Critical Mick

More specifically, in order to keep her word and protect the identity of her source, Tess Monaghan must withstand extraordinary pressure from a badass team of FBI and DEA agents who are investigating the killing of up-and-coming federal prosecutor Gregory Youssef. Tess stumbled upon fresh information about the Youssef cold case by chance encounter with a homeless scam artist named Lloyd Jupiter. The sixteen year old dropout has unwanted proof that the sordid circumstances of Youssef's death are nothing more than a cover-up for a devious, deep-running conspiracy. As soon as the story (sans any names but Tess's) is delivered to the cops via the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light, one of Lloyd's street amigos is whacked in a case of mistaken identity. Both underworld figures and authorities of questionable motive want to get hold of the kid badly.

Tess's boyfriend, Edgar "Crow" Ransome takes Lloyd and disappears for the kid's own safety. Tess is soon digging up leads as best she can while being harassed to the full extent of the FBI's power. Hers and her family's finances are raked over, she is threatened with trumped-up charges, and mercilessly intimidated. Are the agents overstepping their bounds? Aren't they only supposed to do that to real bad guys? Don't they care that jail is for the criminals who killed Youssef, not for people who exercise their constitutional fifth amendment right?

Laura Lippman's The Last Place won the in 2007 for Best Book. Click for his review.

The other highlights are a list of Lippman's award-winning strengths: excellent pace, inventive plot, plausible characters, exemplary use of setting and historic detail. Laura Lippman is a fantastic crime writer, and she just gets better and better. There's even a one-day undercover aside which provides excellent social commentary about the misuse of goodwill and resources by high-profile charities. No good deed indeed!

As with John Connolly's The White Road, the weak leg of the novel was the wise-ass kid who the PI must defend. Lloyd Jupiter was annoying rather than interesting. True, his character was authentic: Lloyd reminded me of some of the sixteen year olds I used to teach: ungrateful, irresponsible, often dishonest. As Lippman's world is miles away from any corny Hallmark channel movie, I never quite bought the friendship that develops between Crow and Lloyd.

Another drawback: one of the novel's major twists can be seen coming from the very start.

A still from the TV series The Wire. Note who Bunk is reading!