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What the Dead Know: A Novel
Thirty years ago, the two Bethany sisters, ages 11 and 15, disappeared from a Baltimore shopping mall. They never returned, their bodies were never found, and only painful questions remain. How do you kidnap two girls from a busy mall on a Saturday afternoon without leaving behind a single clue or witness? Now, decades later, in the aftermath of a rush-hour hit-and-run accident, a clearly disoriented woman is claiming to be Heather, the younger Bethany sister. Not a shred of evidence supports her story, and every lead she reluctantly offers takes the police to another dead end-dying, incoherent man; a razed house; a missing grave. But there is something she knows about that terrible day... and about a family that disintegrated long ago, torn apart by an unthinkable tragedy and the fissures it revealed in a seemingly perfect household.
381 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 13, 2007
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13977 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lippman
112 books6,340 followersSince Laura Lippman’s debut, she has been recognized as a distinctive voice in mystery fiction and named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. Stephen King called her “special, even extraordinary,” and Gillian Flynn wrote, “She is simply a brilliant novelist.” Her books have won most of the major awards in her field and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her teenager.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,607 reviews
August 18, 2008
A middle-aged woman is involved in a hit-and-run accident. Two teenage girls are abducted from a shopping mall, never to be heard from again. These are the two major events that propel Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know, a disturbing novel of buried secrets and life's tragic surprises.
After fleeing a car accident, a middle-aged woman with no ID is questioned by both the police and hospital administration. Refusing to reveal her identity (and proof of health insurance), she instead hints that she is the younger of two sisters, Heather and Sunny Bethany, who disappeared the day before Easter in 1975. This gets everyone's attention. She knows both too much and not enough about the case, leading Baltimore police on wild goose chases to Pennsylvania and Georgia, saying just enough to stay out of jail and keep them interested, albeit suspicious. The narrative threads unravel into the various accounts of that Saturday's events, the aftermath of the disappearance, the investigation, and Heather's own increasingly desperate attempts to evade further disclosure.
Personally, I did not enjoy reading this book. In fact, I found that it was quite a chore, trudging through the storyline. I found the characters to be completely without depth and self-absorbed, making it extremely difficult to get to know and like them. It was curiosity rather than empathy that made me even finish the book. I really wanted it to be good - the subject was interesting - but in the end, it didn't hold my attention. I can't really recommend it to anyone.
After fleeing a car accident, a middle-aged woman with no ID is questioned by both the police and hospital administration. Refusing to reveal her identity (and proof of health insurance), she instead hints that she is the younger of two sisters, Heather and Sunny Bethany, who disappeared the day before Easter in 1975. This gets everyone's attention. She knows both too much and not enough about the case, leading Baltimore police on wild goose chases to Pennsylvania and Georgia, saying just enough to stay out of jail and keep them interested, albeit suspicious. The narrative threads unravel into the various accounts of that Saturday's events, the aftermath of the disappearance, the investigation, and Heather's own increasingly desperate attempts to evade further disclosure.
Personally, I did not enjoy reading this book. In fact, I found that it was quite a chore, trudging through the storyline. I found the characters to be completely without depth and self-absorbed, making it extremely difficult to get to know and like them. It was curiosity rather than empathy that made me even finish the book. I really wanted it to be good - the subject was interesting - but in the end, it didn't hold my attention. I can't really recommend it to anyone.
January 15, 2022
This felt weaker than the other Lippman books I've read. I think this is written earlier than the other ones and I felt like it was kind of obvious. The writing wasn't as good as the other ones, but it wasn't bad either. I just think the characterization was a bit much, like the way the woman is described as a master manipulator felt pretty unrealistic and over the top. I also feel like it was kind of obvious that but the rest of the ending wasn't that obvious, though I'm sure you could put the pieces together. I did enjoy the book however and it kept me engaged mostly. I really liked the parts from the parents perspective especially. The book wasn't anything special but it wasn't bad either.
