Rating: 
Summary: A not-to-be missed novel
Review: Just when one thinks that Laura Lippman has hit her peak (as in "Sugar House"), she surprises the reader by going up a couple of more notches and she started out on a very high level with her first Tess Monaghan book, "Baltimore Blues."
In this fascinating novel, centered around the Baltimore tradition of the Poe Toaster who visits the author's grave each year on the anniversary of his death, Lippman has created a marvelous story.
Her characters, especially her protagonist Tess, continue to grow while her secondary characters are three dimensional. It's true that some of them would not be people you'd care to meet in a dark alley or even in a crowded room, but they fill the pages of the story and leave a lasting impression.
This is a fast paced mystery with Tess in the middle of collectors, Poe experts and police as she attempts to solve the murder as well as they mystery of Poe's anonymous visitor.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Man was I wrong!
Review: Laura Lippman took me by surprise, I have to admit. I saw an interview with her on CBS' Sunday Morning a couple of years ago and bought her most recent book for my dad. He's a mystery fan who likes his crime novels on the lighter side than me. I like Lehane, Connelly, Rankin - the noir stuff. How could this woman from Baltimore be writing stuff as good as the guys above? Not being sexist, here - I just couldn't see it. I should have thought of Laurie R. King who's Kate Martinelli series is as dark and good as the guys above. But, I didn't. I'm a moron! I just plowed through a litany of other books to read until I came upon this book. I asked my dad if he liked her and he replied, "Yes. A lot!" It dealt with Edgar Allen Poe and the Poe Visitor. Seemed interesting. So I gave it a try.
Man, was I wrong! Laura is great! Strange City is witty and dark and quick-paced and has characters that are real and fantastic. Tess is one hell of a woman and I'm okay to admit that I'm a little in love with her. She's smart and sexy and tough but still vulnerable. I totally underestimated Laura and I promise that I will never to do that again.
Keep at it Laura - Spenser ain't got nothing on you!
Rating: 
Summary: This is what PI fiction is about.....
Review: Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan is truly one of the most appealing and original PI protagonist to have appeared in last few years. She is not a self assured repository of cliches, but a three dimensional person, occasionally irritating but always interesting and sympathetic. WIth this book, Lippman's sixth in the series, the Monaghan series rises to it's full potential as one of the premiere PI series of the last decade.In A Strange City opens up with a scene that harkens back to a Hammett or Chandler novel: a grotesquely overweight man hires Monaghan to follow a man to recover a necklace he says was stolen from him. Seems pretty straightforward, except for the fact that the man he wants her to follow is a local Baltimore legend known as the "Poe Visitor", a cloaked figure who lays a tribute of roses and cognac at the grave of Edgar Allen Poe at the anniversary of his death. Of course things quickly go haywire as Monaghan is thrust into a murky plot which includes fanatical bibliofiles, an antagonistic homicide detective and a series of assaults and burglaries that seem to target gay men. It's a murky stew, but it's actually quite an original plot and Lippman's prose makes it seem perfectly clear and convincing. The best part of this series (indeed, the best part of all detective fiction) is the sense of place and setting which brings the city of Baltimore true to life. The only thing I knew about Baltimore came from episodes of "Homicide:Life on the Streets"("The Best Damn Show on TV"). But reading this series makes me seem like I've been living there for years. I gave this book less than five stars (Four and a half, really, but I can't give half ratings) because I spotted the killer fairly easily. But that really doesn't take from the book. After all, the best part of detective fiction is not who killed who. It's the journey that counts.
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for the next one!
Review: SOOOOO good, I can't wait until October. If Lippman could put out a book weekly, I still wouldn't be able to wait for the next installment of Tess Monaghan's adventures! As a Marylander and former Baltimorean, every book feels like home.
Rating:
Summary: Librarians, Maryland and Poe-- PERFECT!!
Review: What a sweet combination of Maryland moments, wacky bibliophiles and morose, mysterious Poe! Lara Lippman's settings are wonderful; how I long to wander the streets with Tess, watch the Terps on television and discuss the oddities of people with Crow. It brought back the sweet nostaglia of a childhood in Maryland (even if I was clear down in DC suburbs!)
The librarians in the book were perfect for the library world, where one moment innocuous behavior becomes derranged edgy obsessions. This book made me homesick for Maryland... and the mystery was extraordinarily good, too. Best book of the series to date.
In my Top Five for 2001, an excellent read!
Rating:
Summary: A Fun, Smart Page-Turner
Review: `In a Strange City' is my first experience reading Laura Lippman, but I hope to have many more. You should too. PI Tess Monaghan turns down a would-be client who wants her to unmask the "Poe Toaster," a mysterious person who visits Edgar Allan Poe's gravesite each year with three roses and half a bottle of cognac. Although she refuses to take the case, Tess can't help being curious. On the anniversary of Poe's death, Tess expects to stand at a distance and see a strange caped individual visit the cold Baltimore grave site. But she sees two caped figures. One dies from a bullet, the other escapes. Then things get really creepy when Tess receives cryptic notes at her door...along with three roses and a half bottle of cognac. `In a Strange City' is a pleasure to read because it works on so many levels. Lippman writes a very smart tale with wonderful descriptions of Baltimore and its people, but that's only part of what makes the book work. She not only knows how to write great characters, she also pens believable dialogue. Her examination of Poe devotees and collectors is nothing short of fascinating. Many excellent mystery writers are capable of presenting readers with an entertaining, intriguing story, but Lippman takes it a step further. When I closed the book, I knew I had finished a great story, but I also knew that I was going to be forced to examine the possessions I cherish and ask myself how far I would go to protect them? A very satisfying read - 310 pages
| 
