T: Tracy Whitney #AToZChallenge

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I'm not going to lie to you, Tracy Whitney is a con-artist, and she will be my favorite female protagonists of all time. For those unaware, Tracy Whitney is the heroine hero of Sidney Sheldon's 'If Tomorrow Comes'. I read this book decades ago and I remember wanting to be like her when I grew up. That is the magic of books you know, and the characters they contain can mold your mind in a good way pretty early in your life. I read this book in my teens and I remember falling in love with the story, but more with Tracy Whitney. She's one of the bravest, smartest and strongest women in the literary world.

Tracy Whitney was a successful bank-worker in Philadelphia, engaged to the love of her life and is carrying their child. When her mother commits suicide after a scam leaves her in debt, Tracy tries to bring justice to her by fighting the scammers, New Orleans Mafia. The court case goes terribly wrong and Tracy is sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Soon, her employer and her fiancé abandon her and she miscarries her child due to the abuse from her fellow prisoners. Everything that can possibly go wrong, does go wrong, leaving Tracy with nothing to look forward to in life except death. Not the one to give up, Tracy develops courage and soon starts standing up to the fellow prisoners who abuse her. She gets stronger day by day and soon gets out on parole.

Tracy decides to avenge herself, by taking down all the men who ruined her life and does so successfully. When she goes looking for her ex-fiancé, who is now married to another woman, she decides to not punish him and leave them alone instead, as they look terribly unhappy with each other and no punishment would be as fitting as this one. With a criminal record on her name, her career is now over and she soon slips into crime only to realize how much she enjoys stealing from the rich. Her plans are detailed, intricate and top-notch. Her minds works in seconds and she continues to steal valuable items from people who deserve to be stolen from. This results in a colorful crime spree all over Europe and now Tracy and her various aliases are on the most wanted list.

When she falls in love with Jeff Stevens, one of her co-conspirators in crime, they decide to give it all up and take their earnings and go start a fresh life in Brazil. On the plane, she sits next to a millionaire criminal who shows a strong interest in her and the novel ends on this note. One can never be too sure if Tracy will leave him alone or steal from him.

Tracy Whitney is one of the most complex and layered characters ever written. She starts as a damsel in distress who turns out to be victim at the hands of many men. Strangely, she comes to her own in prison and turns into a strong woman who is set to avenge herself. The strength with which she rebuilds her life is commendable. You have just started developing respect for her when she decides to turn into a con-artist. Here is when you fall in love with her. What a woman! The heists she comes up with are nearly impossible and would take immense courage to pull off. Her mind works mysteriously as she pulls con after con. She's sexy, conniving, impeccable, smart and has a heart of gold. It is a crazily delicious combination and Tracy owns it completely.

If you haven't read 'If Tomorrow Comes' yet, please do yourself a favor and read it today. Tilly Bagshawe continued Sheldon's work with Tracy as the protagonist in 'Chasing Tomorrow' and 'Reckless', but they do not hold a candle to the original and strips Tracy of everything that she had become in the original book. Just read the first one and pretend like that is the end you want Tracy to have.

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I'm participating in the April A to Z Challenge for 2019 and my theme is Wonder Women.