I've read hundreds of thrillers in the past 10 years, and some have been excellent, but only a handful—thanks to their insights, their characterizations and the quality of their writing—could equal the best of today's literary fiction. Those few certainly include What the Dead Know and I'd Know You Anywhere. In both cases, Lippman began with a real crime and then used the magic of her imagination to produce novels that are not only hypnotic reading but serious meditations on the sorrows and dangers of this world. Some people would segregate Lippman as a crime or thriller writer. That's a shame. She's one of the best novelists around, period.
—The Washington Post
Near the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense from Edgar-winner Lippman (Life Sentences), Eliza Benedict, a 38-year-old married mother of two living in suburban Maryland, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped her the summer she was 15 and is now on death row. The narrative shifts between the present and that long ago summer, when Eliza involuntarily became a part of Walter's endless road trip, including the fateful night when he picked up another teenage girl, Holly Tackett. Soon after Walter killed Holly, Eliza was rescued and taken home. Eliza must now balance a need for closure with a desire to protect herself emotionally. Walter wants something specific from her, but she has no idea what, and she's not sure that she wants to know. All the relationships, from the sometimes contentious one between Eliza and her sister, Vonnie, to the significantly stranger one between Walter and Barbara LaFortuny, an advocate for prisoners, provide depth and breadth to this absorbing story. (Sept.)
This is a story that grips you not with suspense but with its acute psychological autopsy of a survivor. Lippman’s knack for elucidating the horrors humans can inflict on one another through violence and manipulation — while telling a compelling story —is disarming and fascinating.-
I’d Know You Anywhere is a crime story, but it’s not a whodunit. Rather, it’s an exquisitely sensitive story about the psychological impact of crime on its victims. It’s a story about shame, about anger, about survivor’s guilt.
Lippman deftly keeps the balls aloft with a strong structure -- a straight-ahead chronology interrupted by surgical flashbacks -- and evocative writing.
Laura Lippman is one of those uncommonly talented authors whose work continues to get better in every book she writes. I’d Know You Anywhere is a riveting psychological suspense novel.
I’d Know You Anywhere” ranks with her very best.
I’d Know You Anywhere” continues Laura Lippman’s extraordinary run of stand-alone novels (alternating with her lighter books about private eye Tess Monaghan). From its unsettling opening to its breathtaking conclusion, “Anywhere” exemplifies Lippman’s strengths: compassion, intense prose and deep empathy for the snares of ambiguous emotions.
She’s one of the best novelists around, period.
The popular mystery-series author’s latest stand-alone: a terrifying story about a death-row inmate obsessed with the only victim he left alive.
Lippman’s dedicated fans will find themselves well rewarded with I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE, an exceptional novel in every way, which is sure to gain her many new followers.
With the summer reading season coming to a close, don’t let I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE be the one that got away.
I’d Know You Anywhere” ranks with her very best.
Laura Lippman is one of those uncommonly talented authors whose work continues to get better in every book she writes. I’d Know You Anywhere is a riveting psychological suspense novel.
The popular mystery-series author’s latest stand-alone: a terrifying story about a death-row inmate obsessed with the only victim he left alive.
I’d Know You Anywhere” ranks with her very best.
Eliza Benedict believed she'd put her adolescence behind her, especially the time she'd spent as a captive of Walter Bowman, until he contacts her from death row. Struggling in her relationship with her own teenage daughter and wrestling with memories of Holly Tackett, the girl who didn't get away from Walter, Eliza finds herself repeatedly coming back to the events of the last night of Holly's life. While she may no longer be his captive, Eliza is clearly anything but free. The mystery in Lippman's latest stand-alone, while still a strong element, takes a backseat to Eliza's story, set against the impending execution of Walter. The fast-paced narrative, with dynamic supporting characters and subplots that feel underused, races to a satisfying if somewhat abrupt conclusion. VERDICT Echoing Lippman's previous stand-alones, What the Dead Know and Life Sentences, this is a solid choice for mystery fans who enjoy a broader view of crime and its aftermath. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/10.]—Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY
When she was 15 years old, Eliza Benedict was kidnapped by Walter for 39 days, something she has spent the rest of her life wondering about. As the story alternates between the past and present, narrator Linda Emond differentiates between the 15-year-old Eliza, unsure and hesitant in her speech, and the grown-up Eliza, who sounds more mature and determined. Throughout both phases of Eliza’s life, Emond maintains a consistent tone and cadence. The only exception is the character of Walter, whose slower speech and light Southern drawl set him apart. The suspense of Eliza and Walter’s reunion is balanced by the everyday interactions Eliza has with her family, especially her teenage daughter, for whom Emond has perfected her voicing of the petulant teen testing her boundaries. E.N. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
