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Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1)
Baltimore Blues - Tess Monaghan, Bk 1
Author: Laura Lippman
"Courier New" — 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 snoop...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780380788750
ISBN-10: 0380788756
Publication Date: 2/1/1997
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 193

3.4 stars, based on 193 ratings
Publisher: Avon
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1) on + 54 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
I liked the characters; the plot was decent, but not great; but the writing felt very choppy in places. I'm from Baltimore, so I knew the places she was describing, but it still felt like there were some unwritten assumptions being made for us to fill in.
reviewed Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1) on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Lippman is a very good writer and her Tess is a colorful and self sufficient woman. She's well rounded and has an interesting love life. On a par with Sue Grafton.
reviewed Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 4
Lippman's books (Baltimore Blues, Butcher's Hill, The Sugar House) are well-written and entertaining. There are a lot of local references to Baltimore, and a lot of, apparently, local dialect that I had trouble understanding. Usually I like stories where the locale is part of the story, but did not enjoy these as much as some others.
reviewed Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1) on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
No spoilers. Being from Baltimore, the works of Ms. Lippman appeal to me (I recall reading her father's articles in the Baltimore Sun years back). The mystery here is average, but the local color puzzled me. Ms. Lippman is supposed to show how much she loves Baltimore in her Tess Monaghan books; the impression I get is not love, but a neutral (at best) feeling.
reviewed Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1) on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
If you've never read a Tess Monaghan book, you have no idea what you are missing. This is a first rate hard-boiled mystery series.
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PrintsS avatar reviewed Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan, Bk 1) on + 20 more book reviews
A good read! Moves right along. Good setting. Good characters.


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