414 books
—
712 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Lady in the Lake” as Want to Read:
Lady in the Lake
by
The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that combines modern psychological insights with elements of classic noir, about a middle-aged housewife turned aspiring reporter who pursues the murder of a forgotten young woman.
In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know--everyone, that is, except Madeline ...more
In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know--everyone, that is, except Madeline ...more
Get A Copy
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published
July 23rd 2019
by William Morrow
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Lady in the Lake

Three too many POVs flying over my head and I began to confuse, a thriller story shouldn’t be told more than three sides, right? By the way did I have to trouble to connect with characters or are they really so distant, awkward, unlikable to empathize, and where are those mind bending, nerve bending thriller element, did writer save them for another book and used the leftovers for that one stars!
I mostly enjoy Laura Lippman’s books and her slow burn but giving warnings that something ominous a ...more
I mostly enjoy Laura Lippman’s books and her slow burn but giving warnings that something ominous a ...more

Jul 07, 2019
Meredith (Slowly Catching Up)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads
Cold, Dark, and Distant
Lady in the Lake is a mystery about a want-to-be journalist who inserts herself into murder investigations in 1960's Baltimore.
Maddie Schwartz, married to Milton for 18 years and mother to 16-year-old Seth, decides she needs to do more. She makes a drastic change and leaves Milton and Seth to start over. She lucks her way into a job at a newspaper and goes to extremes to move up on the ladder. In order to succeed, she will cross boundaries and put herself into dangero ...more
Lady in the Lake is a mystery about a want-to-be journalist who inserts herself into murder investigations in 1960's Baltimore.
Maddie Schwartz, married to Milton for 18 years and mother to 16-year-old Seth, decides she needs to do more. She makes a drastic change and leaves Milton and Seth to start over. She lucks her way into a job at a newspaper and goes to extremes to move up on the ladder. In order to succeed, she will cross boundaries and put herself into dangero ...more

4.5 stars, rounded up
I’ve read almost all of Laura Lippman’s books. This one is a departure from her typical style. For starters, it takes place in the past, the sixties to be precise. It also involves a ghost. Yet, it’s still a mystery at heart.
Maddie Schwatz is recently separated and looking finally to become something other than a wife and mother. Through a fluke, she finds the body of a missing 11 year old girl. Playing off that and what follows, she manages to get a job at a newspaper. As ...more
I’ve read almost all of Laura Lippman’s books. This one is a departure from her typical style. For starters, it takes place in the past, the sixties to be precise. It also involves a ghost. Yet, it’s still a mystery at heart.
Maddie Schwatz is recently separated and looking finally to become something other than a wife and mother. Through a fluke, she finds the body of a missing 11 year old girl. Playing off that and what follows, she manages to get a job at a newspaper. As ...more

FIVE HARD-BOILED NOIR STARS
Welcome to the 60's! woo-hoo-hoo-wooooh.🎶🎵🎶GOOD MORNING, BALTIMORE!
Thank GOD, this novel has restored my faith in the literary mystery thriller genre! HOORAY!
As we all know by now... the 60's were a turbulent, exciting time of change in our country. Racial tensions, the feminist movement, and freedom of the press were spotlighted every night on local televisions across the nation. How sad that not much has changed some fifty years later.
Okay, forget for a moment a ...more
Welcome to the 60's! woo-hoo-hoo-wooooh.🎶🎵🎶GOOD MORNING, BALTIMORE!
Thank GOD, this novel has restored my faith in the literary mystery thriller genre! HOORAY!

As we all know by now... the 60's were a turbulent, exciting time of change in our country. Racial tensions, the feminist movement, and freedom of the press were spotlighted every night on local televisions across the nation. How sad that not much has changed some fifty years later.
Okay, forget for a moment a ...more

2.5 stars.
A mysterious and unique story exploring a woman’s determination to break boundaries and expectations in the 1960’s.
There is a lot packed into this novel! Several heavy topics are explored within this era — race, class, women’s rights, etc. I enjoyed the newsroom/reporter aspect. The mystery kept me intrigued until the end that had some interesting surprises.
There are a lot of perspective changes. I appreciate how the author kept the narratives fresh and surprising, but in all honesty ...more
A mysterious and unique story exploring a woman’s determination to break boundaries and expectations in the 1960’s.
There is a lot packed into this novel! Several heavy topics are explored within this era — race, class, women’s rights, etc. I enjoyed the newsroom/reporter aspect. The mystery kept me intrigued until the end that had some interesting surprises.
There are a lot of perspective changes. I appreciate how the author kept the narratives fresh and surprising, but in all honesty ...more

