This is a book I’ve been excited about since I heard it was coming out, as, for me at least, a Laura Lippman novel is AN EVENT!
Having first fallen for her writing through her PI Tess Monaghan series, now her books are more likely to be standalones: all totally different, and all totally original. Like so many authors, she started her life as a journalist, in her case in Baltimore, the city she still lives, and which she loves – something she reminds us of in every novel. You could probably do worse than take a few of her books as a guide to the city’s eateries, attractions, museums – and areas to avoid!
So – Prom Mum has a girl called Amber Glass waking up in the bathroom of the hotel room her and her date Joe had booked for prom night, with blood everywhere, and a dead baby…
Amber’s mother wasn’t one of the most helpful with advice on women’s things, so when the police arrived at her house the next morning because a dead baby had been found in the bathroom of the hotel room she’d stayed in, she explained how she’d felt ill then blacked out. When she woke up it was all over. The baby wasn’t breathing, so she panicked, and left.
Amber had left the prom downstairs saying she felt sick, and her date, Joe, said he’d knocked on the door but, getting no reply, assumed she was too ill to come to the after party. He couldn’t get in as she had the door’s only keycard.
So what’s Joe like?
We’ve all met types like him. He’s the sort who thinks he can charm the birds from the trees, and the majority of women into doing whatever he wants them to, and who thinks he’s entitled to special treatment, all because he has a cute smile and a twinkle in his eye. He knows how to make them feel like they’re the only other person in the room.
Okay, so then we’re forward 20 years, just before the pandemic. What’s happened in the meantime?
Amber had spent two years in prison before working in the art scene in New Orleans, dealing in outsider art created by others who’d been incarcerated, but on her stepdad’s death decides to bite the bullet and return to Baltimore. Joe’s still living there, working in real estate for his uncle, letting units in shopping centres. Lucrative enough, but his wife Meredith, a plastic surgeon, is the real big earner of the two of them. (They’ve no children, something they decided on when they met – Joe had told Meredith about prom night, something which attracted a considerable amount of publicity and saw him labelled “Cad Dad.” Still, compared to Amber – “Prom Mom” – he got it relatively easy. Meredith had no desire to be a mother so it was an easy decision.) Joe’s desperation for that One Big Score cash-wise to demonstrate to his uncle he can take on more responsibility sees him take some risks with he and Meredith’s savings, but he’s always been lucky and knows he’ll turn it around. When he sees Amber’s back in town, the pair, perhaps surprisingly, strike up a friendship. But Joe has another female friend – Jordan – and that’s definitely NOT platonic! (See what I mean about Joe and women…?!)
Then Covid hits…
Yup, and Joe – with his retail units – runs into a little cash trouble. But he just needs to ride it out; he’s always been lucky. I really loved the way each of the main characters had careers that suited their characters. Amber, always the outsider because of prom night, selling outsider art. Joe, the charmer, letting out retail units with that friendliness that ensures he closes each deal. And Meredith, obsessed with keeping her own body perfect with workouts, helping people become how they want to be, looks-wise. Her and Joe are that shallow, outwardly perfect couple, with a huge house – the epitome of success. But no one’s life is that perfect, and secrets have a way of being found out.
So this was a good read?
This was a great read! I think I read it in three sittings, and when the twists start coming – none of which I’ve revealed above – I really couldn’t put it down. None of the main characters are particularly nice and come out of events particularly well, but there was one who I felt was underestimated, and who deserved a better deal – whether they get it or not, well, you’ll have to read this book to find out for yourself. It’s another triumph from Laura Lippman – but then of course I wouldn’t expect anything less!
With thanks to Faber & Faber for the blog tour invitation and the ARC. This has not influenced my opinion and this is an honest review.
Author Laura Lippman
Check out the thoughts of my fellow bloggers on Prom Mom (see above)
BLURB: FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR
‘When I was seventeen, I gave birth to a baby in a hotel bathroom while attending the prom.’
Two decades ago, Amber Glass’s life changed forever. No-one had even known she was pregnant – including Joe, her date.
Afterwards, she left town for good – and hasn’t seen Joe since. But she knows he hasn’t left, that he’s working for his father’s real estate company, married to a cosmetic surgeon. Child free.
Now Amber is back, and as the two of them tentatively start to renew their once unlikely relationship, will their secrets and motivations finally destroy everyone around them?
Inspired by a true story, this guessing game of a novel explodes with feeling and menace.
‘I read this acid-dipped beauty in two desperate sittings … it moves so fast and so skillfully, you don’t fully grasp what it’s really saying (about men, women, desire) until its final stunning pages.’ MEGAN ABBOTT
‘She is simply a brilliant novelist.’ GILLIAN FLYNN
‘A very special kind of twisted genius.’ SARAH HILARY
‘One of the best crime novelists writing today.’ PAULA HAWKINS
‘Lippmann is fast creating a new genre-busting category full of remarkable writing and dazzling plot lines.’ Daily Mail
‘Laura Lippman is one of my favourite writers.’ MINDY KALING
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