March 26, 2008
I got a copy of this book at the airport in Chicago when my flight was delayed due to a snowstorm. I thought it looked interesting and would be an easy read. It wasn't interesting, it was tiresome and tedious, with a plot that was about as deep as a puddle and as hard hitting as a cocoa puff. To say the characters were one dimensional, is to give them at least three forths of a dimension. To say the dialog was flat and juvenile insults juveniles everywhere. And the ending of this little mystery was as subtle as a freight train. Do not walk away from, but run, run from this book, it is not worth your time now your energy, and when you are finished with it, because you will finish it thinking it can't really be this bad, they must tie it up in the end, you will hate yourself for being stupid enough to think that.
December 1, 2017
Laura Lippman is just a wonderful writer. This isn't about thrills and spills, but creeping dread and wonderful prose, with a turn of phrase that will makes this fellow writer bow in admiration.
August 21, 2020
Laura Lippman - image from AP
Penelope Jackson is the name on her ID, but when a woman has a traffic accident in Baltimore and is taken to the hospital, she is revealed to be someone else entirely. She claims to be Heather Bethany, the younger of two sisters abducted in 1975. With parallel time lines we see both the efforts of contemporary investigators to figure out whether she is who she claims to be and the events of this person’s childhood and trauma. It is an interesting tale, well done, engaging, not to be confused with high art, an entertainment, but a good one.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to Lippman's personal, FB, Twitter, and Instagram pages
My reviews of other books by Laura Lippman
-----2011 - The Most Dangerous Thing
-----2010 - I’d Know You Anywhere
March 1, 2013
I hated Heather Bethany. And not just a little bit either. Even though she had her reasons for her half-truths and lies, reasons that become apparent later, I still found it hard to forgive her. Since much of WHAT THE DEAD KNOW revolves around her, this proved a slightly difficult obstacle for me to overcome. Yet, Laura Lippman proved up to the challenge with an engrossing story that spanned decades and bounced back and forth in time like a shooting star set on repeat.
Despite the back and forth, I found it relatively easy to follow. But I still felt like there was something missing. It was a good story with an interesting premise, yet I never became fully invested in the story itself. And for that I blame the main character. She could have used a heart transplant and a lie detector test.
Nevertheless, all was not lost. Sympathetic characters existed in this tale; they just needed a backstage pass. Had Kay and Nancy stepped up to the microphone a bit more often, usurping their relatively minor positions, this novel would have been a more enjoyable read.
Despite the back and forth, I found it relatively easy to follow. But I still felt like there was something missing. It was a good story with an interesting premise, yet I never became fully invested in the story itself. And for that I blame the main character. She could have used a heart transplant and a lie detector test.
Nevertheless, all was not lost. Sympathetic characters existed in this tale; they just needed a backstage pass. Had Kay and Nancy stepped up to the microphone a bit more often, usurping their relatively minor positions, this novel would have been a more enjoyable read.
September 28, 2011
Basically two sisters disappear after a trip to the mall. Their bodies were never found and all leads come to a dead end. After 30 years a lady shows up claiming to be one of the sisters. We are taken through a series of memories from different characters’ perspectives. At the end we are suppose to be surprise by the truth, unfortunately for me, I guessed early on. Although the story had an intriguing level to it I wasn't completely captivated. I can’t put my fingered on it, but something was amiss. The characters were difficult to connect with. The chauvinistic detective was a cliché of a character. I skimmed through certain parts of the book because it was a bit wordy and boring. Overall it was just ok.
July 3, 2019
I really liked this psychological thriller written by Laura Lippman. This book is set primarily in Maryland, in the city of Baltimore. Having lived in Maryland most of my life, I really like the references to places I know. I also really liked the characters in the story, and the ordeals the girls went through in this book.
July 30, 2017
This was a quick and entertaining mystery for me. Lippman is always guaranteed to tell a story with a few twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. This one involved a cold case of two missing girls which suddenly comes to light years later when a young woman claims to be one of them. Thus the story unfolds. A bit slow going at first, dragging even, but picked up about half way in and I was anxious to get to the end....the who done it so to speak. Was this woman one of the missing girls, or was it all a hoax and what was her agenda? I will say, I figured out parts but completely missed a couple things. A pretty good read overall.
