This engaging debut mystery freshens up the classic detective duo blueprint of established older P.I. and young protege/typist/errand-runner,  Not unlike Nero Wolfe, Lillian Pentecost is the most sought after investigator in mid-1940s New York. Illness is slowing her down and almost on impulse she finds her Archie in Willowjean “Will” Parker.  Street-smart, gender-fluid, wise-cracking Will saves Lillian’s life one evening with the knife-throwing skills she gained from a few years with the circus. On the. spot Lillian offers Will a new career path. 

Three years on and Will has learned much from her mentor. She will need those skills for an especially tricky and sensitive case – a locked room murder in which the matriarch of a prominent family was bludgeoned with a crystal ball during a party. The suspects are numerous but none more mysterious than the medium who was present – Ariel Belestrade. 

While the mystery keeps the story flowing it’s the dynamic between Pentecost and Parker, along with housekeeper/cook Mrs. Campbell, that makes the book a pleasure. Readers will look forward to more from this intriguing found-family. 

Published October 27, 2020
Doubleday Books

An advance galley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.