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The Sugar House: A Tess Monaghan Mystery
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780380810222
ISBN: 0380810220
Label: Avon
Manufacturer: Avon
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: August 01, 2001
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: July 31, 2001
Studio: Avon
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Editorial Review:
If you haven't encountered Tess Monaghan, the strong-willed former reporter turned PI who stars in Laura Lippman's increasingly popular series, it may be because this is her first appearance in hardcover. But this deftly plotted mystery may change all that and bring Lippman, herself a Baltimore journalist, and Tess, her curious and likable heroine, the attention they deserve. When Tess's dad asks her to do a favor for a friend, Tess gets involved in tracking down the identity of a nameless girl whose killer, the friend's brother, was murdered himself shortly after he went to prison for the crime. Her search leads Tess in and out of parts of the Atlantic coast that tourists, and many natives, never see: to a clinic for the rich, young and anorexic on Maryland's Eastern Shore; to the Philadelphia Main Line; and inside the corrupt and clandestine corners of the Maryland state capitol in Annapolis. The more Tess learns, the more questions she has, and the most important ones have to do with her father's involvement in the mystery of the anonymous victim and how she died.
The subtext of this well-written, richly rendered thriller is Tess's confrontation with her own values and her struggle to accept her father's compromises with his. There's also a sexy love story with Tess's boyfriend, who's nearly too good to be true, and a lively gal pal, the wealthy and loyal Whitney, whose own talents are equally impressive. The author is good at developing multidimensional characters, the minor ones as well as the majors. And once your appetite is whetted by The Sugar House, you'll want to track down Tess's earlier adventures in Lippman's (paper) backlist, beginning with Baltimore Blues. --Jane Adams
A client named Ruthie -- who seems to know Tess's father a little too well -- asks the newspaperwoman-turned-p.i. to investigate a year-old "Jane Doe" murder and its grim aftermath. Ruthie's low-life brother, Henry, confessed to killing a teenager runaway over a bottle of glue -- and, a month into his prison term, he met the same fate as his victim. Following a precious few tantalizing clues, Tess sets off on a path that is leading her from Baltimore's exclusive Inner Harbor to the city's seediest neighborhoods. But it's the shocking discovery of the runaway's true identity that turns her hunt deadly. Suddenly a supposedly solved murder case is turning up newer, fresher corpses and newer, scarier versions of the Sugar House -- places that look sweet and safe...but only from the outside.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Couldn't get into it
I could not get into this book at all. Slow, slow starter and I could not even finish it. I gave up at page 123. This is the first I have read in her series and will not read another.
Disappointed.
Rating:  - another good one
Laura Lippman consistently delivers well written, suspenseful novels and she does not disappoint her readers with the Sugar House. It is one of my favorites by this author. Her only flaw is her persistent P.C. bigotry towards certain individuals. Without this, her books would be even better.
Rating:  - An Absolute Sweet Treat!
When her brother goes to jail for killing a Jane Doe and he himself is killed, Ruth Denbrow hires Tess Monaghan to find out the truth regarding the Jane Doe murder. Sometimes the truth is more than you expect because this investigation will reveal some truths hidden by Tess's own father.
This is the fifth installment in the Tess Monaghan series set in Baltimore and Lippman is superb! In addition to solving murders she tackles issues such as eating disorders, shady treatment centers, ... Read More
Rating: - Great mystery. Most enjoyable
I just discovered this author and enjoyed this book very much. You don't have to read the first Tess books to enjoy this one which is always a plus with a series. The plot was unusual and the characters were realistic. I liked Tess and I was interested in her city and the situation. Lippman gave me some points to ponder as well as some medical conditions that I have researched a bit. That's always good to have someone stretch your mind a bit and that's what Lippman did with me. I recommend this book ... Read More
Rating: - Great mystery
If you love Baltimore, you'll love this book. It's a bit less direct than her earlier books and this is probably an improvement. She's getting better at spinning together more complicated plots with more complicated narratives.
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