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Pentecost and Parker #4
Murder Crossed Her Mind
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.
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.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published December 5, 2023
197 people are currently reading
1778 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Spotswood
9 books640 followersStephen 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 produced nationwide and includes Girl In The Red Corner (winner of the 2017 Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play), In The Forest She Grew Fangs, Doublewide, and more. His debut novel, Fortune Favors The Dead, will be released by Doubleday in October 2020. He makes his home in Washington, D.C., with his wife, young-adult author Jessica Spotswood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
February 7, 2025
“I just want it to be over,” I said to myself. Which is one of the nicely consistent things about bad days. If you just wait a while, eventually they end.
Wow, this was amazing! Sometimes I feel a little left out and have to fight the urge to try fitting in by claiming that I’m “in a reading slump”… because not only is that almost never true for me, but also that’d be especially untrue here. I devoured this book. Yum. I think what I enjoy most about these books is the fact that they manage to capture the spirit of what I think an old-school Sherlock Holmes story should be, only without the baggage of a century's worth of re-writes, reinterpretations, and reinventions. Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean “Will” Parker are here to fight for the helpless and ignored, full stop. Yeah I guess socially inept, quirky, yet genius investigators are all fine and dandy, but when there’s a moral imperative behind the case, then that's when I'm really hooked. It’s always nice when our mystery protagonists are fighting for something other than satisfying their intellectual curiosity, when we know for real that at the end of the day, they really are for the people. I think what works so well is that these books can be quite twisty, but they never go so far as to rely too heavily on big, revelatory twists. I know this is kind of odd to say about the mystery genre, but I’m generally of the mind that they don’t actually need to be all that surprising in order to have a satisfying conclusion. I could read a million book's where it turns out it's the butler, and I’d be cool with it as long as it holds up. If it’s narratively sound, then I'm good. I’ve read my fair share of mysteries, and I can honestly say that a lot of them get so caught up “winning” against the reader, desperately trying to think ten steps ahead, that they end up diminishing their own story to do so. Like, congrats. I never even guessed who the killer was when they were given one paragraph of description or whatever. So clever, so surprising. I mean, I like a good twist as much as the next guy, but unless it's going to be good, good... then I'd rather there be none. I don't know, I just think that when you create stories, it's probably best to not be known as the twist author. Then you have to constantly be thinking up new story conventions, and if you fail, then it comes crashing down that much harder. For example, I liked the original Planet of the Apes, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch because so much of it is carried by the ending scene. There are a bunch of sequels, but how can you beat a guy shaking his fists at the heavens because society destroyed itself. Why do you think the new ones forgo the twist all together? Also... why exactly did he believe he was on an alien planet anyway? He’s surrounded by apes ffs. Where else would you be, dude?
Anyway, my point being that expecting a big twist in every mystery story can burn me out on the genre just as fast as if every one of them were of the "by-the-book" and "simplistic" nature. Both styles can get a little same-y after a while. Like, Mama Mia: Here We go Again, I've been here before! In my opinion, the best way to fix this is that if the focus is mostly on writing a captivating story, full of dynamic and interesting characters, then there’s a pretty good chance that I’ll be so lost in the story that the twist will end up surprising me regardless. The real surprise is that that’s what happens every time I find myself reading this Pentecost & Parker series. And if nothing else, I just love when a book series can be four books strong and you can tell that the author is still having a lot of fun writing it. After all this time, the spark hasn't dimmed even the tiniest bit! When I eagerly start another one of these, I just know I'm in good hands. That I'll laugh, cry, get puzzled, and all those other emotions I'd be too embarrassed to admit out