Lady in the Lake is a slow burn novel that is hard to categorize by genre. This is a murder mystery and I believe it was listed in the mystery/thriller section, but I think it would be best labeled as historical fiction because the murders are more a framework for a story about Maddie than the real thrust of the novel.

Following multiple people from very different backgrounds as they navigate 1960s Baltimore, Lady in the Lake is an interesting look at racism, misogyny and class. There are point-of-view chapters for almost every character in the book. This was a different way of showing bias from many perspectives, and demonstrating that we all see the world through our own lens; what we see might not be what our neighbor sees and experiences.

Lady in the Lake also shows the push and pull of reporting. Maddie is attempting to be a reporter, doing what reporters do by delving into a victim’s life and death. But multiple other characters opine that Maddie has no right to do so, that the dead should be permitted to lie. That Maddie is hurting people by investigating. However you feel about that, it certainly is relevant to reporting, past and present. How much are citizens entitled to learn after a crime, or when something occurs in a public place? How much information is relevant to public safety and how much is merely salacious voyeurism?

What I found most successful about the novel is that Lady in the Lake demonstrates life in the 1960s, yet most of us will recognize that not much has changed in ensuing decades.

This book will be best enjoyed by those interested in historical fiction about the 1960s than those anticipating a mystery.

Content Warnings: <spoiler> abelist, racist, homophobic, and xenophobic language; statutory rape </spoiler>

The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #LadyInTheLake #historicalfiction

Big Lippman fan; read all of her books. Unlike some other reviewers, I had no problem following the narration of the various characters and found that approach interesting. But, it's hard to slog through a full-length novel where the protagonist is so unlikable - Maddie is nothing but a narcissist who wreaks havoc as she sets out to carve out a new life for herself. I kept waiting for redemption, but it never came. She left a lot of wreckage behind her on her journey to "success" 20 years later - I guess she felt she had succeeded, but, frankly, by that time I no longer cared.

Consistently well written novels make her one of my favorite authors. This was no exception. Taut and well paced.

I liked the premise of this story. I really, REALLY wanted to like this. A psychological "mystery" set in the 1960's with themes of race, class, religious beliefs and gender equality is what I THOUGHT I was getting.

Instead, I got a painfully slow narrative with multiple POVs (at times it took as much as an entire page to realize who was speaking), stilted dialogue and one dimensional characters.

Yet another excellent novel from Laura Lippman. A high quality historical mystery/fiction that left me guessing and had me deeply invested in the characters. I was impressed with the way she handled some touchy subjects and I think this would make an excellent book club read.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to read/review this book due to other commitments. I will certainly update this review if/when I have the chance to read the book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Lippman's writing is slow paced but her reveal is always worth it at the end. Good thriller-type story. Great cover!

This week I’m reviewing two books that take place in the 1960’s right here in America! It was definitely a different time and sometimes it nice to know how far we have come. It’s funny though, you will read about the injustices that women are still dealing with today, 50 years later. .

Maddie Schwartz has decided to completely uproot her life to find something she is passionate about. She leaves her marriage of almost twenty years because she is tired and bored of being a housewife. .

Baltimore is a city of secrets and even Maddie has hers. When she uses her secrets to help the police find a murdered girl, it leads to a job at the city’s newspaper. She wants to make a name for herself and be respected in the field, so when a missing woman is found dead in the fountain of the city park lake, she knows this is the story. .

Cleo Sherwood was the young black woman who they found. No one seems to care why she was killed. Maddie is determined to find the truth, but Cleo’s ghost wants to be left alone. There is nothing good that Maddie can find, and Cleo knows this. (I know I wrote ghost and you probably just said-Wait, What? - Don’t worry it totally works!) .

Maddie’s investigation brings her in to contact with so many different people and they are all interviewed or give their take on the crime. The author, Laura Lippman did quite a bit of research and used some actual real names in this book. The book has enough detail for you to picture the characters and the time period. You can see them in the newspaper office or out to lunch. .

I didn’t see the end coming in this one. Usually I figure out who did what before the end, but I had no idea! I really enjoyed all the different voices in this one and it moves along through Maddie’s journey to solve Cleo’s murder quickly.

I really enjoyed the alternating POVs and the setting: Baltimore in the 1960s. It's a bit of a slow burn - not a straightforward thriller. I actually didn't love the mystery plotline -- I enjoyed following the main character's journey through divorce, starting a career in her late 30s and maneuvering men, both platonic and romantic, way more than I enjoyed the "thriller" aspect of this novel, which I found slightly predictable. Overall, a decent read.

I have to admit I skimmed the last part of this book because I was just so darn bored.. I think there were way too many character perspectives and it took me out of the main story. I found myself not caring about anyone and seriously thought about just not finishing it. But I was already invested so I skim read the end and can at least give an honest review. I probably won’t pick up anything else from this author. The writing style definitely wasn’t for me.

