Abbott forms this instant emotional connection with readers as we wonder, what did Pam do to make her say that? We learn that Pam is the charismatic middle sister. Everybody likes her, except her ex-husband. They have been going through a tumultuous divorce and their teenaged children are becoming collateral damage.
The story is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a dozen years ago. This is an area the author knows well, she grew up there. It was an affluent suburb of Detroit but with the decline of the automotive industry those glory days are seemingly over. All three Bishop sisters are dealing with financial problems.
Debra’s husband has cancer-medical bills are eating them alive. Pam and her daughter were forced to relocate to a cheap rental home after the divorce. When she married her husband he had appeared to be a successful tycoon. They lived in a mansion. Now he’s avoiding his responsibilities and isn’t paying any child support.
Their daughter Vivian is fiercely loyal to her dad so when her aunt Harper breaks the news to her that “the bank called your mom. Months ago. Your dad’s been taking money out of your brother’s trust fund.” Vivian doesn’t want to believe it but she shares a special bond with her aunt so this is hard news to swallow.
Harper owes someone fifty thousand dollars and he wants his money right now. It is complicated. All three sisters are desperate for cash. That’s when they start hearing about a club for women that might be the way to solve their financial problems. In an interview Abbott explained to me that such secretive clubs really exist.
These groups are essentially pyramid schemes that are supposed to pay out big when you reach the top of the pyramid. You can do that by recruiting new members, other desperate women, to join. Pam is good at recruiting. Eventually things reach a boiling point-there’s a murder. “El Dorado Drive” is a deeply emotional and convoluted tale about a group of women who are trying to repair their lives. Money can be quite a deadly problem to solve.
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
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