Baltimore Blues: The First Tess Monaghan Novel

Laura Lippman has written seven novels starring Tess Monaghan, a reporter turned private detective when the two Baltimore newspapers merged into "The Beacon Light," informally known as the "Blight," and she was out of a job. "Baltimore Blues" has an original plot and a host of supporting characters so well drawn that they seem to be real people, as does Tess. An additional filip to the Tess Monaghan series is that Laura Lippman wrote all of them while being employed as a real life reporter for "The Baltimore Sun."

This wonderfully written story brings to life a rich assortment of quirky characters. Baltimore, with all its splendid and seedy charm, wraps even readers who have never been there in a knowing nostalgia.

Since I loved WHAT THE DEAD KNOW from this author, I decided to try her Tess series. This was a really good start. It has interesting characters and the premise was interesting. I look forward to reading more of the Tess books and getting to know more about the different characters.

I just "discovered" this author and I am fast becoming a die-hard fan. This is not the best book in the series, but it is a wonderful beginning and Tess only gets better. If you are looking for an entertaining read this series is highly recommended.

Was disappointed in how the author in general moved her characters along. She labored over some details and loosely covered others. Could use a bit more depth in overall character development. There is a lack of character likability that happens as a result of this sketchy development. You can't just like or be intrigued by the principle player; other possible reoccurring cast members need to be developed to even care about reading about them again. Not sure the author has an understanding of how to hook a reader into her series. After finishing the book I really didn't care what Tess did with her life, job or relationships. Tess just doesn't live on the author's pages.

It was boring, the story line lacked a clear development and apart Tess, Kitty and 2-3 more characters, it lacked interest. Much too long for the little it had to say. Tess is a sympathetic character and I understand that the following books having her as a main character are better. As a first book in a serie it might pass though.

The story was okay. Maybe less than so. Characters get pushed to the wayside so often. For instance, you dont hear anything from the friend that is being accused of murder for like 90% of the book. Other characters enter in randomly and are mentioned when convenient.

I also didn't love the in-your-face metaphors and similes that really took me out of the zone. I remembered one was Tess was close to vomiting and all she could expel as spittle. It was described as, "blah blah like a dogs drool". It's not that it's unpleasant but that there was no flow. It's so obvious and almost out of place. I realize this is a weird thing to complain but it stuck out so much for me. Like a 5th grader making an obvious use of 5 metaphors in a paragraph for his/her assignment.

The ending was unconventional, which I can appreciate but also abrupt. Everything had to be laid out, what happened with each character. Some of it as like, oh yeah I forgot about her. It was so contrived. I didn't see it coming but there was nothing to see coming.

As for the audible listening, I didn't enjoy it. The normal narrative is decent pleasing tone but Tess's voice was so gruff I got confused when Tess and a male was speaking. I didn't like the male voices but I realize it can be hard for a female narrator.

Other than that, I felt no excitement or any rushing feelings. Literally two major action scenes and two major events and I didn't get that it was major while I was listening in my car. It was only after that I realized, oh.. Something big happened and I should feel strongly about this.

People seem to agree it gets way better but I don't like the protagonist enough to continue. She makes impulsive decisions even though her train of thought right before was, 'I shouldn't do this'. It's like listening to a bored teenager execute brilliant plotting. Her leaps of logic when confronting people are largely guesswork but she makes these other leaps that are mysterious to everyone, including the reader.

This begins off with the main character, Tess, being unemployed after losing her job at a newspaper. I give Tess props for taking any job that came her way to pay the bills.  Since this was published in 1997, I won't fault her for not attempting to write a blog to make a living since blogging didn't become a thing until the late 1990s.

I want to point out I listened to this book on audio and liked the voice of the narrator, Deborah Hazlett.

As for the story, it goes downhill from there. I didn't care about the characters. Tess, while spunky, was a bumbling novice and made a mess out of everything by jumping to conclusions. I care nothing about rowing and this is where a good majority of the description went in.  I became bored and found my mind wandering.

The breakdown at the end made scant sense. She would have never discovered the killer if he hadn't had tried to kill her.  It didn't add up that he did so because she was not anywhere near finding out it was him.

The fact she thought she wouldn't be able to prove the other characters involvement in the death of an 11-year-old boy doesn't wash.  You can't deny a tape recording with your voice on it confessing to the crimes. She was in love with Jonathan, but after he was murdered she's ready to hook up with someone else days afterward? Please, real life doesn't work that way.