RATING: 4.5 STARS
2019; William Morrow/HarperCollins Canada

I started this novel as right away I am getting Cop Town-vibe. Even though Cop Town takes place in 1970s, and Lady in the Lake is 1960s, there is the same tone of the time. You have strong women trying to right wrongs with everything being thrown at them. As I started the novel, I wasn't sure where it was going, but slowly it started building up and my curiosity turned into being hooked. While my feelings towards Maddie bounced all around, I was invested in her story and her stubbornness to find Cleo's (the lady in the lake) story. It wasn't just about what happened to her but who she was and she was loved. Cleo wasn't a throwaway. Oh, Cleo was also African-American woman which as we know did and do know get high profile status to be solved (ugh, going to stop there on that subject).

Once I get sucked into Lippman's standalone novels, I can't wait to see how it ends. She can really tell a story with characters that are realistic and that readers get invested into. I highly recommend this novel, and Lippman's backlog.

***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***

One of the things that drives me crazy about the mystery/thriller genre is that readers often come into it with a set of expectations and get very upset if those expectations aren't met. Laura Lippman consistently writes novels that examine crime from a very human angle. It often means she's more interested in the why then the how, and looking at not just the victim/s, but at those around them and how everything is connected. Her books are brilliant, and so smart, and The Lady in the Lake is no exception. Plus nobody does Baltimore better in novels than her! An absolutely must not miss and one of the best books I've read in 2019.

At first I thought this would be a murder mystery but it turned out to be so much more. This is a book about the 1960s in an urban setting and it delves into race, gender and politics of that time, as well as religion. It was really well written and kept me interested. The main character was flawed but still likable.

Synopsis: Cleo Sherwood goes missing and no one but her mom and kids notice, which is in line with the racism of the time. Maddie Schwartz decides to leave her husband to pursue a life as a reporter, an ambition she's had for a while. Maddie writes about Cleo and underestimates the amount of trouble she will cause by writing a story no one wants to tell.

I think this book is great for a lot of different people. Part mystery, part historical fiction, part ghost story. I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber&Faber for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was fascinated by the premise of this book and really wanted to like it.

Set in Baltimore in the mid-1960s the story is about Maddie Schwartz, a bored housewife who leaves her husband and son. She determines to make an independent life for herself and ends up working at a newspaper. She discovers the death of a young woman, Cleo, the Lady in the Lake and determines to find who is behind her death.

This story has a lot going for it, murder, mystery, a fascinating insight into 1960s Baltimore and what life was like for people of different backgrounds, but I found the fairly large cast of characters and their points of view rather confusing and didn’t end up connecting with them in the way that I had hoped.

Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for a review copy in return for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author. I did find myself lost a few times, too many pov characters. Back in time when it blacks were just a blip on a white person's radar. One newly single woman takes notice. Trying to find out who the lady in the lake was and just why was she murdered. With an unexpecting twist, one woman is determined to solve this case.

I’ve read a few of Laura Lippmans books to know that this is a departure from her normal style. It’s set in the past, involves a ghost, has numerous POV, and yet it is still a mystery type book to me.

Maddie recently walked away from her marriage and wants to make her make on the world and in journalism. She helps the police find a murdered girl which leads her to the local lake where Cleo was murdered. The book follows her investigation.

While the mystery is good what made its mark with me was the examination of how the sixties was with race, class and gender.

If you can get past the multiple POV you will be immersed within the time and the mystery of the murdered woman. It’s a great weekend type read.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lippman's latest novel. This was not my first novel by this author, nor will it be my last.

I think this would be considered a literary mystery. It is not a whodunnit really, although that is the crux of what keeps the novel moving forward.

This was a story that illuminates a time and place in history. There were discussions about race tensions, religious differences, laws, expectations and class differences. While I found the people in this book to be mostly superficial characters, the 1960s Baltimore setting was fully alive on every page. There were so many POVs including a ghost, a waitress, a nurse, and reporters. Each of these characters showed up for a very short period of time, offered their piece of the story and vanished. But I felt that was by design, people are temporary, the city and the culture last much longer.

The investigation into a murdered black woman was in the background throughout the book, but life continued and there were other things that needed doing. The life of a reporter at the time, especially an almost 40-year old cub reporter, could be difficult and degrading. The mystery had several twists and turns and intrigued me to the end.

The glimpse of a time I have never seen was more engaging then anything else. This may not be the perfect place for a new Lippman reader, but I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to others.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advanced e-copy of the book.

This book has a little bit of everything in it so it should appeal to a wide audience. The book’s style was different than I’m used to reading from the author. Many characters Maddie meets narrate their own chapter which adds great depth to the story. I recommend this book if you like reading about the 60’s as I do.

Very good! An intriguing story will well-thought out characters and a storyline that I really liked. Well done, Ms. Lippman! I will continue to read your books for years to come!

This was my first book by Laura Lippman. Though I love thrillers, I have to say this one didn't wow me at all. It took a great deal of effort to focus, and what really put me off was the multiple POVs. There were so many POVs (even the ghost's POV was there) that it became so confusing. And none of the characters, including the protagonist, were likeable. Overall, it was a tough read for me.