January 20, 2024
A new mystery author to add to my "read" list... this was a very suspenseful book. At first I avoided it because I didn't want another abused/missing kid story... but it turned into something else along the way, despite the fact I thought I knew all of the ending. Lippman took another way getting there. Looking forward to reading Lippman's other books.
(Reviewed 1/23/08)
(Reviewed 1/23/08)
December 18, 2023
This starts out a bit rocky, but once it gets going, it's hard to put down.
I enjoyed the development of the characters and how the past and the present are well-defined enough. Laura seems to enjoy writing narratives with both the past and present coming to meet one another.
Even though I guessed fairly early on the mystery twist, it was still engaging and fun to read to see how things were laid out and presented.
Laura Lippman did a great job on this on par with my enjoyment of Wilde Lake and much better than Prom Mom.
4 Stars.
I enjoyed the development of the characters and how the past and the present are well-defined enough. Laura seems to enjoy writing narratives with both the past and present coming to meet one another.
Even though I guessed fairly early on the mystery twist, it was still engaging and fun to read to see how things were laid out and presented.
Laura Lippman did a great job on this on par with my enjoyment of Wilde Lake and much better than Prom Mom.
4 Stars.
August 3, 2016
עלילת מתח לא קונבנציונלית שהתרתה איטית ולעיתים נגררת.
סאני והת'ר בתאני נעלמו ביום לפני חג הפסחא של 1975. סאני כמעט בת 15, הת'ר בת 11 והן נעלמות ל 30 שנים.
ואז יום אחד בשנת 2005 מופיעה בחורה שמעורבת בתאונת פגע וברח ולמרות שהיא נוהגת ברכב על שם פנלופה גקסון היא טוענת שהיא אחת מבנות בתאני.
הספר מקלף את שכבות ההיסטוריה והפרקים נעים בין העבר להווה ובין הדמויות שכל אחת מהן זוכה לפרקים שבהם היא הדוברת. גם חלקם של הבלשים לא נחסך ושל העובדת הסוציאלית המלווה את המקרה, אף על פי שלא הבנתי את צורך בנוכחות שלה בסיפור או בכלל בסיפור חייה.
הספר לעיתים מרתק, לעיתים נגרר ובעריכה מהודקת יותר הקורא יכל לקבל חוויה הרבה יותר משמעותית. מלחמת המוחות בין הדמות הראשית לבלשים מהווה מנוף טוב לסיפור אך לא מספיקה בכדי להחזיק את כל הספר וההיסטוריה של כל הדמויות לא מעניינת ולא מהווה מנוע להזיז את העלילה כך שבחלקים של הספר הרגשתי שקיעה.
יחד עם זאת, הרעיונות טובים והכתיבה במקומות שהעלילה נעה בהם, היא כתיבה טובה.
סאני והת'ר בתאני נעלמו ביום לפני חג הפסחא של 1975. סאני כמעט בת 15, הת'ר בת 11 והן נעלמות ל 30 שנים.
ואז יום אחד בשנת 2005 מופיעה בחורה שמעורבת בתאונת פגע וברח ולמרות שהיא נוהגת ברכב על שם פנלופה גקסון היא טוענת שהיא אחת מבנות בתאני.
הספר מקלף את שכבות ההיסטוריה והפרקים נעים בין העבר להווה ובין הדמויות שכל אחת מהן זוכה לפרקים שבהם היא הדוברת. גם חלקם של הבלשים לא נחסך ושל העובדת הסוציאלית המלווה את המקרה, אף על פי שלא הבנתי את צורך בנוכחות שלה בסיפור או בכלל בסיפור חייה.
הספר לעיתים מרתק, לעיתים נגרר ובעריכה מהודקת יותר הקורא יכל לקבל חוויה הרבה יותר משמעותית. מלחמת המוחות בין הדמות הראשית לבלשים מהווה מנוף טוב לסיפור אך לא מספיקה בכדי להחזיק את כל הספר וההיסטוריה של כל הדמויות לא מעניינת ולא מהווה מנוע להזיז את העלילה כך שבחלקים של הספר הרגשתי שקיעה.
