Customer Reviews
Great Audio Book 
2008-10-04
I was not sure what to expect with this book but I was pleasantly surprised. The audio version hooked me from the very start.
Dr. Diana is The Abortionist. She is found murdered in her home. Police suspect the husband, an attorney. However, several others have reason to want Dr. Diana out of the picture. A good thriller, that kept my interest through all but the last disc when I had the story figured out. I would still recommend this book; good reader.
The Abortionist's Daughter 2008-07-20
D.A. Frank Thompson comes home to find his wife dead in their lap pool. It is obviously a murder. Of course, he is on the list of suspects. But there are others too, considering the controversial job his wife has as an abortionist. Mix in this mystery with a promiscuous daughter who's coming of age, as well as a study in family dynamics, and the result is an intriguing story of love, deception, hate, right, and wrong. The reader is afforded a glimpse into the different characters' ethics and viewpoints concerning various timely issues. I recommend this book.
A unique mystery-thriller-family saga combo 2008-05-25
A doctor at an abortionist clinic is murdered - who did it? The husband? The daughter? The anti-abortionists? or any other number of suspects? If that was all this book was - it'd make a good one hour television show and a so-so mystery read. But, as Diana (the murdered women's story) and the lives of those around hers tales are unfolded while her murder is investigated - it becomes much more. The story is as much about the other characters secrets, guilts and crosses to bear (they all have some issues) that unfold in-line with the mystery tale.
This isn't an action packed or investigative thriller of the Harlen Coben or other popular mystery-thriller writer genre. It's a psychological story of lives unfolding whie discovering who-done-it.
Just for it's uniqueness and great writing style - I recommend it.
The Abortionists Daughter 
2008-05-18
At first I thought I wasn't going to enjoy THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER. It seemed to be more about family relationships than murder. However it didn't take long to discover that the family dynamics help inform the murder investigation.
THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER is written on a number of levels. First and foremost is the murder of Diana and the investigation. We learn the family's back-story and what happened to bring them to this point in time. It is also an exploration of an extremely emotive issue from both sides of the argument into which is cleverly woven a theme of the nature of obsession and what it can do to people.
THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. There are many who may find parts of the book offensive and many more who will be upset by it.
Hyde has written three other novels; each examining different aspects of family relationships. Her website is [...]
A good novel to occupy your day 2008-05-17
This novel from Elisabeth Hyde was the perfect book to blitz through in one day's reading on a just-concluded vacation. I think Publishers' Weekly review hit the nail on the head when they said that "rather than generating suspense, the murder provides a frame for the turbulence in and around a woman propelled by idealism and strongly held beliefs." Agreed. In a bit of a twist on the normal structure of stories of this ilk, the murder gets solved about 30 pages from book's end, at which point Hyde doubles back and plays out the final day of Dr. Duprey's life. It's a microcosm of the forces that have buffeted every day of her life.
This was my first experience reading Ms. Hyde's work. I'll surely consider her earlier efforts.
Provacative murder mystery, will hook you and offend you (topics, conclusion) 
2008-01-25
Two weeks before Christmas, Diana Duprey, an outspoken abortion doctor, is found dead in her swimming pool. A national figure, Diana inspired passion and ignited tempers, but never more so than the day of her death. Her husband Frank, a longtime attorney in the DA’s office; her daughter Megan, a freshman in college; the Reverend Stephen O’Connell, founder of the town’s pro-life coalition: all of them quarreled with Diana that day and each one has something to lose in revealing the truth. Meanwhile the detective on the case struggles for the answers — and finds himself more intimately involved than he ever could have imagined.
So Good! 
2008-01-02
I actually really liked this book, although the title is a little misleading. It's not really about the daughter...more about the daughter's ex-boyfriend. And I wish it would have been longer, the relationship aspect of the book could have been more in-depth. I'm not really a fan of having to guess what would have happened. But none-the-less it was a very interesting book!
No surprises here 2007-12-26
You can tell that Elisabeth Hyde has done her "Creative Writing" homework.
Rule #1: For a classic whodunnit you need to develop several suspects, and hey, the most obvious suspects turn out to be innocent, of course.
Rule #2: Be specific. That's probably why we learn what everybody in the book is eating (Top Ramen soup being a favorite) and wearing (layering is crucial for menopausal women, just in case you didn't know or never wanted to know).
Rule #3: Be at least a little daring. That's where drugs, oral sex, abortions etc. come in.
It looks like this book has all the ingredients, and still fails to make good on its promise. The characters remain strangely one-dimensional and stereotypical. So does the plot. While reading I was really trying to shake that constant deja-vu feeling and hoping for at least one unexpected twist. It wasn't meant to happen.
Skip it 2007-12-01
"The Abortionist's Daughter" was a major disappointment. It reminds me of a Jodi Picoult book, and since I'm not a big fan of hers, that shouldn't be taken as a compliment. Author Elisabeth Hyde took a good idea for a murder mystery and ruined it with stupid characterizations and foreshadowing that was way too obvious right from the beginning.
Dr. Diana Duprey, the owner and director of an abortion clinic, is found dead in an exercise pool at the home she shared with her husband, Frank, a DA. There are numerous suspects in the case, as there are an abundance of people who had issues with Diana and probably wanted her dead. Frank and Diana are observed having a terrible fight shortly before her death. Numerous anti-abortion activists have made death threats to Diana in the past. A local reverend/right-to-life activist burst into Diana's clinic the day she was killed. Even Diana's 19-year-old daughter, Megan, is considered a possible suspect at first, although that theory is quickly put to rest. Megan is forced to deal with the loss of her mother, the persistent unwanted attention from her ex-boyfriend, Bill, and the idea that her own father may have committed the crime. To top it all off, Megan finds herself drawn to Huck, one of the police detectives investigating the murder, which obviously creates a major snag in the investigation process.
This book isn't very well-written. Most of the characters are entirely one-dimensional, and they conduct themselves in ways that make absolutely no sense at all (a cop willingly shacking up with the daughter of a homicide victim, etc.). There are story elements that pop up but are never fully explored or explained (such as Frank's affair with the coroner and the impact Frank and Diana's deceased son had on their family). It was also pretty obvious to me who the killer was right from the beginning, so there wasn't much suspense there, and the final "confession" was incredibly anti-climactic.
The fact that there was so much going on in the story kept me constantly engaged, but I was disappointed that so many aspects of the plot fizzled out without any explanation. Still, the book did hold my interest throughout, probably because it really had the potential to be a great murder mystery. Sadly, though, "The Abortionist's Daughter" does not meet expectations.
Nothing special 2007-09-13
When Diana is found dead by her swimming pool at home, it soon becomes clear that she has been murdered. The police investigate starting from her husband Frank all the way through her own daughter, Megan, and other acquaintances. As Diana had been a doctor who performed abortions in her own clinic, the list of suspects stretches out due to the controversies that often arose because of her profession. Additionally, throughout the investigation, some very unpleasant issues and family secrets come into the open.
The issue of abortion is tackled with balanced views by the "opposite sides" pertaining to the story, so that the focus is kept on the murder and subsequent investigation -even though in my opinion the core of the book relates more to family dynamics-.
All in all, I'd say that the narrative is fast paced although I wouldn't consider this a page-turner. I'd rather view it as a lukewarm thriller, not entirely "poor quality" but certainly not remarkable either. The fact that I, like most reviewers, guessed at the killer's identity almost right from the start speaks for itself.
