Fortune Favors the Dead

August 1, 2020
A sprightly period debut that shows New York's preeminent female detective and her assistant plying their trade in 1945. When the matriarch of the well-to-do Collins family is bashed to death by a crystal ball in a locked room, her relatives ask Lillian Pentecost to look into the case. Despite its wealth, the family has already seen its share of troubles. Abigail Collins' husband, steel magnate Alistair Collins, shot himself a year ago. Before her own death, Abigail was consulting psychic Ariel Belestrade, whose practices are so questionable that she's being investigated by skeptical anthropology professor Olivia Waterhouse. And problems continue without missing a beat. Shortly after Harrison Wallace, the acting CEO of Collins Steelworks and Manufacturing, hires Lillian, Rebecca Collins, Abigail's saucy daughter and Wallace's goddaughter, starts hitting on Willowjean Parker, the assistant Lillian hired away from a circus and trained as her assistant and successor. Will is both responsive to and disconcerted by Becca's overtures; certainly she'd rather get kissed by Becca than beaten by the unseen enemy who attacks her moments after their most recent t�te-�-t�te. Spotswood supplies scattershot period detail (Will presciently calls Lillian "Ms. Pentecost" in 1945), mild wisecracks, an anticlimactic solution to that locked-room puzzle, and a Chinese box of denouements: If your chosen suspect isn't pronounced guilty, just wait a few pages. The most striking feature is the provocative gender-flipping of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

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Starred review from August 24, 2020
Spotswood’s stellar debut puts a modern spin on classic hard-boiled fiction with a duo of female private investigators. In 1945 Manhattan, Lillian Pentecost, “the most famous woman detective in the city and possibly the country,” struggles with multiple sclerosis. Fortunately, Lillian can always rely on her sharp-witted assistant, Willowjean Parker. Lillian hired her three years earlier after Will, a runaway whose five years performing with a traveling circus gave her a unique skill set, used her knife training to save Lillian’s life from a gunman. Their latest case involves a wealthy woman who was bludgeoned to death with a crystal ball in a locked room during a party. It becomes personal when Lillian realizes that an old adversary, a fake medium and spiritual adviser, is entangled in the murder. Complications arise after Will becomes romantically entangled with the victim’s beautiful daughter. The deep and sensitive characterization of the two protagonists, coupled with rich description and tonally spot-on humor, make this a novel to remember. Spotswood is definitely a writer to watch. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary.

September 11, 2020

DEBUT Spotswood's 1940s-set mystery is a light, breezy "popcorn" book that will keep readers engaged from start to finish. The story is told from the viewpoint of street-smart Willowjean Parker, known as Will, who ran away to join the circus and became an expert knife thrower. Taking a side job as an overnight guard on a building site, Will encounters Lillian Pentecost, "New York City's preeminent lady gumshoe." Owing to multiple sclerosis, Lillian is not as steady on her feet as she used to be, but her sleuthing skills unravel a crime involving Mr. McCloskey, the manager of the building site, and Will finishes him off with a knife in the back. After three days in jail, Will is released, leaves the circus behind, and teams up with Lillian to be her right-hand woman. Readers might assume this is the crime built up to throughout the book, but the narrative takes a sudden shift to a second crime involving the wealthy Collins family. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, and aided by Will, Lillian unveils the murderer. VERDICT This is a fun whodunit for high schoolers up through adults. It's easy to pick up and put down again, perfect for a cozy weekend read.--Beth Bland, Milwaukee

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