Murder Under Her Skin - Pentecost and Parker, Book Two

Willowjean ("Will") Parker and Lillian Pentecost return in this second mystery novel by Stephen Spotswood.  I enjoyed the first mystery enough that I bought this second book without hesitation.  Parker and Pentecost are by far one of the most unique private investigative teams I have read to date.  Pentecost is an aging private investigator suffering from multiple sclerosis, and Parker is a former circus performer turned P.I. that Pentecost has taken under her wing.  Pentecost is unusually observant, unbelievably patient, and undeniably persistent, while Parker is a "fly by the seat of your pants" type of gal who has a tendency to let her anger get the better of her.  Set in the mid-1940s, this series does what every murder mystery series should - it allows the protagonists to sift through clues, follow-up on leads, and make intelligent deductions, all without the aid of cell phones, computers, and the internet.  

Murder Under Her Skin opens at the end of a case, as Pentecost is called upon to testify at a Court hearing where a man is charged with arson, burning down some tenements in a neighborhood that most people wouldn't give a second glance.  But Pentecost believes everyone deserves justice, and she utilizes all of her best tricks to reveal the arsonist's true nature right there in the courtroom for the jury, the judge, and the public to see.  But what she doesn't know is that Parker has already received a communication requesting aid for a new case.  And this one hits way too close to home for Parker.

The tattooed woman at Hart & Halloway's Traveling Circus and Sideshow has been killed - a knife in her back, literally!  Ruby Donner was one of Parker's friends while she traveled with the circus back in the day, so Parker wants to find out exactly what happened.  Especially since the only suspect in the case, who is sitting in the small town jail in Stoppard, Virginia, is the circus' knife-thrower - a man who took Parker under his wing, trained her, and became her friend and mentor.  She knows there is no way he would have ever killed Ruby, regardless of the tensions between them.  But someone spotted him in the very place where Ruby was killed just moments before the body was discovered - and that is all the evidence the small town sheriff needs to lock him away.

Pentecost and Parker make the trek from New York to Virginia, and Parker reunites with her circus friends.  But there are a lot of new people under the big top, and Parker soon discovers that even those people she thought of as friends are not being honest with her.  Spotswood is the king of misdirection and red herrings, as this mystery is full of false leads, lies, misconceptions, misunderstandings, and betrayals.  He keeps Parker on her toes as she weaves her way through the sideshow of freaks, the small town of hypocrites, and an admirer who is keeping his own secrets from her, his preacher father, and the whole town.  Pentecost, though, sits back and takes it all in, slowly deducing what is really going on and just who really did kill Ruby Donner.

I thoroughly enjoyed the romp through the circus world, and I think Spotswood perfectly captured the camaraderie and the loyalty that a circus family creates for one another, along with their shared distrust of outsiders, even if the outsider did used to be one of their own.  In a world where "freaks" and "outcasts" are viewed with disgust and as less than human, it is nice to see the tables turned, where it turns out to be the small, church-going community who is actually hiding the dark secrets and deadly sins.  Plus, it was great to learn a lot more about Parker's past ... now if we could just delve a little bit deeper into Pentecost's past (although we do learn a few things in this book about her father).  

Parker gains a few more scars to add to her collection before this mystery is solved, and I can tell you right now - whoever you think the killer is, you're going to be wrong.  I was completely taken by surprise at the identity of the killer - although once everything is explained, it does make sense.  But the revelation does have a huge impact on both the circus and the Virginia town, causing ripples that will change both of them in drastic ways.

The third book has already been solicited, so there's no doubt that I'll be picking it up when it comes out.

RATING:  9 bouquets of daisies out of 10 for a great mystery, some unusual and fun characters, and some exploration of the protagonists' pasts!

Fortune Favors the Dead - Pentecost and Parker, Book One

I love mysteries.  Anyone who has seen this blog for any length of time, or anyone who actually knows me, knows how much I love mysteries.  I have loved them ever since my mom first introduced me to Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, and other children’s mystery series back when I was in third grade.  As an adult, I read a wide variety of mysteries – I still read a number of the children’s mystery series (for nostalgia reasons), but I read quite a few adult mystery series, such as Odelia Grey, Drew Farthering, Bay Island Psychic mysteries, Beyond the Page bookstore mysteries, among others.  I keep telling myself I won’t start any new series, but invariably, one comes along that catches my eye and I just can’t pass it up.  The first Pentecost and Parker mystery is one of those. 

