This one was different in that we hear Crow's voice and thoughts as well as Tess's. I liked that very much. What I didn't like quite as much was the plot. The underlying crime being covered up was preposterous and was never explained fully. Thankfully, I still love Tess and Crow and Whitney and Tyner, etc. (and especially Esskay) so I'm willing to overlook a plot that gets over its skis a bit. ( )

As so often happens in real life, doing a good deed can have unexpected and unfortunate results.

The good deeds in this novel relate to a young man, Lloyd Jupiter, whom Tess Monaghan's boyfriend Crow brings home to dinner. Crow met Lloyd when Lloyd helpfully offered to fix Crow's flat tire, helpfully carrying a tire iron. Crow may be naive at times but he isn't stupid. He knew Lloyd had had something to do with the tire being flat in the first place. But there was something about the teen that seemed to hold some promise. Knowing Tess would not appreciate his bringing Lloyd home, Crow did it anyway.

Meanwhile, Tess is on the fringes of another investigation. Fairer to say she is interested in the murder of a young prosecutor, partly because of her connection to the local newspaper. When she talks to Lloyd at dinner she notices something odd about the way he reacts to the name of the dead man. She doesn't get a chance to talk to him about it more, however, at that time.

In trying to help get the real story behind the prosecutor's death, as opposed to the one that appeared to be offered by the killer, Tess runs into some thorny territory, and Crow and Lloyd both head out of town. Tess can only develop a greater level of stress than is good for her when she finds she has no control over their safety. ( )

So I thought about trying to edit this to take out spoilers, but screw it, I am busy today and don't have the time or energy. It didn't help that I ended up straight disliking this book and loathing Tess's boyfriend Crow. There was an interesting plot in there that the white savior crap got in the way of while I was reading. I think showcasing Crow's POV actually made things worse. He's a terrible ass boyfriend who resents Tess and I don't see how that makes a great relationship. At least Tess's aunt pulled no punches about him always being the one that runs away when he doesn't get his way.

In the ninth Tess Monaghan book we have Tess going through a slow period at her PI job. She and Crow are back together after he returns from sulking that she said no to his proposal (I said what I said!). Tess is doing some consulting with a newspaper. Along with this the book sets up that a few months ago a federal prosecutor was murdered a few months ago. Tess and others speculate about what happened to him, but most people assume that it was a bad pick up gone wrong and he ended up dead. When Crow brings a homeless teen back to their home (don't get me started yet) Tess clues into the fact that the boy appears to know something about the death of the prosecutor. Tess ends up being herself and her family in danger when she goes forward with having the boy talk to the press. She quickly has the FBI, DEA, and others out to get here. And Crow is in the wind with the boy.

In order to completely understand my ire I am going to talk about Crow first. I don't think except for the one book did we ever get Crow's POV? I can't remember. But I really disliked him in this one. He keeps a huge secret from Tess as she struggles to pay bills. And then he has his white savior moment after his tire gets punctured by a kid hoping to use that to get paid to change his tire. It makes zero sense why Crow gets fixated on the kid. And it makes zero sense why the kid (Lloyd) even goes along with this mess. A white man offering to drive a black teen to get food and demanding to meet his parents? The hell? Crow driving them to get food and then telling him that he was staying at his home later that night made me shake my head. Who does this? And considering that Crow apparently was doing soup kitchen drop offs why get focused on Lloyd who did damage his tire and was looking for money? And after Lloyd returns with him, steals shit, causes their car to get damaged, he's still being protective. WHATEVER.

Tess was herself throughout this book which is the only reason why I am giving this 2 stars. Consistency matters when writing a series. That said, I really wish she had gone off on Crow. He brings back a homeless teen with him who it appears lies, punctured his tire, etc and thinks cooking Tess her favorite foods will soften her up. I would have put my whole foot up his ass. Tess realizing that Crow kept secrets from her and that her trying to protect Lloyd and Crow could come back at her family made me frustrated. I really wish she had went off on Crow or we had read that dialogue. Crow and his BS now Tess knows how he feels when she's in danger made me boo the hell out of him and most of this book.

We get Whitney, Tess's aunt, and her talking to her mother and father. Other than that the the writing shifts from Tess, Crow, Lloyd, and some other men involved with the death of the prosecutor. I honestly think it was too much. It would have worked better if we had just Tess's POV and her slowly realizing what Crow was up to and that he had kept things from her. There were no surprises in this one because Lippman cues everything up.

