Stephen Spotswood

It's the mid-1940s, and Lillian Pentecost is the most famous female private investigator in New York. She has relatively recently hired an assistant, Willowjean "Will" Parker," as a concession to the slowly advancing state of her multiple sclerosis, which is beginning to take a physical toll. Will is a former circus worker, and the many skills she learned there prove to be useful in unexpected ways.

In this novel, they're hired by Rebecca and Randolph Collins to investigate the murder of show more their mother, Abigail. It's the sad capper to a rough stretch for the Collins twins; their father, Alistair, died by suicide a year earlier. The twins are accompanied by their godfather, who is the acting CEO of the Collins family steel business.

Abigail was throwing a party on the night of her murder, so the house was chock full o'suspects: the medium whose seance was the evening's main entertainment, her nerdy assistant, the professor who's writing a book on the occult, the crude and burly factory plant manager.

The mystery is reasonably entertaining, and Spotswood introduces his victims and suspects with crisp efficiency, giving them just enough rounding to be more than mere archetypes. The solution and motives feel fairly prepared, and Pentecost and Parker are a clever pair of detectives.

But:

This novel has a massive "Tiffany Problem." That's a coinage of Jo Walton, who points out that the name "Tiffany" is much older than most people think it is, but it can't be used in historical fiction, because readers will perceive it as an anachronism, even if it's historically possible. The Tiffany Problem in this novel is Lillian Pentecost's use of the honorific "Ms."

It is true that "Ms." goes back to the 17th century, when (like "Miss" and "Mrs." at the time) it was just another abbreviation for "Mistress;" none of those words originally conveyed anything about marital status. But as "Miss" and "Mrs." took on marital connotations in the 19th century, "Ms." faded into general disuse. There were occasional attempts throughout the 20th century to revive it, but they never really caught on until Gloria Steinem founded Ms. Magazine in 1972.

So is it possible that a successful single women in 1942 New York would use "Ms."? Maaaaaybe, but it's unlikely, and it would certainly be unusual enough that other characters ought to react to it with some surprise and confusion, which none of Spotswood's characters do. And even if it's historically defensible on the narrowest of grounds, it reads as thumpingly anachronistic, and I was jolted out of the narrative with every reference to "Ms. Pentecost". Other readers may not be bothered by it, but it was jarring enough to me that it will probably keep me from continuing on to the next volume in the series. show less

This second book in Stephen Spotswood's Pentecost & Parker historical mystery series, Murder Under Her Skin, is even better than the first (Fortune Favors the Dead). World famous detective Lillian Pentecost and her protégée Willowjean "Will" Parker are a rare combination in crime fiction. Pentecost has a mind like the proverbial steel trap, a glass eye, and multiple sclerosis. Teenage Will Parker ran away from an abusive situation at home and finally spent five years in a circus before show more joining Pentecost. It's not often that readers come across two hardboiled female gumshoes, but Pentecost and Parker excel in their roles.

Taking Will back to Hart & Halloway's Traveling Circus lets readers learn more of her backstory, and the small circus setting in 1946 rural Virginia is so well done that I felt as though I were right in the thick of things. Will finds it hard to believe that the people she considers family are lying to her, and it makes her uncomfortable knowing that Pentecost may learn things about her past that Will doesn't necessarily want her to know.

Murder Under Her Skin is told in Will's irreverent voice, and I love it. She has an excellent turn of phrase, whether it be in describing the sounds a group of tarantulas make when it's on the move, or in noticing that no one sits in a dead man's chair when she visits someone's home. One of my favorites? When Will describes an ill-tempered guard dog of a secretary: "She kept a close eye on us from the gunner's turret of her desk." The mental picture that immediately sprang to my mind was perfection.

Another piece of perfection was the mystery itself. Spotswood has crafted a mystery that kept me completely in the dark from beginning to end, and once everything was revealed, I could see where he'd planted his clues all along the way. I read a boatload of crime fiction, so I love it when an author can do this to me.

Stephen Spotswood's Pentecost & Parker series has become one of my favorites in just two books. I can't wait to see what these two get up to in their next investigation.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) show less

If you’re a fan of snappy dialogue, gutsy heroines, and 1940s New York, the Pentecost and Parker mystery series is just the ticket for you. Will Parker doggedly works to free her boss, Lillian Pentecost, from the notorious House of D (D for detention) where she awaits trial. The murdered man was odious, a collector of violence and other people’s pain, and had publicly declared his intention to ruin Ms. P’s vaunted reputation as a detective. But she couldn’t have been the one who show more pulled the trigger—could she?? When Will isn’t running up against dead ends, barely restraining herself from decking obstinate witnesses, and making smart-aleck remarks, we are treated to Ms. P’s jailhouse journal as she struggles to keep her fear in check. A colorful cast of characters blends well with some thoughtful insights on the price of cruelty and revenge that seem particularly apt in these times. Another whip-smart entry in the Pentecost and Parker series. Reading the five books in order gives an extra pay-off but you can dive right in with this newest one. show less

Murder Under Her Skin offers a satisfying mystery. It also boasts two strong, female detectives: one older woman, Ms. Pentecost, balancing work and MS; and a younger woman, Willowjean "Will" Parker, who left home early and spent several years with a circus before joining Pentecost's detective agency.

On this case, they're pulled back to the circus that used to be Parker's home. Ruby, the Amazing Tattooed Lady, has been killed via a knife in the back, and local police are convinced it's the show more work of the circus' knife-thrower Valentin Kalishenko. Kalishenko was Will's mentor when she first joined the circus. Will was deeply infatuated with Ruby during her time there. So, when Will and Pentecost are asked to investigate with a goal of clearing Valentin, they're on the job immediately.

As I said, the mystery at the heart of this novel is satisfying—the novel also has a lot going on in addition to the mystery. There are issues of gender, sexuality, ableism, religion, and local politics. Stephen Spotswood gives readers a lot to think of beyond "who dunnit?"

This is a novel I can strongly recommend for anyone who enjoys mysteries and for anyone who enjoys novels with interesting casts of characters. The pace is brisk, there are enough red herrings to keep readers guessing, and the ending is surprising and moving.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less