Dispatch from the Field: Joe Says This Book "compelled me to do nothing but read it, finish it, forsaking all other obligations."

The Most Dangerous Thing

Some secrets can’t be kept… 

Years ago, they were all the best of friends. But as time passed and circumstances changed, they grew apart, became adults with families of their own, and began to forget about the past—and the terrible lie they all shared. But now Gordon, the youngest and wildest of the five, has died and the others are thrown together for the first time in years.

And then the revelations start.

Could their long-ago lie be the reason for their troubles today? Is it more dangerous to admit to what they’ve done or is it the strain of keeping the secret that is beginning to wear on them and everyone close to them? Each one of these old friends has to wonder if their secret has been discovered—and if someone within the circle is out to destroy them.

 Joe says:
"It's been a while since I've come across a book that compelled me to do nothing but *read it, finish it*, forsaking all other obligations. It's been a while since I've come across a book that not only compelled me to do nothing but read the entire thing in one sitting, but that, while reading it, made me forget about all else. It's been a while, but Laura Lippman's latest stand-alone novel, The Most Dangerous Thing, is one of those special books.

Told from multiple (ten!) characters' points-of-view, and from three different time periods, this multi-layered and deeply engrossing novel takes the reader into a story of the power of not only lies, but truths. The story centers around Go-Go, Gordon, Halloran, whose family lives in a woodsy and isolated part of  Baltimore. Gordon has courted trouble his whole life, which ends as the story begins. His death brings together his brothers, Tim & Sean, and their two childhood friends, Gwen and Mickey, who now goes by McKey in an effort to distance herself from her past. They have never spoken about what happened the night Hurricane David hit Baltimore in 1979, but the events of that night have shadowed their lives ever since. In a fascinating plot move, the story shifts from character to character and from past to present. As it progresses, these characters become fully-formed people on the page.

This is the first time I've read Laura Lippman, but reading this book, I understand why so many people love her. In a surprising move, the story shifts from the perspectives of the children to their parents. Once again, Lippman alternates between the past (this time, just after the hurricane) and the present, revealing a different side to the story so far. When the novel returns to the children's (now adults themselves) perspective, the book comes to a (for me, very swift) page-turning conclusion. There were twists in this novel, and things I thought I had figured out only to be out-foxed by Laura Lippman. And that made me love the book all the more. This novel is more than a what-a-mess-have-we-made-of-our-lives story. It is about the power that both lies and truth can wield on our lives. It is a book I am going to think about for a long time."

You can come meet Laura Lippman and get a signed book on Wednesday, September 7 at 7:30 pm at our Colfax Avenue Store.