Review of JENNY COOPER HAS A SECRET by Joy Fielding (New Release)

 4 Stars

This psychological suspense novel is a great read.

Linda Davidson, 76, makes regular visits to Legacy Place, a memory-care facility for the elderly, after her best friend Carol is diagnosed with dementia. While visiting, Linda meets 92-year-old Jenny Cooper who tells Linda that she has killed a number of people, mostly men who hurt her and she believes deserved to die. Linda has a lot of stress in her life: her husband died and she’s not certain how to move on with her life, her best friend doesn’t even recognize her, and the peace of her home is disturbed by the constant bickering between her daughter Kleo and her husband Mick who live with her. She becomes intrigued with Jenny and her stories which provide her a reprieve from daily life.

The suspense derives from trying to determine the truth. Is Jenny just spinning yarns for Linda’s entertainment? Are her confessions just the confusion of an ailing mind? At times she is surprisingly lucid, so her revelations cannot be easily dismissed. When a patient at the facility dies shortly after Jenny learns he sexually abused his daughter, is Jenny responsible? Does she actually pose a danger to others?

Jenny is feisty and quirky. She has a commanding personality who cannot be ignored. She is full of quips, often speaking without filters. Many of her exchanges with Linda are hilarious. For instance, when Linda asks Jenny about the number of her murder victims, even just a ballpark, Jenny replies with “’Shea Stadium’” and even after Linda explains what the expression means, Jenny retorts with, “’You say “ballpark” and I’m supposed to know that means to give you an approximate number? That doesn’t make any sense’” and continues “’What does how many people I’ve killed have to do with baseball?’” Amidst her witty remarks are words of wisdom. For instance, she tells Linda that she apologizes too much and should stop overthinking. She is definitely a memorable character.

Despite its lighthearted moments, the novel does touch on a number of serious subjects like aging, abuse, friendship, loss and grief, and family. Dementia and its effects, on both those diagnosed with the disease and their loved ones, are examined. Carol’s husband tells Linda she is such a good friend because she continues to visit Carol even as her condition deteriorates and Linda reflects, “Does he know how hard it’s become for me to visit my lifelong friend, the disappointment and outright anger that I feel toward her condition, that I feel toward her, and the guilt I carry for feeling this way? Would he consider me a good friend if he knew the depth of my resentment, the rage I can barely suppress whenever I confront the glazed look in her eyes, the unstated fear I carry of ending up the same way?” Perhaps because I am not much younger than Linda, I identified with a number of her concerns.

This is a fast-paced, quick read. I predicted the ending, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.