Baltimore Blues

Tess Monaghan, Book 1

By: Laura Lippman

Narrated by: Deborah Hazlett

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Unemployed at 29, Tess Monaghan is 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 someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz's death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer's notoriety—and his noontime trysts with Rock's fiancée—make the case front page news...and point to Rock as the likely murderer. But trying to prove her friend's innocence could prove costly to Tess.

©1997 Laura Lippman (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks

Enjoyed the local color

The characters are very Baltimore, as is the story. Wish that the narrator had verified all of her place name pronunciations, though - took me right out of the story to hear one butchered.

ENGAGING STOREY

Would you listen to Baltimore Blues again? Why?

NO, I JUST DON'T DO THAT EVER

Who was your favorite character and why?

TESS GREAT FLAWED HEROINE

What about Deborah Hazlett’s performance did you like?

THE VOICES SHE USES FOR THE VARIOUS CHARACTORS

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

NO IN CAR, TOOK ABOUT A WEEK TO COMPLETE

A true gem!

I wish I had discovered this talented author years ago! Lippman is an outstanding writer, with plenty of "literary gems" gently sprinkled within the prose of the mystery. The characters feel real and the scene setting rings true, setting the reader smack dab in the city of Baltimore - superb local color. In addition, the dialog is very natural-sounding.

The only issue I had was with the narrator, who seemed to rush her words so much that I had a hard time listening at the normal speed. I solved the problem by reducing the speed to 75%, which imparted a lovely, soft, luxurious feel to her voice. I will continue to do this as I go forward through the series now.

I've already started to listen to book #2 and am loving it!

Excellence!

in a vast wasteland of crappy writing and even crappier narration, this book was a stellar 100% fresh, well written story with quirky, realistic characters who could live next door to you. Tess is real, imperfect, cute but not beautiful like so many heroines. I've loved this series for years but now I'm listening to the audio, and I LOVE this narrator. She has perfect pitch for both sexes without being over the top or irritating like so many female readers. In the audiobook world, it's all about NARRATION NARRATION NARRATION and she nails it.

I'm on #8 - This series is almost unique

Why can't more "gentle" contemporary detective novels like this series be created? I usually avoid U.S. contemporaries because of the
*poor quality of prose
*over-the-top plots
*even more over-the-top action heroes and Barbie heroines who can run in designer shoes
*campy dialogue
*even campier formulaic gratuitous sex and violence scenes and
*overall dumbness factor

This series avoids the above and has the strength of quirky characters (but not TOO quirky) and a strong city setting. Lippman almost does for Baltimore what Rankin does for Edinburgh. Tess usually takes on a social issue (secondary to the plot), which may put off some readers. Except for #2 in the series (Charm City), I think Lippman grows stronger in her craft in each.

As for the narrator, Barabara Rosenblatt, who is much criticized in reviews of this series - I am among the minority who don't like her as the voice of Amelia Peabody, but I love her as Tess Monaghan I don't get the criticisms voicied here--- She doesn't slobber over the vowels -- I think her delivery is part of her fresh take on impulsive Tess. She reads as if speaking, so - yes - there are some human sounds. She is not Microsoft Anna!

So - if you seek a listen to relax, to be engrossed (and not grossed out or blood pressure raised), try this.

Not the best Narrator"

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Maybe, It took longer than usual because I had to keep going bad to understand the story the way it was being read. Just difficult to follow, no character differences. No feeling.

What did you like best about this story?

I would have to listen to it again and again in order to be able to absorb this story. The reader does nothing to make it better. I think the story line is good but then come just plain words. No feeling from the reader.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

How did or did she?? Heck ya!!!!!!!!!! Totally. If I wanted monotone I would read the book, visually. When you listen, I guess I expect that boost to my imagination through the reader. This should be a redo.

Did Baltimore Blues inspire you to do anything?

No..........

Good entertainment

Girl detectives come in all ages and sizes these days. Tess is an athlete who takes her sport, sculling, seriously. Her athleticism is helping her cope with a personal and professional life stalled in her late 20s. The narrator captures Tess very well, I think. The voice and diction match the action described. She takes on a freelance investigational project for a friend and gets possibly a little over-involved in the matter she is investigating. Twists and turns. Danger. Romance. Girl detective can hit back convincingly. Several nicely drawn characters and a lot of local color. I feel like I've been to Baltimore for a couple of days.

Meh.

It was ok. I'm glad I only bought this one book by this author. Just not my style. It picked up towards the middle but I had a hard time getting into it and finishing it. Lots of hyperbole that just seemed to fill space and wasn't necessary. I finished it just to be done with it. Maybe someone else will enjoy it more than I did. Happy reading!

Entertaining and enjoyable.

This main character in this book is a delightful young journalist/ rower.The book is good entertainment and a good introduction to Baltimore and its politics. Think of it as the Wire light. I will probably listen to more books in the series.

A Tangled Web

Would you listen to Baltimore Blues again? Why?

No. Once the end of the story is heard, there would be no suspense in listening again.

What did you like best about this story?

The character of Tess. She is aware of her many short-comings, yet perseveres in her attempts to help defend her friend.

What about Deborah Hazlett’s performance did you like?

It enhanced the story, rather than distracting from it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Spoiler alert: The description of the death of Jonathan was very poignant.

Any additional comments?

Overall, a very enjoyable listen. The ending was a little confusing as to the interrelationships among the players responsible for the deaths.