Hardly Knew Her » (Bargain)

Well known for her popular series of mysteries starring the fearless Tess Monoghan, Laura Lippman has won every major mystery award, from the Anthony to the Agatha.

"Lippman shows herself to be a master of short fiction....read them fast, like a glutton, or slowly to savor each one. Either way, this is a treasure. " - Library JournalHardly Knew HerIn 1975 Baltimore, thirteen-year-old Sophia has a father with a gambling problem. When he pawns her most prized possession to cover his poker debts, Sophia takes matters into her own hands -- and learns to bluff in the process. "Lippman fans won t be disappointed with these small treasures. "- Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly

It’s not Linda Emond’s fault that most of Lippman’s women who kill are white, middle-class and between the aged 30–40. Almost all live in the corridor between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and eradicate men who have it coming to them. No wonder they tend to speak alike. The talented Emond strives with some success to individualize these murderers’ first-person narratives. In the short story “My Baby Walks the Streets of Baltimore,” Emond, who has previously read Lippman’s Another Thing to Fall, performs Tess Monaghan as the crisp and efficient detective she is meant to be. While Francois Battiste is given comparatively little to do, he shines in his reading of “Pony Girl” as the too-smooth and confident man-on-the-make who is no match for two beautiful Mardi Gras celebrants. This collection is both entertaining and forgettable, but Lippman fans will not be disappointed by these talented performances. A Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 25). (Oct.)

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Introduction George Pelecanos Pelecanos, George

Pt. I Girls Gone Wild

The Crack Cocaine Diet 3

What He Needed 17

Dear Penthouse Forum (A First Draft) 27

The Babysitter's Code 36

Hardly Knew Her 48

Femme Fatale 66

One True Love 84

Pt. II Other Cities, Not My Own

Pony Girl 107

ARM and the Woman 116

Honor Bar 131

A Good Fuck Spoiled 146

Pt. III My Baby Walks the Streets of Baltimore

Easy as A-B-C 161

Black-Eyed Susan 172

Ropa Vieja 185

The Shoeshine Man's Regrets 204

The Accidental Detective 219

Pt. IV Scratch a Woman

Scratch a Woman 237

Afterword 291