Helpful Score: 2
Writing and plotting are much better in this second installment in the Tess Monaghan series of books. Characters are still just as interesting and crazy as before with some new additions and minor characters. Additionally, the mystery unfolds much better overall. If you're a cozy fan, this is a series to invest in.
In the second book featuring Tess Monaghan, Lippman brings the city of Baltimore (the good, the bad and the ugly) to life. Tess is very likeable, a former reporter turned P.I. The mystery itself is well written and had me guessing up until the very end. I look forward to more Tess Monaghan mysteries.
Helpful Score: 1
Tess Monaghan returns with more mayhem and murder in Baltimore. Whitney, an employee of the Baltimore Beacon-Light, recommends her best friend, Tess, for a job at the newspaper. A hot story that shook the whole city was moved from the newspapers holding computer to the newspapers production line and printed. No one admitted to this breach of security and Tess was told to investigate.
The next day, the object of the expose is dead -- Wink Wynkowski, a local businessman who made good in Baltimore and was trying to bring a professional basketball team to the city. The newspaper fears that the family will sue them for printing an article that led to Winks obvious suicide.
In the meantime, Tesss Uncle Spike is beaten in his bar and is rushed via ambulance to the hospital; hes in a coma for most of the book. The oddity is that Uncle Spike told his assistant to give a live greyhound (Esskay), to his niece, Tess. She cannot understand why the dog is hers shes never had or been interested in owning a pet.
Tess finds herself attracted to one of the newspaper editors; this brings up conflict in how she feels about her live-in boyfriend, Crow who is 6 years younger than she. As Tess becomes more interested in Sterling, she refuses Crows request that they commit to each other.
Laura Lippman must love Baltimore; descriptions and landmarks are mentioned on virtually every page. If I visited the city, Id know quite a bit about Baltimore because of Lippmans descriptions and impromptu history lessons.
Lippman gives the side characters quite a workout in this book: Whitney and Tess have some serious words (that, in retrospect, clear the air between them); Tess and poetry-spewing, ace reporter Kevin Feeney are alienated for considerable time and Tess and Crow reach a serious stalemate.
Theres quite a bit going on in this story; looking for the person who caused the devastating article to be printed almost moves to the back burner because of all the personal interactions along the way.
4 stars
The next day, the object of the expose is dead -- Wink Wynkowski, a local businessman who made good in Baltimore and was trying to bring a professional basketball team to the city. The newspaper fears that the family will sue them for printing an article that led to Winks obvious suicide.
In the meantime, Tesss Uncle Spike is beaten in his bar and is rushed via ambulance to the hospital; hes in a coma for most of the book. The oddity is that Uncle Spike told his assistant to give a live greyhound (Esskay), to his niece, Tess. She cannot understand why the dog is hers shes never had or been interested in owning a pet.
Tess finds herself attracted to one of the newspaper editors; this brings up conflict in how she feels about her live-in boyfriend, Crow who is 6 years younger than she. As Tess becomes more interested in Sterling, she refuses Crows request that they commit to each other.
Laura Lippman must love Baltimore; descriptions and landmarks are mentioned on virtually every page. If I visited the city, Id know quite a bit about Baltimore because of Lippmans descriptions and impromptu history lessons.
Lippman gives the side characters quite a workout in this book: Whitney and Tess have some serious words (that, in retrospect, clear the air between them); Tess and poetry-spewing, ace reporter Kevin Feeney are alienated for considerable time and Tess and Crow reach a serious stalemate.
Theres quite a bit going on in this story; looking for the person who caused the devastating article to be printed almost moves to the back burner because of all the personal interactions along the way.
4 stars
P.I Tess Monaghan loves every inch of her native Baltimore where baseball raigns, but lately homicide seems to be the most popular sport. As Tess minds a sad sack greyhound for her injured uncle she is pulled into investigative work for the "Blight" to find out who ran a last minute story about the local business tycoon Wink Wynkowski.
#2 in Tess Monaghan series
Pretty good story line. Slow at some spots, but picks up quickly
Another good outing for Tess Monaghan.
This second book in the Tess Monaghan series is just as good as the first.
This is the second in the Tess Monaghan series and I intend to continue to read this series. I really like Tess as a protagonist; she is very "real" - someone whose feelings actions I can relate to. In this book, Tess is an investigator (her new career)and is hired by the only newspaper left in Baltimore to find the person responsible for printing a story that should have been "dead". The person who is featured in this story then commits suicide but the paper still wants to know who is not a team player. Meanwhile, Tess's Uncle Spike was severely beaten and lies in a coma and there are no questions being answered as to what happened. So basically, there are two plots in this book. Tess gets herself into some hairy situations and nearly becomes a dead investigator. The perpetrator was someone she (and I) did not suspect. I enjoyed the book and can recommend it as a good read - not too long but there is enough detail about people and events to have a solid novel.
Not as good as Baltimore Blues, her first. I found myself skimming to get through it.
Reporter-turned-p.i.Tess Monaghan loves every inch of her native Baltimore-a quirky city where baseball reigns, and homicide seems to be the second most popular sport. Business tycoon "Wink" Wynkowski wants to change all that by bringing pro-basketball back to town-a laudable mission that's greeted with widespread cheers...and a muckraking front page expose of his past in the Baltimore Beacon-Light. The "Blight's" surprised editors are sure they killed the piece. Instead, the piece kills Wynkowski, who's discovered asphyxiated in his garage with his car's engine running. Now the paper wants former newshound Tess to track down the rogue computer hacker whose prank took a human life. But there's more than cybercrime involved here-and Tess is about to discover first hand that trying to stay alive in Charm City is murder these days.
Engrossing series
