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Title details for Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood - Wait list

Fortune Favors the Dead

A Novel

#1 in series

by Stephen Spotswood
Kirsten Potter
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: At least 6 months
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: At least 6 months
A 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.
“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 French, bestselling author of The Searcher

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.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Pentecost and Parker Mystery

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 27, 2020

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593293263
      • File size: 245712 KB
      • Duration: 08:31:53

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      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.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Kirsten Potter evokes the ambiance of 1945 New York City in this historical mystery. On Halloween, Abigail Collins locks herself alone in a room at a party to commune with the spirit of her late husband, who has supposedly been summoned by a noted psychic. When the other guests break down the door, Abigail has been murdered, and some think the ghost of her husband did it. After being hired to find the true murderer, PI Lillian Pentecost and her assistant, Willowjean "Will" Parker, chase down the culprit. As the voice of Will, the narrator of the story, Potter uses a matter-of-fact tone, and for the rest of the characters she uses strong expression. This strategy proves to be effective. V.M.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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