The Babysitter's Code

by Laura Lippman

"New York Times" bestselling author Laura Lippman has been hailed as one of the best crime fiction writers in America today, winning virtually every major award in the genre. The author of the enormously popular series featuring Baltimore P.I. Tess Monaghan as well as three critically lauded stand-alone novels, Lippman now turns her attention to short stories--and reveals another level of mastery.

Lippman sets many of the stories in this sterling anthology, "Hardly Knew Her," in familiar territory: her beloved Baltimore, from downtown to its affluent suburbs, where successful businessmen go to shocking lengths to protect what they have or ruthlessly expand their holdings, while dissatisfied wives find murderous ways to escape their lives. But Lippman is also unafraid to travel--to New Orleans, to an unnamed southwestern city, and even to Dublin, the backdrop for the lethal clash of two not-so-innocents abroad. Tess Monaghan is here, in two stories and a profile, aligning herself with various underdogs. And in her extraordinary, never-before-published novella, "Scratch a Woman," Lippman takes us deep into the private world of a high-priced call girl/madam and devoted soccer mom, exploring the mystery of what may, in fact, be written in the blood.

Each of these ingenious tales is a gem--sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, always filled with delightfully unanticipated twists and reversals. For people who have yet to read Lippman, get ready to experience the spellbinding power of "one of today's most pleasing storytellers, hailed for her keen psychological insights and her compelling characterizations," ("San Diego Union-Tribune"), who has "invigorated the crime fiction arena with smart, innovative, and exciting work" (George Pelecanos). As for longtime devotees of her multiple award-winning novels, you'll discover that you hardly know her.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery Thriller, Novels, Ebooks

16 pages, ebook

First published October 7, 2008

About the author

Since 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.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda the same vibe as Milk Town by Nep

[Dean McIntyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE BABYSITTER'S CODE by Laura Lippman - Not sure where or when I acquired this short story on my Kindle, but I found it today in between finishing one and beginning a new read. Very short - less than a normal chapter. Terri Snyder enjoys a weekly babysitting gig in the home of a rich couple. One day she decides to break the list of universally understood babysitting rules and goes through the wife's drawers and clothes, even trying some on. She finds a small handgun and uses it to fantasize in the wife's clothes. Husband comes home unexpectedly, finds her in his wife's nightgown and gun in front of the mirror. Two pages later, the story ends.....no resolution, no tension, no character development, no plot development....just an unexplained ending. Completely unexpected and unsatisfying. Two stars are probably overly generous, but the beginning of the story had lots of potential.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5?

I am still surprised every time at how good is Laura Lippman with short stories.. yet how disappointed I am when they end.. This was like faboulous prequel to a book.. but with no book following. I am inventing the whole story that follows in my head (I guess that was the point)... But I' rather like to read it!! There were so many juicy details about what is coming next...

[Adelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the hell? It just… Ended.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not long enough. Too short to be a short story.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have the same complaint as others here--a sudden, completely unsatisfying ending.

[CAROL · Rating 2 out of 5]

good writer, pointless story, babysitter steals gun she found in employer's lingerie drawer as their marriage ends.

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a promising start and then it just..................ends......abruptly

I think it was Stephen King who once commented that his short stories (or novellas) were books that just never took enough shape and form to become a book. He tried to tease out more out of the story but there was just nothing more to pull out of the story.

The Babysitter's Code is not that. There is plenty more to add to this story. It just builds up to the point where the reader is getting in to the story and then it just.............................ends.

Why?

Don't know.

Frustrating?

Very.

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[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

i've never read a laura lippman book before... so i don't know if this short story is evident of her normal work... it leaves me with a lot of questions instead of feeling like the book answered things.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had such wonderful potential, wonderful lead in, and then just stopped. Dead. I kept clicking to turn the pages (I had the Kindle edition) and nothing. Maybe because I didn't have the actual book in hand I didn't realize how short it was.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh - there's a reason why I don't like short stories...they're too short. Can't get into it because by the time I do, they're done.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super-short!

[Brendaz890 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book left more questions open than it resolved. It had lots of potential, but came across as superficial and unsatisfying.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a short story, and I hated it.

[Kim Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently I read this book (it's in my Kindle app archived books) but I have zero memory of reading it. Make of that what you will.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd little short story about a babysitter finding a gun in her employer's dresser. I read it a bunch of times and still kind of didn't get it. 2 stars.

[Harmony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Too short, too many questions, too much of a time waster. I've found great freebies out there and this isn't it.

[Melinda Hickel (Smith) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the subject was promising, but no resolution in the story. Maybe would have worked better as a Novella.

[Kay Bates · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worthless.

[Colleen Lahey · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened to the end of the story? It just seemed to stop mid stream....

[Laura Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked it at first, but it just ends without warning. You feel kind of cheated, like the story wasn't really finished. It makes me wonder, why bother?

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Regular short story, interesting to me only because of the topic of babysitting taboos.

[Tzippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written, but disappointingly short. Felt like I was reading half a short story.