In Big Trouble

Tess Monaghan #4

by Laura Lippman

Join the world of New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan in the Shamus and Anthony Award-winning fourth book in the acclaimed series

In Big Trouble

Tess Monaghan has learned the hard way how to survive on the streets of Baltimore—first as a fearless investigative reporter and lately as a PI. But a new case is about to take her way out of her element.

What begins with a tantalizing shard of a newspaper headline—"In Big Trouble"—above a photograph of an old boyfriend will end far away in another world, where people dress and talk differently . . . and rich people's games can have lethal consequences. Here where the sun is merciless—and curiosity can kill faster than a rattler's bite—Tess is going to have to confront her past and, hopefully, live to tell about it. For the answers she seeks about a man she thought she knew may be somehow linked to a murderer who two-steps to a very deadly drummer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Detective, Thriller

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Since Laura Lippman’s debut, she has been recognized as a distinctive voice in mystery fiction and named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. Stephen King called her “special, even extraordinary,” and Gillian Flynn wrote, “She is simply a brilliant novelist.” Her books have won most of the major awards in her field and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her teenager.

Reviews

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get enough of this series and its characters. By book 4 I know what to expect and am closer to figuring out the end before it happens. I was close this time, but like Tess, I had many of the players but not in the correct places. I loved many things about this book, starting with the opening segment. It completely hooks the reader and sets the scene. We are not sure who the man is until the end of the book and the prologue comes full circle in the epilogue.

All of the characters continue to grow and evolve (Tyner, Crow, Aunt Kitty, and Jackie). It is wonderful to spend time with them all again. This installment focuses primarily on Crow. We see him in greater depth and he is more fully developed as a character. He has relocated to Texas to pursue his music career and finds himself "In Big Trouble". Tess embarks on a road trip with her greyhound. I loved the road trip and seeing Texas through Tess's eyes. Lippman had lived and worked in Texas for a while and her descriptions give the reader an authentic feeling of being there.

I love the owner of the hotel that Tess stays at and Guzman, the new officer introduced in this installment. We meet "in person" a reporter Tess had spoken with on the phone in a previous book. As a former musician and lover of music, I loved the time spent in the different venues, descriptions of bands/playlists, and Crow's evolution as a musician.

Crow and Tess have unfinished business, but she needs to find him first. Unfortunately, Tess finds bodies in horrific states of post-murder while on the hunt for Crow. Tess becomes connected to a Texas lawyer (Rick) and his girlfriend (Kristina) along the way. I have a feeling we will be seeing them again in a future installment. In Big Trouble was a solid story and mystery in which the reader gets to see the main character evolve, grow, and mature.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got so behind with my reviews and realized I fell down on keeping up with my reviews of Tess and her many adventures. This one is almost a five star read. I marked it down one star since I thought the whole why behind one of the villains doing this was a reach. And I mean a really big reach. It also doesn't make sense why this person involved Tess in this. I did love the fact the action takes Tess away from Maryland. It allows us to see how she does in another location. Tess is still fast on her feet and not willing to let things go even when she should. This book also brings a resolution to her relationship with her ex, Crow.

Tess is still smarting from being foolish and letting her ex Crow go. Though she thinks she has gotten better in the almost year apart they have experienced, she still has pangs. When she gets a cutout from a newspaper saying In Big Trouble, Tess wonders if Crow is alright. When she is asked by his parents to track him down and let them know if he is okay, Tess reluctantly takes the case.

Tess in Texas is funny at times. She misses Baltimore and feels a bit lost while in San Antonio trying to track down Crow. The characters Tess comes across are unique and interesting. I did have a hard time with her taking her dog though. Come on.

The mystery aspect of things kicks into high gear when Tess finds a dead body and all signs points to Crow as the murderer. With bodies dropping, things seem to be looping back to an old case of kidnapping and also a multiple murdering incident that still haunts some of the characters in this story.

I loved seeing Jackie and Tess's Aunt Kitty in this one (only briefly). We have Jackie settling in with her new life raising her adopted daughter. Kitty seems to be moving onto something long-term too which has Tess horrified (I loved who the new love interest is) and pretending it's not happening.

