The Girl in the Green Raincoat, by Laura Lippman

When Tess Monaghan is ordered bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy, the private investigator spends her time playing on the internet, her iPhone, and watching the dog walkers in the nearby park.  She is particularly interested in a girl in a green raincoat, constantly on her cell phone, walking an Italian greyhound on a matching green leash.  Then one day, Tess notices the dog running through the park, its matching owner no where around. The detective in Tess comes alive as she worries for the fate of the girl in the green raincoat.

What seems to be a simple missing persons case turns into a complicated mess of dead wives, accidental deaths, and too many holes in the story.  Tess, with the help of her team of Mrs. Blossom and Whitney, track down the husband of the girl, and immediately think he has murdered his poor wife, as he had his previous ones.  As they dig for the truth, Tess comes to terms with her impending motherhood, whether or not she will receive a proposal from her boyfriend, and what her life will be like after her daughter is born.  When Tess digs too deep, and the missing girl appears at her door, the truth comes out, but in the way you would expect.

Laura Lippman is a new author for me, and I found her straightforward, flawless writing to be refreshing in a genre that is sometimes plagued by too dramatic prose.  Since I love a good mystery, this novel proved to be a quick read that kept me engaged as Lippman revealed her plot a little at a time.  A nice read for a cold winter's day.