יחד עם זאת, הרעיונות טובים והכתיבה במקומות שהעלילה נעה בהם, היא כתיבה טובה.
January 15, 2013
I was into this book a little ways before I remembered that I had heard this interview with the author on NPR radio. The idea for this book is based on [inspired by] an actual event that occurred in a Washington, D.C. suburb in 1975 when two teenaged sisters disappeared from a mall without leaving a trace or clue of what happened to them. The mystery of what happened to those two girls has never been solved.
In this novel the author provides a scenario of what might happen if one of those missing girls showed up now, forty years after the disappearance. Character development in this story was excellent, and the author did a good job exposing the various layers of the story in a carefully crafted manner. Obviously, the disappearance of a child is a parent's worst nightmare, and loosing two this way would be even worse. Dealing with the resulting guilt, blame and pain would surely play havoc on a marriage relationship. Then if a woman claims many years later to be one of those lost daughters, many mixed emotions are bound to rise again. There are of course the conflicting emotions of hoping that it's true versus the suspicion that she's not who she claims to be. The author lets the reader share in these conflicting emotions by not revealing the truth until the end.
The author's writing is exquisite and manages to say so much while actually using few words. The following example quotation is a mother’s observation of her children’s growing up:
This is an example of a book I never would have selected to read on my own. This book is probably considered to be a "murder mystery," a genre I seldom read. I read it because it was selected by a book group with which I participate. The group selected it because it was part of the Kansas City, Missouri Public Library's 2013 Adult Winter Reading that featured books that delve into our world after dark. Most of this book takes place in the day time. However, now that I reflect on it, some of the most important events in the book did occur at night. In the end I was pleasantly surprised to thoroughly enjoy this book. When I say enjoy, I don't mean to imply that it's a happy book. Rather it's a book that describes people dealing with a mixed-up and confusing set of emotional circumstances. After reading this book the struggles of a normal life seem a bit more manageable.
In this novel the author provides a scenario of what might happen if one of those missing girls showed up now, forty years after the disappearance. Character development in this story was excellent, and the author did a good job exposing the various layers of the story in a carefully crafted manner. Obviously, the disappearance of a child is a parent's worst nightmare, and loosing two this way would be even worse. Dealing with the resulting guilt, blame and pain would surely play havoc on a marriage relationship. Then if a woman claims many years later to be one of those lost daughters, many mixed emotions are bound to rise again. There are of course the conflicting emotions of hoping that it's true versus the suspicion that she's not who she claims to be. The author lets the reader share in these conflicting emotions by not revealing the truth until the end.
The author's writing is exquisite and manages to say so much while actually using few words. The following example quotation is a mother’s observation of her children’s growing up:
“Adolescence was like a big scab or scar tissue, a gradual covering of a soul too soft and open to be exposed to the elements. “This comment together with a couple more descriptive sentences made me feel that I fully understood the nature of this family and the feelings of the mother for her children.
This is an example of a book I never would have selected to read on my own. This book is probably considered to be a "murder mystery," a genre I seldom read. I read it because it was selected by a book group with which I participate. The group selected it because it was part of the Kansas City, Missouri Public Library's 2013 Adult Winter Reading that featured books that delve into our world after dark. Most of this book takes place in the day time. However, now that I reflect on it, some of the most important events in the book did occur at night. In the end I was pleasantly surprised to thoroughly enjoy this book. When I say enjoy, I don't mean to imply that it's a happy book. Rather it's a book that describes people dealing with a mixed-up and confusing set of emotional circumstances. After reading this book the struggles of a normal life seem a bit more manageable.
February 8, 2013
3 ½ stars. Good story telling. Kept my interest. Absorbing mystery.
It’s a very unusual story - when you learn everything at the end.
