Eliza Benedict cherishes her peaceful, ordinary suburban life with her successful husband and children, thirteen-year-old Iso and eight-year-old Al...
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reviews
Jun 01, 2011
Angela
rated it: 
Really, Stephen King? "The best suspense novel of the year?" I read this book based on King's recommendation in Entertainment Weekly but, wow, NOT suspenseful, at least in the way that I feel suspense should work: fascinating premise, bread crumb trail of hints and insights, increased anxiety and second-guessing until, pow, the big reveal! Was the premise of the novel a good one? Yes. A woman who was kidnapped as a teenager is contacted by her kidnapper 20 years later, months before hi
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Aug 23, 2010
Michael
rated it: 
In the summer of 1985, Elizabeth Lerner spent 39 days held hostage by Walter Bowman.
Years later, she's changed her name, married and built out a life for herself as Eliza Benedict. But all of that is about to change when a letter from Walter shows up at her house. Walter was tried and convicted of the death of a victim he took while he held Eliza captive and is facing execution in a few weeks. The letter came as the result of Eliza's photograph appearing in the society section More...
Years later, she's changed her name, married and built out a life for herself as Eliza Benedict. But all of that is about to change when a letter from Walter shows up at her house. Walter was tried and convicted of the death of a victim he took while he held Eliza captive and is facing execution in a few weeks. The letter came as the result of Eliza's photograph appearing in the society section More...
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Nov 05, 2011
Lara
rated it:
Book 30 of 2011
I was a little tentative going into this book. I'd read one Lippman before, and while I liked it, I think it was pushed a little too far for my tastes. It was as though Lippman wanted to incorporate every possible plot twist she had ever thought of into a singular book. This book was much, much better. This book really drew me in, made me think, made me argue with myself. I like that in a book.
I like that the story flips back and forth between the present More...
I was a little tentative going into this book. I'd read one Lippman before, and while I liked it, I think it was pushed a little too far for my tastes. It was as though Lippman wanted to incorporate every possible plot twist she had ever thought of into a singular book. This book was much, much better. This book really drew me in, made me think, made me argue with myself. I like that in a book.
I like that the story flips back and forth between the present More...
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Dec 13, 2011
Wyma
rated it: 
So far I'm finding it hard to put down. Very compelling character, plot and writing.
Done. SPOILER ALERT!
This book is the story of "a nice person," as Ms. Lippman herself
put it, and Eliza's story is full of the sort of suspense that keeps you turning the pages. Slowly and deliciously, Eliza's past is revealed as it invades her current, lovely and almost perfect life.
Eliza had been kidnapped when she was fifteen and kept alive by a compulsive ser More...
Done. SPOILER ALERT!
This book is the story of "a nice person," as Ms. Lippman herself
put it, and Eliza's story is full of the sort of suspense that keeps you turning the pages. Slowly and deliciously, Eliza's past is revealed as it invades her current, lovely and almost perfect life.
Eliza had been kidnapped when she was fifteen and kept alive by a compulsive ser More...
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Jan 01, 2012
Vanessa
rated it:
The premise of this novel was enough to hook me (along with the good reviews and the reputation of the author): Elizabeth Lerner, now a suburban wife and mother, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who abducted and raped her when she was a teenager and is now on death row. After seeing her picture in a Washington DC paper, his letter includes the strange and inappropriately familiar observation "I'd know you anywhere." Elizabeth is horrified but also morbidly fascinated as sh
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Apr 30, 2011
Cheryl
rated it: 
When Eliza Benedict was fifteen years old, she was kidnapped. She was held prisoner for about six weeks. Eliza is all grown up and has a family. Eliza has tried to put the past behind her as much as she can. That is until, Eliza receives a letter that says…”There was your photo, in a magazine. Of Course, you are older now. Still, I’d know you anywhere.” The letter is signed by Walter Bowman. As if Eliza could ever forget the name Walter Bowman. With Walter’s letter, stirs painful emotions from E
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Jan 30, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it:
This was actually better than I expected it to be, but it was still not as good as it could have been, which makes me sad. More 2.5, I guess, but I'm giving it a 2 because I'm a fussbudget.
So, good points! The protagonist bordered on a level of passivity that was almost annoying, but not quite, and she actually grew as a person throughout the course of the novel. Yay!
There was a semi-decent tension running throughout the book, although unfortunately the author did drop t More...
So, good points! The protagonist bordered on a level of passivity that was almost annoying, but not quite, and she actually grew as a person throughout the course of the novel. Yay!
