I first started reading Laura Lippman, because I knew she was married to David Simon, and since I thought "The Wire" was the greatest thing I had ever seen on television, I figured the woman who married the man who created that show would probably write some interesting books.That turned out to be true.
If you don't know Laura Lippman's work, she is known for the Tess Monaghan series, stories of private investigations set in Baltimore. She has also written some standalone books, which I like even better than the Tess Monaghan books. These books are usually inspired by real life events They generally involve women in trouble in some way. I often find them hard to put down.
The Girl in the Green Raincoat is the latest in the Tess Monaghan series. In this book, Tess is in the late stages of her pregnancy confined to bed rest. She regularly sees a girl in a green raincoat walking her dog out the window. When she no longer sees the girl on her walks, she begins to wonder. Then she starts asking questions. Then she begins to investigate.
What was most interesting to me about this book is what will happen in the books to come. There is now the issue of how Tess will juggle parenting and investigating. Will she be able to continue her often reckless professional behavior now that she has a baby at home?
Sometimes I wonder why I read mystery series. I'm often not that tremendously interested in the case. I'm rotten at figuring out who did it. I think I mostly like these books, because of their serial nature, the fact that they offer a long line of books where I can really get to know characters and their world. In the case of this series, I have grown to love the sidekicks, Tess's boyfriend, Crow, and her best friend, Whitney, more than the star itself. Sidekicks often get to be more quirky and interesting. They're the pesto mayonnaise to the ham in the sandwich. So if it turns out that they begin to have more investigative duties in the books to come, I will be a happy reader.
