Elisabeth Hyde, The Abortionist's Daughter

The Abortionist's Daughter

Elisabeth Hyde

Knopf, June 2006, $23.95

ISBN 0307263665

Because she is a director of a Colorado abortion clinic, Dr. Diana Duprey knows many people want her dead. Still, when someone succeeds in killing her in the exercise pool of her home, her spouse District Attorney Frank Thompson and their nineteen year old daughter Megan are stunned.

The detective in charge of the investigation Huck Berlin knows this is a difficult case because of the enormous abortion enemy list and a witness claiming Diana had nasty arguments with her husband and her daughter just before she died. Since the coroner has a conflict of interests, another medical examiner does the autopsy, though he holds a grudge against Frank. As Huck struggles with the case and his attraction to a prime suspect Megan, who seems to beg him to take her, he seems no closer to a resolution.

The whodunit and why take a back seat to the deep look into the impact of performing abortions by a caring medical practitioner and her family. Diana, though seen mostly in flashbacks, is a fascinating individual who believes she is doing the morally right thing. Her spouse thinks more about how her work impacts than his political ambitions. Their daughter Megan is the most complex character of all, as she is confused over her mother's idealism that seems contradictory, as it also means killing a potential life. Diana's clients also are delved into with their conflicting internal disputes. Much more rounded than simple sound bites by pro life and pro women's rights, Elisabeth Hyde provides a strong character study that opens the abortion debate in an intelligent manner.