Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
Historical Mystery, 352 pages
Published July 23rd 2019 by William Morrow
The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that combines modern psychological insights with elements of classic noir, about a middle-aged housewife turned aspiring reporter who pursues the murder of a forgotten young woman.
In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know--everyone, that is, except Madeline "Maddie" Schwartz. Last year, she was a happy, even pampered housewife. This year, she's bolted from her marriage of almost twenty years, determined to make good on her youthful ambitions to live a passionate, meaningful life. Maddie wants to matter, to leave her mark on a swiftly changing world.
Drawing on her own secrets, she helps Baltimore police find a murdered girl--assistance that leads to a job at the city's afternoon newspaper, the Star. Working at the newspaper offers Maddie the opportunity to make her name, and she has found just the story to do it: a missing woman whose body was discovered in the fountain of a city park lake.
Cleo Sherwood was a young African-American woman who liked to have a good time. No one seems to know or care why she was killed except Maddie--and the dead woman herself. Maddie's going to find the truth about Cleo's life and death. Cleo's ghost, privy to Maddie's poking and prying, wants to be left alone. Maddie's investigation brings her into contact with people that used to be on the periphery of her life--a jewelry store clerk, a waitress, a rising star on the Baltimore Orioles, a patrol cop, a hardened female reporter, a lonely man in a movie theater.
But for all her ambition and drive, Maddie often fails to see the people right in front of her. Her inability to look beyond her own needs will lead to tragedy and turmoil for all sorts of people--including the man who shares her bed, a black police officer who cares for Maddie more than she knows.'
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"I saw you once. I saw you and you noticed me because you caught me looking at you, seeing you. Back and forth, back and forth."
Lady in the Lake has a lot going on—a woman who suddenly makes changes in her life to fulfill a life long dream, a dead woman who just wants to be left alone, motherhood, murder, corruption, newspaper stories, racial issues, secrets—like I said, a lot.
But all of that made for a compelling story that drew me in and held my interest until the very end. Maddie became a character that I cared about and I wanted her to succeed, in life and with her story. And I loved the fact that the timeline was set in the 60's. That gave it a whole different, interesting flavor.
I am never disappointed by a Laura Lippman story and I always know I'm in for a treat when I start one of her books. Lady in the Lake is a definite read for anyone who likes mysteries, thrillers, and historical stories.
I received an ARC of Lady in the Lake from Goodreads and this is my honest opinion.
About the author
Laura Lippman is a New York Times bestselling novelist who has won more than twenty awards for her fiction, including the Edgar Award—and been nominated for thirty more. Since her debut in 1997, she has published twenty-one novels, a novella, a children’s book, and a collection of short stories. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. LitHub named her one of the “essential” female crime writers of the last hundred years.
She also has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Vulture, Real Simple, and T magazine. The film of her novel Every Secret Thing was produced by Frances McDormand and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, starring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, and Dakota Fanning. Laura lives in Baltimore with her husband, David Simon, and their daughter. ~ Goodreads
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks SO much for leaving me a comment! Every single one means a whole lot to me!