loud. What can I say? It's got the special ingredient, the sauce. Um, I also like how Will has a girlfriend now named Holly. Normally, mystery books like to introduce lovely, fun characters in one installment, only for them to be completely forgotten and discarded by the next one. Mission Impossible 2, James Bond-core, and all that. Personally, I like to have a dash of continuity sprinkled in. If an LGBT+ couple existing and being happy in a historical-fiction means that this series will feel a little less episodic and more serialized, then so be it. I mean, I was a little surprised that Holly has, like, two other boyfriends on retainer? I only listened to the last book on audio format (while doing other things), and I definitely don’t have a photographic memory like Vera Bodine, so my memory’s a little hazy on the details. Oh, I’m not judging, maybe she’s just on some Zendaya, Challengers-type shit. If so, then good for her, good for her. Yeah so, I loved this one, I had a great time, I thought it was lovely, and all the other things I'm always saying! Sometimes I like to take notes while I'm reading (they used to call it "talking to the text," I think) for fun and they're usually incomprehensible (like, "I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress" kind of stuff), but they were surprisingly clear this time around. Now that's the surprise twist I was waiting for! Words like: "timeless, intriguing, dangerous, stylish, noir, classic, and very, very queer," littered the page like graffiti! It doesn't sound like much, but I count myself so lucky that I found a book that has all of the above! Besides, If I ever find myself in that fated reading-slump, I know for where to fall back on. Never has it failed to reinvigorate my passion for this genre. This is the one! Ahh, I loved this book, and I have a feeling I’m going to love the next one. That’s just a guess, but an educated one.
Memories are all I have to cling to / And heartaches are the friends I'm talking to / When I'm not thinking of just how much I love you / Well, I'm thinking 'bout the things we used to do (Things – Bobby Darin)
Wow, this was amazing! Sometimes I feel a little left out and have to fight the urge to try fitting in by claiming that I’m “in a reading slump”… because not only is that almost never true for me, but also that’d be especially untrue here. I devoured this book. Yum. I think what I enjoy most about these books is the fact that they manage to capture the spirit of what I think an old-school Sherlock Holmes story should be, only without the baggage of a century's worth of re-writes, reinterpretations, and reinventions. Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean “Will” Parker are here to fight for the helpless and ignored, full stop. Yeah I guess socially inept, quirky, yet genius investigators are all fine and dandy, but when there’s a moral imperative behind the case, then that's when I'm really hooked. It’s always nice when our mystery protagonists are fighting for something other than satisfying their intellectual curiosity, when we know for real that at the end of the day, they really are for the people. I think what works so well is that these books can be quite twisty, but they never go so far as to rely too heavily on big, revelatory twists. I know this is kind of odd to say about the mystery genre, but I’m generally of the mind that they don’t actually need to be all that surprising in order to have a satisfying conclusion. I could read a million book's where it turns out it's the butler, and I’d be cool with it as long as it holds up. If it’s narratively sound, then I'm good. I’ve read my fair share of mysteries, and I can honestly say that a lot of them get so caught up “winning” against the reader, desperately trying to think ten steps ahead, that they end up diminishing their own story to do so. Like, congrats. I never even guessed who the killer was when they were given one paragraph of description or whatever. So clever, so surprising. I mean, I like a good twist as much as the next guy, but unless it's going to be good, good... then I'd rather there be none. I don't know, I just think that when you create stories, it's probably best to not be known as the twist author. Then you have to constantly be thinking up new story conventions, and if you fail, then it comes crashing down that much harder. For example, I liked the original Planet of the Apes, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch because so much of it is carried by the ending scene. There are a bunch of sequels, but how can you beat a guy shaking his fists at the heavens because society destroyed itself. Why do you think the new ones forgo the twist all together? Also... why exactly did he believe he was on an alien planet anyway? He’s surrounded by apes ffs. Where else would you be, dude?