Well, this was a truly unique way to tell a mystery. Bonus: Catching me off guard with part of the conclusion? I.AM.HERE.FOR.IT. 👏
The year is 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland. Maddie Schwartz has just left her husband and her comfortable monetary life, and is starting over. After finding the body of a missing girl, Maddie decides that she should try her hand at being a reporter.
The folks at the newspaper, The Star, are not as eager to help her with her new career goals, but give her a non-reporting ...more
The year is 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland. Maddie Schwartz has just left her husband and her comfortable monetary life, and is starting over. After finding the body of a missing girl, Maddie decides that she should try her hand at being a reporter.
The folks at the newspaper, The Star, are not as eager to help her with her new career goals, but give her a non-reporting ...more

Nov 14, 2020
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
EXCERPT: Alive, I was Cleo Sherwood. Dead, I became the Lady in the Lake, a nasty broken thing, dragged from the fountain after steeping there for months, through the cold winter, then that fitful, bratty spring, almost into summer proper. Face gone, much of my flesh gone.
And no one cared until you came along, gave me that stupid nickname, began rattling doorknobs and pestering people, going places you weren't supposed to go. No one outside my family was supposed to care. I was a careless girl ...more
And no one cared until you came along, gave me that stupid nickname, began rattling doorknobs and pestering people, going places you weren't supposed to go. No one outside my family was supposed to care. I was a careless girl ...more

The story opens in 1966, when thirty-seven year old Maddie Morgenstern Schwartz is a beautiful Jewish housewife with an attorney husband named Milton, a teenage son called Seth, and a lovely home in a toney Baltimore neighborhood.


Many women of Maddie's generation would be happy with this life, but Maddie has ambitions for a career, so she moves out to follow her dreams.
Living in a small apartment - and barely making ends meet - Maddie decides to report her diamond ring stolen for the insurance ...more

My first Laura Lippman review was a big success! I loved it! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Set in 1960s Baltimore, Marie Schwartz is reflecting on her once happy life as a housewife. That was only one year ago. Now she’s walked away from her marriage and is looking for true happiness.
Maddie wants to make her mark, and she helps the police find a girl who was murdered, which then leads her to a job at the local newspaper.
Her first story? About a missing woman whose body was found in a local lake. It turns out sh ...more
Set in 1960s Baltimore, Marie Schwartz is reflecting on her once happy life as a housewife. That was only one year ago. Now she’s walked away from her marriage and is looking for true happiness.
Maddie wants to make her mark, and she helps the police find a girl who was murdered, which then leads her to a job at the local newspaper.
Her first story? About a missing woman whose body was found in a local lake. It turns out sh ...more

Jun 13, 2019
Katie B
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
race,
read-in-2019,
netgalley,
writing,
1960s,
fiction,
arc,
mystery,
religion
I've been wanting to read a book by this author for awhile now and the synopsis for this one sounded good. so I finally took the plunge. While this book can be classified as historical fiction, it also fits in the mystery and women's fiction genres. I ended up really enjoying this novel and look forward to reading other books by Laura Lippman.
It's 1966 and Madeline "Maddie" Schwartz. lives in Baltimore with her husband and teenage son. It might seem like she has it all but she wants more than ju ...more
It's 1966 and Madeline "Maddie" Schwartz. lives in Baltimore with her husband and teenage son. It might seem like she has it all but she wants more than ju ...more

May 19, 2019
Holly
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads-giveaway,
2019
Unfortunately, I didn’t like this. It started off promising, the voice of the Lady in the Lake beginning the story. Then we get the voice of Maddie, the housewife who has ambitions beyond being a married woman. Then we have another voice, then another, then another, then another.....get the picture? My interest was waning. There were two murders but I couldn't have cared less about how or who or what happened. I read the whole book but I didn’t like the story nor the characters, & definitely not
...more

LaurA Lippman swept me away to 1960s Baltimore with this atmospheric and riveting tale. This book perfectly wove together mystery, historical fiction, and women’s fiction. maddie is a 1960s housewife who after 18 years of marriage decide she wants more to life than just being a wife. While I didn’t always agree with Maddie’s methods, I completely understood her plightt. Maddie leaves her husband finds herself a job at a newspaper and is determined to be the best reporter ever. She will do what i
...more

