book data
276 ratings, 3.45 average rating, 65 reviews
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published
June 17th 1999
(first published 2007)
by J'ai lu
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 316 pages
isbn
2290052523
(isbn13: 9782290052525)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 375)
Read in August, 2007
I picked this up because it is a Baltimore author in a genre I like. It was okay. I'll read others, but its more in the mind-candy side of things. Definite beach read.
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Read in February, 2008
I picked up this book after enjoying What the Dead Know, but I just couldn't get into it or make myself care about any of the characters.
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Read in October, 2007
I recently read one of Lippman's standalone novels and liked it, so I dug up the first in her Tess Monaghan series. Not bad, but a little bit clunky. This is a book that definitely would have been better in first-person POV than in third. It's a nice set-up for the series, though. We meet Tess (who is not necessarily the most warm-and-fuzzy, likeable heroine), a former reporter turned semi-employed mooch, just as she stumbles onto the opportunity to do some detective work for the first time....more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Mystery Readers
This book is the first book in Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan P.I. series. It was a little rough around the edges. The author lives in Baltimore, so there are many descriptions of the city. Having lived in Baltimore all my life, I felt that her descriptions did not go far enough. She needed to ad more detail of the areas that she mentioned. Overall, the book wasn't so bad that I wouldn't give another of her books a try.
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This is a decent start to what looks like a long series, but I was not totally impressed with Tess Monaghan, the main character. She was whiny, self-indulgent and her sense of entitlement set me on edge. She relies on her family and friends to support her and seems to take them all for granted. That said, I didn't hate her and I can see that there is room for major growth for her character. I plan on reading more in this series.
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Read in April, 2008
Didn't like this book as much as I had hoped I would. The best part was probably the Baltimore details - and there are a lot of those!! Made me realize how little I know about this city I've lived in or near for 15 years! I'll read her next one, hoping it'll get better. Decent mystery, but nothing special.
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I always like to read mysteries in the summer. Someone said Laura Lippman was "the" person to read. I just could not get into this book for whatever reason. I found myself skimming by the end, when really that should be the most gripping part (finding out who the killer is, etc.)
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Debby by:
my daughter who lives in Baltimore
This is murder mystery set in Baltimore. The main character is a young unemployed reporter who ends up investigating a murder to clear her friend. The tone of the book and its unorthodox heroine remind me of Janet Evanovich books, although it is not quite as light hearted.
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Read in December, 2007
Charming, though ultimately slight. Better on characterization than plot.
First in a series--I bet they get better. One interesting thing is that it answers, in basically plausible fashion, how someone might become a PI.
First in a series--I bet they get better. One interesting thing is that it answers, in basically plausible fashion, how someone might become a PI.
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What's not to like about Tess Monaghan?! She's a Washington College alumna, a rower, a former eating disorder sufferer, and an all-around likeable person precisely because of her vast capacity for self-reflection. The City of Baltimore is not only the backdrop in Lippman's novels, but a principal character as well. These books are very well written and contain oodles of insider info given Lippman's status as writer for _The Baltimore Sun_. In the FAQ area of Lippman's site she responds in an...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to furies by:
series rec by a. recommends it for: em, laura, leigh, thriller lovers.
oh, the first introduction to tess monaghan, we see how she gets together with tyner, how she stumbles on her first "case" and get to meet the lovely secondary characters - crow and whitney and kitty and feeny.
this story revolves around the death of a not-so-loved lawyer and the arrest of tess's good rowing partner, rock, for the murder. as tess learns how to put her reporting skills to good use, how to get out from under the covers, we get way more of a story than we initially t...more
this story revolves around the death of a not-so-loved lawyer and the arrest of tess's good rowing partner, rock, for the murder. as tess learns how to put her reporting skills to good use, how to get out from under the covers, we get way more of a story than we initially t...more
Read in January, 2008
Baltimore Blues was an Ellen Emerson White recommendation I am extremely glad I followed up on. I got it for Christmas and saved it for the work trip to Florida I took last week. I ended up spending seven hours sitting in airports so it was a good thing I had such an engrossing read with me. Although the result was an instant and urgent need to find a bookstore in Orlando (a shockingly difficult task) to get my hands on the...more
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Read in January, 2008
After loving Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know, a most satisfying and thoughtful mystery, I tracked down more of her writing, and to my pleasure found that she has a series of mysteries set in Baltimore and centered around an ex-journalist (by layoff, not by choice), Tess Mongahan.
