Charm City by Laura Lippman

Charm City by Laura Lippman

In New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman's electrifying thriller, PI Tess Monaghan discovers she might've gotten herself into a dangerous situation for which there's no way out. . . .

PI Tess Monaghan is ecstatic to hear the news that business tycoon Gerard Wink Wynkowski wants to bring pro-basketball back to Baltimore. But when Wink's checkered past--which runs the gamut from domestic abuse and compulsive gambling to armed robberies and even manslaughter--makes the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light, aka the Blight his project is jeopardized. No one is more surprised at the expos than the editors of the paper who were certain they killed the piece. Hoping to uncover who hacked into their computers, the newspaper hires Tess.

But soon after the story on Wink runs, he's found asphyxiated in his garage with his car's engine running. Suicide appears to be the cause of his death--and everyone is blaming the Blight for airing his dirty laundry and sending him into the downward spiral that led to his demise. But the more Tess uncovers about Wink, the more she's convinced that someone with an axe to grind wanted him dead and was willing to go as far as murdering him.

And if this all weren't enough to keep her plate full, Tess must also find the lowlifes who roughed up her uncle--the same men who are intent on getting back a prized Greyhound dog which she's currently looking after while her uncle recuperates. Now as Tess's PI skills are put to the ultimate test, she must stay one step ahead of a diabolical

Joseph Wallace has published over fifteen books and dozens of articles on a wide range of themes, including baseball, natural history, medicine, and the invention of the light bulb. Liminal is his first published noir story. Laura Lippman deserves credit for suggesting it, especially since he's a lifetime New York Mets fan who remembers the 1969 World Series well.