There was a semi-decent tension running throughout the book, although unfortunately the author did drop t More...
Jan 04, 2012
Amanda
rated it:
I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman is deprived of any strong detail and lacks creative finesse. Lippman takes a good story, derived from a true crime, and churns out a lengthy novel that leaves the reader “bummed out” by the last page. Lacking any true emotional attachment to the key themes, characters, and ending, Lippman fails to develop the novel as a rich and satisfying adventure. Instead, Lippman chooses to use direct characterization to tell the reader everything he or she needs
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Oct 17, 2011
Jenna
rated it:
More of a 3.5, but definitely not a 4.
The thing that drove me batty about this book was the APATHY of the main character, Eliza. I guess that I like my protagonists with a little more fire, especially when they've been through a life altering and traumatic experience. I was frustrated with how she just seemed so accepting of everything and everyone's opinion of her, even though she kept lamenting how she was sick of people assuming things about her. And yet, when confronted time and ag More...
The thing that drove me batty about this book was the APATHY of the main character, Eliza. I guess that I like my protagonists with a little more fire, especially when they've been through a life altering and traumatic experience. I was frustrated with how she just seemed so accepting of everything and everyone's opinion of her, even though she kept lamenting how she was sick of people assuming things about her. And yet, when confronted time and ag More...
Jul 23, 2011
Cecilia
rated it:
This was a quick, yet interesting read about the people who hold influence in our lives. In the case of Eliza, the most powerful influence in her life was the man who kidnapped her at 15. This is about how he caused her to forever doubt herself, to forever question here motives/decisions. The question, then, becomes who is prisoner and who is free? And while Eliza is the main character of this novel, there are other interesting characters whose motives must also be questioned, Peter - for on
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Jul 18, 2011
Ariel
rated it:
I thought I'd ordered this in book form from the library and was surprised when it arrived as CD's. This turned out to be a happy accident because I had never listened to a book on CD before. After popping it in the CD player I found I enjoyed it a lot. It gave me a chance to get to another book. Since I have to ferry my daughter to school and various after school activities as I able to get through the book quite quickly and it made boring car trips more interesting. The theme of rape and some
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Jul 05, 2011
drey
rated it:
Eliza is happy to be an anonymous suburban mother with a temperamental teenager and a sweet eight-year-old. Then one day a letter shows up and throws her into a tizzy, raking up memories of her past--one where she'd been kidnapped by a serial killer and lived to tell the tale. And now he's found her from behind bars, but why?
I'd Know You Anywhere starts with Walter trying to get a girlfriend, then swings between Eliza's current day and her time with Walter. It's a tense tale, told in s More...
I'd Know You Anywhere starts with Walter trying to get a girlfriend, then swings between Eliza's current day and her time with Walter. It's a tense tale, told in s More...
Jul 03, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
Eliza Benedict has the distinction of being "the one that got away". She was kidnapped by serial killer Walter Bowman in 1985 when she was fifteen years old and was held hostage for six weeks. She's always wondered why she was the only girl that Walter left alive. Eliza is now married with two children. One day she receives a letter out of the blue from Walter, who is now on death row for his crimes. Will she finally find out why Walter spared her? Or is Walter still manipulating her a
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Jun 29, 2011
Patricia
rated it:
Eliza Benedict and her family have recently moved back to the United States after living several years in England. The move was brought about by Eliza’s husband’s employment. The children are just adjusting to the move. Eliza’s daughter Isobel (Iso) and her son Albie are in new schools and attempting to get used to life in the states after being gone so long.
Eliza’s ordinary life is suddenly interrupted when she receives a letter from Walter Bowman, a death row inmate. Walter had sp More...
Eliza’s ordinary life is suddenly interrupted when she receives a letter from Walter Bowman, a death row inmate. Walter had sp More...
May 16, 2011
Nanci
rated it:
A chilling, yet compelling story of two people--a socially awkward, narcissistic young man who is attracted to women but can't seem to charm them. Walter takes to driving lonely country roads and finds young women alone that he then kidnaps, rapes and kills. He feels that he was forced to kill them and engages in this activity for several years without being discovered.
Finally he kidnaps 15 year old Elizabeth and keeps her hostage for several weeks traveling and camping with her. Aft More...
Finally he kidnaps 15 year old Elizabeth and keeps her hostage for several weeks traveling and camping with her. Aft More...
