Tess Monaghan has finally made the move and hung out her sign as a private investigator for hire, complete with an office in Butchers Hill. Maybe it's not the greatest address in Baltimore, but you've got to start somewhere. Then in walks Luther Beale, the notorious vigilante who five years ago shot a boy for vandalising his car. Just out of prison, he wants to make reparations to the kids who witnessed his crime, so he needs Tess to find them. But once she starts snooping, the witnesses start dying. Is the 'Butcher of Butchers Hill' at it again? Like it or not, Tess is embroiled in a case that encompasses the powers-that-be, a heartless system that has destroyed the lives of children, and a nasty trail of money and lies leading all the way back to Butchers Hill.
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About the Author
Before becoming a full time novelist, Laura Lippman was a newspaper reporter for 20 years, including 12 years at the BALTIMORE SUN. She lives in Baltimore with her partner, the writer David Simon.
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Tess Monaghan's blotter-size appointment calendar was the largest, whitest space she had ever contemplated. Read the first page
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read a series mystery for character, and a character is not interesting if she doesn't grow. With Butcher's Hill, Lippman takes us, and her character, inside the seedy side of Baltimore and adoption politics, and Lippman is a mistress of both. You always feel Baltimore when you read her books. More important, she takes you along with Tess. I love Tess. Lippman's protagonist is delightfully human. Like your little sister, the one you are frustrated with, hope the best for, love, admire, and wish she'd straighten up and find someone decent to love, Tess bumbles and fumbles her way through a life that's wonderfully rich, complex and authentic. Welcome to Baltimore. Welcome to Tess's world. And welcome another Lippman success. I can't wait for the next one!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Butchers Hill is the best of the series. There are many surprising twists. And well-constructed: I quickly got trapped in the dream of the novel, switching focus as the author placed different lenses of perspective on the "facts" presented to Tess. I also like that Tess herself puts together incorrect suppositions. It's real to life -- unlike, say, Mickey Spillane. Though mystery aficionados might find Tess' humanity a nuisance.
Nice touch with the convict's dictionary-derived pedantry; I wish it had been carried further (in Charm City Laura did a similar thing with Spike's assistant's forming statements as questions).
One caveat for the author: the heroine's family/friend environment is starting to resemble a Tom Clancylike picture of social palatability, albeit with an NPR-approved, nineties urbanite twist. Sigh. I mean, what's next? Kitty becomes a lesbian and finally can enjoy a meaningful relationship? There might be more dimension in revealing the humanity of one who is politically anathema to the author. Readers should check out NYC journalist Sparkle Hayter's wacky mysteries. Though I prefer Baltimore!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Tess Monaghan feels good about switching careers and officially opening up a private investigator's office in a not so nice address in Baltimore. Her first client is Luther Beale, a man who spent time behind bars for shooting a boy who was vandalizing his car. Luther, known as the "Butcher of Butcher's Hill, hires Tess to locate the kids who witnessed his actions in order to make reparations.
However, the witnesses to the Butcher's crime start getting killed. Tess wonders if she has abetted her client whose reparation might really be revenge. As she investigates what is going on, Tess finds herself butting heads with a system whose victims are the children it allegedly was set up to help.
BUTCHER'S HILL, the third novel in the Monaghan mysteries, proves that three is the charm as it is as good as the superb first two tales (see BALTIMORE BLUES and CHARM CITY). The dialogue, especially on race relations, is some of the most realistic and believable to grace a mystery in years. Tess is a terrific character and the city of Baltimore adds a special flavor as used by the talented Laura Lippman. This trio of novels is top rate, enjoyable literature that fans of female sleuths need to read.
Harriet Klausner
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brings new depth and dimension to the detective genre.
Lippman uses the well-written detective stories to comment on today's society, particularly the Baltimore history. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Major Talent
I agree with the first reviewer from Washington--why isn't this woman being published in hardcover?!? Avon lucked out with this author. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lippman gets better with every book
I've recently felt suckered by continuing series ("N is for Noose" and "The Moor" both disappointed badly), but my faith revived as soon as I read the first... Read more
Published on 7 July 1998
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the series so far
Tess really becomes a person in this third entry in this series. As the reader learns more about the missing children, more is also revealed about Tess and her relationships with... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 1998
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