by Stephen Spotswood (Spotswood)
Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean Parker, famed female private investigators of the 1940s, return to the streets of New York City in this third entry in their popular series. They are hired by writer Holly Quick, who tells them “somebody is stealing my murders!” A series of murders has occurred which use some of Holly’s pulp detective stories as inspiration for the killings. Holly’s one demand — the police can’t be involved, as Holly has some secrets of her own she doesn’t want to have revealed.
Working this case, with one hand
figuratively tied behind her back, Parker is frustrated when her boss hires a
sleazy “divorce photo” P.I. do so some research, while she, herself, is stuck
under cover in an office trying to make a slender lead on one of their
long-standing cases pay off. Eventually the Holly Quick case comes to a head,
with a victim right outside Pentecost & Parker’s brownstone.
Both Parker (our central character
and narrator) and Pentecost are intriguing characters, and the snappy dialog
and “noirish” tones of this novel rival any with hard-bitten male protagonists.
Parker’s fluid sexuality adds an interesting “modern” layer onto what is
otherwise a solid historical P.I. tale. I look forward to additional future
entries in this series.
(If you enjoy this, you may also
wish to try Fortune Favors the Dead (2020) and Murder Under Her Skin (2021) the preceding entries in the
Pentecost and Parker series. A fourth, Murder Crossed Her Mind came out at the very end of 2023.)
( official Stephen Spotswood
web site )
See Scott C’s review of both Fortune Favors the Dead and Murder Under Her Skin, the first two in this series, in the June 2022 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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If you're a mystery fan, you're invited to join us for this month's Just Desserts meeting tonight, January 25th, at 6:30 p.m. in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown at 14th & "N" St. -- this mystery-themed discussion group meets on the last Thursday of each month, January through October. Tonight, in our 2024 season premiere, we'll be discussing the body of works of contemporary American thriller/suspense author Allison Brennan.
Even if you haven't read anything by Brennan for this specific discussion, you can still participate, and learn about great new mysteries to try! For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts
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