BUT, when it was over I felt like I had just been told a sad story. Good people are hurt. Bad people get away with things. It’s semi happy for a few at the end, but not really. Overall I felt depressed and sad. Here it is the next day, and I’m still grieving for someone. So, since I read for entertainment, and this leaves me down, I’m rounding down to 3 stars.
I was bothered by: Someone is killed and we never learn the details. We don’t know what the killer or victim said before it happened, or how it happened. This book is done in third person. We should have been able to get that.
I did not like the main character Heather/Penelope or whatever her name was. Other main characters were not sympathetic. There was no main character to like. That’s not a requirement, but it helps me enjoy a story.
NARRATOR:
I loved the narrator Linda Emond. I could listen to her read anything. She doesn’t rush. Her voice is warm and pleasant. When I was debating whether to buy another book by Lippman, as soon as I saw that Linda Emond was narrating, that was it. I bought it due to the narrator.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 10 hrs and 30 mins. Swearing language: strong but rarely used. Sexual language: I think only one incidence of strong words. Number of sex scenes: one briefly described, a few others referred to, rape was referred to. Setting: mostly 2005 Baltimore, Maryland, with flashbacks mostly to 1975. Book copyright: 2007. Genre: mystery.
It’s a very unusual story - when you learn everything at the end.
BUT, when it was over I felt like I had just been told a sad story. Good people are hurt. Bad people get away with things. It’s semi happy for a few at the end, but not really. Overall I felt depressed and sad. Here it is the next day, and I’m still grieving for someone. So, since I read for entertainment, and this leaves me down, I’m rounding down to 3 stars.
I was bothered by: Someone is killed and we never learn the details. We don’t know what the killer or victim said before it happened, or how it happened. This book is done in third person. We should have been able to get that.
I did not like the main character Heather/Penelope or whatever her name was. Other main characters were not sympathetic. There was no main character to like. That’s not a requirement, but it helps me enjoy a story.
NARRATOR:
I loved the narrator Linda Emond. I could listen to her read anything. She doesn’t rush. Her voice is warm and pleasant. When I was debating whether to buy another book by Lippman, as soon as I saw that Linda Emond was narrating, that was it. I bought it due to the narrator.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 10 hrs and 30 mins. Swearing language: strong but rarely used. Sexual language: I think only one incidence of strong words. Number of sex scenes: one briefly described, a few others referred to, rape was referred to. Setting: mostly 2005 Baltimore, Maryland, with flashbacks mostly to 1975. Book copyright: 2007. Genre: mystery.
February 5, 2008
I was not a fan of this book. There were too many point-of-views shared for one thing, and I found myself only concerned with what happened to "Heather" after she was kidnapped, not any of the other characters.
I also spoiled myself and looked to see "Heather"'s real identity, but I didn't care about how the story was resolved. After reaching page 200, I skipped ahead to the big reveal and just finished that part.
I guess mystery readers would enjoy the whole thing, but I'm not one of them. I chose to read the book due to its large wishlist at PaperBackSwap.com, and will be sending it on to someone who will hopefully enjoy it more than I did.
I also spoiled myself and looked to see "Heather"'s real identity, but I didn't care about how the story was resolved. After reaching page 200, I skipped ahead to the big reveal and just finished that part.
I guess mystery readers would enjoy the whole thing, but I'm not one of them. I chose to read the book due to its large wishlist at PaperBackSwap.com, and will be sending it on to someone who will hopefully enjoy it more than I did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2018
AUDIO ONLY.
Lately, I've gone through a very fast run of mediocre audio books. I'm sure these books are perfectly fine to read in print, but they absolutely did not work for me to listen to and in most cases, I did not listen very long. Either the narrators are no bueno or the format of the book does not lend itself well to audio.
I want to keep a list, so I won't try them again on audio.
Lately, I've gone through a very fast run of mediocre audio books. I'm sure these books are perfectly fine to read in print, but they absolutely did not work for me to listen to and in most cases, I did not listen very long. Either the narrators are no bueno or the format of the book does not lend itself well to audio.
