Best mysteries: Laura Lippman’s ‘What the Dead Know’ takes best of 2007

Laura Lippman’s storytelling skills have been evident since her first award-winning novel, “Baltimore Blues” (1997), introduced private investigator Tess Monaghan. That debut showed the author’s acute ability to deliver sturdy tales that push the edges of the traditional private eye novel. Her nine-novel series examines contemporary life through a witty, unconventional heroine who is intrinsically part of Baltimore’s unique vagaries.

But her stand-alone novels are just as excellent and among the best is her most recent. “What the Dead Know” is typical of the author’s keen plotting skills—taking a realistic situation, in this case the disappearance of two girls, and elegantly spinning it into a treatise on contemporary society. Lippman pulls out all the emotional stops constructing a novel that straddles several genres: It succeeds as a mystery, a thriller, a police procedural and that most undefinable genre, women’s fiction. “What the Dead Know” has a tough edge, but also a gentle touch.

Lippman’s fresh approach makes “What the Dead Know” the top mystery of 2007.

BEST 2007 MYSTERIES

1. “What the Dead Know.” Laura Lippman. Morrow.
In the superbly plotted “What the Dead Know,” two girls disappeared from a busy Baltimore mall 30 years ago. Now a woman claims to be one of the girls. An emotional story that elegantly traces the dissolution of a family whose hidden fragility breaks under the weight of this destructive event.

2. “Magic City.” James W. Hall. Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press.
Hall delivers the quintessential Florida novel with a plot that starts in 1964—a time when Miami and America were on the cusp of change—and ends in 2007. Each description, each reference of the contemporary Miami intersects with old Miami, giving a complete view of the past and present.

3. “The Watchman.” Robert Crais. Simon & Schuster.
Crais’ usual hero Elvis Cole becomes the sidekick to his partner—the laconic, lethal and quite enigmatic Joe Pike. Inspired action, a solid plot and crisp dialogue are woven into an affecting story about two adults trying to reconcile with their fathers.

4. “Down River.” John Hart. Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press.
Hart’s second novel surpasses last year’s stunning debut, “The King of Lies.” With keen appraisals of human foibles and an emphasis on North Carolina history and flavor, “Down River” is in a league with the best of Southern novels. A compelling look at greed, power, cruelty and the strength and fragility of families.

5. “The Naming of the Dead.” Ian Rankin. Little, Brown.
Rankin’s melding of Edinburgh’s history with its contemporary concerns through the actions of police detective John Rebus is superbly evident in the series’ 18th novel. With Edinburgh in chaos over a world leaders summit, Rebus takes a case of a murdered sex offender. A maze of human emotions seen against the backdrop of the Scottish landscape proves, once again, Rankin’s considerable talent.

6. “Mr. Clarinet.” Nick Stone. HarperCollins.
Stone delves deep into every aspect of Haiti—its fractured politics, chaotic social strata and legends—in a gritty, fascinating story. Stone’s noir works equally as an international thriller, an intimate family portrait, a regional view of a country under siege and an old-fashioned detective story.

7. “A Pale Horse.” Charles Todd. Morrow.
Todd’s emotionally penetrating series is set in the immediate aftermath of World War I, but these novels, distinguished for their superior plots, transcend any era. In the series’ 10th novel, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge’s investigation revolves around a guilty scientist, his estranged family and the atrocities of World War 1.

8. “Hard Row.” Margaret Maron. Warner Books.
A hallmark of Maron’s novels is her skill at gracefully integrating hard-hitting, topical themes into stories about family and domestic life. “Hard Row” couldn’t be more timely with its focus on immigration, migrant workers and people who make their living off the land.

9. “City of Fire.” Robert Ellis. St. Martin’s/Minotaur.
In his third novel, Ellis takes the police procedural and makes it a tale of personal corruption and desire, where right and wrong overlap.

10. “Origin.” Diana Abu-Jaber. Norton.
Best known for her novels and nonfiction about Middle Eastern culture, Abu-Jaber delivers a rousing, psychological thriller that expounds on questions of identity and the fragility of love. At the plot’s core is a reclusive fingerprint specialist who’s often given cases involving children.

11. “Heartsick.” Chelsea Cain. Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press.
Cain comfortably strides into Hannibal Lecter territory with a charismatic female serial killer. But it’s her focus on two damaged people, a Portland, Ore., police detective and a savvy reporter, which elevates “Heartsick” to a nuanced novel about surviving what threatens to destroy us.

12. “A Person of Interest.” Theresa Schwegel. St Martin’s Press.
A family disintegrates while a cop’s investigation puts he and his loved ones in danger in this character-driven police procedural.

13. “Last Rituals.” Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Morrow.
An Icelandic attorney’s case serves as an insight into the country’s changing landscape and culture.

DEBUTS (in no particular order)

“Missing Witness.” Gordon Campbell. Morrow. Campbell breaks new ground in a legal thriller that explores the alchemy of the law and truth. Set in 1973 Phoenix, “Missing Witness” is a searing look at the law on the cusp of change and of idealism churning into corporate greed. Not since Scott Turow’s “Presumed Innocent” has a legal thriller been so enthralling.

“In the Woods.” Tana French. Viking. Utilizing the police procedural, French balances intense characters with a look at Ireland’s changing landscape and a psychological study of the effects of a childhood trauma. An intelligent, atmospheric thriller blends the gothic novel with the modern mystery.

“Big City, Bad Blood.” Sean Chercover. Morrow. Chercover refreshes the private detective genre as he looks at Chicago, its past and present, movers and criminals, beauty and chaos. His hero is a former journalist turned p.i., both jobs that bring him in contact with Chicago’s best and worst residents.

“The Blade Itself.” Marcus Sakey. Minotaur/St. Martins. This Chicago-based author sharply examines a man rebuilding his life in a tension-laden plot. Centering on two lifelong buddies whose lives take a fateful turn during a botched break-in, this is an insightful look at the circumstances that make each of us who we are.

BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

“Akashic’s Noir” series edited by various authors and “Chicago Blues” edited by Libby Fischer Hellmann. Bleak House.

Akashic publisher’s dozen or so Noir anthologies focus on a different city, including New Orleans, Miami, Baltimore, San Francisco, Havana and more, and act as a mini-guide to each area. For Chicago Blues, Libby Fischer Hellmann has assembled 21 Windy City authors whose view of Chicago is anything but typical, capturing its neighborhoods, history and atmosphere.

BEST REVIVAL

“The Archer Files,” “The Complete Short Stories of Lew Archer,” “Private Investigator” by Ross Macdonald. Edited by Tom Nolan. Crippen & Landru Publishers.

This fine collection makes us remember what a master Macdonald was, and the timelessness of his Lew Archer stories. Macdonald biographer Nolan also contributes an insightful sketch of the private detective.