Suffers from Its Critical Praise
I picked up this novel at the suggestions of "The Strand" magazine that named it the best novel of 2008. Unfortunately, with praise such as this even good stories come off feeling overrated. This novel was well plotted up until the end where I found the resolution rather disappointing. Still the journey is worth it. The characters are all well rounded, real and interesting. Certainly worth the time and definately enjoyable, but not the best thing I've read this year.
My first Laura Lippman Novel but definitely not my last
What a wonderful book. I listened to the audio book and it was captivating. Her prose style is wonderfully intelligent and well articulated. The plot was ingenious with totally unpredictable twists and turns. 5 star rating is low in my estimation for this wonderful work.
an original but slow mystery
I loved the start of this novel. A woman is involved in a hit and run accident, and when confronted by the police, she connects herself to a 20 year old disappearance of two young girls. It was clear at the start that this was not going to follow any typical mystery formula. The novel is very well written, and bounces back and forth from past to present. I did get a bit impatient for a bit more to happen. I liked the characters, but the movement was all in time, and so there was no real character development. I liked the ending as well as so much about the book, but I spent too much time wishing it move along a bit more. This is a true original, and I expect a good read for many out there.
a decent read
This was my first book by Lippman. I read this book in one sitting - I love the way she writes, and the story had me hooked. It's a very dark tale, so that was depressing in spots.
I figured out the twist really early in the book. (That may not be the book's fault, though.) The resolution was rushed, and I didn't buy aspects of it.
Several people are annoyed by the use of the phrase "a police." Didn't bother me - I assumed it was a colloquialism.
Great Psychological Suspense
Boy was this book a great find. I am not a fan of detective series so when famous authors do a stand alone novel I grab it up as I did here. I read the rave reviews and must say I wholeheartedly agree. This book is an excellent psychological study of some unique and amazing characters and provides excellent suspense at the same time.
In 1975 2 girls went missing - 2 sisters who disappeared at a shopping mall. There was never a resolution brough to their disappearance and now 30 years later a mysterious, mentally off balance woman who was caught fleeing from a car accident claims to be one of these girls. This author uses the often tried but often unsatisfying literary form of going from past to present over and over. She does it to amazing results.
This novel is not so much a suspense novel as a deep psychological novel that studies its multifaceted characters in depth. The plot is simple - is this woman who she says she is and why would she reveal herself now? From this premise Laura Lippman creates highly developed characters from the past and the present as we learn more and more. Red herrings are expertly dropped everywhere, twists and turns run galore and they will certainly keep the reader on their toes. There are some definite shocks here.
This novel is highly satisfying. It is intelligently written and builds to a surprising and satisfying conclusion that will make you very happy you took the journey. Laura Lippman is an excellent author and you will crave more from her after this gem.
