A suburban wife and mother receives a letter that forces her to confront her past. The letter is one she never thought or wanted, to ever hear from again, the man who kidnapped her as a teenager. Eliza Benedict thought the toughest part of moving back from London, where her husband Peter had been the Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief, would be settling her kids, eight-year-old Albie and Iso (Isobel) in the D.C. suburbs. Her daughter’s teenage rebellion, no matter how sharp, pales in comparison to the letter she receives from the killer and kidnapper...Walter Bowman, who held Elizabeth Lerner captive when she was 15 for almost six weeks, driving with her through Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. It was in that last state, that surveyors finally decided, that he’d killed another teen...13-year-old Holly Tackett, making him eligible for the death penalty in Virginia. Ex-teacher Barbara Lafortuny, who received a settlement from the school district after an altercation with a student, now spends her days practicing yoga and fiercely opposing capital punishment. She tracks down Elizabeth, who is now an adult. Walter and Barbara form a plan that might spare Walter, if, and it's a big if, they can get Elizabeth to cooperate. Elizabeth is the one victim Walter didn’t kill, and as strange as it seems, is willing to risk the secure life she’s built from a horrifying past, to do just that. I had read that this story originally had been written as a psychological study, or studies, and not as a thriller. I think from other reviews that most people, including myself, were expecting it to be a story of horror or suspense, and I can understand that, but it was really a look into the lives and minds of the various characters, particularly Eliza. The book really reflects and analyzes the moral, uncomfortable issue about capital punishment and in this respect, the author offers, through the characters, different opinions, which will definitely give the reader something to think about without necessarily asking them to change their opinions...and yes, everyone does have one. ( )

I love Laura Lippman. Her “I’d Know You Anywhere” is so beautifully constructed that you become so enveloped in her characters and story, you lose track of time and only want to finish the novel. The premise of Eliza wife and mother who had been kidnapped and raped at 15 seems like a familiar plot. Flashbacks flesh out the possible how’s and why’s. Eliza’s current state of mind is in play. Additionally the novel deals with Walter, the serial kidnapper murderer on death row that might have “something” on Eliza to prevent his execution. The mother of one of the murdered girls blames Eliza for her daughter’s death by Walter. Eliza’s daughter has possible “bad seed” qualities. Lippman knows how to juggle all these characters like a fine surgeon. Digging deep into their psyche. It all builds to a gang buster logical ending with enough guessing that all good mysteries need. ( )

I read this in a few hours, and really, the only lasting emotion I have is annoyance at the character Barbara LaFortuny. What kind of asshole was she to try to get the victim to pardon the rapist/murderer of teenage girls? I kept hoping someone would slap her, but unfortunately...and to tell any more would constitute a spoiler.

Interesting premise, however. Not as good as I thought it would be. ( )

Check out my review...http://shannonsbookbag.blogspot.com/2011/02/id-know-you-anywhere-lippman.html ( )

I liked this more literary take on the whole "serial killer" genre. ( )