Charm City
Butchers Hill
In Big Trouble
In A Strange City is the sixth (of twelve) Tess Monaghan books from Laura Lippman. I'm really enjoying this series because we're really watching the evolution of Tess. I mean, she's still terrible at her job, but she's got her own house, a steady relationship with her boyfriend, her dog Esskay and this new dog, Miata, who I have a feeling is going to be an ongoing character. Time moves between books in this series, which is something I greatly appreciate. Time is progressing, Tess is progressing, and Baltimore is endlessly fascinating to Lippman.
In this book, Tess witnesses a murder at a Baltimore ritual, where "The Visitor" leaves presents on Poe's gravesite. As it always does in these books, this creates a cascade of smaller mysteries that Tess gets involved with. It's always Tess in the wrong place at the right time.
I make this point a lot, but Lippman's love and appreciation for Baltimore is so strong in this book. It's filled with local color from the local museums to the local rituals. Her in-depth discussions of the pros and cons of local eateries comes from a place of true knowledge, not just a visit here and there. I will keep reading this series because of Lippman's amazing weaving of Baltimore into even the simplest of scenes and because I like to see Tess evolving as a human being.
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