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<p>I&#8217;ve never read a Laura Lippman book before. I was aware she is a beloved crime fiction author who centers most of her books in the Baltimore, Maryland, region, but was reluctant to pick up a 12-book series focusing on one detective. At some point, however, I bought one of her standalone novels and stumbled across it the other day. Now, I wish I&#8217;d read more of her works earlier.</p><p>&#8220;What the Dead Know&#8221; is an intriguing premise. In 1975, the Bethany sisters - Sunny and Heather - went to the mall together and were never seen again. No bodies were ever recovered, there were few clues about their disappearance and slowly the world forgot they existed.</p><p>And then a woman is found leaving the scene of a rush hour traffic accident that she accidentally caused. She claims to be younger sister Heather, and is brought into police custody. Once there, she is reluctant to share her story, giving only a few small details to the police, lawyer and social workers involved.</p><p>Many of the details Heather claims to know can be found in public records, which makes her story less plausible. The clues she doles out leads to dead ends for investigators. It&#8217;s clear that Heather knows something about the disappearance of the Bethany sisters. What that is unfolds slowly - but tantalizing - throughout the book.</p><p>&#8220;What the Dead Know&#8221; is told from multiple perspectives over different time periods. The now retired detective, the bereaved mother, the devastated father and the investigative staff all share their stories that reveal more about the sisters as well as their own secrets.</p><p>Lippman creates a real page turner here. The reader wants to race to the end to find out what the deal with Heather is, but Lippman brilliantly drops in clues and cliffhangers with ease I had to go back and reread some sections to make sure I caught the right information. One chapter casually reveals a secret of the girls&#8217; background that changes everything. Another quickly touches on the suicide of a main character and barely lets the reader take a breath before moving on.</p><p>This writing style is effective and makes for an excitingly paced story. Heather is exasperating. But when all is finally revealed, it&#8217;s clear why she hid behind different identities since the mid-&#8217;70s.</p><p>After reading some reviews, it seems &#8220;What the Dead Know&#8221; was met with mixed opinions by Lippman&#8217;s longtime readers. Her Tess Monaghan series is less dark than this novel. Newer readers were hooked and wanted to read more of her writing. I&#8217;m in that second camp. I found &#8220;What the Dead Know&#8221; to be thrilling and original, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested.</p><p>I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll dive into her 12-book series, but she has several novels I know I&#8217;ll pick up.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dorothy Sasso</p><p>On the Books</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>&#8220;What the Dead Know&#8221;</p><p>Author: Laura Lippman</p><p>Page Number: 400</p><p>Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks</p><p>Rating:&#9830;&#9830;&#9830;&#9830;</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dorothy Sasso is a former Soap Opera Digest writer and a private school teacher. She is busy reading books and raising her daughter.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

On the Books: Laura Lippman’s “What the Dead Know” is a suspenseful page-turner that keeps the reader interested from the start