Anyway, my point being that expecting a big twist in every mystery story can burn me out on the genre just as fast as if every one of them were of the "by-the-book" and "simplistic" nature. Both styles can get a little same-y after a while. Like, Mama Mia: Here We go Again, I've been here before! In my opinion, the best way to fix this is that if the focus is mostly on writing a captivating story, full of dynamic and interesting characters, then there’s a pretty good chance that I’ll be so lost in the story that the twist will end up surprising me regardless. The real surprise is that that’s what happens every time I find myself reading this Pentecost & Parker series. And if nothing else, I just love when a book series can be four books strong and you can tell that the author is still having a lot of fun writing it. After all this time, the spark hasn't dimmed even the tiniest bit! When I eagerly start another one of these, I just know I'm in good hands. That I'll laugh, cry, get puzzled, and all those other emotions I'd be too embarrassed to admit out loud. What can I say? It's got the special ingredient, the sauce. Um, I also like how Will has a girlfriend now named Holly. Normally, mystery books like to introduce lovely, fun characters in one installment, only for them to be completely forgotten and discarded by the next one. Mission Impossible 2, James Bond-core, and all that. Personally, I like to have a dash of continuity sprinkled in. If an LGBT+ couple existing and being happy in a historical-fiction means that this series will feel a little less episodic and more serialized, then so be it. I mean, I was a little surprised that Holly has, like, two other boyfriends on retainer? I only listened to the last book on audio format (while doing other things), and I definitely don’t have a photographic memory like Vera Bodine, so my memory’s a little hazy on the details. Oh, I’m not judging, maybe she’s just on some Zendaya, Challengers-type shit. If so, then good for her, good for her. Yeah so, I loved this one, I had a great time, I thought it was lovely, and all the other things I'm always saying! Sometimes I like to take notes while I'm reading (they used to call it "talking to the text," I think) for fun and they're usually incomprehensible (like, "I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress" kind of stuff), but they were surprisingly clear this time around. Now that's the surprise twist I was waiting for! Words like: "timeless, intriguing, dangerous, stylish, noir, classic, and very, very queer," littered the page like graffiti! It doesn't sound like much, but I count myself so lucky that I found a book that has all of the above! Besides, If I ever find myself in that fated reading-slump, I know for where to fall back on. Never has it failed to reinvigorate my passion for this genre. This is the one! Ahh, I loved this book, and I have a feeling I’m going to love the next one. That’s just a guess, but an educated one.
Memories are all I have to cling to / And heartaches are the friends I'm talking to / When I'm not thinking of just how much I love you / Well, I'm thinking 'bout the things we used to do (Things – Bobby Darin)
March 21, 2025
Enjoyable read!
A gripping and engrossing book #4 in the 'Pentecost and Parker' ongoing historical detective series.
Intriguing cliffhanger and i'm all in for the next book.
Highly recommended book and series!
A gripping and engrossing book #4 in the 'Pentecost and Parker' ongoing historical detective series.
Intriguing cliffhanger and i'm all in for the next book.
Highly recommended book and series!
February 29, 2024
"The smile Ms. Pentecost gave [the murder suspect] was like a late September breeze. Pleasant at first and colder the longer it lasted. By the time she turned her attention away from [him], he was shivering." -- private investigator Willojean 'Will' Parker, admiring her mentor's skill, on page 320
Author Spotswood delivers another winning entry of his 'Pentecost & Parker' period-piece mystery series with the fourth book Murder Crossed Her Mind. Mere months after its predecessor Secrets Typed in Blood - with summer turning to autumn in 1947 - private investigator Will Parker is mugged (losing her P.I. credentials, wallet, and trusty pistola - !!!) during a Good Samaritan moment admidst a brief solo respite at the Coney Island boardwalk. Keeping this a secret from her boss - the ultra-respected but ailing Lillian Pentecost, the premiere private sleuth of New York City - Parker attempts to run a side-hustle snooping mission while also being tasked with the narrative's primary case. The duo is retained by a very irksome but conscientious defense attorney who believes that a beloved former work colleague - an elderly secretary who was blessed with a photographic memory - was possibly kidnapped or (gasp!) murdered after she quietly retired to a shut-in type of existence at a dilapidated and aging apartment building. 'Pentecost & Parker Investigations' immediately accepts the assignment, and the story then ramps up into a classic 'whodunit?' scenario featuring a colorfully expected line-up of suspects and acquaintances including a slick and sarcastic solicitor, a gay federal agent, a possible Nazi officer-turned-general store proprietor, a stiletto-wielding young mobster, a model train enthusiast, and many more. Surprisingly, the book concludes with a cliffhanger - which the author practically apologizes for in his acknowledgments, while also charmingly thanking all of the fans, librarians, and booksellers for making this series a success - and I am once again eagerly awaiting the next installment with my repeated GR review refrain of 'more adventures, please!'
