What the Dead Know
 First edition | |
| Author | Laura Lippman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
Publication date | March 13, 2007 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 384 pages |
| ISBN | 0-06-112885-6 |
What the Dead Know is a crime thriller by Laura Lippman published in 2007.[1] The story, set in Baltimore in 2005, is about an investigation into a woman who claims to be Heather Bethany, a girl who had gone missing thirty years before. The book was critically acclaimed. It won the 2007 Quill Award in the mystery/suspense/thriller category and 2008 Anthony Award for Best Novel.
Critical reception
Reviewers saw What the Dead Know as a success both as a well-crafted mystery and as an emotionally powerful novel.[2][3] The Guardian called it a "realistic and poignant detailing of emotional hide-and-seek, ... an excellent mystery and a thoughtful exploration of the nature and effects of grief and loss."[4] The reader is kept guessing to the end as to the identity of the mystery woman.
Main characters, as first introduced
- The Bethany family: Dave and Miriam (née Toles); daughters Heather and Sunny
- Penelope Jackson – registered owner of a car in a highway accident
- Detective Kevin Infante – lead investigator
- Harold Lenhardt – Infante's sergeant
- Gloria Bustamante – lawyer
- Nancy Porter – police researcher and Infante's former police partner
- Kay Sullivan – social worker at St. Agnes Hospital; children Seth and Grace
- Dr. Schumeier – psychiatrist at St. Agnes Hospital
- Chester "Chet" V. Willoughby IV – retired detective
- Stan Dunham – former Pennsylvania property owner
- Irene – a foster mother
- Tony Dunham – man killed in a Florida house fire
- Roy Pincharelli – music teacher
- Joe – art gallery owner
- Javier – art gallery employee
- Jeff and Thelma Baumgarten – couple in fidelity crisis
- Ruth Leibig – Ohio school girl
- Estelle and Herb Turner – practitioners of Fivefold Path spirituality
- Priscilla "Syl" Browne – employee at "Swiss Colony" restaurant
References
- ^ Laura Lippman, What the Dead Know, William Morrow, 2007. ISBN 0-06-112885-6, ISBN 978-0-06-112885-1.
- ^ Patrick Anderson, "A Virtuoso Reappearing Act" (review of What the Dead Know), Washington Post, March 19, 2007; Page C03.
- ^ Janet Maslin, "Maybe She’s Reappeared; Definitely She’s a Mystery" (review of What the Dead Know), New York Times, April 5, 2007.
- ^ "What the Dead Know" (book review), The Guardian, July 14, 2007.