Tess Monaghan is having job troubles. She’s a reporter but alas, Baltimore’s The Star folded. The only other prominent paper, Beacon Light, was not hiring. She has picked up odd jobs for two years while she waits for her perfect job to come along. Rowing is more than a hobby for Tess. Her close friend, Darryl (Rock) Paxton pushes her to exceed her limit. It’s basically all the man lives for; that and his fiancée Ava. Only Ava has been keeping secrets lately. He asks Tess to follow her. Tess doesn’t want to, but hey, with the money Rock is offering, she cannot turn it down. Ava works as a lawyer with O’Neal, O’Connor and O’Neill. Tess begins to place Ava with her boss, Michael Abramowitz, in situations where it seems to be other than work related. Tess faces Ava and insists she tell Rock about her affair. Next thing you know, Abramowitz turns up murdered. Did Rock kill him in a jealous rage? Now Tess needs to find out the truth and clear Rock’s name.

I found this to be a good beginning to the Tess Monaghan series, yet many details were given which had little to do with moving the story along. Tess’ character seems very down to earth, like someone you could relate to in real life. The author depicts Baltimore very well; I’ve been there and can ‘see’ it through the author’s eyes. Baltimore Blues was first published in 1997; the first four books of the series are being reissued with new covers and Notes from the Author. In addition, a new book in the series, Hush Hush, will be released February 24, 2015. You can find those details on Laura’s website: http://lauralippman.net/. I rated Baltimore Blues at 3.5 out of 5.

Tess Monaghan is struggling to find her purpose in life after losing her reporting job (2 years earlier) when her friend Rock asks her to act as a PI and follow his fiancee for a few days, thinking she's in some sort of trouble. Tess discovers the fiancee is having an affair with her boss. Hours after Rock learns this, the boss ends up dead and Rock is the obvious perpetrator. Tess doesn't believe it and works with Rock's lawyer to find the true killer.

I had actually read the 12th book in this series first and enjoyed it enough I wanted to read the rest. The first book definitely does not disappoint. I really enjoy Tess as a character, particularly because she is so flawed. Lippman does not attempt to make Tess out to be some brilliant investigator who easily solves this complicated crime. Instead she makes a lot of mistakes. In some ways she hurts the investigation, she second-guesses herself, and much of what she "figures out" ends up happening just by luck rather than intuition. This is not a Sherlock Holmes-style character, this is a very normal and relate-able character.

The plot was complicated. There are a lot of angles and story lines that come together. But it never felt complicated. Everything comes together in a natural way that I never felt confused or forgot how people/events were tied to each other. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

This is my first experience with Laura Lippman novels. I see them in bookstores all the time, but was reluctant to venture forth. When you start reading series by well known authors, you can get absorbed in the development of the characters. Next thing you know, you are 10 books deep.

I like Tess Monaghan. She is a lady in transition - financially, emotionally and life-wise. Trying to cling to her independence with no sense of direction. She stumbles into a potential new career under the guise of helping a friend whose concern about his girlfriend.

At times I had problems with the execution of the story. Some of the subplots were red herrings designed to throw you off. Some of those storylines took you way off the flow of the story, then when you got to the end you wonder what was the point. I was a little disappointed with the finale - I thought the culprit would be someone other than that particular character.

I will not tell who the killer is. I will say that the description of Baltimore is accurate and amusing. I live in Baltimore and giggled at some of the narrative concerning this town. I will continue to read this series.

It's always nice to discover a new detective/mystery series of quality and this first book featuring Baltimore native and recently-ex-journalist Tess Monaghan definitely qualifies. Lippman herself is a Baltimorean and ex-reporter and the city's style and personality constitutes one of the major characters in the story. Tess, who is tall, strong, gawky, half-Irish and half-Jewish, and pushing thirty, was a perfectly competent general assignments reporter on the STAR when it was bought out by its rival, the SUN, but she wasn't good enough to be offered a job by the new owners. She's been making a precarious living by helping out in her Aunt Kitty's bookstore (and living upstairs), doing overpaid contract work for one of her many uncles, and eating as cheaply as she can.

She spends the first few hours after dawn every day rowing a scull out into the harbor and back, an activity at which she is also competent but far from competition-level. Her friend and fellow rower, Darryl -- known as Rock -- is near-Olympic quality, however, and he pushes Tess hard. Rock has a fiancée named Ava who works as a assistant in the top law firm in the city (she hasn't passed the bar yet), and Ava has been attempting (unknown to her boyfriend, of course) to grease the wheels of her career by organizing an affair with a rather strange attorney named Abramowitz, who has gone through multiple careers. And then Abramowitz is found dead in his office, strangled and with his skull crushed. And Ava had just told Rock about her own extracurricular activities. And Rock, who could accidentally break your fingers just by shaking hands, is in the hot-seat. His defense attorney is Tyner, who also a noted rowing coach, and Tyner hires Tess as an investigator -- not because he thinks she'll be good at it but because that way the police won't be able to interview her about her earlier involvement in events leading up to the murder. And boy, is she involved.

