I love Laura Lippman (particularly her Tess Monaghan mystery series), so I was happy to receive a copy of her latest book, Lady in the Lake, thanks to Harper Collins/William Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lippman has taken her Baltimore roots and her experience as a newspaper journalist and based her story in Baltimore in the 1960s. Her protagonist, Madeline (“Maddy”) Schwartz, is a housewife nearing the age of forty who bails out of her humdrum life and pursues the truth behind the murder of a young woman who has been forgotten by the news, the police, basically by everyone…except Maddie.

In 1966, Maddie led the pampered life of an upper-middle-class Jewish housewife, living comfortably with her husband and son…right up until she basically said “F$%k It, I’m Out of Here” and moved out to pursue a more interesting life as her own person, not just someone’s wife and/or mother.

Maddie’s new career begins when she helps Baltimore police find a murdered girl and parlays that into a job at the afternoon newspaper, the Star. She finds another story, that of a missing woman whose body was discovered in the fountain of a city park lake. The victim, Cleo Sherwood, was a young African-American woman who liked to have a good time. Maddie’s investigation of Cleo’s life and death brings her into contact with people including a waitress, a jewelry store clerk, a player for the Baltimore Orioles, a salty older female reporter, and an African-American patrol cop. Maddie’s persistence is admirable, but she has blinders on when she looks beyond her own needs, bringing serious problems for people including a black police officer who cares for her WAY more than she knows.

It’s a great story, with a strong look at the racial and gender issues of the time. It also looks at the newspaper business before it began its decline as a result of the rise of the Internet. It’s another terrific piece of writing by Ms. Lippman. Five stars.