Rating: 
Summary: Tess Monaghan's a Winner
Review: A friend who is a reviewer thought I might like this series, and I started with the most recent. Go figure. I mistakenly thought this would be like all the other series books out there that feature young, single women who in some way or another are investigators. Lippman has a humorous style that makes the read all the more fun. I loved the Carl DeWitt character and his interactions with Tess. Laughed at the discussions Tess has with her court-ordered psychiatrist. Was a little disappointed with the boyfriend, Crow, though. But maybe he's better in the earlier books. All in all, I'm hooked!
Rating: 
Summary: A Mystery With a Mystery
Review: From the beginning page you are introduced to the killer and the knowledge that he is watching someone again stays in the front of your mind as you get to know him better. His history and his thoughts are sprinkled throughout the book and lead you to "The Last Place." Tess is a private investigator with a past that haunts her. Her ex-boyfriend was killed years prior and she continues to suffer from occasional nightmares, reliving his death. She has issues with anger management, which are portrayed quite well when she gets a little revenge on a potential child molester. She is arrested and sentenced to anger management counseling. Tess's wealthy friend, Whitney, offers her a private investigator assignment which involves reviewing old, unsolved domestic abuse murder cases in order to help bring about lobbying for funding and training for small town cops handling domestic abuse situations. Whitney is part of a group of several non profit foundations that have joined together and are in search of ways to reduce the number of domestic-violence homicides in their state. Though Tess's old archenemy, Luisa O'Neal, is somewhat involved in the group, Tess accepts the assignment with the understanding that Luisa is not an active member of the board. There is a list of five unsolved cases for Tess to investigate. She was not hired to search for the killer but rather to check into the specifics of the police investigations on each file. Initially, the cases do not seem connected but then Tess begins to question whether or not they are in some way. She always begins to wonder if Luisa O'Neal had more involvement in this project than Tess was told about, or anyone was told, for that matter. Soon Tess is questioning everything and everyone looking for the link. You will find yourself flipping back through the pages you've already read, checking details, looking for confirmation of the places the clues are leading you. Just when you think you're sure you know who the killer is, another clue is added that doesn't quite fit in and you are sent on your search again. You will be guessing until the end.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Laura Lippmann
Review: I have been a fan of Laura Lippmann's books since Baltimore Blues. I thought this book was very well written. I was quickly sucked in by the plot and character development. Unlike the previous books, there is a lot less description of Baltimore and more character description. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Place
Review: I love Tess. So this is going to be biassed. If you don't know Tess, the first half of the book is a very interesting description of Baltimore and its surrounds. And the people who will feature later on. It shows Tess in a way I think is unfair because it is so human. It is a newspaper or story kind of way. Given that Laura Lippman used to be a journalist that is fair enough. And a true achievement. Tess is a fictional character (not to me but I acknowlegde that this is so) and the story is fiction but it could have happened this way. If you are interested in human foibles and failures, this will slowly draw you in. If you are a Tess aficionado, you will suffer as I did.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Place
Review: I love Tess. So this is going to be biassed. If you don't know Tess, the first half of the book is a very interesting description of Baltimore and its surrounds. And the people who will feature later on. It shows Tess in a way I think is unfair because it is so human. It is a newspaper or story kind of way. Given that Laura Lippman used to be a journalist that is fair enough. And a true achievement. Tess is a fictional character (not to me but I acknowlegde that this is so) and the story is fiction but it could have happened this way. If you are interested in human foibles and failures, this will slowly draw you in. If you are a Tess aficionado, you will suffer as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Best of Tess Yet
Review: I've read all but one of the Tess series and think this is the best yet. The story is engrossing; a real page turner. Lippman does an excellent job of weaving together several seemingly unrelated deaths. You have to know more about the killer which leaves you unable to put the book down
Rating:
Summary: Best of Tess Yet
Review: I've read all but one of the Tess series and think this is the best yet. The story is engrossing; a real page turner. Lippman does an excellent job of weaving together several seemingly unrelated deaths. You have to know more about the killer which leaves you unable to put the book down
Rating:
Summary: Character, action and puzzle together
Review: It started out as a routine investigation for Baltimore private investigator Tess Monaghan. A nonprofit group hired her to look into several small-town unsolved murders as part of a study to determine whether the police had done a good job, and whether domestic violence was at the root. But soon she discovered something unexpected--a link between two of the cases, which were supposedly chosen at random. Tess meets up with an unlikely ally--a former Toll Facilities cop, Carl Dewitt, who is obsessed with one of the murders. When they compare notes, they realize they're dealing with an extraordinarily clever serial killer--and that Tess is his real target, but for an unknown reason. As Tess and Carl investigate, sometimes cooperating with the state police, sometimes defying it, they start to realize that they're following a script only the killer knows, and he's always one step ahead of them. As she struggles with the fear and the mind games, Tess is also battling her own demons, forced on her by a court-ordered anger-management psychiatrist. Author Laura Lippman's novel has that rare combination of character, action, intellectual puzzle and flashes of humor that blend for a first-rate mystery. This is not a feel-good book, though. It made me a little sad.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps getting better!
Review: Laura knows her stuff. I'm not talking about reporting or the ins and outs of a being a working PI but writing novels. Not just novels but damn good novels. Here, Laura knows her stuff. Very, very well.
The Last Place is excellent. If you've never read her before, you are going to be surprised. Actually, if you've never read her before I would say go back to the beginning with Baltimore Blues because you need to read the progression of her character. Tess doesn't start off this tough as nails, sharp as a tack PI but as a reporter looking for work. Not only will you see the progression of the character but also the writer. Laura keeps getting better. With every book she takes what she learned from the last one and builds upon it. Her narration gets stronger, her descriptions more detailed, her plot tighter, and her books keep getting better. Laura knocks me side the head with each new novel and The Last Place is no exception.
Actually, it's better than that. I put this book down with a sense that I had just read something amazing and strong and the tip of an iceberg. I put this book down very pleased and for that I quite indebted to her. Thank you Ms. Lipman. Thank you for entertaining me and for being an author who only gets better with each book. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing mystery
Review: Ms. Lippman's best Tess story to date. No need to rehash the plot but there are many things happening at different levels and trying to understand how they all fit together makes the book that much more interesting. One warning however, if you haven't read any of Ms. Lippman's books before, this a spoiler for an earlier book.
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