This American novella is a NetGalley review, published by HarperCollins. It is the eleventh Tess Monaghan mystery, and it will be for sale by January 2011.
“I´m being held hostage,” Tess Monaghan whispered into her iPhone. “By a terrorist.”
So begins this fantastic story, and though the private investigator Tess is heavily pregnant and the terrorist is ´just´ her unborn daughter, the plot grabbed me from the very first page.
Because of high blood pressure Tess is confined to her new sun porch from where she watches life pass her by. For several days she sees the smart woman in the green raincoat pass by, walking her little greyhound with the green coat and leash. But suddenly the dog runs by, all alone, with the leash trailing after it.
Tess is intrigued, and when she traces the owners of the dog, Don Epstein explains that his wife is away on a business trip. But why didn´t she report her leaky companion missing? Furthermore, it seems that Epstein has a tendency to lose his wives so when Tess decides to get to the bottom of the mystery, she is forced to find some allies who can be her legs. She enrolls her close friend Whitney, her partner Crow, and her fascinating employee, Mrs Blossom; “The woman who stood on the front steps of Don Epstein´s house looked ridiculous. She should. She worked hard enough at it.”
Apart from a nice sense of place and a well wrought plot, I found several of the characters irresistible. Especially Tess, Mrs Blossom and the uncontrollable dog. Did I remember to mention the great touch of humour? In short, I enjoyed every bit of this book, and I must read some more Tess Monaghan stories!
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11 kommentarer:
You have reminded me that I really enjoyed the one Ress Monaghan book that I read.
Dorte - A fine review! Thanks! I really like the way Lippman weaves humour into her stories, too, and although this is one I haven't (yet) read, I know just what you mean about the way she builds up great characters. And that first sentence is a gem!
Oh, this sounds good. I'm getting a sort of "Rear Window" feel from your description...and I loved that movie. :)
Sounds like a fun book!
Bernadette: I have been curious about Laura Lippman for a long time so when I saw I could get an ARC, I thought it was a great opportunity
Margot: I had no idea she was so fun. This is almost cosy mystery.
Elizabeth: how clever you are. She says she was inspired by "Rear Window"; I just haven´t watched the film which is why I didn´t mention it.
Care: if you need a light read and a laugh, this is the thing.
Yes, it does sound Rear Window-ish. I want to read it. You find such great books.
CD
Love that first sentence. I thought it was a real terrorist! Which goes to show I need something light and funny to read. ;)
That first sentence is clever! I wasn't expecting it (no pun intended).
I, too, thought of Rear Window while reading this. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. You really should watch it!
I've not read any others in the series, but this sound wonderful!
Clarissa: this one was sheer luck (plus an intriguing cover).
Joanne: if it had been a real terrorist, I would had thrown it to the floor.
Kelly: I´ll think about the film (but I don´t watch many)and I have put some Laura Lipmann books on my Christmas wish list.
I've read the first 2 or 3 in the series ... I really need to get back to them.
Beth: if no one is considerate enough to give me some Tess Monaghan stories for Christmas, I´ll have to buy some more :D
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