What the Dead Know

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Customer Reviews:

made for TV movie in a book [Posted on 2008-07-14]
For fans of such detective television shows as "Cold Case" and "Without a trace" Laura Lippman's "What the Dead Know" will satisfy the beach reader set. Anyone who wants a deeply inspiring mystery should bypass this entirely. Like a good wine I was looking forward to reading this author and anticipated a twisting turning plot with a satisfying ending. What I got however was a "two buck chuck". I cared little for the characters who seemed so self-involved I wondered if they even knew they were part of the plot line. The main character has no name and no existence and we travel her path with some curiosity and empathy. I liked her, but it didn't help that the rest of this forgetful cast seemed in the way of her journey. Ms Lippman dumbs the reader down with lots of course language and sexual overtones. It make sence that Det. Infante would see the world as jaded and obsene, but everyone? I found myself skimming over their continuous chattering trying to find the string to the end of the mystery. I wanted this to be good. I just didn't need to wade through the trash to find the jewel. Which I knew was there, I just couldn't see it. Next time I'll just watch "Cold Case" and fast forward through the commercials. Try "The Thirteenth Tale" if you want a good deep mystery about sisters. It is more than a great Merlot, its sublime. Will I try Laura Lippman again? Someones going to have to convince me.

Glued to it! [Posted on 2008-08-06]
This is the first Laura Lippman book I've ever read. I normally don't stay with an author because I like a variety and prefer to jump around. I must say,I will definitely be reading Ms Lippman again. I am hooked. This books was so suspenseful and action packed, I could not put it down, a real page turner. The premise alone was extremely original, not like the same old missing persons hulla-buloo. Even though she jumped from present day to past events, it was so easy to follow. The writing is so emotionally descriptive (but not overkill) and shear genius! Read it! This is not your typical mystery. You wont be disappointed.

What This Reader Knows [Posted on 2008-08-07]
What this reader knows--and delightedly so--is that he has discovered a wonderful way to get his suspense fix in Laura Lippman. This was my first book by her, picked up purely on the basis of the back cover copy at the airport and I have to say that I was transfixed from cover to cover. Lippman''s intricately-layered, mysterious narrative is the kind of book you hate to put down, and can't wait for the next opportunity to pick up again to see what twists and turns the author has crafted. Lippman's sympathetic and adept characterization (she knows how to make you care about the people about whom she's writing), her astonishing sense of pacing and suspense-building, her true-to-life settings, and her simple ability to tell a bang-up story make this one writer I look forward to reading again and again. This was truly a bravura performance and I can only hope her other books live up to the promise of this one.

first half=4 stars, second half=2 stars. [Posted on 2008-08-12]
This is the first Laura Lippman novel that I've read. I don't think I would've ever picked this book up if I hadn't read a positive review from someone I trust.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The first few chapters get your head spinning. It's an uncomfortable feeling not knowing what's coming next and actually caring. This feeling began to cool towards the second half of the book. Like most authors of this genre Lippman lost a little bit of steam when it came to actually tying up the loose ends on all the plot lines she had entertained me with in the first half. The characters were great. The only one that I had trouble with was the lead detective, Kevin Infante. I didn't like him b/c he was a cookie cutter version of every detective in a novel like this. He's from out of town, plays by his own rules, and SUPRISE! he's a ladies man. (snore) Thankfully he wasn't asked to carry much of the story on his own.

There's one large twist at the end that you'll probably see from early on in the book, but that's only a fraction of "what the dead know".

If you like this one, try Harlan Coben's "Gone for Good".

Pretty good mystery [Posted on 2008-08-23]
This was a selection for my book club and it was a nice change to read a mystery. Overall, I'd say it was a good read. Not one of my favorites, but it was easy to get into and kept me thinking through the whole book.

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