From Publishers Weekly
The story of Jewish immigrants in America is a staple of commercial fiction. Still, it is a surprise to find Isaacs, usually the provider of zippy dialogue and suspenseful plots, writing a lackluster novel in this genre. In the first part of this multigenerational saga, she follows the offspring of Dora Schottland and Herschel Blaustein, loutish products of European shtetls whose unhappy union produces descendants who will exemplify dramatically different American experiences. Jake Blaustein, larcenous grifter and general no-goodnik, stays one step ahead of the law by decamping a train in Wyoming, where he changes his name to Blair, marries a half-Indian woman and forgets his Jewish heritage. His sister, Ruthie, stays in New York and marries a successful Jewish lawyer who is killed in WWII. Her children and grandchildren remain identifiably Jewish but not religiously observant. In the second half of the book, the great-great-grandchildren of Dora and Herschel meet (unaware of the fact that they are related, however). Lauren Miller, reporter for the Long Island Jewish News, encounters her distant cousin, FBI agent Charlie Blair, in Jackson Hole. Instant passionate attraction flares between them?though, of course, many obstacles stand in the way of their happiness. Both are on the trail of members of a violent militia that spews racial and anti-Semitic rhetoric. Here the book finally develops some suspense. Isaacs has done her homework well; her depiction of white-supremacist groups is informative and convincing. But the sappy love story overwhelms even this aspect of the narrative, and by the time Isaacs winds up waving the flag in celebration of the values that unite Americans, this sincerely patriotic novel is as heavy as a stale bagel. Editor, Larry Ashmead. Literary Guild main selection; Doubleday Book Club alternate. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Isaacs (Lily White, HarperCollins, 1996) gets really serious here with the story of Westerner Charlie Blair, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who is about to infiltrate a white supremacist group, and Lauren Miller, hired by the Jewish News to document the group's anti-Semitism. Their link? Unknown to them, they are both descendants of Jewish immigrants who met on the way to America.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Susan Isaacs brings together two unlikely investigators of an unforgivable anti-Semitic hate crimeÐCharlie Blair of Wyoming and Lauren Miller of New York. They share not only a passion for justice, but also, much to their surprise, a common ancestor: Dora Blaustein, a European Jew. John Shea is masterful in his portrayal of all the characters, providing easy transitions from one to another. His narration is flawless and quite nearly mesmerizing. RED WHITE AND BLUE is a wonderful audio production, thanks to Shea's and Isaacs's well-told tale. R.A.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The lives of Charlie Blair and Lauren Miller could not possibly be more different. He grew up on a ranch in Wyoming and is at one with the mountains; she was raised by urbane intellectuals in New York. But their pasts are intertwined, both being ancestors of a family that immigrated to the U.S. at the turn of the century. Isaacs smoothly combines what could have been two different novels into one. The first tells the history of an ancestral Jewish family trying to make it as Americans. Their immigrant story is refreshingly unromantic, accurately relating their dismal first years in a new country: no work, no money, poor living conditions, and oppression. Soon enough, the tale becomes a frolicking romp through the decades, a chronicle of love and loss, happiness and despair. In the second part, which is more of an investigative mystery, Charlie, now an FBI agent, and Lauren, a reporter for Jewish News, both find themselves in a small town outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming, trying to find out more about a white supremacist group. Isaacs' writing is quick and witty, and her storytelling is creative and exciting. It's easy to get to know Charlie and Lauren because their pasts are so well explained, and, as long as readers can avoid getting lost in Isaacs' cast of hundreds, they are certain to enjoy this superbly entertaining novel. Mary Frances Wilkens


From Kirkus Reviews
With keen humor and fine characterizations, the bestselling Isaacss (Lily White, 1996, etc.) multigenerational saga explores the nature of American identity. Opening with a description of all-American Charlie Blair, a Wyoming FBI agent on the trail of a local militia group, and then jumping to the life of Lauren Miller, a New York reporter for the Jewish News whos uncovering the latest in anti-Semitic bombings, the narrative unexpectedly mingles their lives: unbeknownst to all, they share a great-great-grandmother and the thread of a representative talethe struggle to become American. What or who was their missing link? On sighting the Statue of Liberty, one Herschel Blaustein proposed to little Dora Schottland (already a couple of months pregnant, thanks to a dashing cad). She prudently accepted, later bearing Jacob, wholl become Jake Blair when he makes it to Wyoming, and Ruthie, great-grandmother to Lauren. The split family tree, with one branch entering a traditional American frontier life, and the other remaining Jewish and New Yorkish, offers a fascinating example of the subtle changes undertaken for assimilations sake (not to mention for the purposes of Isaacss storytelling). When the plot returns to present-day Wyoming, Lauren spots the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, hes a new convert to Wrath, the anti-Semitic group shes in Jackson Hole to cover. Lo and behold, that handsome piece of America is our very own Charlie Blair, undercover. As things progress, hes in imminent danger from the various nut- cases hes informing on. This turn of event shifts the novels pace, turning the last pages into a race between good guys and bad. Nevertheless, thanks to Isaacss graceful touch, the quality of the story is never jeopardized. Both on the large scale and the small, an absorbing chronicle of the American character. (Author tour; TV satellite tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.



"Delightful."



"Superior entertainment...A funny, suspenseful, true-to-life novel."



"Isaacs delivers."

ANNOTATION

Spanning the 20th century, this multigenerational saga focuses on Lauren Miller and Charlie Blair, strangers from opposite sides of the continent, who are drawn together by an appalling hate crime and their mutual passion for justice.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From Compromising Positions to Lily White, Susan Isaacs has written seven critically acclaimed novels, all unforgettable New York Times bestsellers that have enthralled and touched her numerous fans. Now, she delivers her most powerful story yet, the gripping saga of two ordinary strangers whose hearts and lives will be joined in a most extraordinary way. . . .

A straight shooter in every sense, FBI agent Charlie Blair has the numbing job of a bureaucrat and the soul of a cowboy. Dying a slow death from lack of purpose, he jumps at the chance to leave behind Dairy Queen vanilla cones and the History Channel to infiltrate a paramilitary group in Wyoming. Charlie's not the only one hot on the trail, however. Lauren Miller, a bright, ambitious New York journalist, has arrived in Jackson Hole and is bent on finding these extremists for a career-making scoop. On the surface, this whiter than whitebread mountain man and the independent, urbane East-coast writer seem worlds apart. But they share more than they can ever imagine—including a great-great-grandmother and a mutual desire for justice that will spark not only a powerful passion for the truth . . . but an irresistible passion for each other too.

Author Biography: Susan Isaacs is the author of eight novels including Red, White & Blue, Lily White, After All These Years, Compromising Positions, and Shining Through and one non-fiction title Brave Dames And Wimpettes: What Women Are Really Doing on Page and Screen. She lives on Long Island with her husband.

SYNOPSIS

Spanning the 20th century, this multigenerational saga focuses on Lauren Miller and Charlie Blair, strangers from opposite sides of the continent, who are drawn together by an appalling hate crime and their mutual passion for justice.

FROM THE CRITICS

Entertainment Weekly

A passionate page-turner...Should earn the allegiance of her countless devoted fans.

New York Times Book Review

Delightful.

Seattle Times

Isaacs excels at keeping the reader entertained.

Nora Krug - The New York Times Book Review

Red, White and Blue is nothing if not a delightful diversion.

Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

Superior entertainment...A funny, suspenseful, true-to-life novel. Read all 11 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING