After building her glittering career with a long-running, multi-award-winning series starring Baltimore private eye Tess Monaghan, Laura Lippman has in recent years spread her wings with a number of outstanding, very different, standalone thrillers. From the multi-layered tale of family and justice in Wilde Lake to the James M Cain-esque Sunburn to exploring various prejudices in Lady in the Lake, Lippman is masterful.

Following the multiple narrators and broad scope of her last novel, Lippman flips the script in Dream Girl with an intensely claustrophobic tale that largely takes place within the four walls of novelist Gerry Anderson’s new condo. And inside his mind. After a freak accident, bed-bound Gerry only has a nurse and PA for company, so when he starts receiving phone calls from Aubrey, a character from his most famous novel, he doesn’t know what’s real or fantasy. Is he losing his mind, or is he in danger? Who can he trust?

Put simply, this is a dreamy, brilliant novel. A slow burn creeping suspense that wears its homage to the likes of Misery well, while being its own original thing. Lippman has a wonderful way with words, lulling readers while setting many hooks, and seasoning the journey with plenty of wit and humour. An incisive and unpredictable novel from one of the finest exponents of the crime genre, anywhere.

I felt the beginning of the book was very disjointed. The main character Gerry is a novelist and he goes back and forth between describing his first few wives, his family life, having two families simultaneously. It might be clearer to read in a book, but on the Kindle it was hard to follow the different chapters and flip back between the different time lines.

It was challenging to follow all these different characters, who in many cases were not connected. I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters. Toward the end, after yo-yoing back and forth, the plot settled in to revolving around two or three characters. For me, the last quarter of the book was the strongest. The book's ending was interesting but I felt I had to wait too long to get there.

Overall, the plot was hard to follow. It took me longer than usual to finish the book, because I didn't feel drawn to the plotlines and I wasn't grabbed by the story.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, although I think writers might find those aspects of the book interesting. 3/5 stars.

Dream Girl was a good read. Started off a bit slow, but I ended up enjoying the story and plot. Definitely not my favorite, but did still enjoy.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Dream Girl began very well but began to pall, I’m afraid. Around half way through there is a thoroughly ridiculous decision by Gerry, the protagonist, and after that I skimmed a good deal without missing much, I think. I found the ending contrived and far too much of a deus ex machina and I wasn’t sorry to finish the book.

The set-up is good. A successful novelist is confined to bed after an accident and, while pretty doped-up on pain killers, begins to receive odd phone calls from someone claiming to be the “real” version of a character he made up in his most successful book. Laura Lippman writes very well and for a hundred pages or so I was intrigued and involved. However, I began to find the story predictable, rather familiar and increasingly implausible. What begins with some rather sharp insights into Gerry’s attitudes to women moves on to some #metoo issues, which are well handled but which don’t say much which is new and the thriller plot didn’t do it for me at all.

There is enough here to make me want to try another of Laura Lipmann’s books, but overall I found this rather run-of-the-mill and hence quite disappointing.

(My thanks to Faber & Faber for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I was drawn into this one after reading the premise, the main character Gerry Anderson is a novelist and is getting phone calls from a woman claiming to be Aubrey, a character he invented for a book.

Unfortunately after taking the bait of the book description the novel felt very slow and it was difficult for me to build up any enthusiasm for the novel. Narrated by Gerry the story flips time zones between past and present and for simple old me became a little confusing. There were bits I enjoyed but not enough to make it an enjoyable read.

Struggled to take to any of the characters and generally thought the plot was too slow and confusing.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber and Faber for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Dream Girl.

I'm a fan of the Tess Monaghan series so I was eager to read Dream Girl.

Dream Girl is about Gerry Andersen, an elderly author whose seminal work, Dream Girl, made him famous.

When a freak accident at home turns him into an invalid, he needs to rely on his nurse, an odd woman, and his assistant.

As he recovers and pops pills for the pain, he is being plagued by strange phone calls from the woman of his famous novel.

Is he losing his mind, going the same way of his mother? Who can he trust if not himself?

Dream Girl is a psychological thriller that pays homage to Misery and Gaslight, but instead on focusing on the thriller aspect of the story (yes, there s a dead body or two), the narrative is focused on Gerry, a horny, adultering, annoying man with little to no redeeming qualities, except for his talents as an author.

He is selfish, bratty, entitled and has serious mommy and daddy issues.

The author takes readers into Gerry's past and reveals the events in his childhood, adulthood and relationships that have shaped him into the unlikable man he is now.

The tone and writing style is different from the author's usual style; it's cold, formal and speaks existentially about authors and the writing process, which I didn't appreciate in a story I thought was a straightforward thriller.