4 very enthusiastic stars!!! This was my first book of Laura Lippman's and it definitely won't be my last. I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book.
It's Baltimore in 1966 and Maddie Schwartz has decided she is done playing by the rules and wants to start living her life. She leaves her husband and moves to an apartment downtown. She finds herself in the middle of a police investigation and from that point on she gains a focus of what she wants to do with her life. She begins work ...more
It's Baltimore in 1966 and Maddie Schwartz has decided she is done playing by the rules and wants to start living her life. She leaves her husband and moves to an apartment downtown. She finds herself in the middle of a police investigation and from that point on she gains a focus of what she wants to do with her life. She begins work ...more

4.5 stars
I love the 1960’s as a setting in a novel and this was no exception. It’s 1960s Baltimore, women’s roles are changing and racial tensions are high. The author nails time and place expertly and makes them come to life.
Maddie Schwartz wants more than her privileged life as the housewife of a successful businessman and mother to her teenage son. She decides to leaves her family and start over. This is a risky choice for an author as it doesn’t make Maddie the most likable of characters. H ...more
I love the 1960’s as a setting in a novel and this was no exception. It’s 1960s Baltimore, women’s roles are changing and racial tensions are high. The author nails time and place expertly and makes them come to life.
Maddie Schwartz wants more than her privileged life as the housewife of a successful businessman and mother to her teenage son. She decides to leaves her family and start over. This is a risky choice for an author as it doesn’t make Maddie the most likable of characters. H ...more

Baltimore 1966 – a/k/a “The good ole days.” (For some people.)
Madeline Schwartz has been a wife and mother for almost two decades when she suddenly decides to turn her back on the boring comforts of the upper middle class. It isn’t easy for a woman in her late ‘30s to start over, but she begins pulling together a new life, including a secret relationship with an African-American cop. When Maddie discovers the body of a murder victim she manages to eventually leverage that into an entry level job ...more
Madeline Schwartz has been a wife and mother for almost two decades when she suddenly decides to turn her back on the boring comforts of the upper middle class. It isn’t easy for a woman in her late ‘30s to start over, but she begins pulling together a new life, including a secret relationship with an African-American cop. When Maddie discovers the body of a murder victim she manages to eventually leverage that into an entry level job ...more

Favorite Quotes:
It was like that first great work of art that transfixes you, that novel that stays with you the rest of your life, even if you go on to read much better ones.
Within a year, she was engaged to Milton Schwartz, big and hairy and older, twenty-two to her eighteen, his first year of law school already behind him. I went to their wedding. It was like watching Alice Faye run away with King Kong.
The detectives, who seemed to find everything about her mildly hilarious, had shrugged, to ...more
It was like that first great work of art that transfixes you, that novel that stays with you the rest of your life, even if you go on to read much better ones.
Within a year, she was engaged to Milton Schwartz, big and hairy and older, twenty-two to her eighteen, his first year of law school already behind him. I went to their wedding. It was like watching Alice Faye run away with King Kong.
The detectives, who seemed to find everything about her mildly hilarious, had shrugged, to ...more

I enjoyed Laura Lippman’s first novel, Baltimore Blue. I enjoyed Laura Lippman’s second novel, Charm City, but I worried that she might become a formula novelist. You know the one whose book you could open and by the time you have finished chapter three you could predict what was going to happen and by the end of the book have your predictions affirmed.
Thankfully I can say Lippman is not a “formula writer.” She is a skilled mystery writer who sets forth developed characters facing complex situat ...more
Thankfully I can say Lippman is not a “formula writer.” She is a skilled mystery writer who sets forth developed characters facing complex situat ...more

This was my first read by Laura Lippmann & my experience wasn’t the best I thought the characters were unliveable & it was too here $ there the pacing was slow & wasn’t much suspense.
Maddie Schwartz was married to Milton for 18 years& had a son Seth who was 16 but she was unhappy & made a decision to leave her son with the cad of a husband Milton & start a more satisfying life , She moves to the wrong side of Baltimore.& sells her ring to get money but… guess what she joins in the investigation ...more
Maddie Schwartz was married to Milton for 18 years& had a son Seth who was 16 but she was unhappy & made a decision to leave her son with the cad of a husband Milton & start a more satisfying life , She moves to the wrong side of Baltimore.& sells her ring to get money but… guess what she joins in the investigation ...more

Whew, Lady in the Lake was a dizzying ride!

