And When She Was Good

By: Laura Lippman

Narrated by: Linda Emond

“Laura Lippman’s stories aren’t just mysteries; they are deeply moving explorations of the human heart. She is quite simply one of the best crime novelists writing today.”
—Tess Gerritsen, author of The Mephisto Club

Already praised as “a writing powerhouse” (USA Today) and “among the select group of novelists who have invigorated the crime fiction arena with smart, innovative, and exciting work” (George Pelecanos), New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman is constantly sending reviewers back to their thesauruses in search of new and greater accolades. Her brilliant stand-alone novel, And When She Was Good, only reinforces the fact that she stands tall among today’s bestselling elite—including Kate Atkinson, Tana French, Jodi Picoult, and Harlan Coben (who raves, “I love her books!”) Based on her acclaimed, multi-award-nominated short story Scratch a Woman, And When She Was Good is the powerfully gripping, intensely emotional story of a suburban madam, a convicted murderer whose sentence is about to be overturned, and the child they will both do anything to keep. Lippman has already won virtually every prize the mystery genre has to offer—the Edgar®, Anthony, Agatha, and Nero Wolfe Awards, to name but a few. They’ll now have to invent a few new awards just to keep up with her.

Addictive

This is typical Lippman -- perhaps even a tad better than most. As usual, she entertains from beginning to end. Yes, the story is a little preposterous, but who cares? You are rooting for Heloise, even when she makes the politically incorrect decisions. (What's a girl gonna do?) The narrator is terrific, delivering the tone that I believe Lippman intended.

Great story and a great narrator!

The narration was absolutely on point. it was captivating and told the story with the correct tones and pace

Back & forth

Would you consider the audio edition of And When She Was Good to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version so I don't know which would have been better. I would guess that for me, this time, the print version would have been better.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Scott. I think the innocence of him, in the midst of all this carnage and these self destructive adults gave me hope that Heloise could attain her goals.

What three words best describe Linda Emond’s voice?

Great Women's Characters

If you could take any character from And When She Was Good out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Heloise's mother would be my supper companion. I would want to know how she reconciled her life choices with the pain it caused her daughter. I think it would help me understand some of my own extended family better.

Any additional comments?

Male characters all sounded much the same, with the same blunt pauses. Not all guys are gorillas, and some change in accent and cadence would have helped with that a lot. I loved that Heloise chose the high road and did the right thing by her employees. While I don't agree with her position on prostitution, I did like that she would only hire those who knew what they were getting into and then treated them as professionals. It gave me respect for a character I thought I would only pity or dislike.

Interesting book kept my interest

What did you love best about And When She Was Good?

I found myself totally involved with the main character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Equality for women comes in many forms.

Any additional comments?

I would have liked a little more punch at the climax.

Great mystery

What made the experience of listening to And When She Was Good the most enjoyable?

Well written mystery. The plot moved at a good speed and switched between the present and past with ease. I couldn't stop listening and couldn't wait to figure it all out.

What does Linda Emond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great Narration. Linda Emonds was able to read both male and female voices without sounding phony or silly. Her voice really added to the story