The flow wasn't great because we kept bouncing around after reveals are made about who the bad guy(s) are so I felt bored until we got to the end

The ending. Woo boy. So there is reward money for solving the prosecutors death. Tess, Crow, and Lloyd get that money. Oh wait, not Lloyd, somehow Crow is going to hold his money for him and demands that he gets a job, gets back to school, etc. CROW MIND YOUR DAMN BUSINESS! I literally cringed at that damn ending. I would have checked his ass so bad. Lippman usually writes African American characters and the divide in Baltimore between white and black people so well. This whole book was so tone deaf. I just needed Whitney or Tess to tell Crow about his self and then I would have liked it more. ( )

I really enjoyed reading these books. ( )

so... this instalment was okay, but it felt pretty clunky at times. privilege and entitlement in an unequal society are highlighted, though i felt it could have used a bit more nuance. i like crow, and appreciated that we got a bit more of his voice and story this time. for me, the use of his first person POV wasn't distinct enough. ( )

Synopsis: Crow brings home a young man, feeds him dinner and provides a bed. The kid then steals Crow's car and promptly has a wreck. What compounds this is that Lloyd seems to be involved, without knowing it, in the murder of a district attorney.
Review: Interesting twist since this is told through Crow's eyes. ( )

While Tess is putting together a presentation on investigation techniques for the local paper, she coincidentally comes into contact with a young man who knows more than she should about one of the murders she was using as an example. In trying to protect her “source” and figure out who actually committed this murder, Tess finds herself in danger again. Only, this time, other family members and friends may be threatened, too.
While the initial coincidence that sparks Tess’ involvement in this case is pretty farfetched, the rest of the action is compelling and suspenseful, a twisting maze of secrets to uncover. As always the character development of our protagonist, the recurring cast, and even our one-shot villains is well-thought-out and genuine.
This whole series is highly recommended. ( )

For Tess Monaghan, the unsolved murder of a young federal prosecutor is nothing more than a theoretical problem, one of several cases to be deconstructed in her new gig as a consultant to the local newspaper. But it becomes all too tangible when her boyfriend brings home a young street kid who doesn't even realize he holds an important key to the man's death. Tess agrees to protect the boy's identity no matter what, especially when one of his friends is killed in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. But with federal agents determined to learn the boy's name at any cost, Tess finds out just how far even official authorities will go to get what they want. Soo she's facing felony charges - and her boyfriend, Crow, has one into hiding with his young protege, so Tess can't deliver the kid to investigators even if she wants to. ( )

An excellent Tess Monaghan book that shakes things up by using many different points of view to tell the story. Highly recommended. ( )

This book, the ninth in the Tess Monaghan detective series, begins with a surprise: the preface is narrated by Tess’s boyfriend, Edgar “Crow” Ransome.

Crow is an interesting guy. He is always upbeat, in a nice counterbalance to Tess’s surliness, and is very supportive of Tess and whatever she wants to do. Although younger than Tess, he is devoted to her, even though, as he says, his relationship with Tess is “frustrating, infuriating, heartbreaking, exhilarating.”

Crow, a do-gooder, brings home a black teen, Lloyd Jupiter, who had tried to scam Crow outside the soup kitchen where Crow was delivering food. But it's cold, and Lloyd has no place to sleep. During the night, Lloyd steals some items from Crow and Tess, and then tries to leave in one of their cars, but stalls it out and gets hit by a neighbor. Lloyd runs away, but Tess is determined to find him. She isn't worried about the theft so much as the fact that Lloyd reacted strangely when he heard her say the name of a U.S. Assistant Attorney who was murdered; a murder which Tess is investigating.

Tess and her best friend Whitney manage to find Lloyd and extract the information Tess needs. Tess then reveals what Lloyd told her to the newspapers, on the condition that Lloyd’s name is omitted. The reporter does keep Lloyd’s name a secret, but publishes Tess’s name. Now she is being pursued by the FBI, the DEA, and U.S. Attorney’s Office. Lloyd and Crow are in danger also, and all three end up on the run.

Evaluation: The “mystery” of this book was pretty evident to me right from the beginning, but nevertheless, this installment of the Monaghan series is one of my favorites so far. I really liked the way Lippman integrated race (pun intended) into the plot in a way that is never just black or white (okay, I’ll stop), as well as her exploration of the issues of poverty and “do-gooding.” The characterization is particularly impressive in this book, and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Crow a little better. ( )

This Tess Monaghan novel is a book sale find. I seem to be on a newspaper kick. Just reviewed Morning Miracle about The Washington Post, and now this author, Laura Lippman, was a Baltimore Sun reporter before finding success as a novelist. Also, a reporter for a fictional Baltimore paper plays an important part on this story.

Tess is a private detective who lives with her boyfriend known as Crow. Tess is realistic and rational, but Crow has a soft side and thus he ends up befriending a black teenager named Lloyd Jupiter who pretty much lives on the street and gets by through minor scams. Tess thinks Crow is much too soft. She doesn't trust the kid, and she's right - Jupiter gets them into more trouble than they can handle.

