Name: Maddy Lennon's review of Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
Item: Lady in the Lake
Rating: 4
Author: Maddy Lennon

Laura Lippman

A New York Times Bestseller! The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that combines modern psychological insights with elements of classic noir, about a middle-aged housewife turned aspiring reporter who pursues the murder of a forgotten young woman. In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know--everyone, that is, except Madeline "Maddie" Schwartz. Last year, she was a happy, even pampered housewife. This year, she's bolted from her marriage of almost twenty years, determined to make good on her youthful ambitions to live a passionate, meaningful life. Maddie wants to matter, to leave her mark on a swiftly changing world. Drawing on her own secrets, she helps Baltimore police find a murdered girl--assistance that leads to a job at the city's afternoon newspaper, the Star. Working at the newspaper offers Maddie the opportunity to make her name, and she has found just the story to do it: a missing woman whose body was discovered in the fountain of a city park lake. Cleo Sherwood was a young black woman who liked to have a good time. No one seems to know or care why she was killed except Maddie--and the dead woman herself. Maddie's going to find the truth about Cleo's life and death. Cleo's ghost, privy to Maddie's poking and prying, wants to be left alone. Maddie's investigation brings her into contact with people that used to be on the periphery of her life--a jewelry store clerk, a waitress, a rising star on the Baltimore Orioles, a patrol cop, a hardened female reporter, a lonely man in a movie theater. But for all her ambition and drive, Maddie often fails to see the people right in front of her. Her inability to look beyond her own needs will lead to tragedy and turmoil for all sorts of people--including the man who shares her bed, a black police officer who cares for Maddie more than she knows.

A Novel

Lady in the Lake

Maddy Lennon

The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that combines modern psychological insights with elements of classic noir, about a middle-aged housewife turned aspiring reporter who pursues the murder of a forgotten young woman. In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know—everyone, that is, except Madeline “Maddie” Schwartz. Last year, she was a happy, even pampered housewife. This year, she’s bolted from her marriage of almost twenty years, determined to make good on her youthful ambitions to live a passionate, meaningful life. Maddie wants to matter, to leave her mark on a swiftly changing world. Drawing on her own secrets, she helps Baltimore police find a murdered girl—assistance that leads to a job at the city’s afternoon newspaper, the Star. Working at the newspaper offers Maddie the opportunity to make her name, and she has found just the story to do it: a missing woman whose body was discovered in the fountain of a city park lake. Cleo Sherwood was a young African-American woman who liked to have a good time. No one seems to know or care why she was killed except Maddie—and the dead woman herself. Maddie’s going to find the truth about Cleo’s life and death. Cleo’s ghost, privy to Maddie’s poking and prying, wants to be left alone. Maddie’s investigation brings her into contact with people that used to be on the periphery of her life—a jewelry store clerk, a waitress, a rising star on the Baltimore Orioles, a patrol cop, a hardened female reporter, a lonely man in a movie theater. But for all her ambition and drive, Maddie often fails to see the people right in front of her. Her inability to look beyond her own needs will lead to tragedy and turmoil for all sorts of people—including the man who shares her bed, a black police officer who cares for Maddie more than she knows.

Joana

I really enjoy reading Laura Lippman's writing, and I can't explain why. I'm always pleased to read her books even when the plot and the pace don't match with me. Lady in the Lake is a very slow-burn mystery. It wasn't thrilling or left me on the edge of my seat, and I never had the need to try solving the mystery myself. Although it was a journey, and when the mystery was solved I was surprised. Not because it was unpredictable instead because I was so laid back and enjoying the story that I didn't want to think ahead of time.

The story is told from different characters points of view which are confusing at first. One chapter was following Maddie and the next a "random" person that she met. As the story progressed, I got used to those shifts. Usually, they didn't add much to help solve the mystery but it gave a different perspective of 1966 Baltimore, a different perspective of Maddie, the differences in classes, races, religions, genders, and more. These changes in the story were what made me enjoy the ride, although it took a toll on the mystery part.

The plot could have been summed up in a shorter book if the story didn't lose itself in all those other characters. That created a nice book to read but not an exciting mystery to solve.

