Until her paper, the Baltimore Star, crashed and burned, Tess Monaghan was a damn good reporter who knew her hometown intimately — from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill. Now gainfully unemployed at twenty-nine, she’s willing to take any freelance job to pay the rent — including a bit of unorthodox snooping for her rowing buddy, Darryl “Rock” Paxton.
In a city where … Paxton.
In a city where someone is murdered almost everyday, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety — and his noontime trysts with Rock’s fiancee — make the case front page news… and points to Rock as the likely murderer. But trying to prove her friend’s innocence could prove costly to Tess — and add her name to that infamous ever-growing list.
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I first read Baltimore Blues several years ago. I picked it up again because I realized recently that the author, Laura Lippman, had a definite positive influence on my own writing of mystery-suspense. What’s most interesting about this book, Baltimore Blues, is the central character of Tess Monaghan – although there’s plenty of other things to …
Promising start but it gets a bit muddled. I was disappointed with the resolution.
This is my second Laura Lippman book. I enjoyed it immensely and will most likely read the entire series.
It has everything you want in a mystery, relatable people, timely story, and a great plot. Loved it.
She is the best!
Great introduction to the Tess series.
Enjoy the Brits
Laura Lippman is regularly on the best seller list, so this story about a young Baltimore journalist, Tess, caught my attention. My own novels, (Borderland and Napa Noir) also feature journalists. Lippman’s writing skills are clear from the start. Her detailed description of scenes and characters are compelling as is her ability to paint the world …
I especially enjoyed this book because of the location, Baltimore, my home town. The protagonist was feisty, but also very human.
A fun read with lots of local interest. Love the ending.
Contrived,silly, with one dimensional characters. Nothing compelling or even interesting to me in this story.
A little long and seem to get off track
A very enjoyable whodunit.
This fantastic mystery will not only have you guessing until the very end, it will make you feel like you are walking the streets of Baltimore. The entertaining characters keep this wonderful story engaging. The mystery in the plot feels like a fun puzzle.