Seasonal Work
Stories
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman showcases why she is one of today’s top crime writers in this acclaimed collection of suspenseful stories featuring fierce women—including one never-before-published novella.
“A first-rate collection, an obvious must for the legions of Lippman fans, but also great reading for anyone who savors short crime fiction.” — Booklist (starred review)
The award-winning master of psychological suspense is in top form in this collection of diverse and diabolically clever stories.
In the never-before-published “Just One More,” a married couple—longing for that old romantic spark—creates a playful diversion that comes with unexpected consequences.
Lippman’s beloved Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan keeps a watchful eye on a criminally resourceful single father in “Seasonal Work,” while her mother, Judith, realizes that the life of “The Everyday Housewife” is an excellent cover for all kinds of secrets.
In “Slow Burner,” a husband’s secret cell phone proves to be a dicey temptation for a suspicious wife.
A father’s hidden past piques the curiosity of a young snoop in “The Last of Sheila-Locke Holmes.”
Plus seven other brilliantly crafted stories of deception, murder, dangerous games, and love gone wrong—irrefutable evidence that Laura Lippman’s riveting fiction will more than satisfy any crime reader.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Lippman (Dream Girl) displays her uncanny understanding of human nature and all its foibles in this worthy collection of 12 stories involving deceit, violence, and psychological mayhem. In the edgy "Slow Burner," a married couple, Liz and Phil, engage in metaphorical fisticuffs after healing from the husband's infidelity a year previously. Then Liz finds a burner phone in the laundry basket with incriminating texts on it. She tries to trivialize it as an example of Phil's "delight in being new to someone, anyone," but soon realizes this affair runs as deeply as the first. She takes matters into her own hands, with frightening results. Another standout is "Five Fires," in which a jealous small-town deli worker is determined to find the arsonist setting nearby fires, but her schizophrenia conceals the shocking truth about the crimes. Booksellers will relish "The Book Thing," in which PI Tess Monaghan, Lippman's series lead, catches the man stealing inventory from indie bookstores—and discovers his extraordinary use for the books. Not every entry is top-notch, but anything from Lippman is worth reading.
