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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
This is the fourth installment in the Tess Monaghan series, and it finds Tess traveling to Texas. Tess receives a picture in the mail of her ex-boyfriend Crow. Over the picture it reads "In Big Trouble." At first Tess discards the picture and doesn't think much of it. Crow is a big boy, and he can take care of himself. But when she contacts his parents and learns he has cut himself off from them and they haven't heard from him in several weeks, she begins to grow suspicious. And when his parents offer to hire her to find him, she sets off with Esskay for the Alamo - hmmm, a girl and her dog on an adventure in a strange land. Sound like anything you know?
With each Tess Monaghan book I add to my "read" list, I like Tess more and more. She's spunky, quirky and she definitely does NOT have it altogether! A characteristic I find especially annoying is a young person who always knows the right thing to do or say and WHEN to do or say it. How many young people do YOU know like that? It takes time, experience and maturity to master that, and yet a lot of people NEVER master it. Tess's mistakes and poor judgement make her more real to me.
Then on the flip side, Tess isn't a "silly" female character. Does she do some silly things at times? Yes, but not so that her whole personality is "silly." There are a few female detectives I've read (written by female authors) whose complete personalities are silly. That factor usually deters me from wanting to read any more of the series. I believe Tess would be irritated by "silly" females, actually. And that characteristic is appealing to me.
The plot of IN BIG TROUBLE brings Crow back into the fold and gives some background to his character. I didn't find this plot to be predictable at all. At one point I remember thinking "oh Laura, PLEASE don't tell me you're going to have this happen!" And almost as if she was listening to me think that, a character asks if that scenario is true - it's not. Whew! Saved!
Probably the element I liked the most in IN BIG TROUBLE is the theme of context. I think that theme is underlying in a lot of crime fiction, a lot of mystery, but Lippman really brings it to the forefront in this novel. As the reader I was constantly questioning events and evidence because of that theme. Still didn't help me unfold the mystery early, but it DID have me thinking the whole time.
I listened to this on audio book from BBC Audiobooks America. The reader is Deborah Hazlett. She also read the previous Tess Monaghan books that I've listened to, so her voice will be forever ingrained in my mind as Tess's voice. I enjoy her readings, but there was an element in this one that bothered me a bit. In this book there were several Mexican characters. And I have to say that Hazlett's Mexican dialect didn't sound like any Hispanic person I've ever heard. That factor ended up being a little distracting to me, but not enough so that I wouldn't recommend the sound recording.
Overall, a great Tess Monaghan adventure and a great audiobook!
With each Tess Monaghan book I add to my "read" list, I like Tess more and more. She's spunky, quirky and she definitely does NOT have it altogether! A characteristic I find especially annoying is a young person who always knows the right thing to do or say and WHEN to do or say it. How many young people do YOU know like that? It takes time, experience and maturity to master that, and yet a lot of people NEVER master it. Tess's mistakes and poor judgement make her more real to me.
Then on the flip side, Tess isn't a "silly" female character. Does she do some silly things at times? Yes, but not so that her whole personality is "silly." There are a few female detectives I've read (written by female authors) whose complete personalities are silly. That factor usually deters me from wanting to read any more of the series. I believe Tess would be irritated by "silly" females, actually. And that characteristic is appealing to me.
The plot of IN BIG TROUBLE brings Crow back into the fold and gives some background to his character. I didn't find this plot to be predictable at all. At one point I remember thinking "oh Laura, PLEASE don't tell me you're going to have this happen!" And almost as if she was listening to me think that, a character asks if that scenario is true - it's not. Whew! Saved!
Probably the element I liked the most in IN BIG TROUBLE is the theme of context. I think that theme is underlying in a lot of crime fiction, a lot of mystery, but Lippman really brings it to the forefront in this novel. As the reader I was constantly questioning events and evidence because of that theme. Still didn't help me unfold the mystery early, but it DID have me thinking the whole time.
I listened to this on audio book from BBC Audiobooks America. The reader is Deborah Hazlett. She also read the previous Tess Monaghan books that I've listened to, so her voice will be forever ingrained in my mind as Tess's voice. I enjoy her readings, but there was an element in this one that bothered me a bit. In this book there were several Mexican characters. And I have to say that Hazlett's Mexican dialect didn't sound like any Hispanic person I've ever heard. That factor ended up being a little distracting to me, but not enough so that I wouldn't recommend the sound recording.
Overall, a great Tess Monaghan adventure and a great audiobook!
My least favorite Lippman, so far. The mystery was fine, but the whole Crow plot was irksome, with him coming across as a spoiled, sulky 14 year old rather than a grown man. I would have left his whiny ass in San Antonio, to be honest.
These aren't the greatest books, but I keep reading them . . . I'm a sucker for serial detective novels, especially those with a strong characterization of a city.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This series has deteriorated greatly. Tess acts like a pouty teenager, not a 30 years old experienced strong woman.
There is a story there, but it’s extremely far fetched and seems to happen just incidentally to Tess’s relationships.
There is a story there, but it’s extremely far fetched and seems to happen just incidentally to Tess’s relationships.
I've been reading these books in order, and by book 4, I would have thought that the PI character would perhaps start figuring out the cases. Not so. Tess is taken by surprise by the revelations at the climax yet again, and the resolution was both simple and convoluted. I'm willing to overlook dated language or an unsuccessful investigator, but not both. I'll be looking for another series to delve into instead.
