Helpful Score: 2
This is Lippman's 8th book in a series that features Tess Monaghan, private investigator in Baltimore, Maryland. Tess is a complex and interesting character, who learns from her mistakes and changes as the books go by.
In this one Tess is hired to find the runaway wife of a man who withholds from her the facts she needs to do her job. He can't even face them himself. But, since the wife took their three small children with her, Tess persists.
This is as excellent mystery with appealing characters. I think you will enjoy it.
In this one Tess is hired to find the runaway wife of a man who withholds from her the facts she needs to do her job. He can't even face them himself. But, since the wife took their three small children with her, Tess persists.
This is as excellent mystery with appealing characters. I think you will enjoy it.
Karen F. (cosmichomicide) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 134 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great plot and a wonderful subplot as Tess sees more of the Jewish side of her heritage in her client, an Orthodox Jewish furrier whose wife has disappeared with their children. Kitty and Tyner move forward in their relationship while Tess ponders hers and Crow's. As always, I highly recommend this series.
Judy B. (jdyinva) -
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. Complex characters, scary and disturbing plot involving three innocent children. A very good read.
Beverly B. (SmoothCollieLover) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 35 more book reviews
Maybe because I'm an Orthodox Jew from Baltimore I found this book to be particularly unrealistic in its details. A true-life Mark Rubin would never have married without a lot more information about his future wife and her background (I got the distinct impression she was not even Jewish); his house would have been filled day and night with well-wishers following the disappearance of wife and children (everyone from rabbi to neighbors would have been there offering food and prayers).
But then what do you expect from an author who maintains that even koshes Jews from Baltimore eat crab (that's a near-quote from "Butchers Hill")? It's an insult even to suggest it.
But then what do you expect from an author who maintains that even koshes Jews from Baltimore eat crab (that's a near-quote from "Butchers Hill")? It's an insult even to suggest it.
JoAnn G. (bookwoman28) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 166 more book reviews
P.I. Tess Monaghan is hired to help a wealthy Orthodox Jew find his young wife who has vanished, taking their three children. He believes her to have been a devoted wife and mother, but who is she on the run with, and why? And will he believe the secrets that Tess has begun to uncover?
A story of love, deceit, and betrayal.
Wonderful author. I love her character "Tess Monaghan" in this series. Mystery and suspense.
Judy B. (jdyinva) -
A very satisfying thriller.
Phyllis T. (schatze) -
Lots of twists and turns in this suspense novel.
Priscilla B. (Skeeter1942) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 131 more book reviews
A very suspenseful book. Another in the Tess Monaghan series and I think one of the best. Mark Rubin claims he and his wife had a flawless marriage. Yet she and their three children left suddenly. Mark can't understand why and hires Tess to find them. What are the secrets he is hiding. Is he just not talking or doesn't he really not know why she left. You get scenes from what both sides are doing but the reasons do not become clear until almost to the very end. And as always murder is involved.
Great read...
I love this series, and not just because Baltimore is my favorite city. This is the most suspenseful and chilling of the series.
Great Thriller!
Mark Rubin claims he and his beautiful wife had a flawless, happy marriage. Yet one day, without warning, Natalie gathered up their children and vanished. The police can't do anything because all the evidence indicates she left willingly. So the successful Baltimore furrier turns to private investigator Tess Monaghan.
Tess doesn't know quite what to make of her client, a wealthy Orthodox Jew who refuses to shake her hand and doles out vitally important information in grudging dribs and drabs. But the deeper she digs, the more Tess suspects that the motive behind Natalie's reckless flight lies somewhere in the gap between what Rubin will not say and what he refuses to believe. An intricate web of betrayal and vengeance is already beginning to unravel, as memory begets rage, and rage leads to desperation -- and murder. And suddenly the lives of three innocent children are dangling by the slenderest of threads
Tess doesn't know quite what to make of her client, a wealthy Orthodox Jew who refuses to shake her hand and doles out vitally important information in grudging dribs and drabs. But the deeper she digs, the more Tess suspects that the motive behind Natalie's reckless flight lies somewhere in the gap between what Rubin will not say and what he refuses to believe. An intricate web of betrayal and vengeance is already beginning to unravel, as memory begets rage, and rage leads to desperation -- and murder. And suddenly the lives of three innocent children are dangling by the slenderest of threads
Donna H. (myanniecat) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 218 more book reviews
A real gem of a book! My favorite Tess Monaghan so far....
Patricia W. (tricia027) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 59 more book reviews
Haven't been too fond of the other Tess Monaghan of Baltimore stories but this one was intriguing about an orthodox Jewish family. And the darker side of love - manipulation, lies, kidnapping and obsession. Good read. I had to take it with me to finish at a doctor's appointment - didn't want to waste time on a stale magazine in the waiting room when I had this adventure to finish.
Marianne S. (sfc95) -
This book took too long to read, I could not find myself getting invested in the characters and their outcome. Would read a few pages and could easily put down and not care what happened next. I did not read the books before this (as it is 8th in a series, which I did not realize) but really don't feel that I missed anything. I won't be reading any more in the series if there are more as I am just not captivated by it. I have read stand alone books by this author and found them very good, so I am not sure why this series just made me feel blah! I wouldn't recommend it if you hae alot of reading on your TBR! Just ok if that.
