In Big Trouble

A Tess Monaghan Novel, Book 4

De: Laura Lippman

Narrado por: Deborah Hazlett

First as a reporter and then as a PI, Tess Monaghan has learned how to survive and thrive on the streets of Baltimore. But a new case will force her to confront her own past, and a man she loved and lost. It starts when she gets a newspaper photograph of her old boyfriend with a tantalizing shard of headline attached: In Big Trouble. The answers lie far from Baltimore, deep in a world of good-time music, old-fashioned ambition, and rich people's games. For Tess must find out what happened to a man she thought she knew, to a woman who may have changed him forever, and to the victims of a killer who dances to a different—and deadly—drummer.

©1999 Laura Lippman (P)2012 AudioGO

This series gets better eith each book!

This series isn't like most. It's not too full of mush and not too full of gore. The stories unfold with just the right timing and build character backstories at a realistic rate. Who can't love a sarcastic, clumsy non-heroine like Tess!

Tess in Texas ... great!

One of those stories you wish would go on longer. I think this one was more visual than any so far. Performance was great also - just that little thing about Blanco. As a native Texan and Austin transplant, hearing it as 'blahnco' instead of 'blanko' is grating.

Glad I didn't read this one first

I've read probably a half dozen Laura Lippman. Lucky for me I started with "By a Spider's Thread," which I found totally engrossing and engaging. I found "Baltimore Blues," "Charm City," and "Butcher's Hill" mostly forgettable...
I think "By a Spider's Thread" focused primarily on the mystery foregoing Tess's erotic interests. In this book I was really put off by her attitudes. She had previously wanted somebody else, so she basically broke Crow's heart, but in this story she's willing to interfere in what she thinks is his new relationship. Moreover, when she's down and blue she's eager to seduce a lawyer who has a long-term girlfriend/darn-near fiancee. I was disappointed Tess was so trashy. I'm 100% for women's rights and sexual freedom but am also a fan of integrity. I also have add I'm terribly disappointed in Tess's lack of care for her dog, Esskay, whom she leaves at a motel day and night without even a thought of letting the poor thing out. My favorite character is Mrs. Wen, the hotel owner, who rescues Esskay and feeds her junk food. I like her a whole lot more than I like Tess.
The mystery itself didn't grab me.

Don't tell my wife, but I'm a little bit in love with Tesser

I'm not kidding. Laura Lippman's first Tess Monaghan book was a Daily Deal, & I'm so grateful to have discovered this series. Tess and her many companions are flawed & believable in a way that many authors can't manage. How many female characters admit they "can be a bit of a round heels" when considering cheating on her ever faithful live-in lover...and you still love her? Lippman's also weaves a pretty dense story, which I also appreciate. My biggest fear right now, as I approach book five, is what is going to happen when the wonderful Deborah Hazlett is no longer the voice of Tess, and Crow, and Kitty, etc? I hate it when a narrator I've grown to love no longer accompanies a series I love...well, I do know that I'll find out. As will you, if you try her first book, Baltimore Blues. Thank you Laura Lippman and Deborah Hazelett. And of course, Tesser.

Enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to In Big Trouble the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the story by Laura Lippman. As a lifelong resident of the San Antonio, Austin, Texas Hill Country, it was entertaining to hear about the local areas and history that I am familiar with.

Did Deborah Hazlett do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Deborah Hazlett did a good job differentiating the characters, however I found her Texan and Tex/Mex accents annoying and there were several mispronunciations of streets and museums in Austin and San Antonio. Although they were pronounced phonetically correctly, I feel some research into the local pronunciation of towns and words should be done by a narrator. It was distracting to me.

Tesster goes to Texas

What made the experience of listening to In Big Trouble the most enjoyable?

Another fine one in the series.

What aspect of Deborah Hazlett’s performance would you have changed?

Hazlett's voicing is good but her pronunciation is terrible and detracts from the meaning of the story. Seder is prounced SAY-der not Cedar, Estrella is pronounced E-stray-a not Ess-strell-a. This is beyond her usual butchery of the Baltimore locations that comes across in other books.

Narrator does not fit the main character.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's voice is much to old for the main character. The narrator did a good job otherwise, but a poor voice choice for a woman in her late twenties.

Any additional comments?

Might skip a couple of books ahead in the series because they are also read by Deborah Harkness.

A surprising change of scenery

Former journalist Tess strays from Baltimore to, of all places, my stomping ground. So I was particularly excited to listen to one of my most favorite mystery writers. The story is as intricate as the others, and I'm accustomed to Deborah Hazlett's voice. I assume her various Baltimore dialects are spot on, but she missed it big time trying to replicate a Spanish-speaking Texan's dialect. Plus, it grated on me when locations were mispronounced, or at least they were not spoken as the locals would.I also felt like Lippman tried too hard to prove a knowledge of the new location. Looking up her bio I was surprised to see she had reported from San Antonio and does know the area well beyond what a visitor would know. Do Audible authors have the opportunity to approve the recorded version of their books?
Beyond my parochial comments about Tex-Mex dialect and the way we pronounce certain Spanish locales, I love Lippman's Tess and Hazlett's voice. I can't wait to listen to the next one.

Tess Addict

great narrator can't get enough Tess suggest if u like mysteries female leads, especially detectives rare

Tess on the Road

Tess NOT in Baltimore?? Though our heroine admits that she just plain doesn't see any point in traveling, this story is terrific, even if she spends much of her time feeling homesick.

Set in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, "In Big Trouble" explores Tess' relationship with her lover Crow in new ways. In unfamiliar surroundings, she learns a great deal about him and, ultimately, about herself. The story is filled with dead bodies, sad histories, and red herrings. Great stuff!