Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Lady Upstairs by Halley Sutton

Halley Sutton is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles. Her debut novel The Lady Upstairs (Putnam, 2020) is a startlingly original piece of noir that’s earned praise from major reviewing outlets, including a starred review from Kirkus. Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are mixed, which is a testament to the deeply dark nature of the tale.

Set in contemporary Los Angeles, the main character and sole narrator of the story is a woman named Jo. At a low point in her life Jo was recruited for a specialized line of work by her coworker Lou, who is the contact with their elusive boss Jo knows only as The Lady Upstairs.

The agency is advertised as a recruiting and placement firm but its source of revenue is blackmail. Its goal is to take revenge on men who exploit women: the Hollywood producers, the powerful business executives, the corrupt politicians, the men who have insulated themselves from retribution with their clout and their money. Jo arranges for their quarries to meet appealing women and, when they behave as usual, a hidden photographer collects incontrovertible evidence of their vices. The targets of her stings are always willing to pay handsomely to see that their venality stays secret.

Most of Jo’s sizable income is earmarked to reduce a substantial debt. Once the slate is wiped clean, Jo intends to leave the job and Los Angeles and start over somewhere else. Freedom is in sight when one of her targets ends up dead, drawing law enforcement attention to the agency and Jo. Jo desperately sets up one last scam to win back the trust of The Lady Upstairs, recoup the lost money, and divert the police.

In other hands this plot could have turned into a feminist caper, a light-hearted spin on “don’t get mad, get even.” But Sutton has turned out an intense piece of noir with unlikeable characters and desperate situations where none of the choices are good. Everything is filtered through Jo and her increasingly alcoholic perceptions, creating doubt in the reader as to what really is happening. The ending seems inevitable. An acutely suspenseful story, even though I realized early on what was meant to be a big reveal near the end of the book. Halley Sutton is an author to watch.  

 

·         Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (November 17, 2020)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 320 pages

·         ISBN-10: 0593187733

·         ISBN-13: 978-0593187739 

 

Aubrey Hamilton ©2021

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.