Hush Hush

Starred review from December 8, 2014
In bestseller Lippman’s searing 12th installment in her series featuring Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan (last seen in the 2011 novella “The Girl in the Green Raincoat”), Tess, now the mother of a three-year-old girl with longtime boyfriend Crow, reluctantly takes a security job from attorney Tyner Gray, a family friend. Tyner represents Melisandre Harris Dawes, who, 12 years earlier, intentionally left her infant daughter in a hot car to die. Melisandre, a former lawyer, successfully argued that she suffered from postpartum psychosis, and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She left Baltimore—and her two young daughters—behind, and moved abroad. Now Melisandre is back, with a documentary filmmaker in tow, to reunite with her daughters, 17-year-old Alanna and 15-year-old Ruby, who live with their father, Stephen, his new wife, and their baby. Tess, along with her new partner, ex-cop Sandy Sanchez, must assess Melisandre’s security risks. Lippman expertly delves into what it means to be mad—and more importantly, what comes next. Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency.

Starred review from January 1, 2015

In the 12th title in Lippman's best-selling series featuring Baltimore investigator Tess Monaghan (The Girl in the Green Raincoat), Tess is tasked with investigating a complex and disturbing woman. Melisandre Harris Dawes left her infant daughter unattended in a stifling hot car 12 years ago. After a lengthy murder trial that acquitted her by reason of insanity, Dawes left Maryland for a new life abroad. Now she's back, with a documentary camera in tow to film a hoped-for reunion with her two surviving children. However, not everyone is happy about Melisandre's return, including her ex-husband and teenage daughters. Tess and her partner have been hired to assess Melisandre's personal security. As a mother herself, Tess is skeptical about the woman's innocence and wary of her manipulations. But when another murder occurs and Melisandre is once again a suspect, Tess is drawn into the mystery of what happened so many years ago. VERDICT After writing several excellent stand-alone novels (After I'm Gone), Lippman returns to her popular series sleuth in this compelling mystery about a good mother gone bad. Strongly recommended for the author's fans as well as readers who enjoy stories about female PIs such as Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone.--Amy Hoseth, Colorado State Univ. Lib., Fort Collins

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014

Lippman brings back popular private eye Tess Monaghan--but with a difference. Tess now has a toddler and a new partner, retired Baltimore P.D. homicide detective Sandy Sanchez. Here they're assessing security issues for the haughty Melisandre, who's returning to Baltimore to reconcile with her daughters, having ceded custody following the death of her youngest daughter in her care. Then Melisandre becomes a murder suspect. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2014
Lippman's latest installment in the Tess Monaghan series weaves an exploration of the joys and frustrations of motherhood with a clever and engaging mystery. In the last Monaghan mystery, The Girl in the Green Raincoat (2011), Tess solved a Rear Window-style crime when her doctor confined her to bed rest at the end of her pregnancy. Fast-forwarding three years, Lippman has brought Tess back, now the mother of toddler Carla Scout as well as a full-time PI. She has taken on a new partner, ex-homicide cop Sandy Sanchez (the protagonist of Lippman's excellent 2014 stand-alone, After I'm Gone), but even with Sandy's help Tess struggles to juggle her tantrum-prone daughter, her relationship with longtime boyfriend Crow and her work. The job in question is complex and juicy: Tess has been hired by the rich and haughty Melisandre Harris Dawes, who killed her infant daughter by leaving her in a sweltering car. Dawes was found not guilty by reason of insanity (specifically, postpartum psychosis), but after her trial, she gave away custody of her older daughters, divorced her husband and fled the country. Now she's returned to Baltimore and wants Tess to look into her security. She's also commissioned a documentary on the insanity defense, giving Lippman plenty of room to share her observations on our passion for reality TV and obsession with the most horrifying crimes. Before long, both Dawes and Tess are receiving notes with creepy stalker overtones, and the case takes a nasty, violent turn. Tess' constant worry about whether she's a good mother dovetails ironically with Dawes' fight to win her daughters back. Lippman dives deep not only into the ways women tend to question their choices and abilities, but also into whether all mothers, and kids, are a little crazy.

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Starred review from December 15, 2014
Motherhood plus murder equals one intense, uproarious, and riveting mystery from a classy crime writer of wit and wisdom. Lippman introduced former homicide detective Sandy Sanchez in After I'm Gone (2014). He returns in the employ of Lippman's signature sharp-tongued sleuth, Tess Monaghan, whom readers haven't seen since The Girl in the Green Raincoat (2011). A lot has happened, namely, her bossy three-year-old daughter, Carla Scout. Tess is now a gun-packing momma, delirious from sleep deprivation and the perpetual demands of a willful toddler and not at all well-disposed toward her wealthy and glamorous new client. Melisandre Harris Dawes fled Baltimore a decade ago after killing her two-month-old daughter and being acquitted by reason of criminal insanity. Now she's hired a struggling documentary filmmaker, Harmony Burns, to record her reunion with her two surviving teenage daughters. Lippman makes shrewd use of the interviews Harmony conducts as threats and revelations complicate Melisandre's plan. With an intriguing cast of characters, stinging dialogue, hilarious moments, and a superbly convoluted and suspenseful plot, Lippman has created an incisive and provocative tale about parents good and evil. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-selling Lippman's fans will rejoice as the return of wisecracking sleuth Tess Monaghan is heralded by an author tour and major print, broadcast, and online publicity campaigns.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)