2014 book 39

Laura Lippman's After I'm Gone
Lippman's latest is more-or-less a standalone from her long-running Tess Monaghan series (though a few of those characters have a cameo that makes me pretty excited to see where Lippman takes them next). We start with a man in the 1970s fleeing the country--and the feds--leaving his wife, daughters, and girlfriend behind. And in the present, a cold case consultant is looking into the 1986 murder of aforementioned girlfriend. But, interestingly to me, the murder is not really the heart of the story--rather, it's the story of the family he left behind. I really liked the way Lippman flashes back and forth through fifty years of family history--and particularly, Jewish family history. She totally nails the details of bat mitzvahs, weddings, and other gatherings. I mean, NAILS it. The murder itself was a good story too--I was actually surprised by the conclusion--but was really drawn into the lives of these women, especially the sisters. Another very solid work from Lippman, and I definitely look forward to see what she'll do next. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.