The Most Dangerous Thing

At the end Lippman admits this to be her most autobiographical novel in the sense that she set it in her childhood neighborhoods. Clearly she got lost in the nostalgia of her memories because she didn’t write a thriller or anything even close to it. Long, meandering and mostly pointless she delves into the lives of her characters in both the past and the present. The unknown, dark and ostensibly dangerous secret is none of those things. The unseen and malign presence that is supposed to be threatening the long disbanded group of friends is non-existent. There is no dread, no fear, no cringing doubt. It’s a flat story about an unattractive bunch of kids who (surprise) grow up to be an unattractive bunch of adults. I won’t say it show more was unreadable, because I was drawn into the story, but in the way that appeals to my inner voyeur, not because there was any kind of mystery or big revelation waiting for discovery. That aspect was a yawn-fest, but the differing points of view were pretty interesting and the writing was strong as usual. I just wish Lippman hadn’t gotten all misty-eyed on us and had given us a story with meat on its bones. show less

First Line: They throw him out when he falls off the barstool.

Something happened one summer in Baltimore that made five best friends go their separate ways throughout the rest of school and on into their adult lives. When one of them dies and the rest slowly come together for the funeral, they begin to learn that the past never stays buried. It must be dealt with or there will be unwelcome consequences.

Once again Lippman does an excellent job at building suspense (just what happened that summer???) and diving into character and motivation. Those remembered days of childhood are every bit as clearly delineated as the present day trials the characters all have as grownups.

This book is a bit of a rarity for me-- and it's all due to Laura show more Lippman's skill as a writer. You see, I really didn't give a rap for any of the characters. There's not one single person in that book that I liked. If this leads to you believe that I hated this book, I wouldn't be surprised. But I did like it. Lippman makes that mysterious thing that happened on that long ago summer so compelling that I couldn't stop reading. I had to find out what happened and which of the characters were responsible.

Normally this character-driven reader prefers to have at least one character to like, respect, or admire. In the case of The Most Dangerous Thing, I kept thinking to myself, "You're all one big batch of messed-up people. What did you do to get that way?" Lippman answered my question in one beautifully written page after another. show less

Some will argue that THE MOST DANGEROUS THING is again not strictly crime fiction (I seem to be reading a few of those recently) and I think it will appeal to many who do not generally read the genre. That said, there is murder, and there is mystery aplenty.

Five children, three boys from one family and two girls from separate families, four of them of an age and one of the boys quite a bit younger, become a coalition, a group. Over a period of three years they explore the swampy forest on the land that abuts their homes. Their parents are busy leading their lives and are not particularly concerned what their children might be up to. Quite a considerable part of the novel details what growing up in these very different families is like. show more When they are finally and inevitably separated by school, college, or a new house, they and their parents share a secret that the children, and some of the parents, only half understand.

The perspective of the novel is nearly three decades on when one of the five dies in a car accident that could be suicide. Lippman cleverly fills the reader in on the separate paths each of the children have taken in life. The structure of the novel is designed to make you think: from sections labelled GO-GO, US, THEM, and PITY THEM to the occasional time frames used as chapter headings: Summer 1978, Autumn 1979 etc.

So, Lippman probably does achieve what it seems she set out to do: a cross-genre novel that talks about growing up, shared secrets, and things you may find it hard to talk about later in life.

A very interesting read. show less

I’ve been a fan of Laura Lippman and her Tess Monaghan books for a long time. Although the novels in the Tess series are enjoyable, it’s in the stand-alone works that Lippman really shines. Each book is better than the last and The Most Dangerous Thing is no exception.

The story revolves around five tween/teenagers growing up in Baltimore in the last 1970s. The friends are as close as can be – think of each of them as arms on a five pointed start with their common friendship forming the center. Switching to the present, one of the friends dies in an accident bringing them all together again to revisit the past. As adults they can look back on their youth and examine the moment, an accident, that shattered their bond.

Lippman nails show more the tone of this book. When the narrator tells us about the accident through the eyes of the kids, the event seems subdued. The accident happens, the adults in their lives take care of things, and life goes on. Although the kids drift apart, they aren’t able to articulate how their lives have changed. They are too self-centered, in the way that only teens can be, to be reflective. As adults, when they re-examine that defining time in their lives, the story has added depth of emotion and an understanding of consequences only maturity and experience can bring.

