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

Uninspired

I usually don't struggle to write a review. However, this audiobook felt so uninspired that I am having trouble coming up with enough coherent words to write a more competent explanation of my dislike of the book beyond "sophomoric" which is a word I feel I've overused in my reviews of late. I think I would have enjoyed this book when I was in 10th grade but the story line felt too mature for young adult lit.

What I liked about the book: It was set in Baltimore, a city I spent many years exploring and know very well. And, I didn't fall asleep listening.

What I didn't like:
The narrator reads Tess with a sort of immature and snooty voice. Coupled with her brash nature and her disregard for the fact that her actions could have a real impact on people's lives and her inability to grasp that she could be doing more harm than good made me really dislike her. She was arrogant and immature and in some cases outright subversive, attempting to manipulate people instead of just dealing in truth which would have been more believable of an ex-reporter.

The story never really explains or wraps up some of Ava's more peculiar traits. In fact, I felt like Ava becomes sort of tossed away used as a means to get to the story the author really wants to tell. It felt like unskillful writing. A better author would have been able to give Ava more closure without tossing her out with the bathwater half way through the story only to come back and give her some unnecessary post script happy-ish ending that doesn't tie up any of the loose threads of her story.

Finally, we're supposed to believe Tess can make these investigative leaps that are a stretch of logic but she's too stupid to realize the danger she is in at the end of the book? I don't want to give any more away than that but just suffice it to say that given her recent predicaments and her ability to make these insane leaps of logic, it was totally unbelievable that she wasn't more cautious toward the end of the book. For me, this trend of super smart characters that turn around and lose all their common sense in order to create drama and plot climax for authors too unskilled to weave a more believable scenario has become a tired cliché in these types of investigative stories. It's not believable and it's a disservice to the reader and the plot.

I'd recommend skipping this book altogether.

Great Start to a new Series

I know, I know this series has been out for a while, but this is the first book and totally new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery/thriller. Tess is a likeable character, story starts with her being unemployed and doing menial tasks for various people. Her close friend and rowing partner asks her to follow his fiance who has been acting strange, she does so and lo and behold finds she has a knack for it. By the end of the book others have come to realize her sluething skills as well. Thus we have the start of PI Tess.
The Narrator did a decent job and made the story enjoyable.
This one is a winner. A wonderful, clean, not too much romance/sex story. I would recommend getting this one.

loved it

I had not read any of Laura Lippman's books until i tried this. found it in turns witty and intriguing. i would love to recommend this to anyone. do start with Baltimore Blues.

Tess Sings the Blues

Floating in a miasma of hodge podge part-time employment and a cloudy future, Tess Monaghan pieces together the facts in an effort to help out a friend.

Acting as a legal investigator, and fueled by faith in the accused and a debt she needs to repay, we watch as a seemingly superficial situation seethes with subterranean complexity. At once realistic and fantastic, Tess bemoans how her efforts to aid are unexpectedly damning. Despite that fact, she must push forward attempting to avoid becoming one of the increasing body count.

Her persistence is paralleled by her singular commitment to pursuing the physically demanding sport of sculling. As we get to know Tess, her friends, her sport and her history, we are simultaneously growing an affinity for the mean streets of Baltimore and Tess' homegrown apprehension and appreciation.

Solving the case, coupled with an epiphany about her life assures the reader they'll see her in action again soon!

1st Tess Monaghan--she's unfocused, a novice...

Would you try another book from Laura Lippman and/or Deborah Hazlett?

I've read a number of the later books. My favorite is By a Spider's Thread. It was a bit disconcerting to read this, the first in the series, because I'm more accustomed to a more experienced, polished Tess... It was good but she was so young & a bit scattered...

If you’ve listened to books by Laura Lippman before, how does this one compare?

I've read a number of the later books. My favorite is By a Spider's Thread. It was a bit disconcerting to read this, the first in the series, because I'm more accustomed to a more experienced, polished Tess... It was good but she was so young & a bit scattered... I guess everybody has to grow at their chosen profession & everybody starts out a bit raw....

What does Deborah Hazlett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Love being read to.

Could you see Baltimore Blues being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No. Didn't see it from this book.

Any additional comments?

I thought the best part was meeting some of Tess's relatives. I LOVE her uncles - the one who works for the government & the one who runs the bar! And I love Aunt Kitty. What a supportive family! Tess is super lucky!
Good whodunit - enjoyable, logical solution.
I thought book was a THREE parter because I mistakenly somehow downloaded part 2 twice so when the book ended I was like--what?! I didn't realize the big climax was the big climax. Oops! Wrapped up well, tho.

Loved the story.

I loved the story. It is always fun to be able to walk through the streets of a novel and know them from childhood. But I was offended by the atrocious failure at Baltimorese and accent.

Fun story with likeable protagonist

A pleasant mystery covering an extended period. A fun read introducing a new, fully drawn character capable of supporting a series.

Such a great find!

Great narrator, great story - loved it. I already have the next one lined up.

A Decent Debut Novel - Arthur Requires, and Deserves Further Study

This is a decent, but not great debut novel. The audiobook itself is fine. An easily read and listened to narration. As far as the story, it is not that I did not like it. It was just OK. It is a mystery novel set in Baltimore. At times the novel moves slowly. The efforts of the "investigator" are often amateurish. In that it is a first effort, I like it enough to read the Arthur again. Thank You...

Sly humor

Good story, interesting characters, sly humor, enjoyable. I’ll be glad to listen to more of the series.