Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Review -- What the Dead Know

What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
HarperCollins, 2007
384 pages

Summary: After a terrible car accident, a mysterious woman tells the police that she is one of the long lost Bethany sisters. The Bethany sisters, Sunny and Heather, have been missing for almost 30 years. As the police question this woman's identity and her clues only lead them to dead ends, the police and the girls' mother make one last effort to find out the truth.

Review: This is the first book where I didn't like any of the characters but still enjoyed the book as a whole. I found it hard to empathize with any of the characters: the parents who demolish their lives after the girls are gone, the detective with only one thing on his mind, and the mysterious woman who manipulates everything she touches. The strength of this book is the plot, a twisty mystery that keeps the reader thinking and wondering what will happen next. Rating: *** out of 5

5 comments:

Darlene said...

I tried reading this one once and didn't get too far. Maybe I'll have to give it a shot again someday.

Unknown said...

I couldn't get through this one, but her Tess Monaghan series is really good & I enjoyed her newest one. For this one it was definitely that I loathed the characters & just couldn't get past that. Good for you for persevering!

Kerri said...

Interesting review and comments. I've had this one on my radar for a bit now. The back cover sounded so interesting.

Sue Jackson said...

My husband and I both enjoyed this book. I agree with you about the characters - none of them really grabbed me - but it was an engaging plot.

Sue

www.bookbybook.blogspot.com

Lenore Appelhans said...

I thought it was amazing how she made me like the book while disliking the characters so much. That takes talent!