The Most Dangerous Thing
I was hoping for a gripping and suspenseful Laura Lippmann book but unfortunately this wasn't it. It's a decent character-driven story but I was hoping for a plot twist or an ending you couldn't see coming. I was disappointed that I didn't find the plot engrossing or that I had no trouble putting it down. I usually like Lippman's books and was sorry that this wasn't one of my favorites.
Rated of 5
by Debbie M. (grand junction, CO)
The Most Dangerous Thing
The Most Dangerous Thing centers on a group of kids entertaining themselves in the neighborhood. One day, while playing in the woods, something happens that affects their lives forever. As adults they are brought together again and find that what they thought had happened was different from what actually happened. Now they must deal with the events and move on. I think most of us can relate to the story. Most of our childhood play was innocent, but did shape our lives in ways we don't always see. In this book the characters might have never realized the impact if they hadn't come together as adults.
Rated of 5
by Deborah C. (Seattle, WA)
Not Laura Lippman's Best
Although I am a huge fan of Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan books, I did not really enjoy this stand alone. The plot was fairly interesting, but I found the repeated shifts of perspective distracting. Because the story was told from the standpoints of so many different characters, none of whom were especially likable, I never really became attached to any of the characters or particularly cared what happened to them.
As always, however, Lippman paints a wonderful picture of life in Baltimore--reading her books always makes me want to visit the city!
Rated of 5
by Gerald R. (pompton lakes, NJ)
Disappinted
After having read eleven previous Laura Lippman books I eagerly looked forward to this one. I was sadly disappointed. The story went nowhere and was filled with characters I cared nothing about. There were a few mildly interesting "Stand by Me" moments during flashback sections, but there was virtually little that happened. Tess Monaghan appears in about five pages and has hardly any bearing on the story. I have read some of Lippman's other stand alone novels and they were far superior. Bring back Tess!
Rated of 5
by Samantha H. (Golden, CO)
Good potential but disappointing delivery
The Most Dangerous Thing started out with a promising story-line. At first I was drawn in to the tale of a group friends, but kept being annoyed by constant narration switch from third person to 1st, often in the same paragraph. My sympathy/interest in the characters fell away as the book progressed. It seemed like the book ended abruptly, as if the author had reached a page limit, and needed to wrap things up quickly. I found this book disappointing -- it had a good premise, but the delivery did not live up to my expectations.
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by Shaun- Chicago
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by Gerald R. (pompton lakes, NJ)
