In a Strange City by Laura Lippman

Tess Monaghan mystery series

Book 6

Every January 19th, in honor of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a loyal clique waits in the small hours for the "Visitor," also known as the "Poe Toaster," to approach Poe's tomb. He wears a formal cape and carries three blood-red roses and a bottle of cognac as tribute. For some reason the press keep their distance, as do bystanders. This year, for the first time, PI Tess Monaghan is present, too, along with her boyfriend, Crow. Tess has been comissioned to discover the identity of the Poe Toaster by a would-be client, Tess awaits the coming of the Visitor in the freezing winter night. Suddenly, two caped men with roses and cognac show up. A shot rings out one man lies dead, the other runs off. Tess tries to piece together what happened with red herrings and partial truths.

This is a much more complicated story than previous Tess novels. So I really enjoyed the complexity of it and enjoyed the ride. Laura Lippman has really become one of my favorite authors as I really enjoy her storylines and her character developments.