Tracy Whitney

In Tracy Whitney, the author has created a politically correct young woman who is smart, sometimes conniving, self-possessed, independent and tough. At the same time, Tracy shows little feminine warmth and human compassion. She is, after all, an idealist whose life has been thrown out of kilter by the tragic suicide of her mother and by the abandonment or disinterest of those she considered close friends. Early on, Tracy knows that her best friend is herself. Tracy is an interesting character because she essentially undergoes no change throughout the story and seemingly becomes trapped in her life of crime once she's settled the score with the New Orleans thugs who caused her mother's suicide. Tracy's criminal behavior is addictive; it progressively overtakes her life although she would like to stop and causes an essentially decent person to commit a string of increasingly risky crimes. Her tendency to...