I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$3.94 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel
 
 
Start reading I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel [Hardcover]

Laura Lippman (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)

List Price: $25.99
Price: $17.15 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $8.84 (34%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Only 14 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want it delivered Tuesday, January 31? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Hardcover $17.15  
Paperback, Bargain Price $6.00  
Audio, CD --  
Unknown Binding --  
Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged $15.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial
More to Explore
Download a Q&A with Laura Lippman [PDF].

Book Description

August 17, 2010

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author returns with a new stand-alone novel—a powerful and utterly riveting tale that skillfully moves between past and present to explore the lasting effects of crime on a victim's life....I'd Know You Anywhere

Eliza Benedict cherishes her peaceful, ordinary suburban life with her successful husband and children, thirteen-year-old Iso and eight-year-old Albie. But her tranquillity is shattered when she receives a letter from the last person she ever expects—or wants—to hear from: Walter Bowman. There was your photo, in a magazine. Of course, you are older now. Still, I'd know you anywhere.

In the summer of 1985, when she was fifteen, Eliza was kidnapped by Walter and held hostage for almost six weeks. He had killed at least one girl and Eliza always suspected he had other victims as well. Now on death row in Virginia for the rape and murder of his final victim, Walter seems to be making a heartfelt act of contrition as his execution nears. Though Eliza wants nothing to do with him, she's never forgotten that Walter was most unpredictable when ignored. Desperate to shelter her children from this undisclosed trauma in her past, she cautiously makes contact with Walter. She's always wondered why Walter let her live, and perhaps now he'll tell her—and share the truth about his other victims.

Yet as Walter presses her for more and deeper contact, it becomes clear that he is after something greater than forgiveness. He wants Eliza to remember what really happened that long-ago summer. He wants her to save his life. And Eliza, who has worked hard for her comfortable, cocooned life, will do anything to protect it—even if it means finally facing the events of that horrifying summer and the terrible truth she's kept buried inside.

An edgy, utterly gripping tale of psychological manipulation that will leave readers racing to the final page, I'd Know You Anywhere is a virtuoso performance from acclaimed, award-winning author Laura Lippman that is sure to be her biggest hit yet.


Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A Tess Monaghan Novel $9.59

I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel + The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A Tess Monaghan Novel
  • This item: I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A Tess Monaghan Novel

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details



Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2010: "Of course, you are older, a woman now.... Still, I'd know you anywhere." A cryptic letter from death row shatters Eliza Benedict's peaceful summer with her family, and forces her to face her long-buried past. Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped Eliza the summer she was fifteen and kept her hostage for weeks, spots her picture in a local magazine and reaches out to her to make amends before his execution. I'd Know You Anywhere is a tremendous novel about fear, manipulation, and survival. Award-winning author Laura Lippman unfurls Eliza's story in tightly-written chapters alternating from present day to that horrifying summer of 1985, creating an emotionally complex drama that is as riveting as it is ultimately rewarding. --Daphne Durham

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Near the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense from Edgar-winner Lippman (Life Sentences), Eliza Benedict, a 38-year-old married mother of two living in suburban Maryland, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped her the summer she was 15 and is now on death row. The narrative shifts between the present and that long ago summer, when Eliza involuntarily became a part of Walter's endless road trip, including the fateful night when he picked up another teenage girl, Holly Tackett. Soon after Walter killed Holly, Eliza was rescued and taken home. Eliza must now balance a need for closure with a desire to protect herself emotionally. Walter wants something specific from her, but she has no idea what, and she's not sure that she wants to know. All the relationships, from the sometimes contentious one between Eliza and her sister, Vonnie, to the significantly stranger one between Walter and Barbara LaFortuny, an advocate for prisoners, provide depth and breadth to this absorbing story.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (August 17, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061706558
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061706554
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about "accidental PI" Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor's Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association. Ms. Lippman grew up in Baltimore and attended city schools through ninth grade. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., Ms. Lippman attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her other newspaper jobs included the Waco Tribune-Herald and the San Antonio Light. Ms. Lippman returned to Baltimore in 1989 and has lived there since.

 

Customer Reviews

164 Reviews
5 star:
 (47)
4 star:
 (62)
3 star:
 (24)
2 star:
 (22)
1 star:
 (9)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (164 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

266 of 282 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Top Ten Things That are Great About "I'd Know You Anywhere", August 5, 2010
This review is from: I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Other reviewers have synopsized the story beautifully, and I won't add to that. Cliff Notes version: Eliza Benedict was abducted when she was 15 years old. She is now an adult leading a good life, with a loving husband and two kids with strong interesting personalities. The main trauma that remains is the question: why did her abductor let her live, when he had killed all his other victims? Then Eliza receives a letter from her abductor - Walter Bowman. He saw her in a magazine article and said he would know her anywhere. He is on death row and wants to to talk to her.

It's an excellent book, and I recommend it highly. Why?

10. Laura Lippman is a skillful writer, an artist who draws characters until you can almost hear them speak. Each of her standalone novels introduces us to people we would never know until we meet them on her pages.