This isn’t a story of black and white or right and wrong. It’s a collection of people continually making instinctual choices based on their life experience. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes their stupidity wins out. It’s about people doing their best to thrive and the weaknesses that slow them down. It’s about flawed human beings, and about life. show less

Separated by the passing of time, a group of five childhood friends reunite at a funeral. Long gone are the carefree days when they would spend hours together exploring the woods near their suburban homes. Those were adventurous days filled with the thrill of going off on their own, experiencing a little danger and fun, and forming a bond over the secrets they shared. As they eventually grew toward adulthood, they drifted apart; but one secret remained untold.

Now one of the five, Gordon, has died in a car accident. But was it an accident or was it a suicide? Has someone found out about what happened one night in the woods? Did this have something to do with Gordon’s death?

There are two stories to be told. One takes place back in the show more 70s and the other in the present. We alternate between the two with the point of view changing as each character tells a part of the story from their perspective. The events meshed together so well that, for the most part, I did not have any problem following the changes in narrator.

These were not the most likable characters; early on their many flaws become apparent. But flawed characters didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. On the contrary, the author wove together a mystery spanning several decades into a drama about friendship, personal growth, becoming an adult and accepting responsibility.

I listened to the audiobook and the production was well done. Linda Emond narrated at a nice pace, was pleasant to listen to and did a good job with her tone and inflection, making each character sound distinct.

This was my first Laura Lippman novel and I am pleased to have experienced her wonderful storytelling. The book was well written with a plot that moved along at an accelerating pace towards an ending where the pieces came together and the secret was revealed. A shocking secret? No, but not what I was expecting either. It was a surprise and a thought-provoking ending. show less

She makes the effort to actually write. That is, there are characters and insights and imagery and observations and turns of phrase, features often barely present if not missing entirely from this genre. I am now reading another of her books, a vote of confidence in the author.

That said, I'd have liked it to be a bit tighter and more focused. Just a bit. And something about the ending bothers me but I can't think of how to say it. Something about how it leaves you unsatisfied in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. Best I can do is--it's probably the same feeling you have at this point when reading my review.

I am relatively new to the mystery genre. I have read them in the past, but mostly because the mystery was a byproduct of a romance I was wrapped up in. Very few times have I picked up a novel because I wanted to play detective and figure out the whodunit. This novel wasn’t so much a whodunit as a shocking conclusion to a disturbing occurrence. I was completely involved in this story. I wanted to know what happened that caused the unlikely friendship between five souls to fall so beautifully and tragically apart.

As a mystery, I was held in suspense throughout the most of the novel. Ms. Lippman gave snippets of information, clues revealed through the past and present by several characters, but ultimately she left the big “Holy show more Chicken!” moment for the end. I have to admit I was thinking of rating this novel lower, mainly because of the disturbing nature at the core of the mystery. Then I realized how brilliant Ms. Lippman truly is. I didn’t suspect that finish at all. I appreciated that she made her villain flawed, truly unsuspecting much like the other characters on the novel.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, I was underwhelmed by a couple of the characters, particularly Tally Robison. I think Tally would have made a fascinating character in her own novel but much of her story and motivation gets lost in this one. I really didn’t see the point in revealing so many details of her past; it added nothing to the story.

A character I really enjoyed getting to know was Doris Halloran. She had a touch of creepy about her. She’s sensitive, slightly delusional, a bit vindictive. Overall I think she was plain ol’ misunderstood.

There were a couple of big surprised in the novel that has nothing to do with the mystery but with Ms. Lippman’s literary prowess. There is a bit in the book when Doris tells of reading and loneliness. She is only twenty pages from the end of a novel she’s reading, but puts it down because she hates going to bed with a book finished. Mainly because…

“It’s a little less lonely, knowing she has a group of people waiting for her in the morning, people who can’t go on unless she opens the book.”

Ms. Lippman also writes about forgiveness.

“Allowing one’s self to be forgiven is just as hard as forgiving. Harder in some ways. Because to be forgiven, one first has to admit to being at fault.”

That my friends, is some good chicken. And the main reason why I read.

This novel has made me a Laura Lippman fan. I have I’d Know You Anywhere in my TRB pile and frankly, I can’t wait to dig into that one. show less