I want to keep a list, so I won't try them again on audio.
August 18, 2008
this woman knows how to write. i'm exactly one chapter in, and i already feel relieved. thank god in heaven for good writers who know how to soothe our pain.
****
i finished it and am impressed by this novel, especially a) the consistently excellent writing, b) the representation of minor characters and c) the portrayal of the mind of an adult with a history of horrendous childhood trauma. what left me a little bit cold was the conclusion.
[MAJOR SPOILER]
for one, it's pretty clearly announced before its arrival, so the denouement feels a bit like a letdown. but also, well, miriam is a beautiful complex character, even more than "heather" herself (i love dave, too), yet their coming together at the end is overly simple, overly sunny, overly cathartic. i would have liked more darkness, confusion, irresolution. oh, but this is a small complaint. this is a very good book indeed.
****
i finished it and am impressed by this novel, especially a) the consistently excellent writing, b) the representation of minor characters and c) the portrayal of the mind of an adult with a history of horrendous childhood trauma. what left me a little bit cold was the conclusion.
[MAJOR SPOILER]
for one, it's pretty clearly announced before its arrival, so the denouement feels a bit like a letdown. but also, well, miriam is a beautiful complex character, even more than "heather" herself (i love dave, too), yet their coming together at the end is overly simple, overly sunny, overly cathartic. i would have liked more darkness, confusion, irresolution. oh, but this is a small complaint. this is a very good book indeed.
did-not-finish
May 2, 2019I wanted to try a Laura Lippman novel, because she's from my home state of Maryland. I listened to about 25% of the audiobook before I finally gave up. The narration was so boring, but if I had read the book, I think I would have thought the same thing about the writing style. There's way too much telling and not nearly enough tension. After listening to this for about two hours, I'm ready for a nap. It really sucked the energy right out of me. Sorry, it just didn't work for me.
August 8, 2013
Book #25 for 2013
Laura Lippman never fails to impress me. Here she demonstrates mastery of the multiple-POV narrative as she weaves themes of self-identity, survival mechanisms, and forgiveness and redemption into a complex story of a prodigal daughter. This is the sort of book I feel I should read again just to see how she pulls off such a feat of legerdemain.
For starters, there is the central question of the story: Is this middle-aged accident victim really who she claims to be? Or is she spinning tales to avoid being prosecuted for causing the wreck that landed her in the hospital? She obviously knows intimate details of the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the Bethany sisters back in the mid-'70s, but parts of her story just don't add up. I was reading this shortly after the three women were rescued from the Castro house in Cleveland, so my mind was full of alternative explanations of this woman's identity. But ultimately, none of my conjectures fit into the puzzle of her story, and Lippman's revelation made perfect sense, much like an optical illusion that requires you to shift your focus just slightly in order to see the 3-D image instead of a chaotic field of dots.
Of course, this isn't a simple matter of whether or not one woman is being truthful. The original case of the Bethany girls' disappearance left its indelible marks on not only their family, but an entire community. This novel examines this shattering effect and what it means to that same family and community when one -- and only one -- of the girls seems to suddenly reappear. There was also a universality present in Lippman's telling of a fiction based on a real missing persons case. I mentioned the three women in Cleveland already, but for the last 21 years, to me, "the three missing women" has meant Sherrill Levitt, Suzie Streeter, and Stacy McCall. I think every region has its own such case that is instantly evocative of a strong sense of the world being off-kilter. It's hard not to identify with at least some of the characters in this novel.
I also found the book's structure, which was patterned after the girls' father's meditative practices, intriguing. If I do re-read this book, I will certainly do some research into that beforehand. Even with my vague understanding of it, I felt that it added a lot to the underlying themes as well as to the phenomenally detailed backdrop of 1970s Baltimore. I have heard some complaints about the final scenes being unnecessary and too pat, but I feel that they were completely necessary to resolve the structure of the story and finally let the Bethany girls rest in peace.