That's the set-up to this complex story and its complicated sub-plots and motives. The background of Baltimore and the world of rowing come alive from the first page, but the characters take a little longer. Still, this was Lippman's first novel, so a certain amount of shakiness can be excused -- and by the halfway point of the book, no excuses are necessary. And Abramowitz's won't be the only death, either. I'll be looking forward to the next volume.

One expects this author to continue to be an important voice in the mystery genre. Lippman’s observant eye, her skill with the language, and her sense of pace and timing are all on exhibit here. If Tess Monaghan, ex-newspaper reporter, is not the most unusual lead character readers may have encountered, many of the other characters are unusual enough to satisfy our needs. Moreover, as a character that shines and sometimes dominates in these pages, the city of Baltimore is a star.

This excellent first mystery presents us with Tess’ buddy and fellow rower, Darryl Paxton, accused of the murder of a prominent Baltimore attorney. Out of work anyway, Tess agrees to help Paxton’s attorney build a defense. In her sometimes emotional and mistake-ridden efforts to help Paxton, Tess encounters several off-beat characters ranging through the many levels of Baltimore’s social structure. Some of them are ordinary, and some are fascinating, and some threatening.

Lippman writes with economy and verve, and if Monaghan spends a little too much time in internal dialogue, it’s a small price to pay to be present at the beginning of what has become a strong mystery series.

Our library mystery book group selected this book for the month. When I want an escape, like to indulge in a mystery over a Starbucks iced coffee. Started this book and each night my treat was escaping to Baltimore in the company of Tess at my local Starbucks. Really enjoyed the plot, the protagonist and the author's humor. Already started the next in the series. I felt like I was in Baltimore and these were real characters. Tess always had unique and original things to say while solving the crime. You can tell the author knows what she is writing about and is intelligent. A fun read.

Our mystery group enjoyed this mystery and want to read a later book in the series to see how Tess evolves and uses technology in her private investigation endeavors.

This is good escapist lit. The protagonist, Tess Monaghan, is a rough, tough lady who is competent and up for anything that comes along. In other words nothing fazes her. This is the first book of Tess who was laid off from her newspaper job as a journalist. She falls into a private eye job when a good friend who she rows with early every morning, yes she goes rowing, she's a rough and tumble type, hires her to watch his fiance who he is very concerned about. Tess begins following Ava from her job, she's a lawyer, around town. Then Ava's boss is brutally murdered and Rock, Tess's friend and employer, is accused of murder. So Tess decides to find out who killed Michael Abranowitz.

Before this private eye job comes along, Tess is working at low paying, part time, level entry jobs. She has been out of work for two years and needs to eat, dress, and have a roof over her head. She rents a small attic apartment over her aunt's book store plus clerks in this store. Another part time job is typing for her uncle who is employed in a state government job. So when this private investigator job comes along she goes at it in full force. She takes advantage in what it entails.

Tess goes into dangerous places, meets with dangerous unsavory people. People who it would be wise to stay away from, places a lady would be advised not to go. Yet Tess relishes this lifestyle, those part time jobs are boring, unchallenging, not for her. Plus low paying and she must watch every penny she spends. Not fun in either count.

This book takes the reader into gritty sections of Baltimore, into homes of strange people of strange lifestyles, but it gives the reader a sense of place in this town, an interesting trip around this city.

Tess has poked her nose into things and places where she shouldn't be. Her life is in danger. But she is true to her friend Rock and refuses to believe that he has murdered this man, his fiance's boss. Plus he has done her a favor and gotten her away from those part time, low paying jobs and introduced her into a new career, an exciting one.

So read the book and find out how her new lifestyle and job works out.

First Line: On the last night of August, Tess Monaghan went to the drugstore and bought a composition book-- one with a black-and-white marble cover.

After her paper, The Baltimore Star, folded, reporter Tess Monaghan endures jobless months by putting in hours of rowing on the river and by putting her faith in the comfort of routine. When her rowing buddy "Rock" Paxton wonders about the change in his fiancee and hires Tess to follow Ava, Tess needs the money so she agrees. Eva is having noontime trysts with another lawyer, Michael Abramowitz, and when Abramowitz turns up dead, all fingers point right to Tess's friend.

After reading and enjoying Lippman's standalone hits such as I'd Know You Anywhere and What the Dead Know, reading the first book in her Tess Monaghan series was only natural. After reading Baltimore Blues, I think Lippman could probably find her way around Baltimore blindfolded, and she wrote of the city in a way that made it interesting and intriguing-- and without an over-dependence on street names which can pull me right out of a story.

