Lady in the Lake

A Novel

By: Laura Lippman

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

SOON TO BE A SERIES FROM APPLE TV!

A New York Times Bestseller

2020 Audie Awards® Finalist - Thriller/Suspense

The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that combines modern psychological insights with elements of classic noir, about a middle-aged housewife turned aspiring reporter who pursues the murder of a forgotten young woman.

In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know—everyone, that is, except Madeline “Maddie” Schwartz. Last year, she was a happy, even pampered housewife. This year, she’s bolted from her marriage of almost twenty years, determined to make good on her youthful ambitions to live a passionate, meaningful life.

Maddie wants to matter, to leave her mark on a swiftly changing world. Drawing on her own secrets, she helps Baltimore police find a murdered girl—assistance that leads to a job at the city’s afternoon newspaper, the Star. Working at the newspaper offers Maddie the opportunity to make her name, and she has found just the story to do it: Cleo Sherwood, a missing woman whose body was discovered in the fountain of a city park lake.

If Cleo were white, every reporter in Baltimore would be clamoring to tell her story. Instead, her mysterious death receives only cursory mention in the daily newspapers, and no one cares when Maddie starts poking around in a young Black woman's life—except for Cleo's ghost, who is determined to keep her secrets and her dignity. Cleo scolds the ambitious Maddie: You're interested in my death, not my life. They're not the same thing.

Maddie’s investigation brings her into contact with people that used to be on the periphery of her life—a jewelry store clerk, a waitress, a rising star on the Baltimore Orioles, a patrol cop, a hardened female reporter, a lonely man in a movie theater. But for all her ambition and drive, Maddie often fails to see the people right in front of her. Her inability to look beyond her own needs will lead to tragedy and turmoil for all sorts of people—including Ferdie, the man who shares her bed, a police officer who is risking far more than Maddie can understand.

Had me in suspense until the end!

I liked the story. It was hard to tell when narrator was switching characters so that messy much backing up.

Grammy for performance please!

Not only is it a great book, but it’s worth just the listen alone. The actress who read it is fabulously talented.

She performs the voices of each character and their various accents with such delicious decadence and meticulous research. Brava!

Narrator

Susan Bennett is Fantastic in this reading, still listening but I had to mention how much I'm enjoying the book and especially the narrator.

Well told tale

You need to know I lived in Baltimore in 1966, even suffered an unsolved murder of a close relative in her home within city limits but not far from Pikesville High. The local subtleties of the story were likely more entertaining to me than to most readers; however, the style of the writing and the performance of the reading will charm anyone. I enjoyed the author's style, using the various characters to move the story forward, And the reader portrays each character perfectly. Listening to this in March 2020 help me weather the ever damning daily news.

great story, inadequate narrator

The characters and plot are fascinating, and I love the tidbits of Maryland history sprinkled throughout the novel. Unfortunately, the narrator was only adequate. She lacked the range needed to create so many voices. This made some of the story confusing to listen to. Lippman writes for readers. The book may be better.