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May 02, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
When Elizabeth Lerner was fifteen, something horrible happened to her: she was kidnapped by a serial killer. She was held hostage for nearly 6 weeks. She was beaten and raped. But she wasn’t killed. He killed girls before he kidnapped her, he killed girls after he kidnapped her. He did not kill Elizabeth. She has never known why.
Walter Bowman is scheduled for execution in just a few weeks. He has one final chance — and one secret ally — to bring out his version of the truth, and More...
Walter Bowman is scheduled for execution in just a few weeks. He has one final chance — and one secret ally — to bring out his version of the truth, and More...
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Apr 28, 2011
Margaret
rated it:
When Eliza was 15, she was kidnapped by a man whom she'd come upon holding a shovel. He'd just buried his latest victim.
But Eliza lives when the others do not. Why? she wonders.
The man, Walter, has been on death row for 22 years and now his execution has been scheduled. He is desperate to find Eliza. And he does of course. His goal is to prove he didn't commit murder in Virginia, the state that holds the death penalty. And with the help of a woman who believes in More...
But Eliza lives when the others do not. Why? she wonders.
The man, Walter, has been on death row for 22 years and now his execution has been scheduled. He is desperate to find Eliza. And he does of course. His goal is to prove he didn't commit murder in Virginia, the state that holds the death penalty. And with the help of a woman who believes in More...
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Mar 28, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
This is a library book that I picked up because I like the author, but it was different than her books I had read earlier, a stand-alone.
Normally I don't notice cover art very much, but this time it grabbed me. At top is a girl in a blue coat running through tall brush; at bottom is the negative image of that scene with the girl's dark hair turned white and her coat turned red. It looks like she is disappearing into the unknown. Between the cover art and the story, this book got unde More...
Normally I don't notice cover art very much, but this time it grabbed me. At top is a girl in a blue coat running through tall brush; at bottom is the negative image of that scene with the girl's dark hair turned white and her coat turned red. It looks like she is disappearing into the unknown. Between the cover art and the story, this book got unde More...
Mar 21, 2011
Judith
rated it:
I delayed writing this review because my feelings about this book are so conflicted. It was a good premise for a story: a girl is kidnapped and molested at the age of 15 by a serial killer. For some reason, he chooses not to kill her, and she lives to testify against him which results in the death penalty. The story begins as Walter ( (the killer ) having exhausted all appeals awaits pending execution. He contacts Elizabeth (the surviving victim) who is now a happily married mother of 2 ch
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(6 people liked it)
Mar 19, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
In this standalone from Laura Lippman, Eliza, nee Elizabeth, is a suburban stay-at-home mom recently returned from 6 years in London where her husband was posted. No sooner has she returned to the area outside of Washington where she grew up does she receive a mysteriously delivered letter from Walter, a death row inmate in Virginia who had kidnapped Elizabeth and held her for 40 days the summer she was 15. Elizabeth was the one who got away, and now Walter faces the death penalty for killing gi
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Feb 13, 2011
Judy
rated it:
In 1985 when Eliza (then known as Elizabeth) was 15, she was kidnapped, held hostage, and raped by Walter Bowman. Walter was ultimately convicted of the kidnapping and murder of two young women and Eliza always wondered why he didn't kill her also. Now 38 and living in suburban Washington, D.C., she receives a letter from Walter who is on Death Row in a maximum security prison in Virginia and his execution date has been scheduled. Now married with two young children, Eliza doesn't want to hav
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Feb 06, 2011
Kooheli
rated it:
Laura Lippman is fascinated by disappearance, usually a child's, and she spends most of her novels trying to explain the ways in which a family loses its center when one of its members goes missing. If you were to read Lippman regularly, you'd assume that kidnappings and disappearances are as common as parking tickets and rainy weather. Frankly, for her readers, it gets old, especially when she has nothing new to offer. I think she is a talented story-teller, and the jacket-flap descriptor fo
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Jan 25, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
While the premise of this story didnt' appeal to me, once I started reading, I couldn't stop thinking about the story line, the characters and the outcome. Eliza is the only surviving victim of a spree killer and rapist. She goes on to lead what she identifies as a happy life, despite spending almost 40 days with the kidnapper.
Each of Lippman's characters, from the main character, Eliza, to the killer, Walter, to the victim groupie, to the mother of the final victim are complex, car More...
Each of Lippman's characters, from the main character, Eliza, to the killer, Walter, to the victim groupie, to the mother of the final victim are complex, car More...
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Jan 24, 2011
Laura
rated it:
As a fifteen-year-old, Elizabeth was kidnapped by Walter Bowman and held hostage for almost six weeks. He had killed at least two other girls, yet let Elizabeth go for reasons known only to him. Now he is on death row for the murder of his last victim.
