Judy's Reviews > In Big Trouble

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!