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IN A STRANGE CITY
by Laura Lippman
William Morrow & Co., August 2001
$24.00
ISBN: 0380978180


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

January 19 has long been a special date for citizens of Baltimore, for it is on this day, in the hours of darkness very early in the morning, that the Visitor arrives at the Poe grave where he deposits three roses and a half bottle of cognac. This year, however, was different. Murder accompanied him on his visit and Tess Monaghan and Crow are determined to solve the murder without exposing the identity of the Visitor.

Lippman's voice is a delight to witness. It has grown stronger and more individual with each book and with this has become as authentic and individual as Baltimore itself. And it is unmistakable that she venerates Baltimore, warts and all. This book evokes a city that encompasses the world. There is history, there are blue collar workers, there are the rich and famous, there are criminals and cheats and scoundrels, there are bars and sports teams and museums. And there are unique, eccentric, and authentic characters. Each character in this book s lovingly, carefully drawn and each is individual and distinct from all the others. There is, for example, "J.P.Kennedy" whom Tess, in her mind, names the Porcine One. Or Ranier, a good traffic cop turned lousy homicide cop who telegraphs his inability to understand. Or the delightful Mary Yerkes who runs a museum dedicated to consequential Baltimore women and reserves the right to determine who qualifies. We even get a look inside the mind of the Visitor himself.

Then there are the main characters. Gentle, engrossed Crow does and takes care of Tess as best he can while finding temptations in all sort of trivia. Tess, a private investigator by default, really is not very good at what she does, but she is getting better. Her very cynical view of the press and quietly ironic take on the world make her very believable and likable as well. She has flaws, impatience being one of them, but she is stubborn enough to investigate regardless of personal danger until the case is closed. And finally there is my personal favorite, a great wonderful greyhound, Esskay, who demands to be made into a star.

The story is well-told and flows nicely. Never is the reader bounced out of the narrative by any intrusions or confusions. It is an intriguing story about an event that I believe everyone finds captivating. The book is well plotted and I certainly did not solve the mystery before Tess figured it out.

As a former history teacher, I especially appreciated Tess's view of history: "Remembering one's mistakes was no talisman; Tess had repeated her own over and over again in full knowledge. The past was worth remembering and knowing in its own right. It was not behind us, never truly behind us, but under us, holding us up, a foundation for all that was to come and everything that had ever been." (p. 2 64) Very well put, Tess!

For this is truly a book about the past, collecting the past, preserving the past, trying to understand that past. And about how that past burdens us as well as supports us. From the appearance of the Visitor to the solution of the crime, we cannot forget the past.

From the Preface to the very last sentence, this is a tremendous book, to my mind the best Lippman has written. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, December 2001

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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