Laura Lippman never fails to impress me. Here she demonstrates mastery of the multiple-POV narrative as she weaves themes of self-identity, survival mechanisms, and forgiveness and redemption into a complex story of a prodigal daughter. This is the sort of book I feel I should read again just to see how she pulls off such a feat of legerdemain.
For starters, there is the central question of the story: Is this middle-aged accident victim really who she claims to be? Or is she spinning tales to avoid being prosecuted for causing the wreck that landed her in the hospital? She obviously knows intimate details of the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the Bethany sisters back in the mid-'70s, but parts of her story just don't add up. I was reading this shortly after the three women were rescued from the Castro house in Cleveland, so my mind was full of alternative explanations of this woman's identity. But ultimately, none of my conjectures fit into the puzzle of her story, and Lippman's revelation made perfect sense, much like an optical illusion that requires you to shift your focus just slightly in order to see the 3-D image instead of a chaotic field of dots.
Of course, this isn't a simple matter of whether or not one woman is being truthful. The original case of the Bethany girls' disappearance left its indelible marks on not only their family, but an entire community. This novel examines this shattering effect and what it means to that same family and community when one -- and only one -- of the girls seems to suddenly reappear. There was also a universality present in Lippman's telling of a fiction based on a real missing persons case. I mentioned the three women in Cleveland already, but for the last 21 years, to me, "the three missing women" has meant Sherrill Levitt, Suzie Streeter, and Stacy McCall. I think every region has its own such case that is instantly evocative of a strong sense of the world being off-kilter. It's hard not to identify with at least some of the characters in this novel.
I also found the book's structure, which was patterned after the girls' father's meditative practices, intriguing. If I do re-read this book, I will certainly do some research into that beforehand. Even with my vague understanding of it, I felt that it added a lot to the underlying themes as well as to the phenomenally detailed backdrop of 1970s Baltimore. I have heard some complaints about the final scenes being unnecessary and too pat, but I feel that they were completely necessary to resolve the structure of the story and finally let the Bethany girls rest in peace.
June 27, 2011
Laura Lippman writes a mystery series described as "chick lit with guns," and that is about as far from my genre of choice as you can get. But facing a long drive and a paucity of choices, I picked up this audiobook - a standalone, not part of the series - and I really enjoyed it. So shame on snobby me.
The heart of the story is a question of identity. At the start of the novel, a woman has a traffic accident and tells the police that she is one of the Bethany Girls, two sisters who disappeared from their suburban Maryland home in 1975. Is she telling the truth? If not, why would she lie? Through flashbacks, and through the perspective of different characters, We learn the story of the Bethany girls' family life and their parents' troubled marriage.
This is a good mystery, tightly constructed and psychologically interesting, in the vein of a Barbara Vine novel. The different narrative voices are all convincing. The solution to the mystery is satisfying and fair to the reader. I would definitely read her again, although I'll still forego the chick-lit series.
The heart of the story is a question of identity. At the start of the novel, a woman has a traffic accident and tells the police that she is one of the Bethany Girls, two sisters who disappeared from their suburban Maryland home in 1975. Is she telling the truth? If not, why would she lie? Through flashbacks, and through the perspective of different characters, We learn the story of the Bethany girls' family life and their parents' troubled marriage.
This is a good mystery, tightly constructed and psychologically interesting, in the vein of a Barbara Vine novel. The different narrative voices are all convincing. The solution to the mystery is satisfying and fair to the reader. I would definitely read her again, although I'll still forego the chick-lit series.
October 2, 2010
This is the second Laura Lippman book that I have read....and it will be the last. While I liked the outcome of the book, that was about all that I liked. I found myself so confused about what was going on, and the author went around and around in circles so much - saying the exact same thing over and over again, that i found myself skipping pages that really have zero effect on the outcome of the book! Who cares that the mother was learning Spanish! Who cares about the detectives sex life - which got a bit graphic at times. Who cares!!!!!!!
I wish I could have gotten this book from the library....that way I wouldn't have spent money on it.
I wish I could have gotten this book from the library....that way I wouldn't have spent money on it.
