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 hot legal water -- and court-ordered therapy -- for having assaulted a potential child molester, Tess Monaghan is more than ready for a distraction. So she agrees to look into a series of unsolved homicides that date back over the past six years despite the fact that the assignment originates in part from a most troubling source: wealthy Baltimore benefactor Luisa O'Neal, who was both instrumental in launching Tess's present career and intimately connected with the murder of Tess's former boyfriend. There are other troubling aspects as well. Apart from the suspicion that each death was the result of domestic violence, nothing else seems to connect them, Five lives -- those of four women and one man -- were destroyed by fire, gunshot, and hit-and-run, and all five cases have gone ice cold. Though Luisa's nonprofit organization hires Tess simply to review old police documents for inconsistencies and investigative blunders, curiosity is soon leading the P.I. off the paper trail. And it just may get her killed. Tess's search for connecting threads takes her beyond the Charm City limits and into dangerously unfamiliar territory. With the help of a police officer obsessed with bringing a murderer down, she follows scant leads and intuition into the remotest corners of Maryland, where a psychopath can hide as easily in the fabric of a tiny, rough-hewn fishing community as in the alleys and shadows of bustling Baltimore. Straying far from everything that's familiar and safe in her life, Tess is suddenly cast into a terrifying cat-and-mouse game with an ingenious slayer who changes identities as often and effortlessly as clothing. Because a single common link to five senseless murders is beginning to emerge with shocking clarity to tie the loose ends together into one bloody knot...and the link is Tess Monaghan herself.

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.

A client named Ruthie -- who seems to know Tess's father a little too well -- asks the newspaperwoman-turned-p.i. to investigate a year-old "Jane Doe" murder and its grim aftermath. Ruthie's low-life brother, Henry, confessed to killing a teenager runaway over a bottle of glue -- and, a month into his prison term, he met the same fate as his victim. Following a precious few tantalizing clues, Tess sets off on a path that is leading her from Baltimore's exclusive Inner Harbor to the city's seediest neighborhoods. But it's the shocking discovery of the runaway's true identity that turns her hunt deadly. Suddenly a supposedly solved murder case is turning up newer, fresher corpses and newer, scarier versions of the Sugar House -- places that look sweet and safe...but only from the outside.

The story follows Bernadette "Bambi" Gottschalk, whose life of luxury with her charming husband Felix Brewer takes a dramatic turn in 1976 when he disappears to escape prison. Set against the backdrop of Felix's questionable business dealings, the narrative explores Bambi's struggle to maintain her life and care for their three daughters amidst the chaos of his sudden absence. Themes of betrayal, resilience, and the complexities of family dynamics emerge as Bambi confronts her new reality.

Tess Monaghan, a private investigator, unexpectedly becomes a bodyguard for a young actress amidst unsettling events on a TV series set in Baltimore. Tasked with protecting the spoiled star, Tess grapples with her own challenges while navigating a murder investigation that unveils hidden secrets. As the situation escalates, Tess must confront the potential devastation to her community and the lives of those she cares about, all while managing the chaos of the film crew's drama.

It's murder in Baltimore these days - and Tess herself might be next on the list . . . From the author of LADY IN THE LAKE and SUNBURNWinner of Edgar Award and Shamus Award

Exploring the complexities of memory and the shifting perceptions of heroism and villainy, this novel delves into the myths and stories that define family dynamics. As characters confront their pasts, they grapple with the impact of evolving societal standards on their understanding of truth and identity. Lippman intricately weaves a narrative that challenges readers to reconsider the narratives they've accepted and the legacies they inherit.