BOOK REVIEW: Lady in the Lake

The Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman (#99 in 2019) The story is set in Baltimore in 1966. Madeline Schwartz decides to end her comfortable, almost twenty year marriage to fulfill the dreams she once had when she was a younger woman. In Maddie's pursuit to become more than just a middle-aged divorcee, she winds up involved in assisting the police in solving the case of a murdered girl. When she is subsequently offered a job at the local newspaper, Maddie decides to make a name for herself by taking on a story that she feels deserves more attention -- that of a missing woman whose body was found at the bottom of the lake at the park. Maddie's desire to become the woman she's always dreamed of becoming comes with challenges as she picks her way through the past of a woman who wants to be left alone. This was my first Laura Lippman book, and I enjoyed the fast-paced atmosphere of the offices of the Star, the local paper where Maddie gets a job. I actually enjoyed the perspective of the lady in the lake as she speaks from beyond her watery grave. While this paranormal aspect didn't necessarily match with the style of the rest of the story, I thought it was unique and gave a different perspective of Maddie. I liked Maddie's character; she is hopeful in that reinventing herself will help her to find the confidence she so desperately needs, but she also recognizes that the way she is viewed by others makes her endeavor difficult. I felt that this book took on two different paths that didn't necessarily intertwine in the way that the author intended. On one side you have Maddie's personal life and her quest for validation from both herself and society, and on the other hand you have this police procedural/ journalistic plot. Maddie forms new relationships as she distances herself from her ex-husband and son, but I felt like the two storylines-- those of her personal and professional lives-- remained very separate. Personally, I found myself gravitating more towards solving the mystery of the lady in the lake, and I really enjoyed this part of the plot. I was conflicted on my rating for this book as it was nearly a complete split of what I liked and what I didn't like, but I ultimately gave it 3 stars. On a completely separate note: I didn't know much about Laura Lippman prior to reading this book, but it turns out she is a former journalist, herself. Once I found that in the author's note, the detailed journalistic parts made much more sense. I did a combination of physical book/audiobook for Lady in the Lake, and the narrator was FANTASTIC! Susan Bennet has a great voice and is able to change her accent and tone for the different characters. I find that sometimes the audiobook ruins the story, but it's quite the opposite in this case. If you're curious about reading this one, I would highly recommend the audio version. I felt like it gave more life to the characters that I otherwise wouldn't have felt from the printed version.