Like most of Laura Lippman’s novels, her new book is set mostly in Baltimore … and centers on a smart woman with complicated motives. But this protagonist is not fictional--this is Lippman herself, publishing her first non-fiction since her days as a newspaper reporter. It’s a collection of essays titled My Life as a Villainess. We learn why Lippman considers herself a bad friend, … why she used to steal penny-candy, … how it feels to be asked if your new baby is your grandchild. Essays full of revelations, but not many regrets--not even the grudges.