Book of the Week: I'd Know You Anywhere

I've come to rely on Laura Lippman for taut, psychological thrillers that are full of emotion and ask the hard questions. The first of her books that I read was What The Dead Know, followed by a succession of any other Lippman book I could manage to get my hands on. Both I'd Know You Anywhere and What The Dead Know centre around kidnapped girls, although I'd say the element of mystery is much more prevalent in the first. Instead, I'd Know You Anywhere is more about the psychological ramifications of being kidnapped--and being allowed to survive.

When Eliza was 15 she stumbled upon Walter digging the grave for one of his victims--strictly wrong place, wrong time--and finds herself kidnapped and held captive by the killer for over a month. In that time Eliza and Walter form a strange bond so much so that, years later, she still feels as if she would know him anywhere. And vice versa. When Walter ostensibly spots a photo of a grown up Eliza--married, a mother, with a new life and identity--in the society section he writes to her to make amends. He also includes four ominous words about seeing her picture: I'd know you anywhere.

One would assume that a grown up Eliza, seemingly well adjusted (despite still sleeping with the windows tightly shut), wouldn't want anything to do with Walter, yet something keeps pulling her back. On the eve of Walter's execution Eliza is not only afraid he will expose her by giving interviews, but also needs to know the answer to the question that plagues her: Why did Walter let her live and kill all of his other victims? As Eliza digs deeper into their shared past more questions emerge, like to what extend was she psychologically manipulated by Walter? Why didn't she escape the times she had a chance and, most importantly, was she an unwitting victim or an accomplice to Walter's crimes? If you're anything like me you'll be on the edge of your seat as Lippman's narrative takes you from past to present in search of the murky truth.

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Thanks to Harper Collins Canada for the review copy.

I hope all of you had a lovely weekend!

The winners have been announced for The Recessionista giveaway and don't forget to enter for your chance to win a Tea Accessories headband. Also, head over to The Alternative Wife if you get a chance--Dawn is giving away a fab Betsey Johnson bow necklace!

Hope you have a great week!

Book of the Week: What the Dead Know

Laura Lippman’s What the Dead Know begins with the appearance of a clearly unsettled woman involved in a hit and run. The woman has no ID and no health insurance, but hints that she is the younger of the Bethany sisters, who were kidnapped thirty years before.

 The narrative jumps back and forth from past to present, with the woman revealing precious little of what she knows, only enough to keep her out of jail. Why won't she reveal the truth and the fate of her sister? What the Dead Know is a mystery – by the end I was eager to find out what happened to the Bethany girls and who was behind their disappearance – but it is also moving as a portrait of loss and grief.

What happens to a couple when their children disappear out of thin air? How does one cope when it seems that a daughter has resurfaced after more than three decades with more secrets than answers? Lippman tries to answer these questions in a novel that manages to be both gripping and touching.

4/5

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