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Laura Lippman

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In a Strange City: A Mystery Hardcover – September 4, 2001

by Laura Lippman (Author)

4.0 132 ratings

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New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan must put her PI skills to the ultimate test when she falls into the crosshairs of a psychopath who knows everything about her.

For the past fifty years on the birth date of Edgar Allan Poe, a person wearing a cloak has placed three roses and a half bottle of cognac on the writer’s gravesite. PI Tess Monaghan has never witnessed the event. But when John P. Kennedy, an eccentric antiques dealer, asks her to uncover the identity of the caped visitor, who he believes has duped him with the sale of an inauthentic antique, Tess decides to hold vigil on the night the cloaked stranger is expected to make an appearance. But the custom takes on a bizarre, fatal twist when two cloaked figures arrive. The imitator leaves his tribute and then makes his escape…after shooting the first visitor.

Warning bells tell Tess to steer clear of this case. But when roses and cognac appear on her doorstep, Tess’s curiosity is piqued. She soon discovers that John P. Kennedy has vanished into thin air and much of what he told her was questionable. Then the identity of the shooting victim comes to light, and all clues seem to point to the possibility he was the target of a hate crime. But Tess isn’t convinced. What was his connection to the decades-long Edgar Allan Poe tradition and to the killer? When more cryptic clues are left at her home, Tess realizes that someone is watching her every move...someone who’s bent on killing again.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

William Morrow
Publication date

September 4, 2001
Dimensions

6.12 x 1.05 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0380978180
ISBN-13

978-0380978182
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Edgar, Shamus, Anthony and Agatha award winner Lippman (Charm City; Butchers Hill; The Sugar House) pays homage to the inventor of the mystery form in this masterly contemporary mystery, set in Baltimore and replete with her trademark dry, sardonic wit. Every January 19th, in honor of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a loyal clique waits in the small hours for the "Visitor," also known as the "Poe Toaster," to approach Poe's tomb. He wears a formal cape and carries three blood-red roses and a bottle of cognac as tribute. For some reason the press keep their distance, as do bystanders. This year, for the first time, PI Tess Monaghan is present, too, along with her boyfriend, Crow. Having been roped into attendance by a would-be client, Tess awaits the coming of the Visitor in the freezing winter night. Suddenly, two caped men with roses and cognac show up. A shot rings out one man lies dead, the other runs off. A deliciously complex story follows that brings Baltimore center stage and delves anew into the mysteries surrounding Poe himself. Tess finds her own life in danger, and becomes a primary player in a story she'd intended to view only from the periphery. The author offers a host of Poe-esque thrills, from multiple murders to a woman buried alive. In the denouement, the clock ticks rapidly while Tess matches wits with the killer in order to rescue the victim from her tomb before her air runs out. Lippman shows in this, her sixth novel, that she's indeed deserving of all the kudos she's received. (Sept. 11)Forecast: With national print advertising, a 15-city NPR campaign and a six-city author tour, this novel will be well positioned to climb the genre bestseller charts.

From Booklist

Lippman's second Tess Monaghan novel is a perfectly good mystery, but even more, it's an homage to the city of Baltimore. As seen through the eyes of PI Monaghan, the city is celebrated on almost every page, but the setting provides more than just ambience. The plot itself hinges on an obscure bit of Baltimore's literary history involving an anonymous figure who places a glass of brandy and a rose on Edgar Allan Poe's grave every January in honor of the writer's birthday. No one wants to unmask the identity of the "Poe Toaster" for fear of ending the beloved tradition. When a client entices Tess and her boyfriend, Crowe, to watch the ritual, Tess is surprised to find two toasters--and then even more surprised to witness the murder of one of them. The case of the faux toaster draws Tess into a complex mystery that just may hinge on who is leaving her notes quoting Poe. Readers won't be able to resist Tess, who, like one of Baltimore's famous stone crabs, sports a tough shell that hides a sweet center. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Back Cover

New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan must put her PI skills to the ultimate test when she falls into the crosshairs of a psychopath who knows everything about her.