The basics of the plot do have a lot of potential--the "lady in the lake" and her killer have to be identified, and recently separated Maddie Schwartz is on the case. However, the rotating cast of narrators made my head spin.

Nearly every minor character Maddie meets ends up narrating a chapter. These narrators are often one-dimensional, and they tend to ramble, sending the storyline off on tangents that aren't central to the narrative.

It's 1966, and M ...more

The basics of the plot do have a lot of potential--the "lady in the lake" and her killer have to be identified, and recently separated Maddie Schwartz is on the case. However, the rotating cast of narrators made my head spin.

Nearly every minor character Maddie meets ends up narrating a chapter. These narrators are often one-dimensional, and they tend to ramble, sending the storyline off on tangents that aren't central to the narrative.

It's 1966, and M ...more

4 surprise stars
This was such a surprising book! I loved the way that Laura Lippman wrote this with so many different voices. Here’s one example: there would be a scene of two characters talking at a diner and the next voice we would hear would be from the waitress. I thought this was so clever and a great way to make the story multi-dimensional. There’s a baseball player, a ghost, and a policeman just to name a few of the voices that contribute to the overall story.
Set in the mid-1960s Baltimor ...more
This was such a surprising book! I loved the way that Laura Lippman wrote this with so many different voices. Here’s one example: there would be a scene of two characters talking at a diner and the next voice we would hear would be from the waitress. I thought this was so clever and a great way to make the story multi-dimensional. There’s a baseball player, a ghost, and a policeman just to name a few of the voices that contribute to the overall story.
Set in the mid-1960s Baltimor ...more

Too much going on here in this noir fusion thriller by Lippman. There are points of view galore going on here, a reminiscing ghost who haunts both the reader and the main character, and a somewhat selfish yet bland protagonist I simply couldn't connect with.
...more

Maddie Schwartz has been a housewife for almost twenty years. She thought she'd resigned herself to this life as soon as she married Milton and became a mother to their son Seth.
It's a guest from her past at a small dinner party that reminds Maddie of her ambitions and she leaves Milton to begin a life of her own. She assumed Seth would want to live with her and she's hurt when he decides to stay and finish high school at home with his father.
When young Tessie Fine goes missing near Maddie's ...more
It's a guest from her past at a small dinner party that reminds Maddie of her ambitions and she leaves Milton to begin a life of her own. She assumed Seth would want to live with her and she's hurt when he decides to stay and finish high school at home with his father.
When young Tessie Fine goes missing near Maddie's ...more

Nov 24, 2019
Diane
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries-thrillers
This was an engaging murder mystery, which I picked up after seeing a rave review from Stephen King.
The story is set in Baltimore in the 1960s, and our heroine is Maddie Schwartz. After being married for nearly 20 years, Maddie realizes she no longer loves her husband and decides to leave him. She moves into her own apartment, starts dating a police officer, and gets an entry-level job at a city newspaper. Soon she finds herself involved in the case of a murdered woman whose body was found in a ...more
The story is set in Baltimore in the 1960s, and our heroine is Maddie Schwartz. After being married for nearly 20 years, Maddie realizes she no longer loves her husband and decides to leave him. She moves into her own apartment, starts dating a police officer, and gets an entry-level job at a city newspaper. Soon she finds herself involved in the case of a murdered woman whose body was found in a ...more

I need to read more novels by Laura Lippman. In her newest, “Lady in the Lake”, Lippman, who always writes novels inspired by true crime, bases her story on two murders that happened in Baltimore in the 1960’s. In her NPR interview she is clear that she doesn’t base her novels on facts of the crime, just the crime itself. She was 10 years old when 11 year-old Esther Lebowitz went missing, and then her body was found a few days later. This impacted a young Lippman, who couldn’t fathom a girl her
...more

I enjoyed Laura Lippman’s first novel, Baltimore Blue. I enjoyed Laura Lippman’s second novel, Charm City, but I worried that she might become a formula novelist. You know the one whose book you could open and by the time you have finished chapter three you could predict what was going to happen and by the end of the book have your predictions affirmed.
Thankfully I can say Lippman is not a “formula writer.” She is a skilled mystery writer who sets forth developed characters facing complex situat ...more
Thankfully I can say Lippman is not a “formula writer.” She is a skilled mystery writer who sets forth developed characters facing complex situat ...more