I thought this was a pretty decent little mystery. I liked the way that parts of this book function almost as travel writing, and I liked the geography Lippman chooses to write about here; I feel warmly toward Austin and San Antonio, and liked what she wrote about.
I was kind of into, and kind of bored by, some of the relationship stuff-- this might be because the best of the Crow-Tess stuff was set up elsewhere, but I kind of doubt it? The other stuff, her early interactions with her women friends, had promise but didn't come back in this particular book.
Both of those elements, though, are side dishes to a main course I didn't really think so much of-- the elements I wanted to read more about: the struggling musicians, the underground scene, seemed to lose out to the old unsolved mystery element, which maybe just wasn't as present as it needed to be to make me care about it. So in the end, I didn't get enough of what I wanted; the ultimate mastermind felt kind of beside the point, acting for reasons the book hadn't quite prepared me for, and bringing together a climax that didn't flatter the most compelling parts of the characters we'd spent time with.
This stuff is hard, duh. But I felt like this was a bit of a misfire, a book that had some strong elements that it never fully exploited. I liked it enough to wish it was better.
I was kind of into, and kind of bored by, some of the relationship stuff-- this might be because the best of the Crow-Tess stuff was set up elsewhere, but I kind of doubt it? The other stuff, her early interactions with her women friends, had promise but didn't come back in this particular book.
Both of those elements, though, are side dishes to a main course I didn't really think so much of-- the elements I wanted to read more about: the struggling musicians, the underground scene, seemed to lose out to the old unsolved mystery element, which maybe just wasn't as present as it needed to be to make me care about it. So in the end, I didn't get enough of what I wanted; the ultimate mastermind felt kind of beside the point, acting for reasons the book hadn't quite prepared me for, and bringing together a climax that didn't flatter the most compelling parts of the characters we'd spent time with.
This stuff is hard, duh. But I felt like this was a bit of a misfire, a book that had some strong elements that it never fully exploited. I liked it enough to wish it was better.
I like this series and character a lot, and was glad for a departure from the standard Baltimore setting.Solid Thriller--- even if a bit unbelievable at the end.
I got so behind with my reviews and realized I fell down on keeping up with my reviews of Tess and her many adventures. This one is almost a five star read. I marked it down one star since I thought the whole why behind one of the villains doing this was a reach. And I mean a really big reach. It also doesn't make sense why this person involved Tess in this. I did love the fact the action takes Tess away from Maryland. It allows us to see how she does in another location. Tess is still fast on her feet and not willing to let things go even when she should. This book also brings a resolution to her relationship with her ex, Crow.
Tess is still smarting from being foolish and letting her ex Crow go. Though she thinks she has gotten better in the almost year apart they have experienced, she still has pangs. When she gets a cutout from a newspaper saying In Big Trouble, Tess wonders if Crow is alright. When she is asked by his parents to track him down and let them know if he is okay, Tess reluctantly takes the case.
Tess in Texas is funny at times. She misses Baltimore and feels a bit lost while in San Antonio trying to track down Crow. The characters Tess comes across are unique and interesting. I did have a hard time with her taking her dog though. Come on.
The mystery aspect of things kicks into high gear when Tess finds a dead body and all signs points to Crow as the murderer. With bodies dropping, things seem to be looping back to an old case of kidnapping and also a multiple murdering incident that still haunts some of the characters in this story.
I loved seeing Jackie and Tess's Aunt Kitty in this one (only briefly). We have Jackie settling in with her new life raising her adopted daughter. Kitty seems to be moving onto something long-term too which has Tess horrified (I loved who the new love interest is) and pretending it's not happening.
The writing was typical Lippman. I feel like I know Tess and even though I would have told Crow to pound sand after a while, I get why Tess keeps trying to save him.
The flow was pretty good, not too bad until almost the end where it felt like too many coincidences kept happening.
Moving the setting from Baltimore to San Antonio was interesting, but was happy to see Tess back in familiar surroundings in the next book.
Tess is still smarting from being foolish and letting her ex Crow go. Though she thinks she has gotten better in the almost year apart they have experienced, she still has pangs. When she gets a cutout from a newspaper saying In Big Trouble, Tess wonders if Crow is alright. When she is asked by his parents to track him down and let them know if he is okay, Tess reluctantly takes the case.
Tess in Texas is funny at times. She misses Baltimore and feels a bit lost while in San Antonio trying to track down Crow. The characters Tess comes across are unique and interesting. I did have a hard time with her taking her dog though. Come on.
The mystery aspect of things kicks into high gear when Tess finds a dead body and all signs points to Crow as the murderer. With bodies dropping, things seem to be looping back to an old case of kidnapping and also a multiple murdering incident that still haunts some of the characters in this story.
I loved seeing Jackie and Tess's Aunt Kitty in this one (only briefly). We have Jackie settling in with her new life raising her adopted daughter. Kitty seems to be moving onto something long-term too which has Tess horrified (I loved who the new love interest is) and pretending it's not happening.
The writing was typical Lippman. I feel like I know Tess and even though I would have told Crow to pound sand after a while, I get why Tess keeps trying to save him.
The flow was pretty good, not too bad until almost the end where it felt like too many coincidences kept happening.
Moving the setting from Baltimore to San Antonio was interesting, but was happy to see Tess back in familiar surroundings in the next book.
i enjoyed this read a lot -- this story takes tess out of baltimore, and down to san antonio - where crow is currently living. of course, shenanigans ensue and tess is there every step of the way. lippman continues to do a great job of character development, and creating interesting mysteries.