Charm City

Charm City is the second Tess Monaghan novel, and much like many second episodes of television shows, I liked it even better than the "pilot."  Of course, being able to skip over the character set-ups and get down to action is the key to that.  Which is not to say Lippman skimps on her characters.  Instead we're able to focus on key details that make our recurring characters what they are, at least as relates to their strengths and weaknesses that come to play in the grander scheme of the mystery.

Lippman started writing these novels in the late 1990s, and it's sometimes jarring to reflect on how far we've come in a mere 10 years.  Computers alone have made exponential leaps, and the idea that everyone isn't carrying a cell phone, much less some Smart phone makes for more interesting plot twists than those writing about 2009 could get away with.  I look forward to seeing Ms. Monaghan at Ms. Lippmann's leading head into the 21st century --- and beyond.