The New York Times - Janet Maslin
Although Ms. Lippman derived her story from the real-life disappearance of a Baltimore crook and also bases Sandy on a real homicide detective, this novel's murder case springs strictly from her own fecund imagination…Ms. Lippman is able to sustain a remarkable degree of detail about all these characters and still keep them sharply distinct and interesting.
Publishers Weekly - Audio
06/30/2014
Lippman’s latest crime novel begins as more of a family drama, focusing on shady businessman Felix Brewer. The story opens as Felix flees suburban Maryland to escape the law, leaving behind his wife, Bambi; three daughters; and a mistress, Julie Saxony. When Julie disappears 10 years later, it is assumed that she joined Felix. The whodunit aspect of the narrative kicks in when her skeletal corpse is discovered in one of the city’s favorite body dumps, Leakin Park. Enter Sandy Sanchez, a retired Baltimore police detective who supplements his pension by closing the department’s cold cases, who reopens the investigation of Julia’s death. Emond reads the character-rich story with just the right amount of emotion, catching Bambi’s youthful infatuation, her smug comfort in a seemingly idyllic marriage, and, finally, her disillusionment. The actress is just as effective in portraying Felix’s brash scoundrel’s charm and the various moods of the very different daughters. As for Sandy Sanchez, the guy’s a dogged sleuth who saves his emotion for his work. Emond catches his faux empathy in interviews, his elation in uncovering decades-old clues, and his determination to get the job done. A William Morrow hardcover. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Despite the murder at its center, this is less a suspenseful whodunit than a masterly novel of character, with secrets skillfully and gradually revealed. Revel in the pace and pleasures of this book [...] that should add to Lippman’s literary luster.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Lippman is a bet you just can’t lose.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“I never miss Laura Lippman’s novels.” — Anna Quindlen, New York Times bestselling author
“She’s one of the best novelists around, period.” — Washington Post
“smart and mesmerizing [...] an involving and elegant novel of the psychological ravages of crime” — Booklist
“Equal parts love story, tragedy and murder mystery, Lippman’s latest thriller delivers twist and emotional depth with its tale of a philandering scheemer whose long-time mistress turns up dead years after he skipped town.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Lippman is as skillful at plot as she is at characters and setting, and the twists in the novel’s final pages are both surprising and satisfying. [...] Like everything else Lippman has written, “After I’m Gone” transcends the limits of genre.” — Washington Post
“In this edge-of-your seat tale, a man’s disappearance has unexpected consequences for the women he’s left behind.” — O, the Oprah Magazine
“pure delight.” — People
“enthralling” — Houston Chronicle
“Lippman is one of the deftest hands at whodunit around, and the great characters make for an engaging read.” — Dallas Morning News
Anna Quindlen
I never miss Laura Lippman’s novels.
Entertainment Weekly
Equal parts love story, tragedy and murder mystery, Lippman’s latest thriller delivers twist and emotional depth with its tale of a philandering scheemer whose long-time mistress turns up dead years after he skipped town.
the Oprah Magazine O
In this edge-of-your seat tale, a man’s disappearance has unexpected consequences for the women he’s left behind.
Washington Post
She’s one of the best novelists around, period.
People
pure delight.
Booklist
smart and mesmerizing [...] an involving and elegant novel of the psychological ravages of crime
Houston Chronicle
enthralling
Dallas Morning News
Lippman is one of the deftest hands at whodunit around, and the great characters make for an engaging read.
Booklist
smart and mesmerizing [...] an involving and elegant novel of the psychological ravages of crime
Washington Post
She’s one of the best novelists around, period.
O: the Oprah Magazine
In this edge-of-your seat tale, a man’s disappearance has unexpected consequences for the women he’s left behind.
Library Journal - Audio
06/15/2014
Inspired by a true mysterious disappearance, Lippman here examines the effects on the five women Felix Brewer left behind when he skipped town to avoid imprisonment. Retired detective Sandy Sanchez is working on a cold case: the death of Felix's mistress Julie Saxony, whose body was found ten years to the day after Felix fled. Lippman intertwines Sanchez's story with those of Julie; betrayed wife Bambi; and Bambi and Felix's three daughters, Linda, Rachel, and Michelle. The survivors deal with resentment, loss, greed, immaturity, economic struggle, pride, hope, and deceit as they adjust to life without Felix. Linda Emond capably performs the shifting characters and time frames from Felix and Bambi's first meeting to the present time. VERDICT Recommended for mystery collections. [Despite the murder at its center, this is less a suspenseful whodunit than a masterly novel of character, with secrets skillfully and gradually revealed," read the starred review of the Morrow hc, LJ 11/15/13.]—Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo
FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile
Linda Emond’s performance is masterful in Lippman’s compelling stand-alone novel about a missing man and the women in his life. In order to avoid prison, shady gambler Felix Brewer conveniently disappears, leaving behind his wife, three daughters, and a mistress. Ten years later, the mistress disappears. Lippman has penned a complex story of deception, secrets, betrayals, and murder, and Emond is subtle and convincing delivering it. Emond’s slow reveal of each new piece of the puzzle builds a solid picture of Brewer’s life, and she is especially strong when focusing on the intimate recollections of the women. Emond’s narration proves as addicting as Lippman’s engrossing story. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
