Dream Girl by Laura Lippman 2021

Dream Girl is the name of the best-selling novel written by the main character in Lippman’s redo of Stephen King’s Misery.  Gerald Anderson wrote his blockbuster novel in his 20’s and has been  unsuccessfully trying to recapture that magic in subsequent books while also sailing through three divorces and a passionate affair with his latest.  Gerald  moves to Baltimore from New York City to care for his dying mother and the beautiful penthouse he buys there is his undoing.  A serious tumble down the stairs (stay tuned because the stairs play a leading role once again in the final chapter) results in his being bed-bound for weeks, necessitating the hiring of a night nurse and a personal assistant.  These two turn out to be bad choices.

Suffice it to say that this is a clever page turner with not much substance.  Lippman is a much awarded mystery writer who began her career as a reporter on the Baltimore Sun.  She still lives in Baltimore where her best known character, Tess Monaghan is a reporter turned detective.

This is a clever and well crafted book perhaps best read on vacation on the beach.