Author Spotswood delivers another winning entry of his 'Pentecost & Parker' period-piece mystery series with the fourth book Murder Crossed Her Mind. Mere months after its predecessor Secrets Typed in Blood - with summer turning to autumn in 1947 - private investigator Will Parker is mugged (losing her P.I. credentials, wallet, and trusty pistola - !!!) during a Good Samaritan moment admidst a brief solo respite at the Coney Island boardwalk. Keeping this a secret from her boss - the ultra-respected but ailing Lillian Pentecost, the premiere private sleuth of New York City - Parker attempts to run a side-hustle snooping mission while also being tasked with the narrative's primary case. The duo is retained by a very irksome but conscientious defense attorney who believes that a beloved former work colleague - an elderly secretary who was blessed with a photographic memory - was possibly kidnapped or (gasp!) murdered after she quietly retired to a shut-in type of existence at a dilapidated and aging apartment building. 'Pentecost & Parker Investigations' immediately accepts the assignment, and the story then ramps up into a classic 'whodunit?' scenario featuring a colorfully expected line-up of suspects and acquaintances including a slick and sarcastic solicitor, a gay federal agent, a possible Nazi officer-turned-general store proprietor, a stiletto-wielding young mobster, a model train enthusiast, and many more. Surprisingly, the book concludes with a cliffhanger - which the author practically apologizes for in his acknowledgments, while also charmingly thanking all of the fans, librarians, and booksellers for making this series a success - and I am once again eagerly awaiting the next installment with my repeated GR review refrain of 'more adventures, please!'
November 7, 2024
I was originally looking forward to reading this story, especially with its 1947 post-war New York setting. Its premise sounded interesting and the series sounded like it had potential with two Holmesian-type detectives searching for a missing woman.
And then I opened its pages and the author had provided two pages worth for a “cast of characters.” We were not off to a good start.
Of course, as I shared, this is a series, and if you aren’t familiar with the characters, it doesn’t help that it doesn’t read like a stand-alone, so readers who haven’t read the earlier books, will feel like a fish out of water.
So, I tried, and hoped for the best in understanding these humanly-flawed protagonists.
But then the author delivered something that spoiled everything for me. (And forgive the spoiler, for which I don’t typically offer.) A cliffhanger. And to me, that is the worst sin of an author.
In his acknowledgments, the author says, “I know – a cliffhanger. Please don’t hate me. There was no other way to do it. The stakes are about to get raised for our heroines, and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.”
Well, I disagree! There are other ways to do it. In my opinion, stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end. There is absolutely no excuse for a cliffhanger with a book. To leave readers suspended this way, I feel, is detestable.
And for when we come into a series in the middle (yes, I know we shouldn’t), the least an author can do is catch us up with a few lines within the current story. And, I don’t think it should be in the list of the cast of characters where all the nuances attached to the character’s name should give readers all the clues about who they are and how we should know them.
Yes, I realize we should read the series from the beginning, but when our library doesn’t have the first books, we would appreciate at least a little help in this way from authors.
I also realize not everyone may agree with what I share here – I am obviously an outlier. I get it.
This is not an author/series I will be following. So, for anyone who is interested in this series, or who has rated it higher, this is my reason for not.
And then I opened its pages and the author had provided two pages worth for a “cast of characters.” We were not off to a good start.
Of course, as I shared, this is a series, and if you aren’t familiar with the characters, it doesn’t help that it doesn’t read like a stand-alone, so readers who haven’t read the earlier books, will feel like a fish out of water.
