In a tough New York of the early 70's, Lilly Jonas forges a new life as a single parent, besieged by muggers, a murdered acquaintance, and a troubling cyst. Through marvelously compact, page-turning scenes, Naomi Chase captures the whole world of New York City and that time in America in the microcosm of Lilly's life, from the specter of her son's imaginary stabber to the unraveling of the Nixon administration. The array of characters in her life leap off the page. So do her vividly authentic children. I loved this novel. Lilly is an everyday heroine, and this could read as a delicious how-to-manage-your-life-manual or a deeply satisfying heart-to-heart with a wry, savvy woman friend. Lilly and the Stabber is a gem.