9. What would it be like to be a kidnap victim? While I'd prefer to never know this on a personal level, the insights are intriguing and haunting.

8. The kids' characters, while incidental to the story, ring so true: a snippy haughty teenager who, while she could be stereotypical, is not and a younger son who could be a stereotypical cuddle-muffin but is not.

7. An interesting look/discussion of the death penalty. Is it right? Wrong? Want to change your opinion? Want to reinforce your opinion? Here are some thoughts.

6. The pacing. Lippman sucks you in. I rarely say, "I couldn't put it down." This time, well... I couldn't put it down. I ate and slept with the book until I finished. (If anyone wants to borrow it, I apologize for the food stains.)

5. The story. The victim of a kidnapper/spree killer is begged to meet with her kidnapper on death row. There's a story to suck you right in.

4. The characters you meet along the way: the mother of the last victim, Walter's bitter ex-teacher advocate who, while she claims to not be obsessed with him, is surely obsessed in some ways, a shoddy journalist/novelist... Then there's Eliza herself, who has re-invented herself... or has she? There are many to hold your interest.

3. Sensuous descriptions. By sensuous I don't mean romanticized. I mean you will feel them.

2. There's always a clever twist. A moment you didn't anticipate.

1. The fact that Lippman has another novel up her sleeve which will surely explore some new arena that hasn't been touched on before.

I look forward to it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


69 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars THE CONTOURS OF LIFE, September 1, 2010
This review is from: I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
For me I'd Know You Anywhere proved to be a frustrating read. On one hand I literally marveled at Laura Lippman's ability to craft a complex study of intimacy, guilt, confusion, memory, temptation, sibling rivalry and a mother's natural urge to protect her children.

The desperation and terror experienced by the young victims in this story coupled with the psychological games and manipulative ploys employed by several of the central characters were intricately woven into this amazing narrative allowing the reader a voyeuristic look into the dark recesses of some pretty obsessive and, at times, malicious minds. Also, the exploration of relationships - in particular, the almost symbiotic relationship between captive and captor as well as the love/hate relationship exhibited by siblings are related with perceptive insight and sensitivity.

And yet, for all that, there is a certain hollowness to the story. What began as a compelling chronicle resonating with tremendous potential ultimately loses its voice and becomes a mere echo of what it could have been. The "big question" was never really answered but was presented as more of a "what do you think" challenge for the reader to ponder, as was the issue of capital punishment. I don't mind using my grey matter, but when a talented author has built up my expectations, I am greedy enough to expect them to deliver the goods.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


53 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sleeping With Open Windows, August 5, 2010
This review is from: I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Laura Lippmann is one of those extraordinary writers that rarely disappoints.
She digs deep for her characters, and we come to know them very well. She does
not skimp on her words, and she is able to find a way for her characters to wind
their way into our minds and often our hearts.

Eliza Benedict has a wonderful life. Two very independent children, a husband
with a profession that keeps them well taken care of, and allows Eliza to stay
home. They are just back from England and are settling into a town in Virginia.
Eliza has found summer groups and camps to keep her children busy, and she is
now trying to forget the English terms to become once again ingrained into the
US culture. At least, her children remind her each day of words she seems to
mix. And, then, the teenage years she has been trying to forget come crashing
back into her life. She receives a letter from a man who kept her hostage for
six weeks one summer, a summer she wants to forget.

Walter Bowman, has written a letter to her. He is on death row, convicted for
killing another young woman after he had let her go. He recognized Eliza from a
picture of her and her husband in the paper. He wants to see her, he says and
ends by saying 'Id Know You Anywhere.' What could he want? Eliza does not want
anyone to dredge up her story for her children's sake, but she realizes that
Bowman is a dangerous man and if ignored will only go further. Eliza and her
husband stand firm, but she finally realizes she has no option but to see this
man. And, truthfully, she has always wanted to know why he let her go. He has killed
a young woman, and Eliza suspects he has killed more than one. She thinks
Bowman is a serial killer, the worst kind of human. Can she bear to go deep and
remember those terrible weeks? How will she ever tell her children? As she talks
with Bowman, she finally understands he wants to go further than she is willing.
Can she go back there? ELiza faces the world of the unknown and the places she prefers not
to go. Bowman is a monster, and he deserves to die. Can she dredge up those years,
and if she does, would she ever be able to sleep with the windows open?
Can she get past her fear?

This is a tremendously fascinating and harrowing novel. It brings us to our
baser fears, and we wonder how would we deal? This may be one of Laura
Lippman's best novels. It is based on a real story, but names and situations
have been changed. The mystery belongs to us, could we go there?

Highly Recommended. prisrob 8-01-10

What the Dead Know: A Novel
Life Sentences: A Novel
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(11)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Inspired by? 2 Dec 28, 2010
A Puzzling Read 1 Dec 20, 2010
BRIDGE 0 Oct 24, 2010
See all 3 discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject