(20210 Very good stand alon. Author Gerry Andersen has been injured in a home accident. Turns out he is being held captive by a vindictive ex-lover and a psycho nurse. Much like Stephen King's Misery, there is no escape from his caregiver except when he murders her in the end. Bad news, he dies in the attempt. Kirkus: DREAM GIRLBY LAURA LIPPMAN RELEASE DATE: JUNE 22, 2021An injured literary lion is held captive in his waterfront Baltimore condo.There's a moment in Lippman's latest novel when her delightful series detective, Tess Monaghan, walks into the room and, for a moment, it seems everything could be all right. Unfortunately, it's just a cameo, and we're soon back with our uninspiring cast of three: novelist Gerry Andersen, who's had a debilitating fall, and the two women taking care of him, personal assistant Victoria and night nurse Aileen. At 61, Andersen has never repeated the success of his prizewinning bestseller, Dream Girl, and it's been quite a while since he wrote anything at all. He moved to Baltimore to take care of his mother in her last days, but even after her unexpectedly speedy death, he didn't return to New York, where the last of his many bad decisions involving women is waiting to shake him down for whatever she can get. This ploy doesn't work, and the woman shows up in Baltimore. Even more distressing, Gerry gets a phone call from a woman claiming to be the inspiration for Dream Girl, only, as he's told everyone for years, there is no real person who played that role. All the while, no matter what happens, Andersen's mind generates a literary or cultural connection, from Pete Townshend's solo album to Ben Jonson's plays to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some are explained, some aren't, so the reader sometimes feels as stupid as Gerry thinks everyone is. It's too bad this book has to be compared to Misery, because despite similarities in setup, it's no Misery. All the reveals come after you have figured them out; the murders are played for camp. The most gaspworthy moment in the book comes in the author's note: "If you want to play the game of figuring out who Gerry Andersen is, check out the author photo on this book." No! It can't be.In her 25th novel, Lippman messes up a near-perfect batting average.Pub Date: June 22, 2021ISBN: 978-0-06-239007-3Page Count: 320Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollinsReview Posted Online: March 31, 2021Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021

The author in the novel receives a call from a woman who claims to be a character in his best selling book Dream Girl. What ensues are murder, mayhem, and red herrings that are the hallmarks of any Laura Lippman mystery including her mastery of normal characters who end up doing abnormal acts. ( )

So this book was dull and confusing. I am convinced this was most read this year. The book opens with Gerry stuck in bed because he has had an accident. He is a writer and while he has not written many books, he has written a very popular one that has allowed him to live comfortably. The story was all over the place and it did more telling instead of showing. ( )

Gerry is unbearable at times, hilarious at others. Always unwilling to accept responsibility. Good story. ( )

The novel is in the most part, the inner ramblings of the central character, a novelist caught up in one or two or possibly three murders. Gerry Anderson is 61 and is confused at the turn the sexual revolution of his youth has taken. “In his aging body and his aging mind can he allow himself the thoughts and metaphors and pronouns that were permissible when he was young? Is that so much to ask?” he asks.

Had the novel been more about Gerry and less convoluted in plot, it would have been an amusing satire of life post #metoo.

The first two thirds of Dream Girl were suspenseful, but the whole plot became too confusing toward the end. I can understand why Lippman chose the ending as it fitted the premise of the novel, but to explain this would be a spoiler.

I did enjoy the sly references to other novelists, and the cynical comments by the MC, on political correctness, cancelling and #metoo. Lippman’s wit saves this novel, and I have to admit I was sucked in by the plot, at least for a while. ( )