“Lady in the Lake” by Laura Lippman is a suspense novel set in 1960s Baltimore. The main character, Madeline Schwartz, is a recently separated housewife who begins investigating the disappearance of an African American woman named Cleo Harwood.

While I enjoyed the writing and the plot, the numerous narrators distracted from the story and messed up the flow of the novel. I feel like this book could have been so much more.

It's been a long time since I've read a Laura Lippman book. She's written some fantastic character-driven psychological suspense novels in the past, and I was eager to dig into this one. Just as I expected, Lippman's new book is more character-based than plot-driven. Lady in the Lake is set in the 1960's, during a time when biracial marriages were frowned upon and women were expected to be housewives. The protagonist, Maddie, has recently left her husband and is now doggedly pursuing a career in journalism. She's also having a secret love affair with a black police officer, which would have been a controversial, perhaps even illegal, situation in the 60's. After she helps uncover the dead body of a missing woman in her neighborhood, she becomes embroiled in a case that casts a wide net over the people of Baltimore.

The structure of this book was unusual. Most of the chapters deal with Maddie's investigation into the deaths of Tessie Fine and Cleo Sherwood. But almost every other chapter introduces the point-of-view of a new character, many of whom are connected in some way to the crime, but some of whom only make brief appearances in the novel. Then there are the chapters that are narrated by the titular Lady in the Lake, a black woman whose death is at the heart of the novel.

This is a slow-burning novel that may require patience from readers who are used to fast-pace action. But the curveball at the end makes everything worth it. Readers looking for character-driven suspense with a glimpse of 1960's Americana will find this book fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady in the Lake is a novel set in the mid 1960s in Baltimore. Amidst great social unrest and change, Maddie is about to radically change her life. She walks out of a two decade marriage to embark on a new career and relationship. Lippmann has an interesting approach to the narrative: she introduces different characters and reveals story sections from their perspectives. I thought the story was interesting: based on the murders of two young women, the author weaves her story around. Readers will enjoy the evolution of the story as well as the main characters.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

How fortunate that I was to read this book early. I've been a fan of Lippman's Tess Monaghan series for years. Imagine my delight at discovering there was a connection from one of the characters in this book to Tess. This book takes place in the mid 1960's Baltimore. Madeline Schwartz is an ambitious reporter to be, chasing stories as she accidentally stumbles to find a dead body or 2. She has left her husband, something that women didn't really do back then, although divorce rates later soared as women yearned for independence. I was a little taken aback by the go getter attitude from the beginning and how she went a little too far investigation a murder. Nothing was as straightforward as it seemed, and I liked the twist near the end. I liked seeing other characters' perspectives as a reaction to coming across Maddie. As well as the point of view of Cleo. Baltimore was a changing city in 1966 and we know how things changed but things were certainly different then. Lippman captured the spirit of the times without really being around for that time except maybe as an infant. I have an urge to go read the Tess series again to get a glimpse of some of these characters later on.

This was an interesting novel. Part 1960s murder mystery and part newspaper homage with a little history and politics added to the mix. The author’s writing kept me engaged but the main character, Maddie, was wholly unlikeable and self-centered and therefore hard to empathize with. I did enjoy the multiple narrators throughout the story and the author’s ability to transport you to 1960s Baltimore.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41735375

I didn't particularly care for any of the characters in this book,and that can make for a struggle to read it.
The multiple person narrative just didn't work for me this time.

Each chapter represents a different perspective from a new character as introduced in the previous chapter. This made for a clever and fresh take on the classic murder mystery where the heroine is a plucky late in life reporter who becomes obsessed with finding out about the Lady in the Lake. White victims versus the treatment of black victims in the Baltimore sixties is highlighted along with a secret interracial romance.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

In 1965, Maddie Schwartz is a 37-year-old dissatisfied housewife living in the suburbs of Baltimore. A chance encounter with a friend from her youth makes leave her husband and son and move to the inner city where she strives to become a newspaper reporter. When Maddie witnesses a murder victim lifted from a park fountain, she becomes obsessed with finding the killer. In LADY IN THE LAKE, Lippman gives us another fine mystery while shining light on the oppression of women, racism, and the newspaper industry. This is a luscious, atmospheric mystery with believable, relatable characters and inspired plotting. Another triumph by Lippman.

Laura Lippman writes very well - this book of murders in Baltimore in the 1960s is written in many voices, and the layers all add up to a satisfying mystery and story of a wife and mother finding more in herself. The races and religions of Baltimore much more varied than I knew, I found the books fascinating with the mysteries and tension making it a fast read, with a good noirish twist.

Generally, I love Laura Lippman's books, but this one fell a little flat for me. I think there were too many tertiary characters and I needed more explanation of why Maddie left Milton, why she fell into bed with Ferdie.

I was so excited to read this book. I loved What the Dead Know and After I'm Gone, but there was not enough mystery involved in this book. And I think mystery and crime are Lippman's strong suit, plus her knowledge of Baltimore. She's great with an unreliable narrator. It's never too far-fetched. Sunburn and Wilde Lake are a little bit uneven, but they're still good books.

The Lady in the Lake, however, doesn't quite work. I like Maddie and I like the newspaper setting. I just think that there needed to be more focus on her as the main focus and less focus on various other characters like Judith's brother.

