After completing ten “Tess Monaghan” mysteries and six stand-alone novels, Laura Lippman revisited a character she had previously featured in two short works by publishing
And When She Was Good(2012). Again, Heloise Lewis is sympathetically portrayed as a soccer mom and suburban madam. The three variations, while differing in minor details, pose questions of public morality, success, prosperity, secrecy, and the relationship between two possible women’s roles, marriage and prostitution. Heloise has fashioned a good life for herself, her son, her employees, and her clients, though not without cost. Other women, she believes, have made comparable bargains within the institution of marriage. As Heloise catches her friend’s eye, she reflects during a sermon (yes, this madam attends…
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Citation: Dougherty, David C.. "And When She Was Good". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 May 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35592, accessed 13 October 2024.]