Scan barcode
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Fourth in the Tess Monaghan mystery series normally set in Baltimore but taking place in San Antonio, Texas this time.
My Take
This one is complex as there are layers within layers within layers all boiling down to a very simple plot. Crow has become involved in something but it's deep within those layers. Right now the most critical question is why has Crow stopped calling his parents.
It's so frustrating when you think how much less trouble there would have been from the start if people would simply tell the truth...
I am curious to discover just how far Tyner's new relationship with Aunt Kitty goes...
The Story
A torn bit of newspaper is all the warning Tess has of trouble facing Crow. Determined to ignore it, her first contact with his parents, Felicia Kendall and Chris Ransome, causes her to change her mind and head to Texas. It takes a bit of detective work and help from Maury but eventually Tess tracks Crow down right after she finds her first murder victim.
This is followed by a visit with Marianna Barrett Conyers, the owner of the property where the first victim is found. The woman who is also related to the singer with whom Crow is involved. A singularly unhelpful woman whose words send Tess on a tour of the various bars in San Antonio as Tess searches for more information on the whereabouts of Emmie and Crow.
But finding Crow isn't really satisfying as he blows hot and cold on Tess. Tess' only comfort is her belief that Crow is no longer romantically involved with Emmie but there is...something. Something is going to happen in the next week for Crow is too adamant about needing to be available in that time. And Tess' research only results in another dead body. And the evidence making Crow out to be the murderer just keeps piling up.
The Characters
Tess Mongahan is a rower, former journalist and now a PI; Esskay her rescued greyhound.
Tyner Gray is a wheelchair-bound lawyer who won an Olympic silver in rowing and now provides Tess with encouragement in her new profession and serves as her initial clearing for new clients. Aunt Kitty runs a bookstore, Women and Children First, and rents the upstairs apartment to Tess. She also has a long history of taking up with very young, very handsome men. Jackie is a former client and adopted young Laylah (see Butcher's Hill).
Edgar "Crow" Ransome is still in Texas pursuing his music career with the singer he's met, Emily "Emmie" Sterne. Emmie has had a very chequered past. Or, at least, she takes great delight in trading on peoples' belief that she's damaged by it. For Emmie was found as a bloodied baby at the scene where her mother and two others were murdered.
Three people were murdered in what police believe was a robbery gone wrong: Frank Conyers, Lollie Sterne, and Pilar Rodriguez, the family cook. Marianna Barrett Conyers is Frank's widow and the only relative whom Emmie feels understands her; Dolores is her very protective maid. Gus Sterne is the man who raised Emmie along with his son Clay.
Sheriff Kolarik is Tess' first police encounter in Texas while Al Guzman is the detective in obsessed with the original murder; Steve Villanueve is a city patrolman obsessed with the case.
Darden and Weeks are ex-cons released from jail who are found horribly murdered.
Rick Trejo is a highly successful criminal lawyer who takes on Crow's case; Kristina is the woman he loves, with whom he fights, and who owns an antiques shop in town. Mrs. Nguyen is the Vietnamese manager of the cheap hotel, La Casita, Tess is staying at and Esskay's babysitter. Keith is an old friend of Aunt Kitty's and he and his son Maury own a bookstore in Austin.
The Cover and Title
The cover is purple brick with a blued-out negative of a building facade as an inset picture.
The title is true on several levels for Crow is In Big Trouble with his new singer.
My Take
This one is complex as there are layers within layers within layers all boiling down to a very simple plot. Crow has become involved in something but it's deep within those layers. Right now the most critical question is why has Crow stopped calling his parents.
It's so frustrating when you think how much less trouble there would have been from the start if people would simply tell the truth...
I am curious to discover just how far Tyner's new relationship with Aunt Kitty goes...
The Story
A torn bit of newspaper is all the warning Tess has of trouble facing Crow. Determined to ignore it, her first contact with his parents, Felicia Kendall and Chris Ransome, causes her to change her mind and head to Texas. It takes a bit of detective work and help from Maury but eventually Tess tracks Crow down right after she finds her first murder victim.
This is followed by a visit with Marianna Barrett Conyers, the owner of the property where the first victim is found. The woman who is also related to the singer with whom Crow is involved. A singularly unhelpful woman whose words send Tess on a tour of the various bars in San Antonio as Tess searches for more information on the whereabouts of Emmie and Crow.
But finding Crow isn't really satisfying as he blows hot and cold on Tess. Tess' only comfort is her belief that Crow is no longer romantically involved with Emmie but there is...something. Something is going to happen in the next week for Crow is too adamant about needing to be available in that time. And Tess' research only results in another dead body. And the evidence making Crow out to be the murderer just keeps piling up.
The Characters
Tess Mongahan is a rower, former journalist and now a PI; Esskay her rescued greyhound.
Tyner Gray is a wheelchair-bound lawyer who won an Olympic silver in rowing and now provides Tess with encouragement in her new profession and serves as her initial clearing for new clients. Aunt Kitty runs a bookstore, Women and Children First, and rents the upstairs apartment to Tess. She also has a long history of taking up with very young, very handsome men. Jackie is a former client and adopted young Laylah (see Butcher's Hill).
Edgar "Crow" Ransome is still in Texas pursuing his music career with the singer he's met, Emily "Emmie" Sterne. Emmie has had a very chequered past. Or, at least, she takes great delight in trading on peoples' belief that she's damaged by it. For Emmie was found as a bloodied baby at the scene where her mother and two others were murdered.
Three people were murdered in what police believe was a robbery gone wrong: Frank Conyers, Lollie Sterne, and Pilar Rodriguez, the family cook. Marianna Barrett Conyers is Frank's widow and the only relative whom Emmie feels understands her; Dolores is her very protective maid. Gus Sterne is the man who raised Emmie along with his son Clay.
Sheriff Kolarik is Tess' first police encounter in Texas while Al Guzman is the detective in obsessed with the original murder; Steve Villanueve is a city patrolman obsessed with the case.
Darden and Weeks are ex-cons released from jail who are found horribly murdered.
Rick Trejo is a highly successful criminal lawyer who takes on Crow's case; Kristina is the woman he loves, with whom he fights, and who owns an antiques shop in town. Mrs. Nguyen is the Vietnamese manager of the cheap hotel, La Casita, Tess is staying at and Esskay's babysitter. Keith is an old friend of Aunt Kitty's and he and his son Maury own a bookstore in Austin.
The Cover and Title
The cover is purple brick with a blued-out negative of a building facade as an inset picture.
The title is true on several levels for Crow is In Big Trouble with his new singer.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
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.
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.
mschrock8's review against another edition
3.0
A change of scenery for Tess.
I liked the St. Pauli girl reference (as a girl from St. Paul) and that Tess shopped at Half Price Books (as this St. Paul girl likes to do).
I liked the St. Pauli girl reference (as a girl from St. Paul) and that Tess shopped at Half Price Books (as this St. Paul girl likes to do).
littlemascara's review
3.0
I liked this book, and the resolution of the mystery was a surprise. The characters are well developed.
robnobody's review against another edition
This one takes PI Tess Monaghan out of her comfort zone (i.e., Baltimore) down to Texas to help out her ex-boyfriend who is in, you guessed it, big trouble. Like the others in the series, a fun detective novel with a greater-than-usual helping of relationship drama. Hazlett's narration always feels just a bit stilted to me, but her character voices more than make up for that.
mollytics's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
maureenr's review
3.0
consistent with other Tess Monaghan mysteries - this one takes place in San Antonio, so the change in scenery was nice.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annie77's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
deirdreanais's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5