I’ve read all of Laura Lippman’s books and really have enjoyed her characters, the stories, the twists and turns. I am a sucker for a good mystery and for series books that allow me to really get to know the characters and the locales.
This book was definitely interesting and had a new and different tone. But I did not like it.
I was on the fence a couple of times, wavering between wanting to know where the story was going and wanting to give up on it and chuck it because some of the retreats into the lead character’s memory were lengthy, tiresome and unpleasant.
When your main character is confined to bed to recover from a traumatic injury, so much of the action is retrospective. The timelines of the memories also jumped around, so it was a bit like walking a maze, bumping into a dead end and having to turn around.
And I did not like the main character. Not in a love to hate him kind of way, but in a really don’t give a flip what happens to him kind of way. I cannot say one positive thing about him. Maybe that is to Lippman’s credit. Not that he was a bad guy, but definitely not someone with whom I would want to have a cup of coffee.
However, once engrossed in a story, I feel compelled to know the ending. And this one was good. Took a long time arriving, but I have to say that it surprised me.