Tess is a multi-faceted character, and not all of the facets are likable. She's bright, she's talented, she's capable, but when she lost her job as a reporter, it seems to have knocked the wind-- and the desire-- right out of her. If she can't have what she wants, she's willing to settle for whatever happens.

She has a strong cast of characters around her who truly care for her, and they've been watching her, wondering when in the world she's going to snap out of her funk. To their credit-- and Lippman's-- when they reach the point of no return, they tell Tess a few home truths, but it's done with love. Characterization like that can be tricky, but Lippman does it perfectly.

Good plot, good pacing, good setting, good characters? I now know that, whatever Lippman writes, it's Good!

It seems that female writers of mysteries can give us some very interesting ladies. The gold standard in Sue Grafton. This is the first Tess Monaghan book I have read and it was enjoyable. It lays the ground work for development in the future and I intend to read more of them. The plot had interesting twists and turns. As is important in these series the side characters show great promise. I will be interested to see how they develop

In summary it was fun and absorbing which is really all you can ask.

I've read other Tess Monaghan books and found them to be readable. This was perhaps an earlier book--I didn't check the copyright date. The characters were stereotyped, the storyline easy to guess, nothing clever. I almost stopped reading it. There is young adult fiction that has a higher entertainment value. But, I'd read three other Lippman books this week and they were really good so I hung with it. Could have caught 4 episodes of Shameless on Netflix instead. Not the best part of my vacation. ?

I found the book disappointing. It is the first of a series of suspense novels centered on the adventures of Tess Monaghan, a newspaper reporter later turned private investigator. It is set in Baltimore, and there are many references to landmarks and locations specific to the city. In this introductory outing, Tess herself is not very well-defined. For one thing, she and many of her acquaintances seem obsessed with physical activity. Male or female, they are perpetually “working out”, mostly by rowing and running, and when they are not on the job, sleeping rather absentmindedly with one another.

The action is basically episodic, with little sub-puzzles posed and resolved without much mental exertion on Tess’s part. As a result, we don’t really get to know her very well, and when all things are made clear at the end, we don’t much care. Meanwhile, Tess evolves from Girl Reporter to Private Eye for, it seems, no more reason than to set the stage for a shelf-full of sequels.

I tested this hypothesis by reading the second book, “Charm City”, in the series, and found I was right.

Baltimore Blues is the first in the Tess Monaghan private investigator series. This tells the story of how Tess became interested in doing this kind of work. She was a reporter who lost her job in a close down of her paper. Ever since she has been living in a small apartment above her aunt's book shop, working there a little and doing a little work for an uncle as well. Not terribly fulfilling but it gets her by. She rises every morning to go out rowing which she usually does along side her friend Rock.

All that takes a different tack when Rock first asks her to follow his fiance Ava, and even more so when Rock is accused of the murder of Abramowitz. Rock's lawyer - Tyler then takes on Tess to help him prepare to represent Rock in the trial. Tess is not that happy with what she is assigned and starts to do some snooping of her own. This leads to a number of tight corners that Tess finds herself in. Not all of them benign and some of them downright deadly.

Tess is tenacious and innovative. More than once I laughed at her ways of getting herself into places she had no right to go. In the process of the investigation she uncovers all kinds of things, and uses everything she can to her advantage. I began to get a little confused with all the ins and outs, but Tess had it more or less sorted.

The writing is very good, the characters a little different, the crimes were mostly off scene so it was my kind of book as I don't like too many details, and there was still plenty of action. I certainly didn't work it all out by the end and I'm not certain I was meant to as there were so many decoys.

At some point I would like to read a little more of Tess Monaghan, its not my usual kind of genre, but a good read all the same.

Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman is the highly recommended first book in the mystery series featuring Tess Monaghan. This is a great time to acquaint or reacquaint yourself with Tess in anticipation of the release of the twelfth book in the series, Hush Hush, on February 24th.

Set in Baltimore in the 90's, Tess is a 29 year old young woman at loose ends. She is an ex-newspaper reporter who has been downsized due to the closing of the Star, the paper she wrote for. Now she has to make due with two part time jobs that she has based more on the benevolence of her extended family than anything else. She is working at and living above her Aunt Kitty's bookstore while she keeps busy following a physically demanding schedule of her own design. "This was Tess’s routine, her only routine since the Star had been shuttered. Six days a week she rowed in the morning and ran in the evening. Three times a week she lifted weights in an old-fashioned boxing gym in East Baltimore. On the seventh day, she rested..."(page 4)

When her friend and rowing buddy, Darryl "Rock" Paxton, asked her to follow his girlfriend, Ava, for a price, she acquiesces and begins watching the disagreeable young lawyer. She discovers that Ava is likely involved in several questionable activities and brings her discoveries to Rock. Right after this, Michael Abramowitz, a high profile lawyer at Ava's firm, is found dead and Rock is the suspect. Tess knows he is innocent, because Rock says so, but are Ava's constantly changing stories indicative of her role in the murder or is there some clue everyone is missing?

