Seasonal Work

Stories

By: Laura Lippman

Narrated by: Laura Lippman, Sophie Amoss, Eileen Stevens, Susan Bennett, Xe Sands, Jason Culp, George Newbern, Janina Edwards, Jane Oppenheimer, Jesse Vilinsky, Carlotta Brentan, Eva Kaminsky, Sarah Naughton

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman showcases why she is one of today’s top crime writers in this acclaimed collection of suspenseful stories featuring fierce women—including one never-before-published novella.

“A first-rate collection, an obvious must for the legions of Lippman fans, but also great reading for anyone who savors short crime fiction.” — Booklist (starred review)

The award-winning master of psychological suspense is in top form in this collection of diverse and diabolically clever stories.

In the never-before-published “Just One More,” a married couple—longing for that old romantic spark—creates a playful diversion that comes with unexpected consequences.

Lippman’s beloved Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan keeps a watchful eye on a criminally resourceful single father in “Seasonal Work,” while her mother, Judith, realizes that the life of “The Everyday Housewife” is an excellent cover for all kinds of secrets.

In “Slow Burner,” a husband’s secret cell phone proves to be a dicey temptation for a suspicious wife.

A father’s hidden past piques the curiosity of a young snoop in “The Last of Sheila-Locke Holmes.”

Plus seven other brilliantly crafted stories of deception, murder, dangerous games, and love gone wrong—irrefutable evidence that Laura Lippman’s riveting fiction will more than satisfy any crime reader.

©2022 Laura Lippman (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

A Fine Collection of Short Stories

Laura Lippman writes exquisitely. This collection of short stories yields pure listening enjoyment with a wide range of well-drawn characters and topics. If you don’t return to think about some new ideas gained after listening, then perhaps you just weren’t paying attention.
Highly recommended.

Short stories, big impact

As always I loved the written word of Laura Lippman! And it's fun to be able to identify with areas around Baltimore.

Listened in Two Days

I don’t usually read short stories because I get annoyed and want more. This was a book club book for me, and I almost skipped it but am so glad I didn’t. Dark and real, but not overwhelming. Such human stories. Such real-feeling women. And excellent performers, all.

Deception, love, and the Internet

A nice collection, I particularly enjoyed the stories set in contemporary times, making new technology the bases of story plots.

The emphases on apps, , Google and iPhones, newish words like woke, and the use of names for generations such as Gen-X and Millennial will obviously date some stories. While an ever-increasing number of readers will take the technology of the first quarter of the twenty first century as natural for crime and love story plots, as time goes by the use use of what are now modern communication devices will eventually seem archaic, and future readers may wonder at the way the writer has made these intrinsic to the plots of stories such as Slow Burner and Just One More.

As I write this review there exist millions of people who, because of Covid-19 and the invention of dating apps, do not know how people dated before the Internet made communication possible between new lovers. How did they find each other, Millennials ask.

It’s because of the use of iPhones and dating app as in a number of the stories in this collection, that there is an element of surprise and novelty in the plots. While worth reading for these plots alone, this is not meant to diminish Ms Lippman’s excellent prose and her ability to hold the readers’ interest.

Love this author

I hold her to the highest level as one of my favorite authors of all time. I generally like short stories. I HATED this book. So sad and disappointed.returning

Not near as good as her normal novels

Expected much much especially with the ratings. Falls way short of the quality of her standard length novels