“From its gripping opening pages…Life Sentences may be the most absorbing, entertaining mystery published in the last year.”
—Boston Globe
USA Today calls Laura Lippman, “A writing powerhouse,” and Life Sentences powerfully confirms it. Past and present, truth and memory collide in this searing novel from a New York Times bestselling author whose novels have won virtually every major prize bestowed for crime fiction—from the Edgar® to the Anthony to the Agatha to the Nero Wolfe Award. As she did in her blockbuster What the Dead Know, Lippman takes a brief hiatus from her popular series character, Baltimore p.i. Tess Monaghan, to tell a riveting story of deceptions and dangerously fragile truths that People magazine says, “Succeeds brilliantly.”
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"I really enjoyed this novel. Laura Lippman is a captivating author and her stories never fail to draw me in. Life Sentences was a journey into the life of a woman full of memories and not all of them accurate. Great read." — Frankie (4 out of 5 stars)
"I really enjoyed this novel. Laura Lippman is a captivating author and her stories never fail to draw me in. Life Sentences was a journey into the life of a woman full of memories and not all of them accurate. Great read."
“Lippman makes good use of the way memoirists often choose sides in stories of divorce, and of how their idealizing and demonizing respective parents may be deeply wrong. But her greatest sleight of hand is the maneuvering that deftly compromises Cassandra as she reignites old emotions. Not until the end of Life Sentences…will the reader grasp how fully Ms. Lippman has shaped and controlled this narrative.”
“Succeeds brilliantly…Lippman is in total command of her material, weaving strands about race, family myths and self-deception into a mystery so taut the reader is nearly afraid to keep going—and simultaneously powerless to stop.”
“Lippman, a Baltimore native, skillfully brings the racial and economic tensions of her middle-class neighborhood to life in this poignant page-turner.”
“Stunning…Examines the extraordinary power and fragility of memories…A rich, complex journey from self-deception to self-discovery.”
“It’s a stroke of genius to write a mystery about a memoir writer…Anchored to intriguing characters, bristling with jujitsu conversations and sharp social insights, this is an ensnaring and revelatory mystery of the human heart masterfully told by a writer well versed in our habit of self-delusion and preference for myth over reality.”
“Lippman’s writing is powerful and her gaze unflinching as she invokes a world in which no one is either entirely guilty or truly innocent.”
" A 3.5, really. I bumped it up to 4 because I had a difficult time putting it down. I liked the characterizations, but the plot twists were the most compelling aspect of the novel....kept me reading! "
" My cousin Laurie recommended this book. It is a stand alone. "
" Enjoyed enough to start another of her books. "
" I think Laura Lippman has moved to the top of my favorite authors list! "
" Not my favorite Lippman, just because it was a lot less mystery and a lot more contemporary realistic fiction. Still good, and I still recommend her books for all mystery readers. "
" I liked it well enough, but the book didn't have much of an impact on me. "
" Laura Lippman normally does mysteries. This book had a mystery but it was more of a McGuffin for the story about memory and friendships and race. "
" Not my favorite Laura Lippman, by a long shot (I seem to be saying that a lot lately). It was okay...a little disturbing, but not what I expected or wanted. "
" I enjoyed "What The Dead Know" so I was eager to pick up this book, but it did not hold up for me. I could get over my dislike for the main character, but I could not suspend belief with regard to the other characters and their actions. Here and there, an interesting moment, which garnered the one star. "
" set in Baltimore!if you're from Baltimore you'll like all the references to places in Baltimore, tho' some may not be known to the younger reader. it's a lightweight mystery. "
" Interesting commentary on race relations but did not like this as much as some of her other books "
" Started out strong and sucked me in for about the first 3/4 of the book. Then the story kind of fizzled out and I had a hard time finishing it. "
" Good book, but not her best "
" I liked this book, but was really disappointed at the end. It was alsmost as if the author got bored writing the book. "
" Laura Lippman is always a good read! "
" Would give 3.5 stars if I could. Found characters and mystery part of plot a little tedious, but ended up liking the questions of memory vs truth a lot. Truth = facts, memory = perceptions? How do the two coexist? I dunno, but it's fun to think about. "
" This book seemed to be about a mystery, but was instead about the search to discover if there even was a mystery. I guess it was more about the search for the story than the story itself which left me disappointed by it. "
" OK-not nearly as good as one of her previous books "
" I enjoyed this book, and the different themes. The book is set in Baltimore, and deals with racial, family, and marital conflicts. It was hard to get into the story, but once it began to unfold I was hooked. "
" I'm not made of stone. As unliterary as Lippman may be, I enjoy her books. This one is as good as any of hers. "
" run of the mill thriller. another book from my neighbor's free pile... "
" While I did like this book, I didn't think that this was as good as some of her previous novels, like "What the Dead Know". "
" My first Laura Lippman and not my last. Great read! "
" The resolution was a little rushed and not as satisfying as I hoped, but still a good stand-alone from Lippman. "
" I wish I had stopped reading this book 5 pages in. It seemed to dawdle along until a very anti-climactic ending. There was no great mystery or shocking finale. I was very disappointed. "
" This book never grabbed the way I thought it would. There seemed to be too many characters and it was hard to keep them all straight. There were some good splot lines that could have been explored more. It felt very anti climatic at he end. "
" The mystery held my interest but when it was revealed I was disappointed. "
" I couldn't understand the great quantity of players in this interesting novel. And I wished I really liked at least one of them...... "
" I could not really get into this book I'm not really sure why. Perhaps I will reread it someday. "
" Good, but not my favorite Lippman book. "
" audio -- It was all about secrets about the death of a child. "
" this book was much better than my other readings. the author really imerses herself into the charcaters and the city. "
" meh...my least favorite lippman to date. "
" To be complete honest this book was on the depressing side. It started out with promise and then it fell apart. I just didn't connect with the story. Maybe its because its about individuals that are much older than I. "
" Right from the start-I had a strong dislike for the main character and it never turned around thru out the book. By the end, I questioned if I liked anyone in the story. "
" 3 1/2, nearly 4 stars. interesting, involved plot, many flawed characters, jealousy, family secrets, not a "tess" book "
" So- so book. Not as interesting as some of her other books that I have read. "
" 3 stars - warming up to her style "
" Bah... Another Lippman book that started strong, got watered down, and ended on a "You gotta be kidding me"-note. "
Laura Lippman is a New York Times bestselling novelist who has won more than twenty awards for her fiction, including the Edgar Award—and been nominated for thirty more. Since her debut in 1997, she has published almost two dozen novels, a novella, a children’s book, and a collection of short stories. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Laura lives in Baltimore with her husband, David Simon, and their daughter.
Linda Emond is an award-winning actress of stage, film, television, and audiobook narration. Her performances on Broadway earned her nominations for the Tony Award in 2003 and 2012 and for the Drama Desk Award in 1997 and 2002. She was awarded the Joseph Jefferson Award for her roles in plays at theaters in Chicago. Her film credits include roles in Julie & Julia, Dark Water, and Across the Universe, among others. Her television credits include such series as Elementary, The Good Wife, and Law & Order: SVU, as well as movies such as A Dog Named Christmas. She has narrated dozens of audiobooks, winning four Earphones Awards and being named a finalist four times for the prestigious Audie Award. In 2011 she was named by AudioFile magazine as a Best Voice in Mystery & Suspense for her reading of Flash and Bones.
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