What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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Book Reviews of What the Dead Know
Book Review: first half=4 stars, second half=2 stars.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the first Laura Lippman novel that I've read. I don't think I would've ever picked this book up if I hadn't read a positive review from someone I trust.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The first few chapters get your head spinning. It's an uncomfortable feeling not knowing what's coming next and actually caring. This feeling began to cool towards the second half of the book. Like most authors of this genre Lippman lost a little bit of steam when it came to actually tying up the loose ends on all the plot lines she had entertained me with in the first half. The characters were great. The only one that I had trouble with was the lead detective, Kevin Infante. I didn't like him b/c he was a cookie cutter version of every detective in a novel like this. He's from out of town, plays by his own rules, and SUPRISE! he's a ladies man. (snore) Thankfully he wasn't asked to carry much of the story on his own.
There's one large twist at the end that you'll probably see from early on in the book, but that's only a fraction of "what the dead know".
If you like this one, try Harlan Coben's "Gone for Good".
Book Review: No psycho-babble, just interesting humanity
Summary: 5 Stars
With WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, Laura Lippman hooked me from page one, kept me going, had me "going," and finally reversed everything in an unexpected way, brilliantly wrapping the story's climax into its denouement. This tale is a skillful work which goes beyond the potboiler, stock pot formula mystery. The characterizations are intricate--complex, strong, vulnerable, and credible, with intensely important super objectives. The journey of the protagonist from child to adult, from confusion to meaning and understanding, from girl to woman is heartbreaking and yet uplifting. The mother's journey, spurred by pain and love, to self-knowledge and a sense of fulfillment ( even serenity) is agonizing but, nevertheless, the inevitability of a strong personality. As for the mystery/suspense elements, they're an incredibly exciting bonus. Lippman's understanding of human nature and her splendid intuitions about what happens when the unthinkable intrudes on ordinary reality and generates a second reality, provides a powerful, insightful tale for any reader without a closed imagination.
Laura Lippman, don't you dare stop writing.
Book Review: Soild Cold Case Pageturner
Summary: 4 Stars
What The Dead Know is the first novel I've read by Laura Lippman. The story begins with a hit and run accident. The woman involved is picked up and claims to be one of the Bethany sisters, two teenage girls who disappeared from a Baltimore mall many years ago. Through flashbacks and the investigation of homicide detective Kevin Infante, the truth about the mystery woman eventually comes to light.
Lippman's characterizations are deft and her attention to detail is superb. The plot was a little convoluted for my taste, but her writing style more than made up for any shortcomings. I was a little disappointed by the ending, but all in all, the book was entertaining and well written. I found the characters to be very realistic and they all kept me intrigued enough to keep reading. Well written dialog is very important to me and this book succeeded on that front. I will definitely add more of Lippman's novels to my reading list. A solid effort.
Book Review: Buried secrets, hidden lies
Summary: 5 Stars
A hit and run on a Maryland highway, and a very cold murder case heats up. The police pick up the woman driver, who has a minor head injury, and the story she begins to tell is stunning. She knows so much about the disappearance of a pair of sisters more than 15 years ago, so she must know what she's talking about. The trouble is, she refuses to identify herself.
Laura Lippman teases her readers with one electifying discovery after another, not releasing us from suspense until the final surprising chapter. This is a literate, thinking person's mystery, with layers of nuance, characters so genuine you wish you knew them, and an intricate, credible plot that never lets up for a minute. She skillfully presents the unsolved crime from the point of view of those most fully involved, from the victims to the perpetrators to the police. This is top notch crime writing, and I'll be checking out Lippman's other titles.
Book Review: What This Reader Knows
Summary: 5 Stars
What this reader knows--and delightedly so--is that he has discovered a wonderful way to get his suspense fix in Laura Lippman. This was my first book by her, picked up purely on the basis of the back cover copy at the airport and I have to say that I was transfixed from cover to cover. Lippman''s intricately-layered, mysterious narrative is the kind of book you hate to put down, and can't wait for the next opportunity to pick up again to see what twists and turns the author has crafted. Lippman's sympathetic and adept characterization (she knows how to make you care about the people about whom she's writing), her astonishing sense of pacing and suspense-building, her true-to-life settings, and her simple ability to tell a bang-up story make this one writer I look forward to reading again and again. This was truly a bravura performance and I can only hope her other books live up to the promise of this one.