It’s Lippman’s world, we just live in it

Laura Lippman gets the New York Times treatment in the Saturday edition, talking to Mel Gussow about the new Tess Monaghan novel, the real-life basis for the Snoop Sisters, and of course, Baltimore:

The author believes that Baltimore is the central character in many ways, and she explores it from slums to landmarks, from bars to restaurants. It has, she indicated, been known both as Charm City (the title of her second novel) and as Mob Town, a reference to the politics of the early 19th century.

The novels are filled with Baltimore lore: about the mynah bird who was removed from the local zoo for insulting visitors, about a thief who unknowingly surrendered to actors on “Homicide,” and about the legend that in Baltimore, the home of the crab cake, crabmeat is considered to be kosher.

“I can’t imagine I would ever get to the point where I would say I’ve ‘done’ Baltimore,” she said. “And like any city, it’s changing. In the years since I began writing the books, the influx of Latin American immigrants has been tremendous.”

It’s a great introductory piece for those unfamiliar with her work, and we’re already expecting people to stop in the city’s independent shops to request her books, another example of the “NYT Effect.”

But we really must take away brownie points from photographer Steve Rusk: always, always photograph people from above, not below. It’s just better that way.