Naturally, the women in Gerry's life is far more interesting; his three wives, including his nurse, his assistant and his extended family.

The ending is satisfying in a way, but not entirely:

What was the point of Gerry's story?

Revenge? Is it a reference to the #MeToo movement, in which the women he's disrespected and treated poorly finally get the upper hand?

Why bother tormenting/gaslighting him in the first place? He hardly seems worth it.

This wasn't my favorite from the author, but I'd recommend any fan of the author's to give this a try.

I was really hoping for more of a thriller/mystery with this book. I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them but this one fell a little flat for me. Gerry Andersen is a best selling author who has a freak accident and ends up confined to a hospital bed in his apartment, cared for by his assistant and his night nurse. He starts receiving late night phone calls from a woman claiming to be "Audrey" who is a made up character in one of his novels. No one believes him and he begins to question his sanity while in a drug induced state from pain medication and sleep aids.

I will start by saying that at the end of the book the story came together and everything wrapped up nicely however I found that the way the novel is written felt very disjointed and hard to follow. I assume this is intentional given the drug use and the ending (trying not to have spoilers) but it made for an awkward read. The book also ended in less than 20 pages which felt like I slogged through the story just for it to end abruptly. Most of the characters, Gerry included, are not likeable and weren't well developed. Again, not sure whether this is planned by the way it ended or unintentional.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I’m really sorry but have to give this a one star. I’ve not read from this author before but the premise of the book sounded interesting. I just can’t get on with the writing style though and had to give up about a third of the way through. Clearly, I’m in the minority as I can see plenty of people enjoyed this but I’m sorry it just wasn’t for me.

So this one took me a bit to get into. Maybe it was the tone the book started off with? I’m not sure what it was but it seemed to drag on me for the whole book.

The writing is good, and I enjoyed the references to both books and movies. But the Police not investigating properly seems an easy way out. It would have been way better if the characters actually had to dodge a more inquisitive detective.

This is the first book I have read by Laura Lippman. Its an unusual plot about what goes on in a writer's mind. It took me a while to understand it, but maybe thats because of the American references. Certainly something different.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This was the first book I've read by Laura Lippman. I have seen her books and fairly high reviews for them. I enjoyed this book but I probably should have started with one of her other books before reading this. Gerry is a popular writer of some acclaim. His books sales have made him somewhat comfortable. When he moves to Maryland to care for his ailing mother, he buys a home close by and has a mishap on the stairs in his new place. His caregivers seem to have his best interests in mind but have plans of their own that aren't revealed until near the end. Dream Girl reminded me very much of Stephen King's Misery. It is the story of a writer recovering from an injury and starting to suspect his caregivers of causing harm to others. It did have a few good twists on that story and I enjoyed reading it. It was a quick read.

Gerry Andersen is a successful writer with Dream Girl being his magnus opus. Following an unfortunate accident he is bedridden in his Baltimore apartment until his recovery and he has hired Victoria to oversee his affairs during the day and Aileen as a night nurse. Is Gerry being haunted by a character in his book, is he suffering the beginning of dementia, is it his pain medication causing hallucinatory dreams or is someone messing with his head? I really enjoy the conundrum of trying to work out which of these, if any, is the truth.

This is a sort of homage to ‘Misery’ and I really like how there is such effective use of books and films to highlight what is going on in Gerry’s life. This is a well written slow burner mix of dark incisive humour spiced with tension and suspense. It has several really good twists and at least one jaw dropper which makes you wince. The fact that for about half the book we’re inside Gerry’s head allows for a sharply focused insight into his relationships and his personality. The truth is that Gerry is not very nice, his thoughts are not always pleasant and I think it’s fair to say that he lies a long way down the misogyny spectrum. Very few of the characters are likeable but they are most certainly interesting. The ending is excellent, it’s certainly dramatic and doles out just desserts. It’s probably fair to say it’s unlikely but it is extremely visually creative. I have to admit, I like it!!!

My only issue with the book is the timelines for Gerry’s thoughts are all over the place, they’re random which takes some getting used to. Conversely, it’s actually clever because it mirrors Gerry’s rambling and uncertain state of mind. In fact who looks back on their life in linear fashion, I sure don’t!!

Overall, this is another book by Laura Lippman that I’ve enjoyed. I really like her wit, precision and incisiveness.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Gerry Anderson is a 61year old novelist who after having a debilitating fall is being looked after by his PA Victoria and night nurse Aileen.
Gerry had a major bestselling book called Dream Girl but hasn't written anything in quite a while.
He moved to Baltimore to care for his mother in her final days and never returned to New York.
One day he has a phone call from a woman claiming to be his inspiration for Dream Girl but Gerry has always told people the woman in his book wasn't real.