Well I almost gave this 5 full stars. Until the last 30 or 40 pages, I would have. And be warned before I truly begin the reaction. It could go long.
Lippman, you are a sister in and under the skin to me. Not only are you peer in age and "eyes" but you have the most excellent ability to grab the core. And you REMEMBER how it was. Oh, I'm sure 100,000's of other women do too- but are not able to express it AS IT WAS and as it IS- for those who are selfish enough to want a CAREER. If you are under ...more
Lippman, you are a sister in and under the skin to me. Not only are you peer in age and "eyes" but you have the most excellent ability to grab the core. And you REMEMBER how it was. Oh, I'm sure 100,000's of other women do too- but are not able to express it AS IT WAS and as it IS- for those who are selfish enough to want a CAREER. If you are under ...more

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Have y’all read Laura Lippman yet????
After discovering her last year with Sunburn I knew I wanted more and immediately requested the library to purchase this after being denied the ARC. I didn’t know anything about The Lady in the Lake going in aside from the author (and also that I hated the cover, but I’ll bitch about face covers on a review for another book). The story here is about a couple of murders. Bored upper-middleclass h ...more
Have y’all read Laura Lippman yet????

After discovering her last year with Sunburn I knew I wanted more and immediately requested the library to purchase this after being denied the ARC. I didn’t know anything about The Lady in the Lake going in aside from the author (and also that I hated the cover, but I’ll bitch about face covers on a review for another book). The story here is about a couple of murders. Bored upper-middleclass h ...more

3.5 stars
I liked the feel of Lady in the Lake, but there was something a bit disjointed about it at times. The story is set in 1966 Baltimore and focuses on Maddie Schwartz. Maddie is somewhat at odds with the times. She is restless in her marriage, has a healthy sexual appetite, is itching to work at something engaging and is willing to take risks. But she’s no hero. She gets a job with a newspaper and starts meddling in the murder of Cleo Sherwood, and things become complicated for Maddie and ...more
I liked the feel of Lady in the Lake, but there was something a bit disjointed about it at times. The story is set in 1966 Baltimore and focuses on Maddie Schwartz. Maddie is somewhat at odds with the times. She is restless in her marriage, has a healthy sexual appetite, is itching to work at something engaging and is willing to take risks. But she’s no hero. She gets a job with a newspaper and starts meddling in the murder of Cleo Sherwood, and things become complicated for Maddie and ...more

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 CLEVER stars
What a trippy mystery that takes you on a ride in the Way Back machine to Baltimore circa 1964. This is the first Laura Lippman book that I’ve read. After reading other reviews, I understand this this book doesn’t follow her typical style. That being said, I loved the style of this book! I was intrigued when hearing from many of the bit players and observers in the story. The multiple points of view, some only a page or two in length, added to the co ...more
What a trippy mystery that takes you on a ride in the Way Back machine to Baltimore circa 1964. This is the first Laura Lippman book that I’ve read. After reading other reviews, I understand this this book doesn’t follow her typical style. That being said, I loved the style of this book! I was intrigued when hearing from many of the bit players and observers in the story. The multiple points of view, some only a page or two in length, added to the co ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Adult Mystery. A white woman and a black man in Baltimore (maybe the 60s?) and she's trying to solve a murder case. [s] | 4 | 23 | Feb 03, 2022 09:04AM | |
Once Upon a Crime...: November Book Discussion | 75 | 11 | Nov 16, 2020 12:06PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Translator Credit | 2 | 311 | Aug 26, 2020 02:31AM | |
Play Book Tag: The Lady in the Lake 3.5 stars | 1 | 7 | Jun 29, 2020 11:38AM | |
Mystery/Thriller ...: Group Read - Lady in the Lake - Part 3 to end Spoilers Welcome | 11 | 61 | Nov 09, 2019 04:13PM |
473 users
309 users
167 users
112 users
106 users
87 users
39 users
31 users
26 users
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 twenty-one novels, a novella, a children’s book, and a collection of short stories. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. LitHub named her one of the “essential” fema
...more
Articles featuring this book
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our...
41 likes · 10 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“We cannot imagine what we cannot see.”
—
1 likes
“A woman dies young, it’s man trouble.”
—
1 likes
More quotes…