For the past fifty years on the birth date of Edgar Allan Poe, a person wearing a cloak has placed three roses and a half bottle of cognac on the writer’s gravesite. PI Tess Monaghan has never witnessed the event. But when John P. Kennedy, an eccentric antiques dealer, asks her to uncover the identity of the caped visitor, who he believes has duped him with the sale of an inauthentic antique, Tess decides to hold vigil on the night the cloaked stranger is expected to make an appearance. But the custom takes on a bizarre, fatal twist when two cloaked figures arrive. The imitator leaves his tribute and then makes his escape…after shooting the first visitor.

Warning bells tell Tess to steer clear of this case. But when roses and cognac appear on her doorstep, Tess’s curiosity is piqued. She soon discovers that John P. Kennedy has vanished into thin air and much of what he told her was questionable. Then the identity of the shooting victim comes to light, and all clues seem to point to the possibility he was the target of a hate crime. But Tess isn’t convinced. What was his connection to the decades-long Edgar Allan Poe tradition and to the killer? When more cryptic clues are left at her home, Tess realizes that someone is watching her every move...someone who’s bent on killing again.

About the Author

Since Laura Lippman’s debut, she has been recognized as a distinctive voice in mystery fiction and named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. Stephen King called her “special, even extraordinary,” and Gillian Flynn wrote, “She is simply a brilliant novelist.” Her books have won most of the major awards in her field and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her teenager.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; First Edition (September 4, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0380978180
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0380978182
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 1.05 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,956,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12,957 in Hard-Boiled Mystery
- #15,270 in International Mystery & Crime (Books)
- #18,681 in Science Fiction Crime & Mystery

Customer Reviews:
4.0 132 ratings

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Laura Lippman

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Since her debut in 1997, New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman has been recognized as one of the most gifted and versatile crime novelists working today. Her series novels, stand-alones and short stories have all won major awards, including the Edgar and the Anthony, and her work is published in more than 20 countries. A former Baltimore Sun journalist, she has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Glamour and Longreads. "Simply one of our best novelists, period," the Washington Post said upon the publication of the ground-breaking What the Dead Know. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her family.

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Twitter: www.twitter.com/LauraMLippman

Customer reviews

132 global ratings

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Fred Camfield

Poe's Visitor and the Gold Bug

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2002

Verified Purchase

"These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits, and are melted into air, into thin air..." (from Shakespeare's "The Tempest"). This is one of the best mysteries I have read in recent years. It is an intriguing tale that revolves around the mysterious Visitor to Poe's grave who, every year, leaves three red roses and a half bottle of cognac. It is January 19. Baltimore private investigator Tess Monaghan and her boyfriend, Crow, are among the spectators keeping watch at Poe's grave. A cloaked figure appears, and then another. A shot is fired and a cloaked figure falls, mortally wounded. The second cloaked figure escapes in the commotion, fading into the shadows.
The case becomes complicated. There are people trying to identify and find the visitor for personal agendas. There are charges that the murder was a hate crime - the victim identified as a ... waiter. Tess is drawn into the case, willing or not, because other players think she may have information. Mysterious notes appear, along with roses or rose petals, from an unknown individual attempting to enlist her aid. There are questions about thefts of rare books and memorabilia. And there is collateral damage.
Along the way there are tidbits of information about Baltimore, and about Edgar Allan Poe including a pertinent poem ("From childhood's hour I have not been As others were; I have not seen As others saw; I could not bring My passions from a common spring." - from Poe's "Alone"). The case gradually unfolds as information develops about various players. Some people become unlikely allies, and relationships between people are revealed as the case is solved. Tess becomes the guardian of another dog, a friendly doberman named Miata.
But that is not the end of the story because the Visitor is still involved, a mysterious cloaked figure of many faces, and there must be a meeting before the visitor fades into thin air. And will the Visitor be back next year? You might have to go to Baltimore next January 19, if you are willing to spend a cold night at a graveyard.

