Laura Lippman Boeken

...De kofferbak was groter dan Isaäk had verwacht, en hij was ook niet zo bang als hij had gedacht. Het was erg jammer dat het zo’n oude auto was. Een nieuwere, zoals die van zijn vader, zou misschien een lampje hebben, of zelfs een manier om de klep van binnenuit open te maken... Uit ervaring weet privé-detective Tess Monaghan dat haar klanten niet zelden oneerlijk of onbetrouwbaar zijn. Wanneer modelvader Mark Rubin haar hulp inschakelt bij de plotselinge verdwijning van zijn vrouw Natalie en hun drie jonge kinderen komt Tess dan ook voor een dilemma te staan. Moet ze Rubin op zijn woord geloven wanneer hij haar vertelt dat hun leven op alle vlakken perfect en smetteloos was? Waarom verliet Natalie dan van het ene op het andere moment haar prachtige huis en vertrouwde omgeving? Tess komt erachter dat Natalie kriskras het land doorreist met een onbekende en gewelddadige man. Een nieuw mysterie vraagt om haar eigenzinnige aanpak...

In legal trouble and court-ordered therapy for assaulting a potential child molester, Tess Monaghan seeks distraction by investigating a series of unsolved homicides spanning six years. The assignment comes from Luisa O'Neal, a wealthy benefactor tied to Tess's career and her former boyfriend's murder, adding complexity to the task. The cases involve five victims—four women and one man—whose deaths resulted from fire, gunshot, and hit-and-run incidents, all linked by the suspicion of domestic violence but lacking any clear connection. Hired to review police documents for inconsistencies, Tess's curiosity leads her beyond paperwork and into dangerous territory. Teaming up with a dedicated police officer, she follows scant leads into the remote areas of Maryland, where a killer can blend into both rural communities and urban settings. As Tess navigates unfamiliar ground, she finds herself in a perilous cat-and-mouse game with a cunning murderer who changes identities effortlessly. A shocking common link to the five murders begins to surface, tying the loose ends together in a bloody knot, with Tess Monaghan at the center of it all.

In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz's death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer's notoriety—and his taste for illicit midday trysts—makes the case front-page news in every local paper except the Star, which crashed and burned before Abramowitz did. A former Star reporter who knows every inch of this town—from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill—now-unemployed journalist Tess Monaghan also knows the primary suspect: cuckolded fiancé Darryl "Rock" Paxton. The time is ripe for a career move, so when rowing buddy Rock wants to hire her to do some unorthodox snooping to help clear his name, Tess agrees. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the Charm City shadows. And Tess's own name could end up on the ever-expanding list of Baltimore dead.

When Hector Lewis cruelly told his daughter she had a nothing face, it was just another example of his harshness. Two decades later, Heloise views her ability to blend into the background as a blessing. In her suburban life, she’s a young widow and a dedicated mom, while in the state capitol, she’s a lobbyist with a good cause but a mediocre record. However, in discreet hotel rooms, she becomes the woman of dreams—if you can afford her. For over ten years, Heloise has maintained a compartmentalized existence, avoiding real friendships and trusting few. But now, her carefully constructed secret life is threatened. Her accountant is asking uncomfortable questions, her protector hints at new dangers, and her employees are untrustworthy. A nearby suburban madam has been found dead, raising suspicions. As Heloise navigates a midlife crisis with life-altering stakes, she learns that her son’s father, a killer and former pimp, might be released from prison, unaware he has a son. He also suspects Heloise has hidden truths. With no formal education or support system, Heloise must reinvent herself once more. Disappearing is familiar territory, but surviving long enough to start anew is the real challenge.

Prepare to meet the most seductively female and shockingly fatal femme fatales, brought to you by seventeen of today’s finest authors of mystery and suspense fiction. Award-winning editor Otto Penzler presents a collection of short, sizzling masterpieces filled with thrilling tales that showcase how sexy and fierce the 'gentler sex' can be. In 'Third Party', a party girl takes you on a wild ride through the Paris night, while Nelson DeMille's 'Rendezvous' plunges you into a Vietnam jungle where the deadliest scourge is a woman. Elmore Leonard introduces a Depression-era teenage gun moll in 'Louly and Pretty Boy', who loves Pretty Boy Floyd more than robbing filling stations. Lorenzo Carcaterra's 'A Thousand Miles from Nowhere' features a smart blonde seeking slow-simmered vengeance, and Michael Connelly's 'Cielo Azul' reveals how a nameless woman found dead in Los Angeles can be the most lethal prey. Other riveting tales include a scorned lover claiming an old fling's heart, a mysterious woman offering a tempting suicide pact, and a she-demon rising from the grave. These and many other bad girls cast their criminal spells through the powerful voices of Joyce Carol Oates, John Connolly, Thomas H. Cook, Jeffrey Deaver, and more, in stories as irresistible as the anti-heroines that blaze through their pages.

Secrets play a pivotal role in this gripping narrative, where the weight of hidden truths threatens to unravel lives and relationships. Characters are faced with the challenge of confronting their pasts, leading to unexpected revelations that change everything. As the story unfolds, the tension builds, exploring themes of trust, betrayal, and the complexities of human connection. The author skillfully weaves a tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eager to discover how far people will go to protect or reveal their secrets.

Would you sacrifice your life for the life of another? For someone you love?From the bestselling author of SUNBURNWinner of the Anthony Award for Best Novel

Edgar Award-winner Laura Lippman is developing a reputation as one of the most exciting new detective fiction authors in years. Now she delivers her most suspenseful novel yet, and places Baltimore's Tess Monaghan . . . In Big Trouble. First as a reporter and then as a p.i., Tess Monaghan has learned how to survive and thrive on the streets of Baltimore. But a new case will force her to confront her own past, and a man she loved and lost. It starts when she gets a newspaper photograph of her old boyfriend with a tantalizing shard of headline attached: In Big Trouble. The answers lie far from Baltimore, deep in a world of good-time music, old-fashioned ambition, and rich people's games. For Tess must find out what happened to a man she thought she knew, to a woman who may have changed him forever, and to the victims of a killer who dances to a different—and deadly—drummer.