March 29, 2022
El inicio me enganchó bastante, pero en mi opinión podía sobrarle algo.
Luego de tanto allá y acá el tremendo giro no me tomó de sorpresa.
Luego de tanto allá y acá el tremendo giro no me tomó de sorpresa.
August 6, 2007
This was a really good book that totally taps into the fears in the early 70s of kids being kidnapped. When a women is caught after leaving the scene of an accident, she claims to be one of two sisters who were kidnapped from a local mall 20+ years earlier. The book bounces around those 20+ years from several different perspectives while describing what happened to the girls and those that were left behind. Throughly enjoyable, and while I figured part of the ending out before I got there, it was still exciting to read what happened to Sunny and Heather Bethany and why.
April 13, 2008
I tried an earlier Laura Lippman and didn't care for it, but the plot of this one sounded terrific. Two girls vanish from a shopping mall; years later, a woman in a hit-and-run accident blurts out that she is one of the girls. Parts of what she says are lies, but which parts? I'm glad I gave it a shot--I enjoyed the different points of view as the book followed different characters.
July 10, 2021
A quick and easy read with a plot that kept me genuinely interested in finding out what happened in the end. Two things detracted though: 1) The characters flat and two dimensional, and 2) I absolutely hate the gimmick of maintaining mystery in a story by having a character say, "I'll tell you what happened... but not yet," in order to draw out the suspense artificially.
March 21, 2008
Story line had potential but the writers style was choppy (and not in the Hemmingway manner). Transitioning between characters and time periods weren't handled well and made it hard to stay focused on the book.
July 25, 2019
Seneler önce okuyup beğendiğimi hatırlıyorum. GR'ye kitapları eklerken atlamışım demek bir yerde.
December 17, 2018
Thirty years after two young sisters disappeared from Baltimore, a spaced-out woman is arrested near the city for having left the scene of an accident, and claims to be Heather Bethany, the younger of the pair; she tells of having been kidnapped by a cop, who murdered her elder sibling, Sunny, and kept Heather -- even though to start with she was just twelve -- as a sex slave before, a few years later, releasing her into the world with $5000 and a promise that they'll both keep quiet about this. In the intervening period Heather's parents split up and then her dad died; her only blood relative (oh yes?) is her mother, Miriam, now at age 68 living a sort of postponed hippie lifestyle in a small Mexican town. Of similar age is the detective, now retired, who got nowhere with the case of the Bethany sisters but could never shut it out of his mind; also investigating are a high-fee shyster, a studly young cop, and a dumpy divorced social worker.
The cover is plastered with rave reviews telling me this is a unique feat of the imagination and that Lippman delves psychologically deeper than any other thriller writer. Well, yes. Although this was entertainingly enough written, I could never escape the feeling that I'd read lots like it before; I guessed the mainspring of the plot's denouement fairly early on, which didn't help. I was reminded throughout of UK writers like Ruth Rendell and Val McDermid, which sort of put paid to the "psychologically deeper" claim (which is not to say that I wouldn't have been impressed by the power of the book's psychological undertow, as it were, had the claim not been there; just that publishers should be careful what their cover quotes spark off in readers' minds). The book also reminded me of the novels of Donna Tartt, in particular The Little Friend (2002); I'm sure other readers will find plenty of other comparisons.
The fact that the cover seemed very Picnic on Hanging Rock (the movie rather than the novel) didn't help.
Was it a good tale, well told? Certainly it was: I was gripped. Will I look out for other Lippman novels? I should reckon so.
April 25, 2014
More on the twisty thriller kick. This one was AWESOME; I wish more of them were like this. Lippman has the same knack as Jennifer McMahon for all those little details from your childhood that you've forgotten (I wanted the nurse kit more than the doctor kit, just like Sunny, because it had a girl on it and the other had a boy, and this was taken as a troubling lack of ambition by my father). Lots of twists; I guessed close to the big one but didn't quite hit it. Big meaty book too. Definitely won't be the last of hers I read.
April 18, 2020
Vond hem tegenvallen. Niet boeiend en langdradig.
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