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Charm City [Mass Market Paperback]

L Lippman
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Mass Market Paperback, Oct 1 1997 --  
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Book Description

Oct 1 1997 Tess Monaghan Mysteries (Book 2)

As a practiced reporter until her newspaper went to that great pressroom in the sky, P.I. Tess Monaghan knows and loves every inch of her native Baltimore, even the parts being slobbered on by the sad-sack greyhound she's minding for her uncle. It's a quirky city where baseball reigns, but lately homicide seems to be the second most popular local sport. Business tycoon "Wink" Wynkowski is trying to change all that by bringing pro basketball back to town, and everybody's rooting fro him--until a devastating, muckraking expose of his lurid past appears on the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light. It's a surprise even to the Blight's editors, who thought they'd killed the piece. Instead, the piece killed Wink--who's found in his garage with the car running.

Now the Blight wants to nail the unknown computer hacker who planted the lethal story, and the assignment is right up the alley of a former newshound like Tess. But it doesn't take long for her to discover deeper, darker secrets, and to realize that this situation is really more about whacking than hacking. It's just murder in Baltimore these days--and Tess Monaghan herself might be next on the list.

As a practiced reporter until her newspaper went to that great pressroom in the sky, P.I. Tess Monaghan knows and loves every inch of her native Baltimore, even the parts being slobbered on by the sad-sack greyhound shes minding for her uncle. Its a quirky city where baseball reigns, but lately homicide seems to be the second most popular local sport. Business tycoon Wink Wynkowski is trying to change all that by bringing pro basketball back to town, and everybodys rooting fro him--until a devastating, muckraking expose of his lurid past appears on the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light. Its a surprise even to the Blights editors, who thought theyd killed the piece. Instead, the piece killed Wink--whos found in his garage with the car running.

Now the Blight wants to nail the unknown computer hacker who planted the lethal story, and the assignment is right up the alley of a former newshound like Tess. But it doesnt take long for her to discover deeper, darker secrets, and to realize that this situation is really more about whacking than hacking. Its just murder in Baltimore these days--and Tess Monaghan herself might be next on the list.


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Product Description

Review

"Both entertaining and unexpectedly touching. More Please." -- -- Baltimore Sun

About the Author

Laura Lippman was a newspaper reporter at the Baltimore Sun for twelve years. Her Tess Monaghan novels -- The Last Place, The Sugar House, Baltimore Blues, Charm City, Butchers Hill, and In Big Trouble -- have won the Edgar, Agatha, Shamus, Anthony, and Nero Wolfe Awards, and In a Strange City was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel Every Secret Thing. Lippman lives in Baltimore, Maryland.


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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent sophmore effort Jan 27 2004
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I enjoyed BALTIMORE BLUES, the first volume in this series. I think it's here, though, that Lippman's heroine Tess Monaghan really comes into her own. Tess is a bright, underemployed woman on the cusp of 30, refreshingly free of personal demons or substance abuse problems that plague so many P.I.'s . The plot involves the death of a man trying to bring an expansion sports team to Baltimore and a mysterious racing greyhound belonging to Tess's uncle. In much of the book, Tess is placed in relief against what she thinks she wants: A successful journalism career (like her best friend), a promising boyfriend (instead of the young musician she's dating), etc. Lippman has written not just a good mystery, but also a novel of a young woman coming of age. I look forward to more of Tess. Recommended, along with BALTIMORE BLUES.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Twists in this Nice Mystery Nov 4 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Former newspaper reporter turned private investigator Tess Monoghan meets her friend Feeney, a reporter for the Beacon-Light, for a drink. She finds him drunk, because his editors pulled his story, an investigative piece into the scandalous background local businessman "Wink" Wynkowski, who is trying to bring professional basketball to Baltimore, just before its scheduled publication. However someone hacks into the newspaper's computer and the story runs anyway. Then Wynkowski winds up dead in his garage with his motor running. Was it suicide?

The Beacon-Light hires Tess to discover who hacked into their computer. As Tess begins to dig, she discovers a dark side to the story and now her life may be in danger.

There are lots of twists and red herrings in this story that delivers enough description about Baltimore to almost be considered a travelogue. A nice mystery.

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2.0 out of 5 stars An Uneven Read July 15 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I picked up Laura Lippman's "Charm City" because several of her mysteries had been nominated for awards and the locale was Baltimore--a city I have some knowledge about.

Perhaps this book, the second in the Tess Monaghan series, is not up to the level of Lippman's other offerings. For me, the mystery didn't work that well for several reasons. One was that Tess, the ex-reporter, and now an aspiring P.I, though without a license, seemed to be living rather well for one without, one assumes, much of an income. Her youthful boyfriend/lover Crow, a rock star, just didn't come across as much of a personality--though I admit that perhaps due to age I have my biases toward rock stars and their lifestyles.

Other points: the writing is sometimes ok, sometimes a graceful sentence; but mostly the prose seems jumpy and inconsistent. The plot holds some interest, though it takes most of the book to juice up interest. Mystery types also will be put out with the third-person narrator voice, and the lack of a logical ladder of evidence that would permit one to deduce the identity of the culprit.

Ms. Lippman does have Tess trip around many familar Baltimore spots, and her descriptions of what Tess eats indicates that the author enjoys food.

Perhaps another in the series might be a better read. But based on "Charm City," I think I'll look elsewhere.

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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
This is my first Tess Monaghan novel and I feel left out. After having finished this novel I felt I might have enjoyed it more if I read BALTIMORE BLUES first and learn the main... Read more
Published on Jan 31 2002 by Angel L. Soto
4.0 out of 5 stars A good follow up!
This is a very good sequel to Baltimore Blues. Although the mystery itself isn't the best I've read, the characters are very intriguing and the writing is excellent. Read more
Published on Sep 6 2001 by Kristin Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Great writer
You do not need to like mysteries to love Laura Lippmann's wonderful books. The characters are well-drawn. Read more
Published on Jun 19 2001 by Wayne L. Winston
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book...
I enjoyed Baltimore Blues a little more, but this was still a great read. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Published on April 27 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but not the award winner I expected
It's hard to express in words just what is missing in the Tess Monaghan series. I like Tess - I just don't love her. The writing is good - but not great enough to be noteworthy. Read more
Published on April 16 2001 by Carol Peterson Hennekens
2.0 out of 5 stars Unappealing main character, poor writing
From the beginning, I did not like Tess, the protagonist of this mystery. She is too hostile and lacks a real sense of humor. Read more
Published on Nov 13 2000 by ReggieRoy
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Baltimore Mystery
Charm City tells a story that moves and engages your attention. There are good (and bad) characters, an intricate plot, and an only-in-Baltimore subplot. Read more
Published on Jan 27 2000 by Harriet and the Mystery Book Discussion Group
2.0 out of 5 stars It's Okay...
... but nothing special. It sort of reads like a first draft. There are plotholes and inconsistent things that should have been caught and fixed. Read more
Published on Dec 7 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars great read for a fan of mystery, baltimore or urban america!
Laura's done it again! With a mix of great writing, creative plotting and wonderful scene-setting, Laura has come up with a winner. Bravo!
Published on Nov 18 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars great read for a fan of mystery, baltimore or urban america!
Laura's done it again! With a mix of great writing, creative plotting and wonderful scene-setting, Laura has come up with a winner. Bravo!
Published on Nov 18 1998 by jmorgan113@aol.com
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