What do readers think of The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman? Write your own review.

My pleasure in reading Laura Lippman's The Most Dangerous Thing grew as the layers of history and competing points of view built up. The story of how five childhood friends became a tightly knit unit that faced both adventures and a final disaster while exploring the woods near their homes is told from the varied perspectives of the young children, the parents of those children, and both groups thirty years later.

At times, the pace of the book is slow, but Lippman's ear for natural dialogue and her ability to choose the perfect descriptive detail made the leisurely pace enjoyable for me. Furthermore, there are interesting plot twists that emerge with each retelling of the story. When I read about the same events from the perspective of the adults, I found richness in already knowing what the children did and thought, but it is the world of the five young friends that is most alive and enticing.

I recommend this book, especially for a time when you can relax and savor its richness.

This was my first Laura Lippman novel, although her books have been on my "to read" list for some time. So I did not have any expectations when I began this book. I enjoyed the psychological mystery that basically disclosed the end at the beginning, but then unraveled for us how that came to be. The characters were very realistic and sad, all of them exhibiting some instance of keeping a secret or thought to themselves that over time effected their relationship to the other characters. The device of moving back and forth in time (present to past lives) was well done, although I did find the use of the first person plural in the telling of the story from children's perspective to be a little distracting.

I love Laura Lippman, having discovered her a few years ago, and have since been working my way through her books. This one is very different, even from her other so-called stand-alones (the ones I've read have the same police officers, so there's some continuity). And while her series detective makes an appearance, it's definitely not a Tess book. I found the story well-written and compelling, but was confused in the 1st part by the authorial "we" - I found the device distancing. Lippman raises many ethical questions that really don't get resolved. But that would make it a really good book club pick - I can imagine great conversations about lies and responsibilities.

After having many friends suggest this author, I was pleased to be chosen to review her new book. I very much enjoyed her writing. The characters reminded me somewhat of my own teenage years, the things we did, the secrets that we kept. I feel that it would make great book club conversation, with the ending that was a complete surprise.

This was an intriguing book, starting which the quote from my favorite Whittier poem. I anticipated a plot following the poem's story line, which I did not find. What developed was a skillfully written and absorbing story with its mystery aspect subordinated to the development of the characters and the effects of their childhood relationships upon their lives. Perhaps the author intended to leave her readers to ponder "what might have been."

I expected this to be more like her other books so was a little disappointed through the first part of the book that there wasn't more suspense and action. After getting used to the fact this was going to depart from her usual action/mystery format, I settled into reading an enjoyable book. The premise of this book reminds me of another book (or maybe movie) but I can't quite put my finger on it. I thought inserting the Tess character from her other series for a brief moment at the end of this book was a good touch..... sort of like Alfred Hitchcock appearing in a cameo role! I could put this book down and pick up the next day without feeling like I was "driven" to read, which is usually not a sign of a book I'm crazy about, but I actually found the character development to be interesting, the story plot a little plodding but had lots of possibilities. It wasn't a surprising book but I did enjoy it, so thus gave it a good rating. I'm not sure where she could edit it before publishing that would give it that "wow" factor -- maybe it just doesn't need it and is a satisfying although predictable read on its own.

With a character driven plot, this engaging book alternates between the perspective of a group of five children, their parents, and those same children as adults. Everyone has a secret relating to an incident that took place in the children’s lives but a child’s perspective is very different than an adult’s, and that something is a secret does not make it true. If you like unraveling a mystery and enjoy character study, I recommend The Most Dangerous Thing.

Having been a fan of Laura Lippman for several years I was excited to get a jump on her newest book. She's one of the few writers whose writing gets better and better and yet this one wasn't quite up to par. An omniscient narrator had me confused and waiting for the "surprise" presence of a sixth main character. I found myself surprised not by "who dun it" but how and why.

Including the parents' viewpoints made for an interesting counterpoint and I can see some interesting child-rearing discussions between "the old days" and now and how much freedom is too much.