Another Thing to Fall

Linda Emond has her Baltimore accents down, which means she brings delightful texture to Lippman's P.I. Tess Monaghan mysteries, which are so city-specific. When Tess rows her scull into the middle of a dawn film shoot for one of Baltimore's many television series (two of the best real ones are created by Lippman's husband) she winds up employed by the producer to find out who is sabotaging the production. The background is drawn with an insider's assurance; the plot is full of Lippman's trademark Baltimore characters, often funny and usually twisted in some unexpected way. Emond does a particularly crafty job with the Britney/Lindsay superbrat star, Selene, who turns out to be much more than meets the eye; but it's all voiced with subtlety and wit. Great fun. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

January 14, 2008
Hollywood comes to Baltimore in bestseller Lippman's assured 10th PI Tess Monaghan caper (after 2006's No Good Deeds
). When Tess literally stumbles onto the set of Mann of Steel
, a big-budget TV miniseries shooting in her neighborhood, she finds herself hired as a bodyguard for Selene Waites, the show's 20-year-old hard-partying star. Flip Tumulty—the show's writer and son of a Baltimore-born Hollywood mogul—tells Tess the set has been plagued by vandalism and he fears for Selene's safety. Tess soon uncovers unsettling photos of Selene and learns they were taken by Wilbur Grace, a stalker who later hanged himself. When one of the crew members is murdered, Tess suspects someone may be trying to shut down more than the TV production. While the excitement level may not match that of other recent entries in the series, fans will appreciate the author's usual authentic local color and intricate plotting. 15-city author tour.

February 15, 2008
Baltimore is the temporary home of a big- budget television series, which doesn't please the locals as much as one would think. Tess Monaghan ("No Good Deeds") manages to ruin a day's shooting while out rowing and in the process finds herself the sought-after security detail for Selene, the show's 20-year-old star. Strange things are happening on set, and Tess agrees to babysit providing the producers give boyfriend Crow's latest project, Lloyd, a job. The details are worked out, but when Tess is outsmarted by Selene, she is forced to bring in extra help. Then a production staffer is murdered, and it seems as if everyone on set is suspect, from the producers to the actors to the writers and the staff. The production of a TV series is complicated business, and Lippman includes lots of Hollywood detail in this Charm City murder mystery. It's an interesting story with a lot of characters, but, unfortunately, Tess is the only one that is fully fleshed out. Not Lippman's best effort, but fans of the series will want to read it anyway. Recommended for larger fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 11/15/07.]Stacy Alesi, Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2008
Savvy women detectives arent in short supply, but Tess Monaghan, reporter turned PI, has both a distinctive personality and a relatively untappedlocation. Her hometown, Baltimore, figuresmore prominently than usual inher latest thriller, in which a film company, in Charm City to make a television show, hires Tess to protect one of its stars, ostensibly from a stalker. But as it turns out, self-involved Selene Waites, 20, isnt really the one who needs protecting; the directors assistant is brutally beaten to death, and Tess finds her duties have expanded to include solving the crime. Its a kick watching practical, down-to earth Tess investigate and spar withgrudging Hollywood typesespecially Selene, whos so slippery that Tess calls in her tough, cynical friend Whitney to help babysit. Lippman gives themovie people, cast and producers, plenty of personality, although she occasionallydrifts close to stereotype: the whiny, aging male lead; the womanizing writer; thefilmmaker battling his fathers legacy; theyoung starlet who has better things to dothan spend her time in Baltimore; the scheming assistant whos a good match forher self-absorbed bosses. Theres also the voice of an unknown other, whose role isnt fully revealed until the end. Plenty of red herrings and personality clashes make this a delightfully quick, satisfying read.Expect Tess ever expanding fan base to grow still more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)