It's the characters that interested me in this book; not so much the story. Not only are Tess and Crow and their relationship intriguing, the kid is fascinating. There is a young assistant U.S. attorney on the make but incompetent, an FBI agent trying to survive until retirement age, and a dim-bulb DEA agent who thinks with his fists. The two agents have both been caught in activities that got them in trouble with their agencies, and now they're up to something again, together this time.

Secrets run the storyline from beginning to end. People keeping secrets for a variety of reasons, understandable reasons both good and bad. It's a little complicated but not enough to put the reader off completely. It's worth the read just for the characters and their individual goals. ( )

Another really excellent book in a good series. Tess's boyfriend Crow brings home for a night a young homeless black man. It turns out that he is a key witness to a clue to the murder of an assistant District Attorney. Crow and the young man flee while law enforcement comes down on Tess to try and find him. The threat to Tess and her family gets worse and worse.

Excellent suspense
. ( )

On the whole, I liked this one less than the first Tess Monaghan novel I read. I think because so much of this came from Crow’s POV or was about Crow. I didn’t like him. Bleeding heart liberal and doofus without a lot of common sense. Brings a frigging criminal to their house and then is all surprised when the little jerk tries to rip them off. Then all through the rest of the story he kept doing asinine things. He is a dope and not worthy of Tess at all.

Of course it is two of the three determined law-enforcement officials that are at the heart of the case. They were blackmailing a small time crook and the dead lawyer got wind of it and wanted in. Then his wife got knocked up and he wanted out. Well, he got out and because of an overly-complex cover up, Lloyd knows more than he should. Which is not a hell of a lot, but enough for Tess to get into trouble over.

One thing I did like was the involvement of the third law-enforcement official; an officious little prick from the U.S. Attorney’s office he tried to make nicey-nice with a DEA agent from his building. The little poseur pretends he smokes so he can pally up with colleagues in his building. This was the wrong guy – Bully saw right through Poseur’s façade and figures that he and his FBI accomplice can use him. The Poseur never suspects a thing. He’s so full of himself and the assured future busting this case will bring him that he never sees his “friends” for what they are and he never sees the end coming.

Eventually it is up to Lloyd and Crow to get out of their own predicament. Crow felt that he had to protect the little criminal and hide him. But Mr. DEA and FBI found them and are gunning for them. Luck is on their side and they kill one guy before Tess can get there. The FBI guy eats his gun in desperation.

After all is said and done, Crow wants to continue to help Lloyd who, quite frankly, doesn’t seem like someone worth saving. Sure, he might have been intelligent if someone could have gotten to him sooner. But as it is, he’s lost all imagination and curiosity. He simply cannot put himself in anyone elses' shoes, imagine life in any other circumstances other than what it is now or understand another POV. He’s dense and it isn’t necessarily his fault. It ends with Crow’s offer to pay the kid’s way through school and the kid not making up his mind. Bah. Keep your money, Crow, I think it will be wasted on this punk.

Another series of book with main character PI Tess Monaghan. Her boyfriend, Crow, brought home a homeless teenager for dinner and to spend a night, not knowing that he played a part in the death of an Assistant US Attorney. Tess managed to convinced him to talk to the papers with complete anonymity. Unfortunately, it was revealed that the source came from Tess. News travelled fast and she was hounded by 3 officials from separate government bureau. Unknown to her, each of these men has their own agenda, bringing in more death as they tried to find out whom and where this homeless teenager is – eager to silence him before the actual truth is out.

Overall, this book is a good read. Each character was narrated well and you get insights on the lives of those homeless, hungry and neglected children – like Lloyd and his friend Dub, as well as corrupt officials who with no qualms, take the available advantage for their own gain and advancement. ( )

Very suspenseful mystery involving a street kid and what he knows. Tess' boyfriend brings him home after he (Lloyd) pulls a flat tire con on his car. The boy knows something about a murder and Crow goes into hiding with Lloyd leaving Tess to deal with corrupt law officials. ( )

Couldn't love these characters, though they were pleasant enough. Was a little put off by Crow's passivity. (Others may find that appealing.) Tess's band of friends are mildly amusing.

For my taste, and I do think this is a matter of taste, there was a little too much reliance on stock: the street kid, all the federal agents, the angelic mama in the minivan.

Another excellent story in the series. Tess' boyfriend,Crow, pickes up street teenager and brings him home. In short order a federal agent is murdered, Tess is under the microscope and Crow has taken Lloyd into hiding. Story has many twists and turns as Tess keeps her father's old joke in mind-We're from the government -and we're here to help you" ( )