How (Not?) to Disappear

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman (William Morrow hardcover, 11 February 2014).

The story begins on Independence Day, 1976.  Felix Brewer kissed his wife and daughters goodbye and crawled into the back of a horse trailer.  The driver of the truck pulling it was the sister of his mistress, Julie, and its destination was a small airfield near Philadelphia.  Running away to avoid a charge of racketeering, Felix told no one his final destination.

Thirty-six years later, Roberto (Sandy) Sanchez, a semi-retired Baltimore policeman pulls a file off the pile of cold cases on his desk.  The unsolved case is the murder of Julie Saxony; the same Julie who had been Felix Brewer's mistress.  She disappeared ten years after Felix did, and her remains had been discovered in a Baltimore park in 2001.

The story flashes back and forth between the incidents that led to Felix's flight, beginning with his first encounter with his wife Bambi in 1959 and the details of Sandy's investigation in 2012 as Sandy soon realizes that Julie's death is very likely related to Felix Brewer.

The details of Sandy's investigation are fascinating and along with the flashbacks, will completely engross the reader.

Laura Lippman has an amazing way with words, and whether you've read her work before or not, this book will draw you in and hook you.




Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. 





FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the e-galley.