The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A Tess Monaghan Novel [Paperback]

Laura Lippman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 18, 2011 | Series: Tess Monaghan

“Lippman is a writing powerhouse. ”

—USA Today

 

“I love her books.”

—Harlan Coben

 

New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman—winner of the Edgar® Award and every other major literary prize given for mystery and crime fiction—embroils Baltimore p.i. Tess Monaghan in the strange case of The Girl in the Green Raincoat. Originally serialized in the New York Times, The Girl in the Green Raincoat is now in book form for the very first time—a masterful thriller in the Alfred Hitchcock mode that places a very pregnant, homebound Tess in the center of a murderous puzzle that could cost her her life and the life of her unborn child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine, Lippman's Tess Monaghan novella turns the intrepid Baltimore PI's at-risk late-pregnancy bed rest into a compellingly edgy riff on Hitchcock's Rear Window. Lovingly tucked up on her winterized sun porch, Tess marshals her forces--doting artist boyfriend Crow, best friend Whitney Talbot, middle-aged assistant gumshoe Mrs. Blossom, and researcher Dorie Starnes--to probe the disappearance of a chic blonde green-raincoated dog walker she'd been watching from her comfy prison. Tess also takes in the missing woman's abandoned green-slickered Italian greyhound from hell, a miniature canine terrorist whose anti-housebreaking vendetta offers comic relief from Tess's threatened pre-eclampsia, her obsessive unraveling of a complex scam, and her last-trimester spats with Crow about their future. Though postpartum Tess turns alternately weepy and shrill, that condition won't last, and this entertaining romp leaves plenty of hints of detective-mother exploits to come. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

In Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart played a photographer who spies on his neighbors while recuperating from a broken leg. In Lippman’s latest entry in her long-running series featuring Tess Monaghan, a hugely pregnant Tess, suffering from preeclampsia, is ordered to spend the last two months of her pregnancy on bed rest. And, shades of Rear Window, it doesn’t take long for the curious and incredibly bored investigator to procure a pair of binoculars and start spying on the dog walkers in the park across the street. She’s especially interested in the girl in the green raincoat and her prancing little greyhound. When, later in the week, she spots the dog running through the park alone, she determines to track down the pet’s missing mistress. And what she finds is a guilty-looking husband with two dead wives and a dead girlfriend in his past. In addition to the central mystery, Lippman provides witty writing and a running theme on the meaning of family, and there are also welcome appearances by Tess’ independent-minded best friend, Whitney; her long-suffering boyfriend, Crow; and her ace employee, Mrs. Blossom. Another winning entry in the series. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It’s always an event when Laura Lippman, who has won every major crime-fiction award going, delivers a new Tess Monaghan story. This novella first appeared in serial format in the New York Times Magazine. --Joanne Wilkinson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (January 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006193836X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061938368
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,952 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When You Become TOO Curious....... December 20, 2010

By Gregory E. Foster VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Tess Monaghan is a private investigator who has had some success, apparently, from previous outings in earlier books (that I am unfamiliar with), that are listed in Laura Lippman's accomplished publication list and also with references within this great story (that, apparently, was pre-published in serial form in the "New York Times Magazine").

Tess Monaghan, in her last trimester of her unexpected pregnancy, has suddenly become bedridden until her child arrives, a little as yet unnamed girl that she and her boyfriend have taken to calling "Fifi La Pew". Bored with things being as they are, Tess begins to take notice of things outside her window, and the comings and goings of people from the park down the street. One of these people is a young blonde woman, dressed in a celery-green raincoat, leading her greyhound on its leash, also wearing a matching celery-green dog coat. The timing is like clockwork every day for days and days, both seemingly unattached to each other temperamentally, and the girl always talking on her cellphone, not paying attention to her dog as most pet owners do. Something just seems "not quite right" to Tess about this duo.

Then, the dog shows up, loose on its leash, tearing around frantically without its owner anywhere to be seen. Neither show up again outside, and Tess begins to run with her curiosity...

