was unable to recall the title or the author and only found it again through creative "google-ing."

The story revolves around Lily "Lee White." She is an attorney representing a con man. While she deals with this fellow, Lee takes us back to her past. We discover her upbringing, her seemingly wonderful husband, her failed marriage and her wreck of a sister.

I remember being drawn in by the story. I cheered with Lee over her triumphs, commiserated with her over her odd and somewhat love-less family, and I was so angry when she was hurt. This is a book that I will have to read again as an adult. I can recall most of the elements of the story and can relate to Lee on a different level. She is a woman that has worked most of her life proving herself to others and feeling unworthy. Her life may not be idyllic now, but at least she's living on her own terms.

[Santa Cyopik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It had a little bit of everything....murder and mayhem, relationship issues, childhood flashbacks to a disfunctional family plus a surprise ending.....can't get much better than this....and easy to read as well. Will definitely look for more books by Susan Isaacs.

[Lee Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Susan Isaacs. I loved it. Despite its length (600+ pages) it took me only three days to read. It's that good.

It's the story of Lily White (Lee), a defense attorney and Norman Torkelson, a con artist. The story alternates between her growing up in Brooklyn and Queens with her Jewish parents in the 70s and her college and law school days in Cornell and New York University and her job as an attorney for several different firms. Many of the places and the politics of the time are familiar to me, which always makes it that much more fun to read.

The writing is often extremely funny.

The guilt or innocence of Torkelson and Mary, his "partner", is always changing in your mind. It's only when you read the short Epilogue that the complete truth is revealed. Talk about a surprise ending!

The parallel stories of a marriage gone bad, parents wanting to be accepted into the ranks of the more affluent, a drug addict sister who then becomes a volunteer in a day care and then announces (spoiler alert) she and Lily's husband Jazz will marry, Will, a (we learn fairly late, gay) black male lawyer friend who asks Lily very late in the story if she will marry him are all pulled off by the author to be believable, funny, and unexpected.

The main event, who killed Bobette?, Norman's "mark", is slowly but surely "resolved." The roles played by Lily, Holly (who was defending Mary until she wasn't), Will and others in solving the case are clearly developed and masterfully crafted.

This is not your typical book club book (it's not "deep," although in many ways it does give insight into how people "work", how the law works, how we evolve etc.). I think my book club could stand to do a whodunit which is this easy to read, unpredictable, and wraps up in a satisfactory way. But, since it came out in 1996 (and somewhat hard to obtain for a library), and has lots of pages (which some shy away from), the chance that my putting it on my list of suggestions for our upcoming year of books to read will result in it getting picked is low.

I'm hoping I'm wrong. It's going on the the top of my list.

Thank you Lori for giving me this book.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily "Lee" White is a Long Island attorney who is defending a con man named Norman Torkelson, accused of killing his latest mark. As the case unfolds, so does Lee's personal history, in a double narrative, alternating chapters (in different typefaces); Lee narrates the present-day chapters as she investigates Torkelson's case, while the chapters describing her earlier life are told in the third person.

The style does take some getting used to, but both narratives are sufficiently compelling that I never found myself skimming through one to get back to the other (which has happened to me before while reading less skillfully written books). The Torkelson plot offers a penetrating portrait of the con man and his partner in crime and a sharp look at the American justice system, while following the thread of Lee's history reveals an engaging, determined, and sassy heroine and her struggles to deal with her family.

[Lois Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book for numerous reasons, but what makes it truly unique is the way it's constructed. Lee White, a criminal defense attorney, narrates the story of her defense of a career con man, charged with strangling to death his latest mark. That story is intriguing in itself, with many unexpected twists. But every other chapter is written in third person, describing Lee's life from birth, with all the elements of family and romantic relationships that have caused her to become the person she is today.

Two parallel stories -- yet no feeling of division as you read them. I am very impressed by the fact that Susan Isaacs was able to pull this off so seamlessly.

[Kiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this under extreme duress, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I was fully expecting some horrible chick lit novel, but if all chick lit was written this intelligently then I would read a lot more of it.

[Lynne Derus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adult, getting free of her ungrateful family

[Allison Cannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I struggled with this it was readable but just never really pulled me in. But I am just too stubborn to give up on a book 😊

[Victoria]

No review available.

[Janessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave it a try. It didn't work out.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a bit to get into this book and begin to care about the characters. But I never really felt like they were my friends. I don't know what drew me to this book initially or how it wound up on my reading pile. There was nothing unique about the plot or characters. It was also a bit choppy. Initially I thought the time line was linear but then about 2/3 through I thought a lot of it had been a flash back - I was never really sure. It reminded me a bit of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. It's been almost 40 years since I read that book, on the recommendation of my older sister. I kept reading AAT waiting for it to get good because, well, my big sister recommended it so it must be good. The comparison is only in the way that I feel like they were both a similar length and style and I feel like I slogged through them both just because I'm not a quitter and I kept believing they'd get better.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with the lead character Lily White, whose parents are trying so hard to cover up their Jewishness in mid-century New York suburbia, they don’t even realize the absurd name they’ve given her. Hence, she eventually comes to be known as Lee White, though it would have been Lee Weiss if her father hadn’t rushed to the courthouse for a name change before her birth. As a child, Lee is deeply affected by her parents’ fascination with the neighboring WASPS, especially the Fosters, a contingent of blondes who live next door in a vast old pile of a mansion. In later life, the family will become important to Lee’s story.
The elder Whites want nothing more than for Lee to marry well and start reproducing, but she goes to law school, where she learns that her talent lies in prosecuting criminal cases. There is great comedy to be mined from the contrast between her parents hope for a genteel, assimilated life, and Lee’s day-to-day existence of interacting with hardened criminals and tough cops.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book with 2 different plots: One, the story of a bright criminal defense attorney(formerly with DA's office) who is handling the case of a long-time con man accused of murder; The other, the story of her life... Daughter of Jewish immigrants, wealth in fur industry, Ivy League graduate during hippy period, love with "the boy next door"...love, addiction, pretense, betrayals, family dysfunction, etc. At times, a little long, but, interesting overall.

[Huub Nollet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Door mijn vrouw meegenomen uit de boekenstapel van de camping en volgens haar weer zo'n advocatengedoe, m.a.w. drie keer niets. Ben dit gedateerde boek beginnen te lezen en ja, het gaat ook over een advocate, maar tjonge, wat er allemaal langs komt: blank en zwart, hetero en homo, klassenverschil, de betere klasse die omlaag is gevallen, oplichting, bespelen van justitie etc.etc.

Had wel moeite om door het begin te komen, maar toen het verhaal voor mij op gang kwam: prima!

[Mad Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable book written in the flashback style, it follows the life of Lee White an attorney trying to find happiness and defending her clients at the same time. The characters are well developed and I could identify with several. There are a few surprises toward the end of the book that I didn't see coming especially considering when it was written. I will be reading more Isaacs' books.
+

[Chrissy Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok book. I had a hard time reading it at first because I just didn’t think it was that good. It finally started getting good towards the end. In some parts the author kinda got a head of herself. There were huge parts that was in ( ).

[Thato Mashopha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it when I was in the 7th grade and I loved it. We moved house and it got misplaced. I was going through some of my old stuff yesterday and I found it. I'm going through it now and the 27 year old me is even more in love with it.

[Pam Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman lawyer defends a career conman for murder. The book also gives extensive descriptions of the woman's family, as well as her childhood. The book seemed like it was longer than it needed to be. The last quarter of the book took off, and I'm glad I stuck with it.

[Clare Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good! I wasnt expecting much but ended up with a well paced story, some twists and turns and a likeable lead. Yes the book is showing its age in places but somehow that didnt detract from the entertainment.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Susan Isaacs but this was not my favorite. I felt detached from Lee and didn't enjoy reading about her history. And that's difficult when you have such a long book and everyone else is a secondary character. However I did appreciate the sweet ending.

[Kirsten Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished it. But I don’t know. I never really had where I totally wanted to keep reading. It was interesting how I kept going back-and-forth between her growing up and real time but there were a couple spots that were just kinda random.

[Bev Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost didn’t read this. I did not like it at first but pushed on. I ended up loving the book teaching me to give every book a chance before giving up on it. I love Lily White and her professional and personal life was interesting

[Sumi Tamang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this more than 5 times, honestly. I must have been 14/15 then.

[Ellie Syverud · Rating 1 out of 5]

Decided I didn't like it so did not read it.

[catherine l doss · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this irritated me with the alterations of time with each chapter and then I caught the rhythm and enjoyed it.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts slow, gets much better.

[Akeating2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, seemed a little bit long but easy fun read.

[Nancy]

It's not that this wasn't a decent book. It just didn't grab me enough, at this time, to want to continue with it. Probably good enough for another time in my life.