Megan Abbott returns with El Dorado Drive, a psychologically complex thriller that excavates the desperate measures women take when backed into financial corners. Set against the backdrop of suburban Michigan’s declining middle class, Abbott weaves a tale that is both achingly familiar and horrifyingly plausible. This latest offering from the Edgar Award-winning author demonstrates her continued mastery of exploring the shadowy underbelly of female relationships, though it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions.
A Web of Sisterhood and Greed
The story centers on Harper, a woman drowning in debt who moves in with her recently divorced sister Pam. Harper’s surprise at Pam’s apparent financial stability quickly transforms into intrigue when she discovers “the Wheel” – a women’s investment circle that promises financial salvation through collective giving. What begins as sisterly support evolves into something far more sinister as the boundaries between empowerment and exploitation blur beyond recognition.
Abbott’s plotting is meticulous in its construction of this pyramid scheme disguised as female empowerment. The author skillfully demonstrates how easily desperation can be weaponized, particularly among women who have been systematically excluded from traditional financial power structures. The Wheel operates under the guise of sisterhood, complete with chants about women supporting women, but Abbott peels back these feel-good mantras to reveal the predatory core beneath.
Character Development: Flawed Yet Compelling
Harper emerges as a compelling protagonist whose financial desperation makes her both sympathetic and frustrating. Her internal conflict between moral qualms and monetary necessity drives much of the novel’s tension. Abbott excels at portraying Harper’s gradual moral compromises, each small step deeper into the scheme feeling both inevitable and tragic.
Pam represents the seductive face of the Wheel’s promise – a divorced woman who has apparently clawed her way back to financial stability. Her transformation from victim to predator illustrates Abbott’s central theme about how easily the exploited can become exploiters when given the opportunity.
The supporting cast of women in the Wheel creates a fascinating study in collective delusion. From the calculating Sue Fox to the increasingly desperate Sandy, each character represents a different stage of involvement in the scheme, showing how the promise of easy money can corrupt even well-intentioned women.
Abbott’s Signature Style in Full Display
Abbott’s prose maintains the sharp, atmospheric quality that has become her trademark. Her ability to capture the claustrophobic nature of suburban desperation while building mounting psychological tension remains unparalleled. The dialogue crackles with authentic desperation, and her descriptions of the various meetings and parties create an almost hypnotic quality that mirrors the seductive nature of the scheme itself.
The author’s background in crime fiction serves her well here, as she structures the narrative like a slow-burning fuse. Each chapter builds upon the last, creating an inexorable momentum toward tragedy. Her use of multiple perspectives allows readers to see how each woman justifies her participation, creating a complex moral landscape where victims and villains become increasingly indistinguishable.
Thematic Depth and Social Commentary
El Dorado Drive functions as both thriller and social commentary, examining how economic desperation can corrupt even the most well-intentioned communities. Abbott’s exploration of female financial vulnerability feels particularly relevant in an era of growing economic inequality. The novel asks uncomfortable questions about:
- The price of financial security and what people will sacrifice to achieve it
- The exploitation of female solidarity for personal gain
- The cyclical nature of victimization within predatory schemes
- The intersection of class anxiety and moral compromise
The book’s examination of how pyramid schemes prey on existing social networks proves especially chilling. Abbott demonstrates how these schemes exploit not just financial desperation but also the genuine desire for community and mutual support among women.
Where the Novel Falters
Despite its many strengths, El Dorado Drive occasionally suffers from pacing issues in its middle section. The repetitive nature of the Wheel meetings, while thematically appropriate, sometimes feels monotonous to readers. Additionally, some of the secondary characters remain somewhat underdeveloped, functioning more as plot devices than fully realized individuals.
The novel’s resolution, while shocking, feels slightly rushed compared to the careful buildup Abbott constructs throughout the first two-thirds of the book. The final act’s violence, though foreshadowed, arrives with such brutal swiftness that it may leave some readers feeling emotionally whiplashed.
Abbott’s Literary Legacy and Comparisons
This latest work fits seamlessly into Abbott’s established canon of examining female relationships under extreme pressure. Readers familiar with her previous novels like The Turnout and Give Me Your Hand will recognize her masterful ability to blend psychological realism with noir sensibilities. However, El Dorado Drive feels more grounded in contemporary social realities than some of her more stylized earlier works.
The novel draws inevitable comparisons to other financial thriller classics, but Abbott’s focus on the gendered aspects of economic desperation sets it apart from male-dominated entries in the genre. Her exploration of how women navigate financial systems that often exclude them adds layers of complexity absent from more traditional financial thrillers.
Technical Craftsmanship
Abbott’s technical skills as a writer remain sharp throughout El Dorado Drive. Her ability to maintain multiple narrative threads while building toward a climactic revelation demonstrates her growing confidence as a storyteller. The novel’s structure, which gradually reveals the true nature of the Wheel while simultaneously developing Harper’s character arc, showcases sophisticated plotting.
The author’s use of setting – the declining suburbs of Michigan – provides more than mere backdrop. The environment becomes a character itself, reflecting the economic anxiety that drives the plot while creating an atmosphere of genteel desperation that permeates every page.
Final Verdict: A Worthy Addition to Abbott’s Canon
El Dorado Drive succeeds as both an engaging thriller and a thoughtful examination of contemporary economic anxiety. While it may not reach the heights of Abbott’s very best work, it demonstrates her continued evolution as a writer willing to tackle complex social issues through the lens of crime fiction.
The novel will particularly resonate with readers who appreciate character-driven narratives that blend psychological insight with social commentary. Abbott’s ability to find the darkness lurking beneath seemingly normal suburban life remains as sharp as ever, making this a compelling read for both longtime fans and newcomers to her work.
Despite its occasional flaws, El Dorado Drive confirms Abbott’s position as one of contemporary crime fiction’s most essential voices, offering both entertainment and genuine insight into the economic pressures facing modern women.
Recommended for Readers Who Enjoyed
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – for its exploration of suburban secrets and female relationships
- I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones – for psychological manipulation themes
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – for dark family dynamics and small-town secrets
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – for class tension and moral complexity
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – for psychological thriller elements
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – for unreliable narrators and twisted relationships
Abbott has once again proven that the most terrifying horrors often hide behind the most ordinary facades, wrapped in the language of empowerment and sisterhood but concealing something far more predatory beneath.