The premise of this book intrigued me.

Maddie Schwartz has recently left her husband and is working for a newspaper when she finds a woman's body in the lake. But not everyone wants her to tell that story, no matter how intrigued she is by the mystery.

I found Lippman's storytelling abilities as well as her ability to create compelling characters wonderful, even if there were bits and pieces of the story that felt a little slow for me.

Thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. 3.5 stars.

Lady in the Lake: A Novel

Surprisingly good. I really enjoyed this.



Review copy provided by publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley for my review copy. Maddie schwartz is an unsatisfied housewife who leaves her marriage to start fresh. She moves to a dodgy part of town and gets a job at a local newspaper opening mail for an Agony aunt style column. Her ambition pushes her to investigate the murder of "The Lady in the Lake" to parlay it into a reporting job.
Ultimately I enjoyed the novel, I really loved the insights into the smaller characters. You certainly can't deny Lippmans enormous writing talent, however the loosey goosey way the cases were resolved or sort-of resolved didn't appeal to me. I also didn't find Maddie to be a compelling character, neither rooting for or against her.
Overall some things really worked for me, and others not so much.

"The world kept telling her to look away, to pay no attention to an age-old system, in which men thrived and inconvenient women disappeared."

One of my holy grails of off-duty reading is the book that is engrossing without being silly, and packed with good storytelling without looking over its shoulder to make sure we understand how 'literary' it is: Lippman pulls it off. There are two murders but this is not really a crime novel, however interesting the solutions are.

Instead it's a compelling recreation of mid-1960s Baltimore, a time when race was fraught as segregation was being dismantled but when mixed-race relationships were still troubled, whether they involved black, white or Jewish participants. Maddie leaves her wealthy Jewish husband and comfortable lifestyle, wanting something more, wanting a career as a reporter, wanting to be a woman in her own right rather than an appendage to her husband. Her involvement in two murders are intertwined with her attempts to be taken seriously by the newspaper office and conduct a relationship on her own terms - whatever rules society might lay down.

The storytelling is intelligent, the characters deeper than stock traits, and there's an interesting mode of writing that swaps unevenly between Maddie in the 3rd person, Cleo in the 1st person, and assorted characters with whom Maddie comes into contact, telling their own stories to give a wider perspective on both the overarching tale and attitudes and values of the time. Lippman's attention to issues of race and gender, power and transgressiveness makes this feel modern while having its feet firmly in the 1960s. Satisfying and clever, with a sense of how the 1960s looked forward to the future.

Ms. Lippman is one of my few "auto-buy" authors. Receiving an advance copy from NetGalley was a thill and I put aside the other book I was reading to dive into Lady in the Lake. The author gives a truthful look into the culture of the times and like or dislike the protag, she's to be admired for her determination. Five Stars.

In Laura Lippman’s newest book we meet Maddie Schwartz- who after a 20 year marriage throws aside expectations and leaves to pursue her own dreams.
When a young girl, Tessie Fine goes missing near the tight knit Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore neighborhood where Maddie now lives, she joins in the search at her mothers urging and drawing on memories of her youth finds the body of the young girl. She uses this as a foot in the door the get a job at a newspaper as an assistant to a popular column, hoping to catch a break and write her own stories.
At the same time, she begins a secret relationship with a black policeman that is taboo during that time period.
When Maddie answers one of the complaints sent in to the column about lights not working in a fountain it leads to the discovery of Cleo Sherwood. Maddie thinks this is her big break but doors are shut in her face as she is told first by her editors that no one is interested in the death of a black woman and by the people she tries to interview who do not trust her and keep their secrets close.
Maddie’s struggles to be taken seriously as a writer ring very true to anyone who follows Laura Lippman and reads of her own similar experiences. This is not the classic mystery, it is a damn good story though. I am not sure I really liked Maddie, she pursued her own dreams so relentlessly, she hurt and used others that did not deserve it.
This will be enjoyed by readers who like “November Road” by Lou Berney. Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrow books for the advance copy. “Lady in the Lake” will be released July 23, 2019.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

As a Jewish girl from the DMV no longer in her first bloom of youth, I always feel like I know Lippman’s characters, and I see Maddie Morgenstern Schwartz in my grandmother and her friends. The plot itself was certainly engaging, but the realness of the characters, the setting, the time flushed it out fully and brought the novel from a four to a five. Outstanding

Brilliant historical fiction read!!
Right from the beginning Cleo, the victim’s narrative is SO hauntingly written, she just comes to life off the pages making you fear for what happened to her. Laura Lippman takes us on a journey back in time, 1965, so vividly written I could imagine being there, when some things were simpler and some so much more complicated. Maddi leaves her husband, whom she’s fallen out of love with, in search of a fresh start. Along her journey in search of herself, she gets caught up in two very different murder investigations. So many characters, so intricately woven into the plot, never taking away from, but most definitely enhancing the story line. I loved the ending and the wrapping up of everyone involved. Definitely my favorite Laura Lippman to date.

This book fails as a mystery novel, a thriller, a romance, and a character study. At the end of the story--how did I make it that far?--the titular lady of the lake comments about the feckless, self involved protagonist that "Cleo Sherwood had said that Maddie ruined lives." I feel like the author ruined a week of my life. Not recommended.