After I'm Gone

Starred review from December 23, 2013
On July 4, 1976, shady businessman Felix Brewer escapes the law by fleeing suburban Maryland, leaving behind his wife, Bambi; three daughters; and a mistress, Julie Saxony. So begins bestseller Lippman's finely wrought study of what it means to move forward without answers. When Felix met Bambi in 1959, it was love at first sight. Without telling her how, he promised they'd get rich. And they did, even if he wasn't often home to enjoy it with her and their daughters. Julieâa stripper who loved Felix, despite knowing he'd never leave Bambiâwasn't even Felix's only bit on the side. When he ran, Felix made sure, or so he thought, that all his women would be looked after. Ten years later, Julie disappears. At first, rumors swirl that Felix came back for her, but when her remains turn up in a local park in 2001, the word on the street is that he killed her. Adept as always with character nuance, Lippman (And When She Was Good) uses Roberto "Sandy" Sanchez, a consultant who used to be a Baltimore cop, to dig into Julie's cold case, and to uncover the secrets of the women Felix left in his wake. Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary.

November 15, 2013

Rather than face 15 years in prison, Baltimore gambling boss Felix Brewer goes on the lam in 1976, leaving behind his wife, Bambi, the love of his life; his beloved daughters, Linda, 17, Rachel, 14, and Michelle, three; and his mistress, ex-stripper Julie Saxony. Ten years later, Julie disappears. It's suspected that she joined Felix, until her body is discovered in 2001 in a park near Bambi's childhood home. The Saxony cold case is reopened in 2012 by Roberto "Sandy" Sanchez, a widowed retired detective working as a consultant for the Baltimore police department. Chapters detailing critical points in the Brewer women's lives from 1959 forward alternate with those about the murder investigation, which is ultimately solved by following the money. VERDICT In this stand-alone (adroitly linked to the Tess Monaghan series), Lippman focuses on the inner lives of the women left behind. Despite the murder at its center, this is less a suspenseful whodunit than a masterly novel of character, with secrets skillfully and gradually revealed. Revel in the pace and pleasures of this book (including section headings that riff on the song "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me") that should add to Lippman's literary luster. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/13.]--Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2013
The catalyst for Lippman's (And When She Was Good, 2012) smart and mesmerizing nineteenth work of fiction is the 1976 disappearance of sexy and calculating Felix Brewer, the head of a megaprofitable Baltimore gambling operation. In flight to avoid prison, he tries to do right by his gorgeous, loyal wife, Bambi, n'e Bernadette Gottschalk; his three temperamentally complex daughters; and his trusting mistress, Julie Saxony. But, instead, they all suffer emotional torment and financial deprivation. Ten years later, Julie's body is found in a park. Recently widowed former police detective Roberto Sandy Sanchez, a blue-eyed, blond Cuban, working cold cases freelance, now has a hunch that Saxony's murder can finally be solved. On this flexible frame, Lippman stretches a richly textured canvas that depicts, with wit and sensitivity, the wounded but tough women Felix left behind. As she traces the matrix of longing, jealousy, and betrayal that led to Julie's murder, Lippman incisively explores marriage, Jewish family life, class distinctions, and the power and liability of physical beauty, thus creating an involving and elegant novel of the psychological ravages of crime. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: An extensive marketing campaign will cover all media bases as best-selling Lippman goes on tour.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

June 30, 2014
Lippman’s latest crime novel begins as more of a family drama, focusing on shady businessman Felix Brewer. The story opens as Felix flees suburban Maryland to escape the law, leaving behind his wife, Bambi; three daughters; and a mistress, Julie Saxony. When Julie disappears 10 years later, it is assumed that she joined Felix. The whodunit aspect of the narrative kicks in when her skeletal corpse is discovered in one of the city’s favorite body dumps, Leakin Park. Enter Sandy Sanchez, a retired Baltimore police detective who supplements his pension by closing the department’s cold cases, who reopens the investigation of Julia’s death. Emond reads the character-rich story with just the right amount of emotion, catching Bambi’s youthful infatuation, her smug comfort in a seemingly idyllic marriage, and, finally, her disillusionment. The actress is just as effective in portraying Felix’s brash scoundrel’s charm and the various moods of the very different daughters. As for Sandy Sanchez, the guy’s a dogged sleuth who saves his emotion for his work. Emond catches his faux empathy in interviews, his elation in uncovering decades-old clues, and his determination to get the job done. A William Morrow hardcover.