Laura Lippman crafts a brilliant new stand-alone novel featuring a suburban madam, a convicted murderer whose sentence is about to be overturned, and the secret that threatens to shatter several lives. Heloise thought she was safe. Val, a murderer who she helped put behind bars, is on death row and she has rebuilt her life in a small, tight knit, suburban community where her past has not been questioned. When Val's seemingly airtight conviction is overturned and he's freed from prison, she is convinced he will hunt her down ...
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Laura Lippman crafts a brilliant new stand-alone novel featuring a suburban madam, a convicted murderer whose sentence is about to be overturned, and the secret that threatens to shatter several lives. Heloise thought she was safe. Val, a murderer who she helped put behind bars, is on death row and she has rebuilt her life in a small, tight knit, suburban community where her past has not been questioned. When Val's seemingly airtight conviction is overturned and he's freed from prison, she is convinced he will hunt her down. For Heloise is hiding a secret--Val is her former pimp and the father of her son. What lengths will Heloise go to in order to protect her child and the life she's built for him?
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Laura Lippman is one of my ?must read? authors; however, this book is not one of my favorites. I?m used to being engrossed in one of her stories from the opening pages. This book bounces from the present to earlier years, explaining how Helen/ Heloise got into her current situation. I found this to be very distracting? and a bit irritating.
The main characters of Val and Helen/Heloise are very firmly fleshed-out ? they speak and breathe. Val, as the bad boy, is not very likeable. Unfortunately, neither is Helen/Heloise. I could not find common ground with her. However, I found her to be a fascinating specimen to study.
By the end of the book, Lippman wrote something I?d been thinking: Helen/Heloise was reliving her adversarial life with her father ? with the men she chose ? and those who chose her. It seems that we are doomed to relive those issues that we don?t resolve.
To be honest, I?ve been so enthralled by the Tess Monaghan series that I?ve been less enthusiastic about Lippman?s stand alone novels ? with the exception of her amazing book, WHAT THE DEAD KNOW.
Would I read this book again? Yes, Helen?s unique story will be with me for quite awhile. The story caused me to evaluate my perceptions of Helen?s career choices. 4 stars