I'd Know You Anywhere-Laura Lippman

I'd Know You Anywhere
Laura Lippman
Morrow, Aug 17 2010, $25.95
ISBN: 9780061706554

In the summer of 1985 Walter Bowman abducts fifteen years old Eliza Lerner. For the next six weeks he held her in captivity. Frightened and expecting to die as she believes he is already a serial killer, the unpredictable Walter frees her. Later he is caught and convicted of rape, murder and kidnapping after murdering another victim; he is sentenced to be executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Years later, thirty eight years old Eliza is married to Peter Benedict and raising her two children, thirteen year old Iso and eight year old Albie when he contacts her. She assumes he wants her to forgive him for her six weeks in his hell, but prefers to ignore Walter. However, she also knows how crazy he is and fears even with him on death row and out of appeals he will find a way to harm her offspring. Eliza also is curious why he freed her when he killed the others.

Character driven to include the Billboard top 100 during her captivity in 1985, I'd Know You Anywhere looks deep into the souls of a serial killer and the sole survivor as the victim remains haunted two plus decades later. The support cast is powerful especially her spouse and older child and Barbara (read to learn who she is). However, this thriller belongs to the lead couple, a killing kidnapper and the only one he let live as readers will wonder whether Eliza will ever leave open a window at night so that would mean she finally closed the book on that chapter of her life.

Harriet Klausner