Murder crossed her mind : a Pentecost and Parker mystery

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Title:

Murder crossed her mind : a Pentecost and Parker mystery

Author:

Spotswood, Stephen, author.

Series:

Pentecost and Parker ;

Series Number:

Summary:

Vera Bodine, an elderly shut-in with an exceptional memory, has gone missing and famed detective Lillian Pentecost and her crackerjack assistant Willowjean “Will” Parker have been hired to track her down. But the New York City of 1947 can be a dangerous place, and there’s no shortage of people who might like to get ahold of what’s in Bodine’s head. Does her disappearance have to do with the high-profile law firm whose secrets she still keeps; the violent murder of a young woman, with which Bodine had lately become obsessed; or is it the work she did with the FBI hunting Nazi spies intent on wartime sabotage? Any and all are on the suspect list, including their client, Forest Whitsun, hotshot defense attorney and no friend to Pentecost and Parker. The clock is ticking to get Bodine back alive, but circumstances conspire to pull both investigators away from the case. Will is hot on the trail of a stickup team who are using her name—and maybe her gun—for their own ends. While Lillian again finds herself up against murder-obsessed millionaire Jessup Quincannon, who has discovered a secret from her past—something he plans to use to either rein the great detective in . . . or destroy her. To solve this mystery, and defeat their own personal demons, the pair will have to go nose-to-nose with murderous gangsters, make deals with conniving federal agents, confront Nazi spies, and bend their own ethical rules to the point of breaking. Before time runs out for everyone. -- Amazon.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xii, 364 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Detective and mystery fiction.

Subject Term:

Missing persons -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Women detectives -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Older women -- Crimes against -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction

Publisher:

Doubleday,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9780385549288

Publication Information:

New York : Doubleday, [2023]

Call Number:

SPOTSWOOD

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003683979	New Adult Fiction	SPOTSWOOD Stephen	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
33607003684001	New Adult Fiction	SPOTSWOOD Stephen	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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On Order

Summary

The New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * The latest action-packed installment in the Nero Award-winning Pentecost & Parker Mystery series follows Lillian and Will tracking the suspicious disappearance of a woman who might have known too much. From the author of Fortune Favors the Dead and Murder Under Her Skin.

Vera Bodine, an elderly shut-in with an exceptional memory, has gone missing and famed detective Lillian Pentecost and her crackerjack assistant Willowjean "Will" Parker have been hired to track her down. But the New York City of 1947 can be a dangerous place, and there's no shortage of people who might like to get ahold of what's in Bodine's head.

Does her disappearance have to do with the high-profile law firm whose secrets she still keeps; the violent murder of a young woman, with which Bodine had lately become obsessed; or is it the work she did with the FBI hunting Nazi spies intent on wartime sabotage? Any and all are on the suspect list, including their client, Forest Whitsun, hotshot defense attorney and no friend to Pentecost and Parker.

The clock is ticking to get Bodine back alive, but circumstances conspire to pull both investigators away from the case. Will is hot on the trail of a stickup team who are using her name--and maybe her gun--for their own ends. While Lillian again finds herself up against murder-obsessed millionaire Jessup Quincannon, who has discovered a secret from her past--something he plans to use to either rein the great detective in . . . or destroy her.

To solve this mystery, and defeat their own personal demons, the pair will have to go nose-to-nose with murderous gangsters, make deals with conniving federal agents, confront Nazi spies, and bend their own ethical rules to the point of breaking. Before time runs out for everyone.

Author Notes

STEPHEN SPOTSWOOD is an award-winning playwright, journalist, and educator. As a journalist, he has spent much of the last two decades writing about the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the struggles of wounded veterans. His dramatic work has been widely produced across the United States and he is the winner of the 2021 Nero Award for best American mystery. He makes his home in Washington, DC with his wife, young adult author Jessica Spotswood.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Spotswood's spotty fourth outing for private detectives Willowjean "Will" Parker and Lillian Pentecost (after 2022's Secrets Typed in Blood) buries the pair in an avalanche of inquiries and incidents. In the fall of 1947, New York City defense attorney Forest Whitsun calls on Pentecost and Parker to track down his friend, Vera Bodine, a retired secretary in her late 70s. Soon, Will and Lillian learn that Vera's age and occupation belie her colorful--and dangerous--life, which could have gathered her all manner of enemies. Her disappearance might be linked to her obsession with a string of recent murders, for instance, or perhaps to her time assisting the FBI in tracking down Nazis. Meanwhile, Will is targeted by a group of small-time crooks who've stolen her identity, and Lillian's multiple sclerosis worsens while she's blackmailed by an old nemesis. Will's Archie Goodwin-style wisecracking is likely to keep readers amused, but Spotswood overstuffs the plot and delivers a limp resolution to the main mystery. This one's for diehard fans only. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary. (Dec.)