What follows is one of the best little books that I have read for a while, totally intriguing and thoroughly entertaining, that will also hold you until the very end as it did me. There is plenty of mystery, plot twist(s), shady characters, etc., and also plenty of sub-plot avenues that deal with "people's regular lives outside of this mystery" that give insight into the characters and their situations. Along this "ride" you will laugh heartily, be deeply touched, confused, fooled, greatly surprised, and for sure concerned with the danger that Tess (and her best friend) have opened themselves up to.

I am not want to give away this great story with this review (as many sometimes are, or do) and thus spoil it for you. So, I will simply say that it is a terrific story, quite short, but with plenty of plot and character development and insight, that will most definitely "hold" you until the last page. Which, by the way, is truly a deeply loving touch to the heart.

In a PostScript to the book, Lippman generously acknowledges a wonderful series of events and earlier works by others that led her to write this story. I find this acknowledgement and thanks most unusual, and heartening, as people today so frequently do not give thanks back. It speaks a great deal, I think, of Lippman's heart and integrity.

So, with a salute to "Rear Window", her sister, and many others, Laura Lippman presents this great little mystery to us, that surely will entertain and tickle you greatly!

~operabruin

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Also, there was a monkey" January 15, 2011

By Linda Bulger VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Author Laura Lippman goes from strength to strength in her books. Her stand-alone novels and short stories are increasingly satisfying but there's something extra-special about a new Tess Monaghan offering. The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A Tess Monaghan Novel is that--sort of. For one thing it's a novella rather than a full-length novel; also, it was serialized in the New York Times in 2008 and can still be found online. Finally, we find Tess about to have a baby. Lippman writes on her website under the multi-layered heading "Serial killer:" "...I believed it would be the definitive end to the Tess Monaghan series, but I no longer feel that way." Thank goodness!

Tess is spending her third trimester on bedrest under doctors' orders. She's desperate to distract herself from her fears of motherhood. Her assistant, Mrs. Blossom, is keeping her cases alive--but the hours weigh heavily on Tess as she watches the world from the sunporch of her Baltimore bungalow. One of the regular dogwalkers is a young woman in a green raincoat with a little greyhound on the lead--until one day the woman doesn't come back from her walk and the dog pelts by with the leash trailing. What happened to the woman? This is a mystery Tess is determined to solve, and she'll have to do it from her place by the window--thus the inevitable references to Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, "Rear Window." This proves to be a dangerous pastime for Tess, even if she doesn't leave her bed.

Author Laura Lippman's writing and P.I.Tess Monaghan's appeal as a character are never in question, having been demonstrated in ten previous full-length books. As expected, we have an upbeat, smart book with a healthy dose of humor. The characters are vivid and the Baltimore setting is a great asset. What, then, is new in this book?

Most notably, the author shows her skill at the novella length--middle ground between short story and novel. I never felt rushed by the plot, nor deprived of the complexity and action that I expect from a Tess Monaghan story. The characters are sketched quickly and with a touch of caricature, but they're complete visually and in the way they move the story forward. We even get some back-story on Tess's family, in the brilliant "Also, there was a monkey" anecdote from her father. And don't forget--there are dogs in the story, and Tess is having a baby! It's a winning combination and you won't be disappointed. Since we know the author expects to write more about Tess, you'll want to share the exciting lead-up to the birth of her child.

Linda Bulger, 2011

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Surprise January 18, 2011

By David Cady VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I read Laura Lippman's "The Girl in the Green Raincoat" through Amazon's Vine Program for one simple reason: it was free. I'd never read the author before, assuming that the Tess Monaghan mysteries were nothing more than chick lit lite, disposable whodunits lacking in depth and interest for a middle-aged male reader. Not that I've never read that kind of thing before; I'm a Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller fan from way back, but have moved on to grittier material. So I wasn't expecting much from this slim little novella...but was very pleasantly surprised. There isn't much to Lippman's tale, but there are some genuine twists and surprises, and her style was refreshingly witty and engaging. It takes a skilled author to balance humor and plot in such a way that neither swamps the other, and Lippman proves to be just that. The best thing I can say about reading "The Girl in the Green Raincoat" is that it has sent me back to Lippman's previous works. This isn't the last Tess Monaghan book I'll read, but it turned out to be the perfect introduction to a character and author with whom I predict I'll be spending some amusing and suspenseful quality time in future.