The writing was typical Lippman. I feel like I know Tess and even though I would have told Crow to pound sand after a while, I get why Tess keeps trying to save him.

The flow was pretty good, not too bad until almost the end where it felt like too many coincidences kept happening.

Moving the setting from Baltimore to San Antonio was interesting, but was happy to see Tess back in familiar surroundings in the next book.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I am at my reading best, I like to read 100 pages a day. When books are challenging, when life events keep me busy, I don’t make that target and feel disgruntled. At such times I turn to the mystery/crime/thriller genre and pick up books by my favorite authors of that genre.

Laura Lippman is one of those I have lately added to my lists and In Big Trouble, the 4th in her Tess Monaghan series, did it for me. It may speak negatively about me and my life, but getting away from it all in these books is better than any other pleasure I can think of.

Tess is usually found in her hometown of Baltimore, MD. In Big Trouble takes her to Texas, from where a former boyfriend has let her know he is in big trouble. She arrives in Austin, then trails him to San Antonio. Naturally for Tess, she finds herself adrift and confused but determined to find Crow and get him out of trouble. If she can.

I appreciate an author who does most of the heavy lifting for me in terms of style. I suppose it is fitting in a mystery because so much is unknown for both the reader and the PI for most of the book. Lippman’s sharp humor, snarky references to all things that deserve snark, and the breezy way she drops in cultural references, keep me tearing along in the story even when I know less about what’s happening than Tess does. How does the author do that?

Another big plus is Tess herself: the dogged way she refuses to give up, the chances she takes, and her ability to bounce back from mistaken suppositions about the crime she is solving. Though Tess is much braver than I have ever been or will be, she also has her insecurities underneath her rebellious nature.

One warning I would give about In Big Trouble is that it begins with a Prologue that had my head spinning right away. Though it certainly set the scene as it takes place in The Alamo. OK, I was placed in Texas and I felt lucky to get out at the end, when I finally understood the Prologue.

Now I can happily go back to literary fiction, feeling refreshed!

[Gwen P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I consider myself a bit of a Laura Lippman fan, but this was one of the weaker entries in the Tess Monaghan series so far. It lacked many of the familiar elements that made the previous three books enjoyable - the loving descriptions of Baltimore scenery and Tess's relationships with her family and friends in particular, but also the slow and steady build of a typical investigation. Tess spends almost the entire book in Texas, away from everything that usually centers the books, which resulted in quite a bit of the kind of stiff expository writing that usually shows up in the first few chapters of the first book of a new series. To top that off, the investigation feels sloppy and directionless for most of the story. I did not expect that from a book this deep into a series, and it definitely put a damper on my reading experience.

After finishing the book, my over all opinion of the actual mystery (essentially a cold case which has inspired a string of new crimes) is positive, however it only really came together in the final quarter of the book. Because the last 25% of the book was so enjoyable, it only makes the previous 75% stand out for being so boring and loosely connected. I almost wonder if Lippman should have written this as a novella, and left out the middle 200 or so pages of fluff.

If you're a fan of the Tess Monaghan series I think this entry is still worth reading, but feel free to skim through the middle portion. Here's hoping book #5 is a bit more exciting...

Edited to add:
Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot to mention my biggest complaint about this book! The proofreading in the Kindle version I read was a mess. There were quite a few typos and the like, but the most egregious offence was when the narrator accidentally called a character by the wrong name. I had to read the sentence over a few times before I realized that, no, Rick the lawyer did miraculously not appear in a scene between Tess and Steve the cop. I blame the editor for this more than the author, but it still colored my over all impression of the book a bit.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a daughter of Texas, I must say I appreciated this segment of the series usually set in Baltimore. Tess Monaghan heads to Texas looking for her ex-boyfriend, Crow after she gets a card saying he is in trouble. Well, he is, but there is even more trouble as Tess runs into trouble when she finds a dead body. It's a good mystery, and I do like this series; so will continue with it.

[Hollyhocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I definitely didn't predict who did what in this book, there were so many twists and turns! The narrator - Deborah Hazlett - did a really good job especially w/ the differnet dialects. I'm bummed I started w/ the 4th book instead of the 1st but, my fault!

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite Lippman, so far. The mystery was fine, but the whole Crow plot was irksome, with him coming across as a spoiled, sulky 14 year old rather than a grown man. I would have left his whiny ass in San Antonio, to be honest.

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only thing wrong for me was a policeman being stabbed through his bullet-proof vest! Is that possible?

Good characters,new ones and old. The Texas
descriptions were entertaining too. The mystery was quite complex, and I was quite surprised at the who-done-it and the why.

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed this read a lot -- this story takes tess out of baltimore, and down to san antonio - where crow is currently living. of course, shenanigans ensue and tess is there every step of the way. lippman continues to do a great job of character development, and creating interesting mysteries.

[Bridget Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure Tess's sexuality is consistent with her character in other aspects of her life. She's 30 years old, having success as a private detective, and seems to have good relationships with her family. Her approach to her own sexuality and the actions of others seems more like a 19 year old, just striking out.
Maybe it's that she doesn't have male friends and all her interactions with men include sexual overtones.
Male characters have been doing that for forever but that's exactly why I've greatly limited reading mysteries with male protagonists.

I hope she finds a friend in the next book.
Not very challenging.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely good mystery featuring Baltimore P.I. Tess Monaghan, who goes to Texas to track down a missing person (who just happens to be her old boyfriend) when she finds herself stuck in a situation with multiple murders, an insane girl, and much more.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio book performed by Deborah Hazlett

Tess Monaghan – former reporter, current private detective – leaves the comforts of her Baltimore home to track down an old flame whose parents’ last letter was returned “moved – no forwarding address.” Tess agrees to go to Texas to find Crow, her only clues his last known address and a cryptic note she received that included a clipping with the headline “In Big Trouble.” She tracks him to Austin’s music scene and then to San Antonio, but she also discovers a dead body and a decades-old murder mystery. And she discovers some very colorful characters – rich, “old” money Texas family, a Mexican-American attorney who frequently speaks like a redneck, a Vietnamese landlady, and a Wisconsin transplant who loves milagros.

I like this series. Tess is an intelligent woman who keeps herself in shape and uses her wits and her strengths to get herself out of any difficult situation in which she lands. I’m not too keen on her tendency to want to bed half the men she encounters, but mostly she avoids these temptations. I loved all the literary references – from Don Quixote to James Joyce’s Ulysses, with a smattering of Tolstoy and Larry McMurtry for color. The final reveal was a surprise, but with plenty of supporting information / clues on retrospect. I was happy to find a book set in my home town. However … when she asks for an all-night eatery for a breakfast she cannot get in Baltimore, why go to Earl Abel’s for German chocolate cake? She should have been taken to the 24-hour Mi Tierra Café for menudo! But that’s a minor irritation that only a native would notice.

The audio, narrated by Deborah Hazlett, has some problems. Hazlett doesn’t know how to pronounce half the proper names associated with San Antonio, nor is she particularly adept at Spanish. Finally, she doesn’t have enough acting ability to significantly distinguish the voices of the many characters. However, I didn’t feel I should mark this down farther for the audio performer’s faults. It’s still a good, solid mystery read.

[Susan Ozment]

Tess Monaghan has learned the hard way how to survive on the streets of Baltimore—first as a fearless investigative reporter and lately as a PI. But a new case is about to take her way out of her element.

What begins with a tantalizing shard of a newspaper headline—"In Big Trouble"—above a photograph of an old boyfriend will end far away in another world, where people dress and talk differently . . . and rich people's games can have lethal consequences. Here where the sun is merciless—and curiosity can kill faster than a rattler's bite—Tess is going to have to confront her past and, hopefully, live to tell about it. For the answers she seeks about a man she thought she knew may be somehow linked to a murderer who two-steps to a very deadly drummer.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another weak entry. Plot was OK, if preposterous, but some of the nuts and bolts writing is just weak which is depressing. Also I'm never really convinced by Tess's romantic notions and how they play out. It's all a bit sub-par and I've already ordered the next two in the series.

