What do readers think of The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman? Write your own review.

I was very excited when I found this book in my mailbox, because although I had heard of Laura Lipman as a well-known writer of crime fiction, I had never read anything written by her. I'm sorry to say that the story did not grab me the way I expected it would. It was an interesting enough story, but it just wasn't a compelling read. I found some humor in some sections but overall it never became the page-turner that I had sought.

This a quick and easy mystery, good for a lazy afternoon but lacks depth. A woman on bedrest watches out the window and sees a woman in a green raincoat walk her dog across the street every day. When she doesn't show up, the woman is determined to find out what happened. The plot was a little far-fetched and I found myself not caring what happened. Lippman is a great writer- I loved I'd Know You Anywhere. This novella is not her best.

Having read Lippman’s “What the Dead Know, “ I was anxious to read another one of her creations. “The Girl in the Green Raincoat is a “Rear Window” reincarnation. This Alfred Hitchcock mode novel places a very pregnant, bed-confined private investigator, Tess Monaghan, in the center of a conundrum. The story is full of interesting/quirky characters that not only fit the story but also keep it moving, however, the ending was a bit too obvious and very predictable for my purposes. This quick little read is perfect for a lazy afternoon’s entertainment.

I want to start out by saying that I am a huge Laura Lippman fan, having read many of her stand alone novels. This novella, a small book that first appeared in serial form in the New York Times magazine, is part of her popular Tess Monaghan series. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of that series and maybe that is why I found the book to be just "ok". Put on bed rest for the last 2 months of her pregnancy, Tess has only a window to look out of, and sees a girl in a green raincoat walking her greyhound everyday. One day the dog appears, but the woman no longer is with him, and Tess's curious nature is on alert and ready to solve the mystery. The author did have a great twist in it, but I found myself unable to care much about the characters and that is a must for me. For those of you who are die hard Tess Monaghan fans, you may see it differently. For me, it was a disappointment.

This was my first Laura Lippman and I will read more. "The Girl in the Green Raincoat" develops very nicely with clearly drawn characters. They were my favorite part. Tess, the main character, was a stretch at times, especially at the unveiling of the "mystery". For me, that was the weak point in the book. In my opinion the clarity Ms Lippman demonstrated in developing the plot was lost at the end. It felt scrambled and I felt a little cheated. Did the length she choose for the book help or hurt? Hurt. Are her characters fun and really developed ... yes. So I think a 3 out of 5 is fair for this book.

As a lover of long, lengthy drama filled books, I am always looking for the short, sweet, entertaining books that give me a breather in between tragedies. My guilty pleasure is Sue Grafton and others like her. This book held the promise of that kind of refreshment. It's short (I read it in afternoon), kind of sweet but it stopped short of being very entertaining. It was superficial and predictable and left me wondering if I had actually figured everything out before I even started reading. Perhaps if I already had a relationship with the detective Tess Monaghan, I might have forgiven some of the short comings. I am wondering if Laura Lippman has the potential to be my next breath of fresh air between novels and I will give her another chance but, as a mystery, this one left me scratching my head.

It's been a long while since I visited with Tess Monaghan and her beloved city of Baltimore. A short novella, reminiscent of Rear Window, that was a quick and easy read. Bedridden in her final months of pregnancy, Tess watches a woman in a green raincoat walk her dog in the park across the street everyday. When she doesn't show up for a few days and her dog is found loose in the park, Tess is determined to find out what happened to her. I was immediately pulled into the story. An engaging read, whose ending I never saw coming.

I was really looking forward to reading this book from the description they gave when I was able to choose it. But I was disappointed. It was't a bad book, it just was't a good book. Tess, the main character was described as a intelligent person, but she didn't act like one. For her to get that obsessed with someone she didn't know and in such a short time just didn't seem real.