Another Thing to Fall: A Novel (Tess Monaghan Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Laura Lippman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tess Monaghan Mysteries | Publication Date: March 11, 2008

When private investigator Tess Monaghan runs into a TV crew, she doesn't expect an assignment. Keeping a spoiled movie princess under wraps may be more than she can handle. This is not Tess's world. And these are not her kind of people. But the fish-out-of-water P.I. is abruptly pulled back in by murder. Suddenly a wall of secrets is in danger of toppling, leaving a catastrophe that threatens the people Tess cares about . . . and the city she loves.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hollywood comes to Baltimore in bestseller Lippman's assured 10th PI Tess Monaghan caper (after 2006's No Good Deeds). When Tess literally stumbles onto the set of Mann of Steel, a big-budget TV miniseries shooting in her neighborhood, she finds herself hired as a bodyguard for Selene Waites, the show's 20-year-old hard-partying star. Flip Tumulty—the show's writer and son of a Baltimore-born Hollywood mogul—tells Tess the set has been plagued by vandalism and he fears for Selene's safety. Tess soon uncovers unsettling photos of Selene and learns they were taken by Wilbur Grace, a stalker who later hanged himself. When one of the crew members is murdered, Tess suspects someone may be trying to shut down more than the TV production. While the excitement level may not match that of other recent entries in the series, fans will appreciate the author's usual authentic local color and intricate plotting. 15-city author tour. (Mar.)
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Review

[a] welcome addition to Tess Monaghan’s adventures and an insightful look at the desperation that drives those grasping for a shot at fame and those who will do anything to keep it. (San Francisco Chronicle )

“Lippman is incapable of writing an un-compelling mystery,” (Baltimore Sun )

“A juicy whodunit.” (Entertainment Weekly )

You get everything in this book. There’s a really good mystery which is almost secondary to the interaction of the characters - Hollywood’s penchant for confusing illusion and reality is beautifully done - and the witty dialogue, full of smart film references, is totally believable. (Toronto Globe and Mail )

Like lunch at Atwater’s, Tess’s latest leaves you fully satisfied but looking forward to next time (Kirkus Reviews )

“Tess--funny, smart, empathetic as hell, and a colorful, irreverent storyteller makes a wonderful companion for this tale, in which disturbing vandalism and a stalker are just the harbingers of much worse problems,” (Seattle Times )

“After last year’s acclaimed What the Dead Know, Lippman is back on home turf with the 10th installment of her popular series about Baltimore P.I. Tess Monaghan.” (People )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1ST edition (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061128872
• ISBN-13: 978-0061128875
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #964,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about "accidental PI" Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor's Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association. Ms. Lippman grew up in Baltimore and attended city schools through ninth grade. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., Ms. Lippman attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her other newspaper jobs included the Waco Tribune-Herald and the San Antonio Light. Ms. Lippman returned to Baltimore in 1989 and has lived there since.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different track for Tess Monaghan, March 29, 2008

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Another Thing to Fall: A Novel (Tess Monaghan Mysteries) (Hardcover)

For a woman who was fired from a job as a spear carrier in an opera (absolutely no acting talent), Tess surprisingly ends up working for a TV production company shooting scenes in Baltimore for a new series. Tess stumbles into the job by accident, or maybe I should saw rows in, when she blunders into a scene while rowing on the river.

The production company is having problems, including a problem with the wild child they have playing the female lead - someone that they think needs a bodyguard/babysitter. There are also lurkers and acts of sabotage on the sets. Eventually there is a murder, actually a couple. I did not really like the novel when I started out, mainly because it was hard to draw characters together. As the novel progressed, I became more drawn into the story (this is one you have to stick with).

Some regular characters are used in the story, including Tess' friend Whitney whom she has known since college, and Tull from the police homicide division. There is also Lloyd (whom you might remember from the previous novel "No Good Deeds") who stumbles into an important clue in the case, and a new character, Mrs. Blossom, whom I would hope to see in future novels (a student from a class Tess teaches on Monday evenings, who turns out to be a prodigy).

Laura Lippman draws on some of her real life as background for the novel -she is married to a TV producer - so the story is well researched. While I did not consider it an outstanding five star novel, I do consider it a solid four stars. I think some reviewers have tried to rate it too much based on past novels by the author. Hey, every novel by an author will not be her best novel (only one can lay claim to that). Novels should be rated based on their own merits - it may not be the best but it is still good.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Usually impossible to put down!, March 22, 2008

By 

Living thru the Pages "One of Lippman's Bigge... (Peters Township, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Another Thing to Fall: A Novel (Tess Monaghan Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Last year when I "found" Lippman's books I read all of them in a 5 day time period. Was ready to get a visible "I Love Laura Lippman Books!" tattoo.

When I saw she had released a new book I was the first in line at the store.

While it read quickly, it just did not have the usual flair Lippman's books usually exude for fast-paced action, great dialogue, and Tess' moments of sef-realization and compassion. Several times character descriptions/actions were inconsistent.

Will still say Lippman is in my top three - however, this newest book is not up to Lippman's previous writings. No offense Laura - you have taught us thru experience to expect only the best!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood Charm, May 3, 2008

By 

Mary K. Manuel "Dragonfly Reader" (Waconia, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Another Thing to Fall: A Novel (Tess Monaghan Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this latest in the series, although it was less of a page turner.
It had more development of new characters and less about those who have been featured in other books. I missed hearing about her romance with Crow, although he is briefly in the book. I also missed hearing about her Aunt.
Her plot is rich and well layered and more than makes up for the loss of info on what is going on with her personal life. The denouement scene was more interesting and complex than the typical one wrought with danger. I liked the way she used empathy.