‘Wilde Lake,’ A Conversation with Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman began writing novels while working as a reporter. Seven “Tess Monaghan” books were published before she left journalism in 2001. Her bestselling novels, which are considered to be literary crime fiction, have garnered the Edgar, the Anthony, the Agatha, and the Shamus Awards, among other honors.

In Wilde Lake, Luisa “Lu” Brant has just been elected State’s Attorney of Howard County, Maryland, a position previously held by her father. After Lu’s husband dies suddenly, she and her...