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Laura Lippman

ローラ・リップマン

Rōra Rippuman

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1959-01-31 （Atlanta, Georgia, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Atlanta (birth) → Baltimore (grew up) → Federal Hill, Baltimore (residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Former journalist
Active Years
1997-
Affiliations
Goucher College (teaching)

Education

Northwestern University
Country: United States

Awards

Edgar Award (Paperback)
1998
Work: Charm City
Category: ペーパーバック賞
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Agatha Award (Best Novel)
1999
Work: Butchers Hill
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Agatha Awards
Result: 受賞
Anthony Award (Best Novel)
2015
Work: After I'm Gone
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Anthony Awards
Result: 受賞
Gold Dagger (nomination)
2008
Work: What the Dead Know
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: ノミネート
Macavity Award (Best Mystery Novel)
2008
Work: What the Dead Know
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Macavity Awards
Result: 受賞
Barry Award (Best Novel)
2008
Work: What the Dead Know
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Barry Awards
Result: 受賞
Nero Wolfe Award
2001
Work: The Sugar House
Organization: Nero Wolfe Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Agatha Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 11 (1998) award
    Work: Butchers Hill

    Newly independent private investigator Tess Monaghan is asked by Luther Beale, an elderly man recently released from prison, to find the children who witnessed his past crime. As he claims to seek atonement, Tess follows the trail only to find the witnesses dying one by one, drawing her into a case rooted in Baltimore's community and child-welfare system.

    A former prisoner's plea for atonement leads Tess into a case that threatens the lives of children.

    424 pages
    private investigationatonementchild welfareBaltimorerace and class

Works

Major Works

Baltimore Blues

1997 Mystery

The first Tess Monaghan novel introducing the former-reporter-turned-private-investigator in Baltimore; combines crime plotting with character-driven drama.

Baltimore settingJournalismFemale autonomy
Translations
  • Baltimore Blues

Charm City

1997 Mystery

A Tess Monaghan entry that explores the darker side of city life alongside a tightly plotted mystery.

Urban crimeInterpersonal relationships

Butchers Hill

1998 Mystery

Another Tess Monaghan novel featuring multiple viewpoints and secrets from the past driving the central case.

Legacy of the pastRevelation of secrets

Every Secret Thing

2003 Mystery / Suspense

A suspenseful novel in which the repercussions of a childhood crime resurface in adulthood, with social themes woven into the plot.

Memory and traumaLaw and justiceUpbringing and environment
Adaptations
  • [Film] Every Secret Thing (film) / Amy J. Berg (2014)
Translations
  • Every Secret Thing

What the Dead Know

2007 Mystery

A novel revolving around the mystery of missing twin sisters; it became a New York Times bestseller.

Family secretsAmbiguity of truth

Bibliography

  • Baltimore Blues (1997)
  • Charm City (1997)
  • Butchers Hill (1998)
  • Every Secret Thing (2003)
  • What the Dead Know (2007)
  • After I'm Gone (2014)

Adaptations

  • Every Secret Thing → film adaptation (2014)

Translations of Works

  • Baltimore Blues
  • Every Secret Thing
  • What the Dead Know

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Journalistic, fact-oriented prosePlot-driven style with strong character depiction
Recurring Motifs
The city of Baltimore as settingFemale perspectives and complex relationshipsSecrets hidden in the past

Legacy

Recognized for socially aware mysteries set in Baltimore, she has won multiple major mystery awards. Her work is noted for its journalistic perspective and strong female viewpoints.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America (related)

In Popular Culture

  • Her work appears onscreen in the TV drama The Wire; because her husband David Simon was a creator/producer, her books are referenced in the series.

Trivia

  • Her husband is David Simon, the creator/producer associated with The Wire.
  • Many of her novels are set in Baltimore.
  • She is known to do much of her writing in neighborhood coffee shops.