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theseventhl's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful, engaging, and thrilling book of short stories that all have delightful twists in their endings and center around a cast of women you definitely shouldn't take for granted. I'd never read a Tess Monoghan novel before reading this, which I thought would hurt me as two of the stories center around Tess, but my lack of knowledge didn't detract from the enjoyment; if anything, it has reminded me of how much I want to start reading the Monoghan PI mystery series.
sandin954's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent collection of short stories (some very dark and twisted) by one of my favorites.
dianametzger's review against another edition
2.0
A fun, not amazing collection. Fun to see a couple prequel stories to Lippman's most recent book. The stories all seem to have the "and there's a dead body" ending, which when placed all together just doesn't seem that surprising anymore. There are some really fun ideas in there. I just think Lippman does better when she has room to meander.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
I have enjoyed the Tess Monaghan books that I have read. Lippman knows her city, Baltimore, and her characters are fun and interesting to follow. There are a couple of stories in this book about Tess and I liked them a lot.
I tend to like short stories, especially when my life is stressed and I am having trouble concentrating. Lippman knows how to write economically and so her stories were all good.
The ones that are going to stick with me were about Heloise - a madam who is raising her son in the upper middle class suburbs of DC. Certainly she is a novel character. It will be interesting to see if Lippman continues to write about her.
I tend to like short stories, especially when my life is stressed and I am having trouble concentrating. Lippman knows how to write economically and so her stories were all good.
The ones that are going to stick with me were about Heloise - a madam who is raising her son in the upper middle class suburbs of DC. Certainly she is a novel character. It will be interesting to see if Lippman continues to write about her.
thereclamationproject's review against another edition
2.0
Lippman's collection of short stories in Hardly Knew Her, are told through a variety of voices. A suburban prostitute, a college age girl, and a sixty year old adult film actress to name a few. All have one underlying theme: murder. Lippman's diologue propels the stories, which are all rich in plot and characters. And maybe not surprisingly, I was most interested in the two stories featuring Tess Monaghan. Although I haven't ready a Lippman novel starring Tess, I could tell that Tess was a full bodied character with nuances that were not recognized in the other stories. I've never enjoyed short stories as much as I have novels and Lippman's collection has changed my view of them. However, if you enjoy short stories, intelligent writing and murder, then Hardly Knew Her may be just for you.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
I have always enjoyed Laura Lippman's novels--in part, I think, because they are set in Baltimore, Maryland and the city usually becomes a major character in each book. This book, however, proved that, in truth, I did hardly know her. In this collection of short stories, Lippman extends her range and her subject matter. While many of the stories are set either in Baltimore and its suburbs or at least in Maryland, some venture as far south as New Orleans and as far east as Dublin, Ireland. Some of the stories charmed, some shocked. I really wasn't prepared for two stories about a high end call girl who lives in a dual life--and one of them is as a single mother of a 9 year old son living a soccer mom life in an upscale suburb. Or how about the story of the 60 something woman who lives in Leisure World (which by the way is about 6 miles from where my parents live and I know people who live there. I will never be able to look at them again) and finds employment in slightly kinky sex tapes. Call me unprepared for that one. Laura Lippman, I like your novels, I love your short stories. Keep them coming.
fkshg8465's review against another edition
4.0
16 short stories full of sex and murder. Ridiculously fun - as much as murder can be. Dark for sure. But just a small spotlight on that little spot in all our hearts that we harbor for people who've hurt us. And the book is fun because it lets us pretend knowing we would never actually. Also enjoyed the afterword from the author.
kateleos's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that worked a lot better for me than her newest one. Turns out that mystery short stories are kind of awesome. I love the two with Heloise - One True Love and the novella Scratch A Woman - and was thoroughly creeped out by Pony Girl. And the Tess stories were fab and have inspired me to finally start her series.
mrsbishopreads's review against another edition
3.0
Usually I'm not into short stories, but these weren't too bad. Short and suspenseful, and easy to read in small amounts of times- great waiting room/bathroom/etc type of book