GAIL L. (my2luvsemmyandmally) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 758 more book reviews
I like Laura Lippman but with this book I found that I could not get into the characters! I did not feel any sort of attachment to them and their story and I found I was forcing my way thru this book just to finish it.
Holly B. (bluedevilbooklover) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 72 more book reviews
I love Laura Lippman - this is her 8th Tess Monaghan novel (9th total) and, although it's so cliche, she REALLY DOES get better and better with each new book!
Laura Lippman never fails to satisfy. Her mysteries are always rich and layered, her characters complicated and human.
A really good mystery. This is the first book I've read by Laura Lippman, but it won't be the last!
Very good and quick read. Much better than her last book.
Storm C. (greenwitchlady) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 53 more book reviews
Great read.
Author has an interesting way of building the storyline! Enjoyable mystery. Kept my attention! :)
Tori B. (toriocookie) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 119 more book reviews
A great mystery/thriller. Mark Rubin claims his marrage is perfect...then his wife and kids vanish. Tess Monaghan is a private investigator that is hired by Rubin to find his wife. As Tess digs deeper, she finds that Mark Rubin is keeping secrets, and his wife's leaving is somehow buried in what he won't say and what he won't believe.
Another great Tess Monaghan mystery!
Enjoyed this mystery by Laura Lippman which featured Baltimore detective Tess Monaghan. Thsi mystery reminded me in part of Faye Kellerman's mysteries which offer the reader a look at the customs and traditions of Judaism.
From Publishers Weekly
Tess Monaghan is back. After last years haunting standalone novel Every Secret Thing, Lippman returns with her eighth installment in an award-winning crime series. This time out the determined reporter-turned-private detective agrees to help a handsome but off-puttingly rigid Orthodox Jewish furrier Mark Ruben find his missing wife and children. Monaghan was recommended to the uptight furrier by her Jewish uncle, who spent years working with Ruben in a volunteer program that instructed Jewish prisoners in Jewish rituals and traditions. Ruben makes Monaghan feel as if she knows nothing about being Jewish, even though her mothers family is Jewish. He also makes her feel as if she knows nothing about commitment. About the only thing that makes her like Ruben is the cash hes willing to pay her up front. As weeks go by, Monaghan uncovers a tangle of lies and dark plans that reveal that Rubens gorgeous young Russian Jewish bride is anything but innocent. Yet much to Monaghans amazement, nothing seems to dim Rubens faith in his own tradition or to rock his sense of his role and responsibilities as a husband and a father. Lippman delivers a smart, fast-paced, nuanced story that features a well-drawn supporting cast, including the endearing if dangerous city of Baltimore itself. Lippmans bad guys never become as interesting as her good guys, but there are some captivating touches here, including a criminal who studies the plots of crime novels in prison. Lippmanns many fans will be thrilled." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --
Tess Monaghan is back. After last years haunting standalone novel Every Secret Thing, Lippman returns with her eighth installment in an award-winning crime series. This time out the determined reporter-turned-private detective agrees to help a handsome but off-puttingly rigid Orthodox Jewish furrier Mark Ruben find his missing wife and children. Monaghan was recommended to the uptight furrier by her Jewish uncle, who spent years working with Ruben in a volunteer program that instructed Jewish prisoners in Jewish rituals and traditions. Ruben makes Monaghan feel as if she knows nothing about being Jewish, even though her mothers family is Jewish. He also makes her feel as if she knows nothing about commitment. About the only thing that makes her like Ruben is the cash hes willing to pay her up front. As weeks go by, Monaghan uncovers a tangle of lies and dark plans that reveal that Rubens gorgeous young Russian Jewish bride is anything but innocent. Yet much to Monaghans amazement, nothing seems to dim Rubens faith in his own tradition or to rock his sense of his role and responsibilities as a husband and a father. Lippman delivers a smart, fast-paced, nuanced story that features a well-drawn supporting cast, including the endearing if dangerous city of Baltimore itself. Lippmans bad guys never become as interesting as her good guys, but there are some captivating touches here, including a criminal who studies the plots of crime novels in prison. Lippmanns many fans will be thrilled." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --
Diane G. (icesk8tr) -
I really enjoyed this book. About a mother who left her husband and took the kids with her. It really is a twisted plot when the father hires a investigator to find his family.
Nancy S. (hollyhockgirl) reviewed By A Spider's Thread (Tess Monaghan, Bk 8) on + 9 more book reviews
This is a Tess Monaghan novel I read two years ago and didn't like according to my book notes. Now, I read it in February and enjoyed it a lot. The plot was quite interesting and kept me reading.
Mark Rubin claims he and his beautiful wife had a happy marriage; yet, one day without warning, Natalie gathered up their children and vanished. The police can't do anything because all the evidence indicates she left willingly. An intricate web of betrayal and vengeance is already beginning to unravel as memory begets rage, and rage leads to desperation...and murder.
Interesting, twists and turns, lots of Jewish customs and explanations-main characters are strict Jews.
A story of deceit, love and betrayal. Mark Rubin claims he and his beautiful wife had a flawless, happy marriage. Yet one day, without warning, Natalie gathered up their children and vanished. The police can't do anything because all the evidence indicates she left willingly. So the successful Baltimore furrier turns to private investigator Tess Monaghan.
