March 29, 2009
What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippmann I thought this was a very well-written mystery and was particularly impressed with how easily the author slipped in and out of the viewpoints of such a wide range of characters. Many times, writers have a tough time of convincing us they really *get* certain of their characters, but Lippman had me believing she understood the motivations and background of a male cop, a young girl, her parents, and then a 40-ish social worker. I’m a little embarrassed that I truly didn’t see the ending coming. Generally, I have these things sussed out pretty easily, which is why I mostly gave up on the mystery genre. I feel pretty confident that I’ll give some of Lippman’s other work a try, though.

What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippmann

I thought this was a very well-written mystery and was particularly impressed with how easily the author slipped in and out of the viewpoints of such a wide range of characters. Many times, writers have a tough time of convincing us they really *get* certain of their characters, but Lippman had me believing she understood the motivations and background of a male cop, a young girl, her parents, and then a 40-ish social worker. I’m a little embarrassed that I truly didn’t see the ending coming. Generally, I have these things sussed out pretty easily, which is why I mostly gave up on the mystery genre. I feel pretty confident that I’ll give some of Lippman’s other work a try, though.

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