No Good Deeds

As Laura Lippman notes on the second page of her latest mystery, "Tiny Town is, in fact, one of Baltimore's many nicknames -- along with Charm City and Mobtown -- and perhaps the most appropriate. Day in, day out, it's one degree of separation here in Smalltimore, an urban Mayberry where everyone knows everyone. Then you read the newspaper and rediscover that there are really two Baltimores. Rich and poor. White and black." "No Good Deeds" shows what happens when these worlds intersect, as they do amazingly often. A teenager named Lloyd Jupiter knows more than he should about the murder of a U.S. attorney. News junkies will immediately recognize the real-life analog to the bizarre stabbing death of federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna, which Lippman acknowledges as her inspiration in an author's note. Crow Ransome brings Lloyd home after catching him involved in a tire-slashing scam. His girlfriend, private investigator Tess Monaghan, finds the kid to be a bit shady, but turns his story over to the local paper. Publication of the information backfires, and those in charge of finding Luna's killers prove to have agendas of their own. Lippman's latest mystery will delight not only her regular Tess Monaghan fans but perhaps a wider audience that really should include most fiction buyers in Baltimore and environs. (As further evidence of Lippman's observations about Smalltimore, a disclaimer: Laura and I worked for the same employer years ago.) Laura really captures not only the city but its leading newspaper (where only the biggest murders rate more than two paragraphs), as well as the city's police, and most of all Mobtown's underclass and their ingenuity in pursuing petty crime and grifting. "No Good Deeds" is close to non-fiction in its accurate settings and observations of Baltimore. For Baltimore insiders, "No Good Deeds" will delight in many little touches, including a nice joke about the the Baltimore Four (either antiwar activists or Orioles pitchers, depending on context). Lippman's books have always been entertaining and readable and she is steadily adding richness to her portrait of her hometown and surefootedness to her plotting. With every book Lippman gets closer to the real deal of daily life here, from the ups and downs of the Dunbar Poets to the crime wave around Canton Square. The twists and turns of the plot ultimately lead to a stronger ending to "No Good Deeds" than the conclusion of her next-best book (in my opinion), "Every Single Thing." She's edging closer to Tom Wolfe's territory in "Bonfire of the Vanities" and, along with the HBO series "The Wire," putting together a solid portrait of an intriguing city in dangerous times.

Just finished this 9th Tess Monaghan book and am compelled to share how much I enjoyed this one. Tess's boyfriend Crow brings home an inner city youth after he does damage to Tess's car and things develop from there in the usual Monaghan fashion. Tess realizes the boy has inside knowledge about a high-profile murder that has recently occurred and Tess pursues what the boy knows that leads them to trials, tribulations, despair and finally hope. One line that really stood out in the book for me was: ". . . the only thing you got for being a regular at the Days Inn bar on Security Blvd was loser status, even in the eyes of the losers who took your generous tips and smiled to your face, pretending fealty. No one had a nose for weakness like the bowed and bloodied." This paragraph was so edgy and descriptive I still haven't forgotten it. It also foreshadows how low one of the main characters has fallen, it describes that person in a nutshell. You just don't see it until almost the end. Really enjoyed this one. And, for the record, I actually enjoyed Crow's point of view. Tess is the best, with Whitney of course, but I didn't dread reading Crow's parts at all. Happy reading!

Winner of the 2007 Anthony Award for the best mystery novel. As Crow puts it, if it had not snowed on that Monday in March. The snow led to a chain of circumstances with Crow bringing a homeless teenager home for dinner and a place to stay for the night. It turns out that the teenager, Lloyd, was a witness to a crime, and that draws Tess into the case when she connects Lloyd to a news reporter. Events disrupt her life as the case develops and federal agents demand that she reveal the name of the source. The story starts with a narration by Crow, and alternates between Crow, Tess, and other characters in the story. You will get a lot more Crow in this novel than in others. The story has an interesting ending, and you can wonder if Lloyd will show up again. You get some information along the way about Baltimore soup kitchens and the homeless, and a view of the underside of society where life is sometimes cheap.