Has his past come back to haunt him?


I tried really hard to like this book as I've read most of the authors books and enjoyed them but this story did nothing for me at all.I did finish reading it but found it hard going.
Thank you to Netgalley and Faber&Faber for the ARC.

Little bit of a slow burner this one, with some interesting twists and turns. Its dark and mysterious. Lots of time hopping that made it a little confusing at times.
Gerry is not a likeable character but that doesn't hinder the book. The book has some bizarre moments, and also touches on the #metoo movement..
Lots packed in,

First off...I’ve been a fan of this author. Her stories are never boring or cookie-cutter, but this....WOW! I thought one thing, then it turned into something else. And the twists and turns just kept coming. I actually started to feel a little disappointed with the development, when POW! The last twists are doozies. Only a writer with Lippman’s skill could pull this off without the plot becoming convoluted and losing the reader. Very unique!

Harold Bloom’s The Anxiety of Influence looms large here! I applied for this when I saw that Megan Abbott, the queen of noir, had praised it. I loved how it had me second-guessing all the way through. Stephen King’s Misery updated for today’s world - and transplanted from NYC to Baltimore, a character in itself.

Dream girls who become nightmares........

Laura Lippman has suited up her main character of Gerry Andersen in the attire of a successful sixty-one year old author still riding on the coattails of his 2001 bestseller, Dream Girl. We find him in the process of closing a deal on a condo in Baltimore. He's left behind his former life in the Upper West Side of New York City. Regrets weigh heavy on him. The move wasn't really in his life plan. But Gerry had the care of his mother suffering from Alzheimer's to consider in Baltimore. Ellie went faster than what the doctors had stated. Gerry's current address is Limbo.

As Gerry gives his agent a tour of his new condo, we begin to get a tour of Gerry's past life. Married three times to three vastly different women, we get a sense that Gerry has a difficult time when it comes to decision-making. His past will begin to seep in at various moments in the storyline. Lippman will even have us visiting Gerry's complicated childhood and his relationship with his father. The man is a walking, breathing bestseller himself. Lordy!

But Fate has a powerfully wacky sense of humor. The once elegant architectual feature of a floating staircase will toss Gerry rapidly down its backbone by one unfortunately misplaced step. Yup, our guy Gerry will now be spending week upon week in a special hospital bed on the main floor with his leg in traction. The good news is that he has a very dependable assistant, Victoria, who will run his errands. The not-so-good news is that he must muddle through with a napping night nurse, Aileen.

Wowza! Laura Lippman has created the perfect storm in the likes of ol' Gerry and his unexpected life change. Lippman laces this one with wry humor and some laugh-out-loud situations that border on the macabre. She threads through references to the 1979 literary horror novel of Ghost Story by Peter Straub. It's a brilliant touch as to one's fruitless efforts to bury the past that keep rearing its ugly head as it resurrects with jolting surprise. Good, good stuff.

Dream Girl will have an appeal to readers who enjoy a burst of craziness in their literary diet. What keeps the pages turning is Gerry's exasperation and pure helplessness at the mercy of his past and current decisions. Success should ring independence. Not in Gerry's new world. Lippman certainly sends in the clowns with her characters with pointed hats. Dream Girl doesn't keep a lid on things once Pandora's Box is opened. A rollicking roll in LaLaLand. Bravo, Ms. Lippman, just bravo.

I received a copy of Dream Girl through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to HarperCollins Publishing and to the talented Laura Lippman for the opportunity.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. Though I enjoyed the setting and details of the story (having spent some time in Baltimore recently, it all checked out) I had a difficult time with the story. Ultimately I think it was because Gerry is just not a likable character, despite being the main character and having the book written from his perspective. I did like that the ending tied up a lot of details neatly, but this story was just not an enjoyable read for me.

Dream Girl is sort of an up-to-date homage to Stephen King's Misery. It is more in the realm of psychological thriller than horror. The main character, Gerry Anderson, is a successful fiction writer/College Professor. Although he has been asked before, he is very uninterested in writing a memoir. In fact, he tries to lead as private a life as possible. He is 61 years old and not very in tune with social media. He suffered an accident and we meet him as he is bed-ridden and reflecting over his life. His Magnum opus was his first literary work, Dream Girl. The plot revolved around the inspiration behind Dream Girl, his family history, and his relationships with women in his life. Most of the action in the book happens in the flashbacks. Gerry isn't a very good narrator for telling you much about what is happening in the current timeline. You know just enough to keep the book going. I found the book to be a chore to read and was not enamoured by the character of Gerry. I did, however, enjoy the ending. Many times the ending of books can make or break how you feel about the story. Here, the ending works pretty well.