 

 Fortune Favors the Dead stood out to me at my local Barnes & Noble for several reasons.  Number one was the cover, which obviously was the first thing I saw.  It was clearly set in the early 20^th century, based on the clothes and art style.  Number two, and probably the most important reason, was the name of the family involved in the mystery and the elements surrounding the case.  But, more on that later…

 

 Author Stephen Spotswood provides readers with some very unconventional crime solvers.  Willowjean (a/k/a "Will") Parker is a former circus performer turned private investigator who is more comfortable in a pair of overalls and a man's t-shirt than she is in a pencil skirt and blouse.  Her boss, Lillian Pentecost, suffers from multiple sclerosis but is an utter genius when it comes to seeing through people and uncovering the truth.  While performing her duties as a security guard for a construction site, Parker saves Pentecost's life, which leads to the offer of a job as an assistant to help the ailing detective with her caseload.  Three years later, and Parker now has her own license, her own gun, and she has acquired quite a bit of learning with the aid of her boss and mentor.

 

Now, in 1945, Pentecost and Parker take on a new case involving the locked-room murder of a business tycoon's wife.  Abigail Collins was found dead in her locked study, her head bashed in by a crystal ball.  The room was locked from the inside, and there was no one else in the room when the guests broke in and found the matriarch dead at her desk.  Her two children, Rebecca and Randolph Collins, and their "uncle," Harrison Wallace, come to Pentecost to ask her aid in solving a crime the police seem unable to figure out.  It seems Abigail Collins' husband, Alistair Collins, dead of an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound some years before, and Mrs. Collins was determined to see their family business move away from selling to the military.  Some of the Board of Directors were not too keen on the idea, but Mrs. Collins' confidante, a self-proclaimed spiritual advisor by the name of Ariel Belestrade, was encouraging her to move away from the production of weapons for the military.  Randolph Collins does not want Pentecost and Parker involved, but Rebecca Collins seems to develop an attraction for Parker ... and Wallace sets his foot down, as the Board has demanded that Pentecost be brought in to make quick resolution of the crime.

Now here's where I will side-step for a moment to talk about that second reason why I picked up this book.  When I saw on the front inside flap of the dust jacket where the synopsis of the book indicated that Pentecost and Parker 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 ... With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband..."  Well, this description alone was enough to sell this book to me!  Either Spotswood is a fan of Dark Shadows, or it is an unbelievably huge coincidence that the murder victim's family name is Collins (the name of the family in Dark Shadows) and the victim's name is Abigail Collins (the name of the spinster aunt from Dark Shadows' 1795 storyline),  and the time is Halloween with talks of ghosts, psychics, and spiritual advisors (all of whom were prevalent in the 5-year run of Dark Shadows).  Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who knows me knows how much I love Dark Shadows - so a mystery that involves so many elements and nods to my favorite all-time television show is definitely going to be a must-read!  That being said, now back to your regularly scheduled blog review...

Spotswood does an excellent job of plotting the crime.  There are plenty of suspects, plenty of motives, and plenty of misdirections to keep the reader guessing all the way up until the big reveal.  The identity of the killer is not the only surprise, as there are a few other things that get revealed in the end that, looking back, the clues for which are obviously right there, but they get overlooked as Pentecost and Parker stay focused on other things (and, thus, so does the reader!).  I love the fact that Parker is not some stereotypical lesbian, but rather, a multi-faceted character who can easily switch between comfortable pants and a t-shirt and a dressy skirt and blouse and act whatever part is needed for the moment.  And Pentecost's slowly failing health adds a unique dynamic to the partnership, as she refuses to be mothered, yet allows Parker to provide assistance when needed.  Despite the rather swift introduction and three-year time-shift, the reader can easily pick up on the growing bond between Pentecost and Parker, and I, for one, look forward to seeing it develop more in future books!

Definitely recommend this one for mystery fans, and I am anxiously awaiting release of the second book in the series!

RATING:  10 dime novel detective stories out of 10 for creating a fantastic new detective duo who stand out from their peers and know how to solve a complex crime with flourish!