Fraser Simons

DNF 20% just couldn’t get into it. The setup was interesting but it gets progressively more boring and jumps into multiple POVs, which doesn’t work well on an audiobook unless the narrator changes their voice; this one doesn’t, so it was a bit confusing. Petered out.

'Haunting... extraordinary.' STEPHEN KING A stunning, multi-voiced, period piece - tackling race, gender politics, and the volatility of mid '60s America - from the author of SUNBURN Cleo Sherwood disappeared eight months ago. Aside from her parents and the two sons she left behind, no one seems to have noticed. It isn't hard to understand why: it's 1964 and neither the police, the public nor the papers care much when Negro women go missing. Maddie Schwartz - recently separated from her husband, working her first job as an assistant at the Baltimore Sun- wants one thing: a byline. When she hears about an unidentified body that's been pulled out of the fountain in Druid Hill Park, Maddie thinks she is about to uncover a story that will finally get her name in print. What she can't imagine is how much trouble she will cause by chasing a story that no-one wants her to tell.

Mariam Mohsen

after reading what most people thought about this book... i didn't expect what i'm gonna find
and honestly, it wasn't as i anticipated at all..
one of the things that really annoyed me about the book was that the author has put too much focus on pretty much every single person in the story, even if that wasn't important.
and this kind of thing just got me lost in every thing some times.
there was so much details which were really expanded and took much from the book without actually explaining what the author wanted to achieve out of the story.
also, i just didn't like Maddy, she was so selfish and got what she wanted through hurting others without caring.
what made me give it 2 stars that there were some good points, like when Firty decided to leave his job and everything just cause he really loved Maddy.. and in my opinion she didn't deserve that, since she didn't give it even a second thought.
this surely wasn't one of my favourite thriller reads.
but i feel like the author has some much interesting books

Danna Sabolik

I loved the way Lippman wrote this. I was super intrigued the entire way through, even though I wasn't super invested in any of the characters in particular. I was pretty shocked by the big twist at the end, because I usually can guess the ending. I really really liked this book and would recommend it to friends!

Jessica 

3.5 stars. 
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As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. (3.5, may be lifted to a 4 star rating. I can't decide.) Review found here at Booked J. 

Lady in the Lake had me hooked after merely reading the synopsis. Very psychological? Noir? Set in the 1960s? A city driven, and defined, by its mysteries and secrets? Incredibly complex women at the center of it all? Sign me up, please and thank you. And, in so many ways, this novel was truly an enthralling journey that compelled me to read further and further until its final moments. 

This was my first experience with Laura Lippman, because I'm nothing if not perpetually late to the party when it comes to a lot of brilliant minds. Lady in the Lake certainly won't be my last exploration of her work. There was something about the tone of her writing that left me feeling an array of things. Namely, I was unsettled. I had this distinct feeling of unease, like Lippman's very prose is what warned me of what was yet to come and that is one of the best feelings a reader can get when reading a thriller. 

Before reading Lady in the Lake one of the most common descriptive phrase I'd heard for the novel was slow-burn and, reading it, I can certainly understand why. Lippman is masterful at creating the slow-burn and leads us down an intriguing path because of it. It makes Lady in the Lake so mysterious and drifts us into the above mentioned uneasiness. 

The plotline is amplified and benefits from its multiple POV. I felt like this really took the reader into the thick of it all and left us questioning so much. Each page left me feeling the burn and captivated me further. It added layers to the central story-lines and really, really worked for me. Everything about Lady in the Lake kicked my mind into gear and made my heartbeat like made--it was most definitely what a mystery novel should be: determined, teasing, dark and character-driven. 

Overall, I felt like there were some pacing issues from time to time and a few things that could have been cut from the novel. Yet, even in those moments, I found Lady in the Lake to be detailed and packed with so many good qualities. It's easy to picture the setting, the characters, and so on. In short? If you're looking for a highly engrossing mystery, set in a different time, you'd be wise to check out Lady in the Lake.

Maddy Lennon &
Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman

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Maddy Lennon &Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman

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Maddy Lennon &
Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman