Lady in the Lake: A Novel

What happens when you decide to take the road less traveled? Maddie Schwartz is a middle-aged housewife living in Baltimore when a chance dinner invitee propels her into a swirling life change. She resolves to end her marriage and live on her own. However, now she is cash strapped, estranged from her son & searching for purpose. Her decision to fake a crime leads to her encounter with Police Officer Ferdie Platt. They soon become covert lovers, their interracial romance frowned upon in the 1960s. Maddie starts to take chances, her and a friend searching for a missing eleven-year-old girl. The two discover the body, and Maddie reaches out to the young man arrested in the killing. Maddie parlays her actions into a job at the local newspaper, her aspirations high but her position far below. She elicits information from Ferdie and soon begins investigating the death of the titular Lady in the Lake. The mysteries and secrets surrounding the submerged victim threaten to consume Maddie and much more.

Lady in the Lake is a well plotted and gripping mystery thriller penned by Laura Lippman. The plot is solid, the narration provided by multiple perspectives. The various narratives provide an extra boost to a juicy storyline. The protagonist is far from perfection, but she is compelling and sympathetic. An outstanding work to behold.