Laura Lippman is just not getting her due. When the bestseller shelves out there are plagued by hacks like Dan Brown and clones of his books, a great book like No Good Deeds is put on the New Hardback table for like a week then relegated to the shelf. Now, any self-respecting mystery fan doesn't even look at the bestseller wall or the New Hardback table. We go straight for the section and start browsing the shelf. Still, I would like to see Lippman reached by more than die-hard mystery fans. She deserves to be read by everyone. And here's why: 1) Tess. As main characters go, she's a great heroine and a full-rounded character. This isn't some character (like Jack Ryan, for example) that's been in so many books that they've become rounded by no fault of the writer because they've had the guy do everything from analyst to Pope (joke there). Tess has been dynamic, exciting, puzzling, troubled, funny, and entertaining since the first book. It just happens that her characterization gets better with each book (we'll get to more of that later on). 2) Side characters. Like JK Rowling, Laura Lippman knows that readers love good side characters. Where would the Harry Potter books be without Ron and Hermione. Same can be said for Crow, Tyner, Kitty, Whitney (who I think I love a little), and other characters that I'm forgetting and I apologize. Laura gives us great, dynamic side characters to populate her world and they are a joy to come back to again and again. also, her addition of new characters in each book is great. Each character in No Good Deeds is spot on from the Feds to the eager-beaver district attorney to Lloyd. 3) Baltimore. Her city is the second main character. Like Lehane with Boston, Rankin with Edinburgh, and Pelecanos with DC, Baltimore is alive and well within her pages. As a true lover of the city, she brings Baltimore to you in all its highs and lows and its beauty and its ugliness. The city isn't just a setting but a living, breathing character. Also, she dives into the politics and the events that make a city a city. She isn't afraid to tell you what she thinks of what goes on in her city. 4) She Keeps Getting Better. Unlike other authors out there who we say, "Her/His first book was really good but the later ones just haven't been that great," Laura keeps getting better with each book. I thought By a Spider's Thread was the top of her game. In some ways for thrilling alone, it was. But No Good Deeds is even better in characterization and narrative thrust. This book starts and keeps cooking along, not wanting to let you go. There. I've said why people should be reading Laura Lippman and not a lot of the crappy thrillers out there. I've said this before and I will keep on saying it, "Just because it's on the bestseller's list, doesn't mean it's good." Laura provides a great book every single damn time. Not every third book. No Good Deeds is a great book. Laura Lippman will not let you down.

Laura Lippman's ninth Tess Monaghan novel, "No Good Deeds", is an assured polished work. It is finely crafted suspense populated with realistic characters that are worth caring about. PI Tess Monaghan lands a consulting job with her former employer, Baltimore's Beacon Light. The murder of a Federal prosecutor grabs Tess's attention. It starts out as an abstract example for journalistic investigation...but grows into much more. Chance steps in when Tess's boy friend brings a scam artist/street kid home...the initial good deed. It turns out the kid (Lloyd Jupiter) is a link in the murder chain. Wise enough to know he needs to remain invisible, Lloyd disappears. During Tess's odyssey of discovery, much seems amiss with the official investigation. Protecting her source (Lloyd), Tess gives the paper as much as she knows...another good deed. This places Tess, her boy friend and Lloyd in jeopardy. In peril from who is the question. Tess's life is turned upside down by rogue agents from the FBI and DEA abetted by an ambitious Assistant US Attorney...revealing a wholly amoral world. The tension builds steadily as the plot strands start to entwine in this notable and provocative novel. "No Good Deeds" is entertaining and disturbing. Laura Lippman captures the allure of Baltimore in convincing fashion. It starts strong and holds your attention. Laura Lippman is the real deal...she writes with poise and flair...must reading!!!