Tess is hired as a part of the defense team as a glorified gopher but she starts to look into the life of Abramowitz in order to discover who really murdered the lawyer. Soon things become more heated as more questions are raised and leads followed.

Originally published in 1997, Baltimore Blues is not only the first Tess Monaghan novel, is also Lippman's impressive debut novel. While I thought it got off to a slow, but pleasant start, it really takes about half way through and the pages just flew by. I liked the twisty revelations and the surprises the plot contained. Tess is a mouthy, feisty, likeable protagonist, one you will cheer on, even when you know she is making poor choices. The city of Baltimore is also a major character in Baltimore Blues.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.
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This novel introduces Ms Lippman's Regular series heroine ,ex journalist Tess Monaghan,who since her former newspaper closed down has found herself scratching a precarious existence working for her Aunt Kitty,a bookstore owner,and doing some supernumery work on behalf of her Uncle Donald,work that unknown to her is not really required and is paid for by her uncle from his own pocket. She is close friends with The Rock,with whom she shares a passion for rowing,he being nationally ranked and she an enthusiastic amateur.They train together and enjoy a relaxed cameraderie.
He is engaged to a young lawyer,Ava,and is afraid that she is seeing another man.He asks Tess to follow her and report on her movements.She accepts reluctantly,being unable to refuse the money on offer.She finds that the poised and unlikeable Ava is a shoplifter and is seeing Michael Abromowitz,once a prominent public defender now a partner in the firm which employs her.
Abromowitz is murdered and suspicion falls upon The Rock .His lawyer ,another rowing fanatic,named Tyner, engages Tess to dig around in the case trying to uncover facts useful to his defence.She finds that Ava has spun a yarn to the Rock about being forced to sleep with Abramowitz and thus the Rock has motive enough
Aide by her socialite friend Whitney she delves into the case uncovering information about the personalities involved.She finds herself mired in the worlds of teenage sexual abuse and murder,and industrial compensation cases both involving Abramowitz .Others have valid motives for wishing him dead.
The case is unravelled smoothly and in addition to Tess there are likeable characters in plenty--Crow ,a bookstore clerk and wannabe musician,smitten by Tess,and Whitney,flambouyant and opinionated but with personality to spare.Tess is feisty ,in the regulation female PI mode,but has a tendency to underachieve ,[professionally and personally)Her new ,accidental career as a private investigator is one that seems to suit her abilities and one that will give her more self repect and sense of integrity.She is a commitment phobe who has never quite followed through on anything in her life but withal an engaging woman
The background -Baltimore-makes a change from the NYC/LA/SF/Chicago axis and the author clearly knows and loves the place albeit in a clear eyed and unsentimental way,pointing out its racial divide and the economic decline following the collapse of manufacturing industry
The plot is a bit rushed towards the end -a common problem with tyro authors -but a major medium boiled series got underway with this enjoyable book.Lovers of Paretsky,Grafton and Barnes,take note-you will probably like this series as well

Lippman's honest appraisal of Baltimore is tempered only by her obvious love of the city. I've lived in Baltimore, and while it gets into your heart in a short time, it's also a tough love. Baltimore has a high murder rate and more social problems than you can shake an oar at. Lippman does not flinch at either of these things, particularly the murder rate. We overhear cops putting money in a betting pool as to the number of homicides that will happen this year. Yes, this sort of thing happens.

One of those murders lands in Tess's lap, and following her attempts to solve it is a fascinating ride. There's no wonder there have been nine books. Tess is a fine mind, and not bound by some higher morality that seems to afflict only the detectives of fiction - she does what she needs to do, without endless navel-gazing as to The Meaning Of It All. The mystery is a good one, with multiple layers.

But the real star is Lippman, a writer and reporter. Tess is a real person and a clear reflection of Lippman, with enough idealism to balance the natural cynicism. It's a good mix, and a familiar one.

And unlike the standard mysteries lining the shelves of your local bookstore, this one isn't entirely wrapped up in a neat bow. Sometimes the real bad guy gets away, and sometimes all the questions aren't answered.

No one knows that better than a reporter.

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