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

by Laura Lippman (Author)
Key Phrases: pilot script, Mann of Steel, Johnny Tampa, New York (more...)

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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"A juicy whodunit." -- Entertainment Weekly

"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

"Lippman is incapable of writing an un-compelling mystery," -- Baltimore Sun

"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

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

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

[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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061128872
• ISBN-13: 978-0061128875
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #409,040 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 10 in The Tess Monaghan Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 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)

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.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hmm, not my favorite, March 13, 2008

By	M. D. Mulhern (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a huge fan of Laura Lippman's work, both the Tess series and the stand alone novels, but this book was hard for me to get into. I always love Tess's interaction with Whitney, Crow, Kitty and Tyner- and this book has very few of these moments. Plus, it was hard for me to imagine level headed Tess getting involved with the whole Hollywood scene, albeit in Baltimore. The plot seemed a little thin to me too. I also felt like there were a couple of loose ends.


Overall, not my favorite book, but I was certainly glad to have another Tess book to read. Nothing is more irritating than an author abandoning a beloved character.

Read it if you are a fan, but if you are a beginner- go back and start with "Baltimore Blues!"