So, I tried, and hoped for the best in understanding these humanly-flawed protagonists.
But then the author delivered something that spoiled everything for me. (And forgive the spoiler, for which I don’t typically offer.) A cliffhanger. And to me, that is the worst sin of an author.
In his acknowledgments, the author says, “I know – a cliffhanger. Please don’t hate me. There was no other way to do it. The stakes are about to get raised for our heroines, and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.”
Well, I disagree! There are other ways to do it. In my opinion, stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end. There is absolutely no excuse for a cliffhanger with a book. To leave readers suspended this way, I feel, is detestable.
And for when we come into a series in the middle (yes, I know we shouldn’t), the least an author can do is catch us up with a few lines within the current story. And, I don’t think it should be in the list of the cast of characters where all the nuances attached to the character’s name should give readers all the clues about who they are and how we should know them.
Yes, I realize we should read the series from the beginning, but when our library doesn’t have the first books, we would appreciate at least a little help in this way from authors.
I also realize not everyone may agree with what I share here – I am obviously an outlier. I get it.
This is not an author/series I will be following. So, for anyone who is interested in this series, or who has rated it higher, this is my reason for not.
January 15, 2025
A delightful follow up featuring asshole lawyers and conwomen
Want to read
March 25, 2023Yes!!! Another Pentecost and Parker mystery!!
April 17, 2024
A book for busy readers. Not busy-busy with life, but busy in their reading: they want things to happen and happen fast and just keep happening, and if they also like stories set in a big city (NYC) just after WW2, when exciting things are happening all around, then this is the kind of book for them. This is a breathless read...
Halfway through I thought, hmm, I'm giving this one a four stars, or maybe a three - there was just SO MUCH going on! But then I got into the frantic, frenetic pace of the thing, realized the two majors - Willowjean Parker, young and go-get-em woman of the late 1940's; and Lillian Pentecost, older woman and master detective with MS - and realized how much I like these books. I just needed to amp up my concentration to keep up with them.
In this one, No. 4 in the series, the two women - who operate a detective agency - are asked by a lawyer they know - and who neither like very much - to look into the disappearance of a woman. Said woman is a recluse as well as a gifted mnemonist: she can remember, in detail, anything that she sees, hears or reads forever. (Yes, there are real people like her - look it up.)
So when this woman, who worked with the government during the war (Think Nazis! Think espionage!) just up and disappears, the lawyer is concerned. Thus begins a lengthy investigation involving lots of - stuff. (If I write too much, the whole flavor of the book is diminished.)
But there is SO MUCH here. Excellent writing. True-to-life dialogue sprinkled through with some of the slang/vernacular of the period. A realistic portrayal of the city, its inhabitans, the cars they drive, the stores they frequent and so on. Will and Lillian are also pursuing a few other 'cases,' so they are mega-busy. As for Lillian, her illness is portrayed in a highly-realistic manner and true to the time period.
Except for five minutes when I got frustrated by SO MUCH happening in so FEW pages, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next...
Which Mr. Spotswood promises there will be! Hurray!
Five stars.
Halfway through I thought, hmm, I'm giving this one a four stars, or maybe a three - there was just SO MUCH going on! But then I got into the frantic, frenetic pace of the thing, realized the two majors - Willowjean Parker, young and go-get-em woman of the late 1940's; and Lillian Pentecost, older woman and master detective with MS - and realized how much I like these books. I just needed to amp up my concentration to keep up with them.
In this one, No. 4 in the series, the two women - who operate a detective agency - are asked by a lawyer they know - and who neither like very much - to look into the disappearance of a woman. Said woman is a recluse as well as a gifted mnemonist: she can remember, in detail, anything that she sees, hears or reads forever. (Yes, there are real people like her - look it up.)
So when this woman, who worked with the government during the war (Think Nazis! Think espionage!) just up and disappears, the lawyer is concerned. Thus begins a lengthy investigation involving lots of - stuff. (If I write too much, the whole flavor of the book is diminished.)
