Book Review: I'd Know you Anywhere by Laura Lippman

The Past will Catch up to You

Elizabeth Benedict has come far from the summer she was kidnapped by a serial killer. She has married and has two children, the epitome of a suburban housewife. She has left Elizabeth, her former identity before that fateful summer, behind. But her carefully constructed normal life is about to be disrupted when she receives a letter from Walter.

Walter is looking at his upcoming execution and contacts Eliza through a third party after discovering her photo is a magazine. He wants to talk to her before his life is over from his position on Death Row in Virginia.

Eliza has shielded her children from her past and will do whatever she can to protect them. She must decide if communication with Walter is better than them finding out about what happened. It also turns out that Eliza just may have some questions herself about that summer and how she ended up being the only one of the girls that Walter abducted that he did not kill.

This is a story that is full of suspense even if you know that Eliza will survive in the segments that take place in the past. What is most fascinating to me was how Eliza's perspective often ended up guiding the events of her life, even at times when she was passive. The impact of that summer on everyone, her parents and sister, and even her children later on, as well as herself was intriguing. I found this a very fun read despite some of the details of the activities of Walter.