Another Thing To Fall
Laura Lippman
Reviewed by Judith Arnold
My first exposure to Laura Lippman occurred when my book club chose her novel EVERY SECRET THING as our monthly selection. That novel was gorgeously moody, bleak and eloquent, and I wanted to read more books by her. So when presented with the opportunity to review her new book, ANOTHER THING TO FALL, I waved my hand frantically and shouted, “Me, me!”
I wasn’t disappointed. Surprised, yes. Delighted, absolutely. But ANOTHER THING TO FALL was much lighter than I’d expected. Much slyer. Much more humorous.
This new book is the latest in Lippman’s mystery series featuring Baltimore Private Investigator Tess Monaghan—and I can assure readers that it’s not necessary to have read earlier books in the Monaghan series to know what’s going on (although I intend to go back and read those earlier books.) A few characters are obviously carry-overs from previous Monaghan books—and I sincerely hope a character introduced in this book, the corpulent and unexpectedly shrewd Mrs. Blossom, will make appearances in future Monaghan books. She’s simply too much fun not to become a Monaghan regular.
ANOTHER THING TO FALL deals with the intrigues surrounding a TV pilot being filmed in Baltimore. Selene Waites, the spoiled, size-zero twenty-year-old star of the show needs protection and/or babysitting, and after Tess accidentally rows her scull into a scene being filmed and ruins the shot, she winds up getting hired for the job. She soon learns that a man who may have been stalking Selene committed suicide and that disruptive pranks have beset the production. Tess tries to maintain her sang-froid as she crosses paths, and swords, with a riotous assortment of characters attached to the production: producer Flip Tumulty, competing against his successful but woefully neglectful father; scriptwriter Ben Marcus, Flip’s childhood friend who adores Flip but also resents the heck out of him; Selene’s costar, Johnny Tampa, once the heartthrob of teenagers everywhere but now struggling to get his career back on track; Greer, the overly ambitious production assistant; Lottie, the diminutive accountant whose mission in life is to bring the show in under budget; and assorted other hangers-on and trouble-makers.
The mystery plot, which picks up speed about halfway through the novel, when someone associated with the production turns up murdered, is almost beside the point. What makes the book such a pleasure is Lippman’s voice, as filtered through Tess’s dry wit. The book is a compulsive read not because the reader is anxious to find out who committed the murder but because the reader has such a rollicking good time watching this motley cast of characters struggle to create a viable television show—and watching Tess struggle to maintain her equilibrium while surrounded by so many psychopaths, sycophants and raging egos.
I was sorry to see this book end, but thrilled to know there are a whole bunch of earlier Tess Monaghan mysteries waiting for me. They should keep me busy until Lippman’s next new book comes out.
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About the Reviewer:
Writing under the pen name Judith Arnold, Barbara Keiler is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels. Her most recent title, THE MARRIAGE BED, was published by Harlequin Books in May, 2007. She lives outside Boston with her husband and two utterly perfect (well, almost perfect) sons. Please visit her website at www.juditharnold.com.
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