Laura Lippman (29 page)

“IF YOU’VE MISSED LAURA LIPPMAN’S LIVELY, SMART SERIES…HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO CATCH UP…Lippman’s books have already won the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Shamus Awards.
THE SUGAR HOUSE
suggests she’d better clear another place on the shelf…Lippman’s love for the city is fierce. The city’s accents, food, politics, and habits are as much a part of her books as is tenacious Tess herself…The heady brew of Baltimore itself, as well as Tess and company, all stirred into action by Lippman’s formidable talent, promises a series to savor for years.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A SOLID AND ENTERTAINING MYSTERY ENRICHED BY LARGER INSIGHTS…displaying a uniqueness of voice and an ability to get to the heart of the human condition…Lippman consistently delivers a multi-layered and meticulously plotted story…The appeal of Lippman’s work lies in the richness of her Baltimore setting, as well as in the deeper themes that run throughout her books…However, [she] never lets these issues interfere with either the story at hand or with her rich characterizations.”

Washington Post Book World

“LAURA LIPPMAN DESERVES TO BE A BIG STAR.”

Julie Smith, author of
House of Blues

“[A] SWEET SUCCESS…heartbreaking…engaging characters…While taking a hard look at serious issues, Lippman has sharpened her storytelling, creating a complex plot leavened with generous amounts of humor…With a reporter’s eye, Lippman does an excellent job of portraying the lives of the rich and famous as well as the poor and ignored.”

San Antonio Express-News

“ABSORBING…[a] satisfying complexity of plot and character…Sex and death and civic corruption. Great ingredients for a good story—which
THE SUGAR HOUSE
unmistakably is—and one that Lippman has Tess piece together beautifully.”

Orlando Sentinel

“TENSE…The oddball Baltimore sensibility in
THE SUGAR HOUSE
has a gritty charm…Lippman gives every neighborhood a distinct, almost foreign personality [and] Tess seems instantly at home wherever she goes.”

New York Times Book Review

“KINSEY MILHONE, EAT YOUR HEART OUT…Though booksellers are cluttered with novels featuring smart and funny female P.I.s, Tess Monaghan is smarter and funnier than most. And author Laura Lippman, who’s won every major mystery award with her previous Tess books, has produced another winner with
THE SUGAR HOUSE
.”

Denver Rocky Mountain News

“THE BEST MYSTERY WRITING AROUND…Tess Monaghan, P.I., owns Baltimore the way Spenser owns Beantown…She is Charm City personified, sharing a kinship with the toughs of ‘Homicide,’ with the tender heroes of middle-period John Waters…Lippman is a master at baring both the soul and the body politic through the sneaky scrim of the page-turner. She’s also created a heroine who can crack wise about blueberry pie with the best of them.”

Village Voice Literary Supplement

“A WONDERFUL PIECE OF ENGAGED AND ENGAGING WRITING…The friends and family who aid the detective…is one of the most convincing, least sentimentally assembled gangs of accomplices you’ll find in the detective genre.”

Chicago Sun-Times

“DIVERTING BUT NEVER MINDLESS READING…Lippman has won awards, including the Edgar, for books in this series…This acclaim is well-deserved, for the stories are deftly plotted and the characters are well-drawn…
THE SUGAR HOUSE
is no exception.”

Austin American-Statesman

“TESS MONAGHAN NOT ONLY TRACKS DOWN MURDERERS, SHE CAPTURES THE CITY OF BALTIMORE, AN ALTOGETHER ENDEARING AND PECULIAR PLACE.”

David Simon, author of
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

“LUCKY BALTIMORE TO HAVE SUCH A CHRONICLER AS LAURA LIPPMAN. (And lucky us to have her as a tour guide!) I’m already looking forward to Tess Monaghan’s next adventure.”

Edgar Award-winning author Margaret Maron

“A HEARTY MEAL OF WELL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS AND AN EXPERTLY PLOTTED STORY…In this series, Lippman has delivered sturdy tales, wry humor, and snappy dialogue wrapped around an insider’s view of Baltimore.
THE SUGAR HOUSE
not only maintains Lippman’s high standards, it propels her to a new level…Lippman’s imaginative plot weaves together such far-flung themes as politics, eating disorders, and family ties in a cohesive tapestry. The author keeps the momentum driving forward as
THE SUGAR HOUSE
briskly takes hairpin twists and turns…Smart-mouthed and just plain smart, Tess is a heroine with foibles you can laugh at and faults you can forgive because they are so close to your own. Lippman’s keen sense of Baltimore makes Charm City everyone’s hometown…
THE SUGAR HOUSE
is so finely orchestrated that each clue not only peels away the mystery, but also brings a deeper understanding of the characters. [It] works equally well as a traditional private-eye novel or as a hip, modern novel about contemporary issues.”

Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“THIS ENTERTAINING NOVEL WILL HOLD YOUR INTEREST ALL THE WAY. You’ll enjoy the adventures of Tess Monaghan.”

Nashville Tennessean

“ONE OF THE HOTTEST YOUNG CRIME WRITERS IN PRINT.”

“CBS News Sunday Morning”

“GOOD STUFF…The earlier Tess Monaghan mysteries have been vastly and justly lauded, and I found this one at least as strong and attention devouring as its predecessors. Lots of local color…Lots of sleuthing…If I were you, I’d read it. But then, I already have.”

Baltimore Sun

“FIRST-RATE…[A] justly acclaimed series…Edgar and Anthony winner Lippman…really knows her town.”

Publishers Weekly

“LAURA LIPPMAN IS A TERRIFIC WRITER! As far as I’m concerned, she can’t write fast enough.”

Nationally bestselling author Ridley Pearson

“LIPPMAN’S BREEZY STYLE IS PERFECT FOR THE ANIMATED CHARACTERS WHO INHABIT TESS’ WORLD.”

Newark Star-Ledger

“TESS IS A FEISTY…BUNDLE OF INTELLECT AND MUSCLE, AND IT IS A JOY TO WATCH HER COME ALIVE.”

Washington Times

T
O THE
P
OWER OF
T
HREE

B
Y A
S
PIDER’S
T
HREAD

E
VERY
S
ECRET
T
HING

B
ALTIMORE
B
LUES

C
HARM
C
ITY

B
UTCHERS
H
ILL

I
N
B
IG
T
ROUBLE

T
HE
L
AST
P
LACE

T
HE
S
UGAR
H
OUSE

I
N A
S
TRANGE
C
ITY

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE SUGAR HOUSE.
Copyright © 2006 by Laura Lippman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Mobipocket Reader June 2006 ISBN 0-06-119336-4

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