Tess reminds me of a better educated and connected Kinsey Milhouse (? - from Sue G...more
Tess reminds me of a better educated and connected Kinsey Milhouse (? - from Sue G...more
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
Juli
Note the new shelf. This book is not as well written as her later, stand alone novels, but it is the first book in the Tess Monaghan series, so I slogged through it. I found it was perfect for reading when I couldn't sleep--not thrilling enough to keep me awake, but not so badly written that I resented being awake.
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Vivisection by:
my lj friend cherrecommends it for: anyone who likes the female private investigator novels
I had to start this book 3 times and was sure I wasn't going to like it. I love the female private investigator genre and felt that Tess Monaghan didn't have quite the flair of say VI Warshawski or Kathy Mallory.
Third time's the charm. Tess and her lovely city of Baltimore grew on me as did the cast of subordinate characters--especially her aunt, Kitty and her co-worker Crow. I am particularly pleased to see that like all detectives, Tess keeps to a strict exercise routine, but she is n...more
Third time's the charm. Tess and her lovely city of Baltimore grew on me as did the cast of subordinate characters--especially her aunt, Kitty and her co-worker Crow. I am particularly pleased to see that like all detectives, Tess keeps to a strict exercise routine, but she is n...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
Unpretentious readers
This book is so much fun. A smart, grown up Nancy Drew, Tess Monaghan is the creation of Laura Lippman, detective novel It Girl, and, for what it's worth, the lady friend of David Simon, creator of The Wire. I liked this book--the first in a series of 12 or so--because it was character-driven and not posing as a tough guy tale. There's suspense, and even a few punches and gunshots, but more time and thought is given to Tess M. As a result, she is eminently likable and smart, as are her batty fri...more
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Not really a huge mystery reader, but this wasn't bad, and I'll probably continue reading the series. Set in Baltimore, the city is almost a character in its own right.
For whatever reason I haven't been able to pick up any "real" books lately, and have been indulging in crap, so this fit the bill nicely. Very easy read, and a sort of random turn of events. Definitely setup for some interesting characters in the series.
For whatever reason I haven't been able to pick up any "real" books lately, and have been indulging in crap, so this fit the bill nicely. Very easy read, and a sort of random turn of events. Definitely setup for some interesting characters in the series.
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Read in April, 2008
I love mysteries, and am new to Laura Lippman. Really enjoying her characters, her descriptions of Baltimore, which is a character in her books. Got into them through the Wire, recently on HBO, also set in Baltimore. I work at a library, and a patron turned in a whole bunch of Lippman's books, and I connected them with Charm City. I long for someone to give Detroit this kind of treatment.
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Read in November, 2005
Michele introduced me to this author, whose books are primarily set in Baltimore! I have read the entire Tess Monaghan series (as well as a few of Lippman's other books)and in addition to enjoying the stories, I have learned a lot about "Balmer" (as the locals say). The basics are pretty familiar - sassy female PI, various different crimes to solve, but all very entertaining.
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Read in February, 1997
BALTIMORE BLUES - Okay
Lippman, Laura - 1st of Tess Monaghan series
In a city like Baltimore, where someone is murdered almost on a daily basis, Attorney Michael Abramowitz's death should be just another statistic. But for PI Tess Monaghan's client, who is in the frame, time is running short to prove his innocence.
It was okay but very slow and plodding.
Lippman, Laura - 1st of Tess Monaghan series
In a city like Baltimore, where someone is murdered almost on a daily basis, Attorney Michael Abramowitz's death should be just another statistic. But for PI Tess Monaghan's client, who is in the frame, time is running short to prove his innocence.
It was okay but very slow and plodding.
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mystery (on 30 people's shelves)
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mysteries (on 8 people's shelves)
fiction (on 6 people's shelves)
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