Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman

 

Tess Monaghan is at a crossroads.  Having lost her job as a newspaper journalist, she has been drifting for two years now, working temporary and part-time jobs to make ends meet while she decides what she wants to do with her life.  She has some constants and rowing is one of them.  Tess starts her mornings with a long rowing trip that carries over her skill as a college rower.  Her best friend in that world is Rock Paxton.  He is even more serious about rowing than Tess and works only to be able to afford to be on the racing circuit.  

One morning Rock has something he wants to discuss with Tess.  He has gotten engaged to Ava, a shallow woman Tess can't stand but who Rock adores.  But he has been worried about her movements lately and he wants to hire Tess to follow Ava and see if someone is bothering her.  Tess is taken aback.  She has no background in following people and she isn't really interested in doing so with Ava.  But she does think Ava is the wrong woman for Rock and she reluctantly agrees.  Once on the job, Tess quickly finds that Rock's suspicions are valid.  Ava appears to be having a relationship on the side with a lawyer in her firm, Michael Abramowitz, an older partner.  When Tess confronts Ava about it, Ava runs to Rock and the next thing Tess knows, Abramowitz is dead and Rock is in jail charged with the murder.

Now Tess has a reason to be an investigator.  She is sure that Rock isn't a murderer but the case against him couldn't be much stronger.  Can Tess find what really happened that night and who else might have wanted to kill Abramowitz?

This is the first novel in the Tess Monaghan story.  It is full of local Baltimore flavor which is the background of the author.  Tess is a strong and independent woman who won't be stopped once she decides to follow a path and there are lots of quirky and interesting secondary characters such as Tess's bookstore owning aunt and the men who are in her life.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.