Not as engaging as her others, but still an enjoyable read

books:


	• Another Thing to Fall: A Novel (Tess Monaghan Mysteries) Laura Lippman William Morrow, 2008 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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A Week in Baltimore

Tess Monaghan returns for the 10th time in this Baltimore-based series when she is retained to babysit an obstreperous starlet, who is featured in a television show being produced in the city. A series of mishaps--a fire, a suicide and various other pranks and events--are hampering progress on the show, and the producer, fearing for the safety of his leading lady, asks Tess to protect her.

Then a murder takes place late one night near the production office, and Tess warms to her specialty. The task becomes more and more difficult amid the egos and foibles of the actors and writers, lies and hidden motives.

Laura Lippman is a skilled craftsman, using her native city as a backdrop, and her recently learned knowledge of the television industry (her husband was the writer/producer of a wonderful TV series) to good advantage. She has written about people with a deep insight into human emotions and, as usual, told a sparkling tale.

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The Journey is the Reward

Have been a Laura Lippman fan from the beginning and while this latest release may not be the page-turner the others are, I greatly enjoyed the texture and the journey. Almost every page had some grammatical delight or thoughtful insight. Some of my favorites are: "the doubly stern man" when we first meet Flip; "old camera store smell"; "getting into trouble, one small rationalization at a time"; "who owed whom"; "weathered weather"; "restless at rest"; "people reveal more when they think their audience ignorant". I can fall into the habit of flying through books, not unlike those who "must always be sucking on something, literally and figuratively" (~from memory), but this book will reward those who can slow down and appreciate the little gems shared from Laura's collection of daily observations.

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Another Tess Monaghan page-turner

Private investigator Tess Monaghan rows for pleasure and exercise on Baltimore's Patapsco River. One day, while paddling down the river and paying more attention to the music pouring through her headphones than to her surroundings, she encounters a police boat zipping toward her. The boat's wake topples her own, sending her into the river. Her rescuers inform her that she has ruined a scene being shot by "Mann of Steel," the television series that is filming locally. When she tries to apologize, she is met with hostility by Flip Tumulty, the show's executive producer, and by Greer, his assistant.

But when Flip discovers that Tess is a private investigator, he insists on hiring her as a security guard for the program's temperamental and not-too-bright young star, Selene Waites. Tess knows there have been problems with the show's filming; locals are protesting and activists are up in arms. However, she is surprised to learn that there has been a suicide that just might be linked to the series. The victim, a local man who had no known connection to "Mann of Steel," had many photographs of Selene in his home when he died.

Flip confides that he worries about the young actor's vulnerability. He states that without Selene, there would be no show, catching Tess by surprise since she thought the lead actor was the now middle-aged and portly has-been teen star Johnny Tampa. (Tess doesn't admit to Flip that, in her adolescent years, she had a major crush on Tampa.) In a desperate attempt to avoid getting the job, Tess jacks up her fee and demands that her boyfriend's teen protégé, Lloyd Jupiter, be hired as well. But the next thing she knows, she and Lloyd are both signed on.

The reader is privy to tantalizing bits of information from the point of view of various characters, gaining knowledge that Tess herself doesn't have, even as the incidents on the set escalate. Laura Lippman skillfully teases us with puzzle pieces that don't quite fit together to give us the complete picture, while describing the fascinating world of television series production, making ANOTHER THING TO FALL another Tess Monaghan page-turner.

Tess herself is an endearing character, matter-of-fact that she's no size zero wisp (instead, she's a comfortable size 12 or 14) and that she likes to eat, especially foods that have been banned by health authorities. She also reveals a truly kind heart, finding interesting possibilities in an individual who could easily be a stock comic character --- a large, older woman named Mrs. Blossom who wears flowery dresses and desires to work as a private investigator. Lippman's characters are nicely complex; many show surprising aspects to their personalities. Although it may feel that the actual mystery plot takes just a bit of a backseat to quirky people and to television show production politics, readers are bound to enjoy the leisurely ride.

ANOTHER THING TO FALL is the 10th Tess Monaghan book. It works well as a stand-alone, but newcomers are sure to find themselves with a sudden urge to read the previous installments in the series ASAP.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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Fast, fun, fabulous

Not sure why others seem so tepid to this book, as it is a hugely enjoyable read. Tess is solo for most of the adventure, with minimal participation by boyfriend Crow, Detective Tull, bff Whitney or Aunt Kitty--but hey, the Baltimore private eye we ALL secretly would love to hang out with easily holds her own. Lippman has opened a door to the behind-the-scenes world of TV series drama, with accurate renditions of the people, the process and the places, both physical and personal. Her swift word sketches of the activity and the emotions, as well as the lightly comic touches, provide a pure escape with a nice dose of suspense. A new minor player adds a light note that also pays homage to a character familar to readers of Lenora Mattingly Weber's novels, which longtime fan Lippman salutes in all of her Tess stories. Not as dark or 'serious' as some of the Tess series, ATTF is also a counterbalance to Lippman's brilliant standalone "What the Dead Know," published last year. Take a breath, laugh a little, it's ok to simply groove along with Tess in a satisfying story that entertains every page of the way.

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Not as engaging as her others, but still an enjoyable read

I'm a huge fan of Laura Lippman, especially the Tess Monaghan books. I found this book to be a slow starter. In the beginning, there are a lot of chapters from the point of view of the minor characters in the book and little about Tess. Once Tess is brought into the story more, the book starts to have a better flow because Tess is the one we really care about. I would have liked to have seen more of the supporting characters in the series. Tess's aunt is completely absent and Crow is barely in the story at all. Even though it doesn't have the suspense of the other books, the plot kept me interested in the outcome and I will eagerly await the next book in the Tess series.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4

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