Lady in the Lake, Week 4

Welcome to the final discussion of Lady in the Lake.

What did you think about this last section? Did things turn out the way you thought they would? Were you surprised by the ending? I was really surprised. I didn't see the twist coming. 

I was glad that we started to find out more about Cleo's work and her mysterious relationship right from the get-go in this last section. The first person Maddie meets at The Flamingo is Spike, the bartender. He ends up confessing to the crime--did you ever think he was really the perpetrator? We're also introduced to Shell Gordon, and even though he is really powerful, Maddie believes he can't hurt her because she is a white woman. Do you think that's true? Do you think Maddie had too high of an opinion of herself? I thought Shell Gordon was a really scary man, especially when Spike described his dealings in prostitution and drugs. I don't think he was the kind of man who should be messed with. We find that he ordered Spike to kill Cleo since EZ wouldn't get elected to the senate if he had a girlfriend. It was sad that Cleo became a victim of a man who wanted power. 

We soon find out that Cleo's boyfriend was EZ Taylor, a rich man who owned a bunch of dry cleaning shops. Once it was revealed that he owned a dry cleaning business, it made sense that he had the skills and opportunity to get designer clothes and tailor them to her body. How surprised were you when Maddie went to interview EZ's wife? I was really surprised that she had the gall to do that. I feel like Mrs. Taylor was also a victim, so it wasn't fair to put her in that position. 

Maddie tells about the married man she had an affair with when she was 17. She makes the comment that she was able to escape that relationship and begin a new life, but Cleo was not. Do you think that's one of the reasons she was so committed to finding out what happened to Cleo? Do you think she really wanted to find justice for Cleo, or was she wanting to make a name for herself as a journalist? Do you think Maddie identified with Cleo? 

Maddie also confronted EZ near the end of the book. What did you think of him? I was surprised that he was able to be so cold and detached while he talked about Cleo. I would have expected him to be a little bit upset that she was gone. 

I wasn't surprised that Maddie confronted Angela Corwin about Tessie Fine's murder. Maddie was so desperate to get a scoop and to advance at the paper that I don't think she thought about her own safety. And, she definitely didn't think how her actions would affect her relationships. I knew that she and Ferdie couldn't stay together for the long haul, but it was sad the way their relationship ended. 

While recovering at the hospital, Maddie meets the real Cleo Sherwood and realizes that the woman they found in the lake was Cleo's roommate. What did you think of Cleo's story? It seems too convenient that the roommate died of an overdose. I agree with Maddie's thinking that either Cleo killed her and asked Tommy to help or Tommy killed her to save Cleo. What do you think? Do you think it was fair for Cleo to say that Maddie made everything worse? Was Cleo being idealistic to think that she could eventually come back into her sons' lives? 

At the very end, we find out that Maddie did make a name for herself as a journalist, and she has become very celebrated. What do you think of the woman she became? Do you think she has been happy? Did she get everything she ever wanted? 

Were you satisfied by the ending? Was there anything you would have changed about the ending or the characters? Would you recommend it to a friend? If you liked the book and would like to read or watch similar titles, check out this list I created! Make sure to let me know if you try anything on the list. 

Before you go, check out the interview below to hear what Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram say about the television adaptation. Have you checked it out yet? 

Thanks for following along this month! Make sure to leave me a comment  to let me know what you thought of the ending! Next month, we're reading Hamnet. I hope you'll join us for that discussion.