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book if you skip the unnecessary transphobic prologue.

[Cynthia Vengraitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought #3 was a dud but in #4 Lippman redeemed herself. Excellent twists and turns, a surprise (for me that's unusual) ending and good closure. Lots of surprises about the characters lives included as well.
After breaking up in book 2 Tess receives a cryptic message about Crow being in 'big trouble.' So she heads to Texas after a stopover at his parents home in Charleston to search for him. Of course murder is involved. Tess helps solve an old one and some new ones.

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so pleased to have discovered Laura Lippman. Reading her prose is pure pleasure. Although I must say Tess made a lot of good and dear friends in the span of a few days in this book.

[lalo vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

a travel episode!

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were several characters I just did not like- but the story kept me interested. I just wish people would stop having sex with everyone else…

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! I love reading books set in places where I have been, in this case, San Antonio. This is a bit of a nail biter - and there has always an inevitability about Crow, that I could feel from the first book. Great story.

[MT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these characters

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another highly entertaining murder Tess Monaghan mystery

[Jenny Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

****SPOILER*** Don't read this if you don't like spoilers! This is not a review. I write these as notes to myself to keep track of what I have read.***** I really like this author. She keeps surprising me. Tess goes to TX to help Crow. By the end of the book I was happy to see that they are going to give it another go. The mystery is resolved with a complex, but not too complex, solution. Tess floats a theory, believes in it, then that is blown out of the water. She gets another theory and this one is closer to the truth. I didn't mind because I like the characters- Tess especially but she was paired with a defense lawyer that bucked the stereotype of slimey. He was great. And he gets his girl in the end too.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this installment of Tess Monaghan's story, we find Tess on the road to Texas, chasing down her ex, Crow, after his family enlists her to find out where he's disappeared to. Crow is an interesting character, and I appreciated how Lippman used this book to highlight his history and develop him as a character while still adding some excitement into Tess' story. That being said, he came across as a whiny little bitch for most of the book, and I didn't buy his motivations at all. I've really enjoyed the Tess Monaghan series over the past few months, but this was one of my least favorite installments.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only recently discovered Laura Lippman and I find that she provides a reliable light read in the
mystery category. Her PI is based in Baltimore and I enjoy the picture of that city that her books provide.
In this novel however, X travels to Texas hoping to track down her former lover, Crow, who seems to have disappeared.
Along the way, X discovers a corpse or two and becomes involved in solving the mystery surrounding the young
woman who has been having a relationship with Crow..both professional and personal. A good light read.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In October, I had to go to Baltimore for business. I thought it might be fun to pick up with the Tess Monaghan series after I got back. The thing is? This book is set in San Antonio - where I have to go for business next February.

Lippman is right on with Tess. She's a great character who gets more and more developed with every book. It was fun to see a different city and see how Tess dealt with it.

[BeverlyB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan's mysteries! I wish I had started the books in order, but, oh well! In Big Trouble had a little bit of everything. Tess travels to Texas to find Crow after receiving a postcard from him that sounds like a call for help. She arrives in Texas just in time to find a dead body before she locates Crow.
Some twists, some turns. I almost had it right! There were just enough twists to keep me hooked. I definitely cannot wait for more.

[Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should probably be spacing these paperback thrillers showcasing newcomer private detective Tess Monaghan a little more apart, but I can't help but be drawn into a quick and fun read when I am traveling. This mystery revolves around an open homicide in Texas, and while the writing continues to improve, it is still just your basic murder mystery.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because a friend put it in my hands. Despite being disappointed by Baltimore Blues, I like Laura Lippman. This book is set in Austin and San Antonio where Crow comes back into Tess' life. There are lots of references to Texas food and music, which made it fun. A nice escape read when you don't want anything too serious.

[Margaret Schwind · Rating 3 out of 5]

Departure from previous books in the Tess Monaghan series, in that it takes place almost entirely in San Antonio rather than in Baltimore, but it was a good story, with the requisite twists and turns.