Butcher's Hill

How predictive am I? I find a series and start plowing through.  The sad thing is, my library randomly doesn't have book number 4.  They had 2, 3 and they have 5 and 6 and I haven't ventured further to see what else they have and don't but who doesn't have the 1st book and the 4th??? Seriously.  So, now I am on the wait list for it to come from another library, and am on a Tess Monaghan hiatus. 

Butcher's Hill is the beginning of Tess Monaghan's private investigator business all on her own.  Well, she has a silent partner and Tyner to help, but she is doing it on her own.  Yay, Tess.  Her first customer is the Butcher of Butcher's Hill.  He was recently let out of prison after 5 years for killing a young boy who was a neighborhood hoodlum.  He wants Tess to find the hoodlums friends to see if they need any money and to apologize to them.

Her next client, Mary Browne, wants help finding her lost sister.  Or does she?

The suspense heats up when the kids Tess has been hired to find start ending up dead after someone broke into her office, and Mary Browne is not Mary Browne. 

I really liked this one and have definitely seen that Lippman's writing has improved from the first book.  Looking back the first book was kind of clunky and since they have streamlined into less random details and more focused writing.  Can't wait to read the next one!

The book also had an interesting insight into the welfare/adoptive/foster care system and how much people get paid for help.  Like for a welfare mom she would get say 200 a month, foster care 500 and to adopt people pay like 10,000.  Quite interesting.  How much is a kid worth? Sad.

Any book series I should check out now that I am waiting for the next book?