Now a grown woman, Elizabeth has changed her name to Eliza, married and had children, and shed her old identity as the rape victim and former hostage. Then she receives a letter from Walter. As his death comes near, he seems contri More...
Now a grown woman, Elizabeth has changed her name to Eliza, married and had children, and shed her old identity as the rape victim and former hostage. Then she receives a letter from Walter. As his death comes near, he seems contri More...
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Jan 03, 2011
Alex
rated it:
This novel had a great premise: the man who kidnapped Eliza Benedict when she was fifteen contacts her over twenty years later after having seen a picture of her in a magazine, claiming "I'd know you anywhere". He tells her he will reveal to her what happened with his other victims, if only she will meet with him. She, meanwhile, has tried her best to put him in her past. This was a quick read, barreling right along to the ending and the final meeting between Eliza and Walter (her kidn
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Dec 31, 2010
David
rated it:
Why I Read It:
Love Laura Lippman and I eagerly await every new book she graces us with. If you have never read Laura Lippman before, this standalone novel (as she also writes the brilliant Tess Monaghan PI series) is a perfect place to start. Read her at the top of her game and then go back to enjoy the delicious backlist.
Review:
What happens to the victims of crime after the event? Lippman looks at one young girl , Eliza, who was kidnapped and eventually More...
Love Laura Lippman and I eagerly await every new book she graces us with. If you have never read Laura Lippman before, this standalone novel (as she also writes the brilliant Tess Monaghan PI series) is a perfect place to start. Read her at the top of her game and then go back to enjoy the delicious backlist.
Review:
What happens to the victims of crime after the event? Lippman looks at one young girl , Eliza, who was kidnapped and eventually More...
Dec 27, 2010
Mallory
rated it:
After reading Room and Still Missing, I seem to be on a kick of reading books about women who are/were abducted. So when Amazon.com suggested I'd Know You Anywhere to me, I was excited to add it to my repertoire. While this book was unoffensive, it didn't quite hold a candle to the former two novels, which crafted characters so rich and nuanced, with such a distinct and interesting point of view that they felt like real people.
I've always been curious what happens to victims of high- More...
I've always been curious what happens to victims of high- More...
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Dec 16, 2010
Danielle
rated it:
At age 15, Elizabeth Lerner was kidnapped and held captive for 39 days by Walter Bowman. Unsure as to how much she had seen when she stumbled upon him digging in the woods, Walter felt like he had no choice but to take Elizabeth. He certainly didn’t chose her like he chose the others. Maybe that’s why she’s the only one who survived.
Flash forward twenty some-odd years. Walter is on death row. Elizabeth Lerner is now Eliza Benedict, wife of Peter, mother of Iso and Albie. Eliza h More...
Flash forward twenty some-odd years. Walter is on death row. Elizabeth Lerner is now Eliza Benedict, wife of Peter, mother of Iso and Albie. Eliza h More...
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Nov 29, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
2 words that describe the book―Psychological gamesmanship
3 settings or characters I met
* In and around Maryland and Virginia, modern day and 1985
* Eliza Benedict has gone to great lengths to distance herself from her past identity as Elizabeth Lerner. Only a few people in the world know what happened to Eliza during the summer she was 15, and Eliza has done everything she can to keep it that way. So when a letter arrives one day from the man who abducted her that su More...
3 settings or characters I met
* In and around Maryland and Virginia, modern day and 1985
* Eliza Benedict has gone to great lengths to distance herself from her past identity as Elizabeth Lerner. Only a few people in the world know what happened to Eliza during the summer she was 15, and Eliza has done everything she can to keep it that way. So when a letter arrives one day from the man who abducted her that su More...
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Nov 20, 2010
Min
rated it:
When Elizabeth Lerner was a teenager, she was kidnapped and raped by Walter. After being held by him for nearly six weeks, she was rescued.
Now she is a happily married woman, a mother of a teenaged daughter (Iso) and a younger son (Albie). She has changed her name to Eliza (a move she made once the trial was over and Walter was sentence to death row for killing the girl he kidnapped after Eliza), and her husband knows her past, but her children do not. But that is all endangered whe More...
Now she is a happily married woman, a mother of a teenaged daughter (Iso) and a younger son (Albie). She has changed her name to Eliza (a move she made once the trial was over and Walter was sentence to death row for killing the girl he kidnapped after Eliza), and her husband knows her past, but her children do not. But that is all endangered whe More...
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