What a perfect little murder mystery! Laura Lippman's novella, The Girl in the Green Raincoat, at 158 pages has quite a good "bang for the buck". We meet Tess Monaghan in her 11th outing as the very determined P.I. who decides to stick her nose into some dangerous business. How dangerous? Let's just say the sleazy Romeo involved may have killed his 3 wives and a girlfriend. To make it all more dangerous, the very pregnant Tess is confined to bed rest and can hardly get up from the chaise lounge she calls home during the day..."I am being held hostage," Tess Monaghan whispered into her iPhone.
As Tess passes the day away people watching out her sun porch window, a fun nod to Hitchcocks thriller Rear Window, she notices one girl in particular - a girl in a green raincoat. What makes her stand out really is the fact that her dog is wearing a matching green raincoat. Every day like clockwork, Tess sees "the girl" walking that dog in that green raincoat... until one day Tess spies the dog running loose in the park, alone, leash still attached...
Add a few great side kicks who help flush out the bad guy, toss in a few dogs who know how to save the day and you've got a terrific and satisfying murder mystery that shows off Laura Lippmans' talent as a great storyteller, as she keeps the readers on the edge of their seats even at 158 pages. Originally serialized in The New York Times Magazine, The Girl in the Green Raincoat posed some problems originally for the author as she wanted to hold the attention of the reader, who could only read part of the story each week, satisfy them and yet have the reader want more. She definitely succeeded, and now that the story has finally been rounded up into one book, readers who missed the original serialized story can now enjoy it. I really did!
Do you need to have read the other 10 Tess Monaghan novels to enjoy this one? No! The story really stands up on its own, and Laura Lippman subtly gives us background on the characters as we're reading so we feel like old friends. If you are a fan of Tess Monaghan you will love this! You'll find her best friend Whitney helping, as well as her faithful dogs right by her side. I've enjoyed some of Laura's other novels, but Tess Monaghan P.I. was a new character to me and now I'm going to have to go back and read these novels! Tess is a feisty & fun character and I want more!
Like a good murder mystery?! You'll enjoy The Girl in the Green Raincoat! Like great female characters? Tess Monaghan is your girl! And how can you not like a story with a few dogs thrown in!
The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman is now available from your favorite bookstore! Plus, this book is Kindle Ready! I want to thank Harper Collins for sending along the review copy! Loved the book!
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