6 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

In a Strange City by Laura Lippman

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

I am reading the Tess Monaghan books. I like the characters. It's prompted me to do some research on Baltimore.

Helpful

Sharon

Laura Lippman

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

This novel by Lippman I have enjoyed the most- a little more background on Tess Monaghan's beloved city- Baltimore. I am a fan of Edgar Allan Poe- so some of her historical background stuff intrigued me.

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bettyka

One of my favorite mysteries of all time.

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

Lippman writes a lot about Baltimore, which is a city that I never thought about as I have always lived on west coast. She gives many intriguing facts, details about the city, beautifully woven into a great mystery. LOve her work, this is the best so far IMO.

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Sergio Reisman

Very entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2008

Verified Purchase

As always Laura Lippman meets expectations with another very entertaining novel. The plot is creative and you are involved from the very beginning.

One person found this helpful

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1rngydngy

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

I love all these books.

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Cheryl A. Reynolds

Interesting mystery

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2010

This review refers to the audio version.

#6 Tess Monaghan, PI series set in Baltimore. This book focused on Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in Baltimore, and his museum, memorabilia, and mostly the famous cloaked, anonymous "visitor" who stops by every year with roses and cognac for his grave. An antiques dealer tries to hire Tess into finding who the visitor is and unmasking him because the visitor has something that belongs to him and the only way he can get it is to threaten him with exposure. Tess declines, but is curious and she and boyfriend Crow camp out in frigid weather to watch the yearly ritual.

But a second visitor--someone dressed nearly identically--shows up and is shot dead by someone also watching. So was the dead man the intended target, or was the real visitor (who disappeared in the aftermath) the one that was meant to be shot? And what was the motive, in either case? When the dead man is revealed to be a gay man, the press (including an old acquaintance of Tess's) try to tie it in to another hate crime that occurred a few weeks previously. Tess, now fully interested in the case but without a real client, digs around anyway--and then she starts getting roses, cognac and letters in an antique-looking font with clues as to where she needs to go. Tess begins educating herself in Poe lore and is hot on the trail before long.

I enjoyed this audio production, although sometimes the reader's (Barbara Rosenblat) voice annoys me. I've gotten used to her, but she often slurs, squeaks and sounds all around as though she's had a couple too many drinks. Still, she does capture Tess's spirit I think, and does a good job with the different voices.

I have come to really enjoy this series, and this entry was special as Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors and his poem Alone, which is among my top five all time favorites, featured heavily in the mystery. The only detriment was that sometimes this book did get bogged down somewhat in all the Poe history and stuff--if it wasn't something you were interested in, it could have really been a slog, I think. Also, the bad guy was ridiculously easy to spot, and towards the end I wanted to smack Tess because she was being so stupid about not figuring it out. But this happens to me fairly often and it didn't really detract too much from the story. Looking forward to the next!

Helpful

Beverley Strong

Nevermore

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2005

Every winter on the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, a mysterious cloaked figure pays a visit to the renowned author's gravesite, bearing gifts of three roses and and half bottle of cognac. PI Tess Monahan is amonst the onlookers at this annual pilgrimage, when two caped visitors approach the gravesite... a shot rings out and one figure falls to the ground while the other escapes. When Tess recieves a visit from a strange, round ,little man who wants her to locate some mysterious missing goods connected with Poe, she and her boyfriend Crow become involved in a case of murder, theft, stalking and obbsessive collecting, all of which revolves around the life of Poe. I didn't really care all that much for this book, as I found it to be very muddled and rather difficult to follow. I've loved the previous books featuring Tess and Co., so hope that the next one is more appealing.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

MRS S RICHARDSON

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book - delivered promptly and securely.

john w mann

but rather tedious in places

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2016

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Reasonably well written, but rather tedious in places!!

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