“Razor-sharp style, tons of flair, a snappy sense of humor, and all the most satisfying elements of a really good noir novel, plus plenty of original twists of its own.”—Tana FrenchA wildly charming and fast-paced mystery written with all the panache of the hardboiled classics, Fortune Favors the Dead introduces Pentecost and Parker, an audacious new detective duo for the ages.It’s 1942 and … duo for the ages.
It’s 1942 and Willowjean “Will” Parker is a scrappy circus runaway whose knife-throwing skills have just saved the life of New York’s best, and most unorthodox, private investigator, Lillian Pentecost. When the dapper detective summons Will a few days later, she doesn’t expect to be offered a life-changing proposition: Lillian’s multiple sclerosis means she can’t keep up with her old case load alone, so she wants to hire Will to be her right-hand woman. In return, Will is to receive a salary, room and board, and training in Lillian’s very particular art of investigation.
Three years later, Will and Lillian are on the Collins case: Abigail Collins was found bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball following a big, boozy Halloween party at her home—her body slumped in the same chair where her steel magnate husband shot himself the year before. With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband (who else could have gotten inside the locked room?), the family has tasked the detectives with finding answers where the police have failed.
But that’s easier said than done in a case that involves messages from the dead, a seductive spiritualist, and Becca Collins—the beautiful daughter of the deceased, who Will quickly starts falling for. When Will and Becca’s relationship dances beyond the professional, Will finds herself in dangerous territory, and discovers she may have become the murderer’s next target.
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I enjoyed the interaction of the two main characters – sort of a female version of Nero Wolf and Archie. Also the time period and setting of this story – the end of World War Two in and around New York City – added color to this story, and could provide for some interesting storylines in subsequent books.
This book was a ton of fun! I loved that it was set in the 1940s, adding to the aura of an old-fashioned detective novel. I enjoyed the quirky characters and the way the murder mystery was laid out for you to solve. I appreciated that the main characters are a bit flawed.
In the first novel in the series, we are introduced to Ms. Lillian Pentecost and Miss Willowjean Parker. Willowjean recounts the story of the Collins case, where a wealthy couple are both found dead, a year apart. Clairvoyants, family secrets, and a little romance all play a part in this entertaining novel. I look forward to book 2!
Great characters, strong voice, interesting era. The plot is nicely twisty, and if a few elements were cliché, enough other aspects kept me guessing.
I absolutely adored this book. I felt like I was watching an old film noir but in vivid color, and I cannot wait for the next installment. I hope to see a dozen more Pentecost and Parker mysteries!
Reading this made me feel like I was listening to an old detective show over the radio. The pacing is comfortably fast, the rhetoric is stylized but not overdone, and the details of the mystery held my interest and never felt overwhelming. Or worse, boring! Yeah, you may end up guessing the ending—I know I figured out a few key details, not to brag—but I would feel confident in saying that regardless of any reader’s personal sleuthing skills, this mystery will still be a satisfying one.
And even if you hated the mystery, the characters alone are enough to carry the story. They’re absolutely wonderful, especially our heroine Will Parker and her employer Lillian Pentecost who radiate with such intelligence and authenticity. Part of the charm is that they fill these archetypal roles: the detective, the protégé, the femme fatale, etc. They feel comfortably familiar, right? But at the same time, Spotswood adds such charm, making this cast a unique and lovable one.
Like I said, I’m ready for Book Two!
Wilowjean is the gender-bending, post World War II, Cozy Noir heroine you’ve been waiting for. Fortune Favors the Dead plays with all the noir tropes without becoming trite. One of the best to come out of 2020.
post-WW2, private-investigators, murder-investigation, NYC, historical-fiction, historical-research, women-sleuths
WillowJean Parker has a lot of things in common with Archie Goodwin: swift critical thinking and a fun chameleonish personality, to start with. Having escaped from home she made the circus folk her family until they urged her to take the position offered her by the unimposing but famous lady detective in New York City who would use those practical talents and add even more to her repertoire. This case is a locked room mystery involving a wealthy family, a lot of secrets, and a woman who inveigled a place for herself in the family as a kind of medium. There are an abundance of interesting characters but few viable suspects except for the ghost (according to the medium). It takes a lot of due diligence, dancing around the law enforcement involvement, and discreet humor to solve the case with as few negative complications as possible.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Doubleday Books via NetGalley. Thank you!