But there is SO MUCH here. Excellent writing. True-to-life dialogue sprinkled through with some of the slang/vernacular of the period. A realistic portrayal of the city, its inhabitans, the cars they drive, the stores they frequent and so on. Will and Lillian are also pursuing a few other 'cases,' so they are mega-busy. As for Lillian, her illness is portrayed in a highly-realistic manner and true to the time period.
Except for five minutes when I got frustrated by SO MUCH happening in so FEW pages, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next...
Which Mr. Spotswood promises there will be! Hurray!
Five stars.
September 16, 2024
I received an ARC from Doubleday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Murder Crossed Her Mind” is the 4th installment of the Pentecost and Parker mystery series. This is a series that does need to be read in order. There are a couple ongoing storylines that may leave you a little confused if you read out of order. It’s also a series that I highly recommend if you’re a fan of private investigator stories set in the 40’s.
I really enjoyed this installment. One of the elements that I love about this series is the setting and atmosphere. It’s generally set in NYC and I think Spotswood does a good job of describing it for that time period. He also shines a spotlight on the queer community and how things are changing for them.
While I do love the mystery my favorite part of the story are the characters. Will is a loveable protagonist and it’s fun watching her grow from book to book. She’s amusing and entertaining especially when she’s getting herself into trouble because she can’t’ seem to help herself. Her relationship with Pentecost continues to change and they’re much more like family than just employer and employee now.
The secondary characters are all interesting and are there for more than just moving the plot along. Most of them keep showing up and we get to know them better as well. While Pentecost is known as one of the best PIs in the city, knowing her doesn’t always bode well for those she associates with and it’s fun to see how that plays out from book to book.
I don’t want to say anything about the mystery as I think it’s more fun to read going in a little blind. I will say that the new mystery includes things such as Nazi’s, the FBI, mobsters, and a bunch of lawyers.
I also want to note this book ends on a cliffhanger, not for this book but for the next in the series. And I will cry endlessly over how the beautiful covers were changed to whatever generic cover they're using now.
The audio book version is A+ too!
“Murder Crossed Her Mind” is the 4th installment of the Pentecost and Parker mystery series. This is a series that does need to be read in order. There are a couple ongoing storylines that may leave you a little confused if you read out of order. It’s also a series that I highly recommend if you’re a fan of private investigator stories set in the 40’s.
I really enjoyed this installment. One of the elements that I love about this series is the setting and atmosphere. It’s generally set in NYC and I think Spotswood does a good job of describing it for that time period. He also shines a spotlight on the queer community and how things are changing for them.
While I do love the mystery my favorite part of the story are the characters. Will is a loveable protagonist and it’s fun watching her grow from book to book. She’s amusing and entertaining especially when she’s getting herself into trouble because she can’t’ seem to help herself. Her relationship with Pentecost continues to change and they’re much more like family than just employer and employee now.
The secondary characters are all interesting and are there for more than just moving the plot along. Most of them keep showing up and we get to know them better as well. While Pentecost is known as one of the best PIs in the city, knowing her doesn’t always bode well for those she associates with and it’s fun to see how that plays out from book to book.
I don’t want to say anything about the mystery as I think it’s more fun to read going in a little blind. I will say that the new mystery includes things such as Nazi’s, the FBI, mobsters, and a bunch of lawyers.
I also want to note this book ends on a cliffhanger, not for this book but for the next in the series. And I will cry endlessly over how the beautiful covers were changed to whatever generic cover they're using now.
The audio book version is A+ too!
December 30, 2024
I grow to love this series more and more with each new installment. There’s a fun cast of characters, great atmosphere, and compelling mysteries. The representations of queer life in New York City in the 1940s adds so much to these stories for me. I enjoy how there’s a mystery that’s the main plot of the book, but then there are little things building in the background to tie all the different books together. Where this story leaves off definitely has me eager to pick up book 5 when it comes out.
January 4, 2024
THESE BOOKS ARE A MF-ING DELIGHT.
I COULDN’T HAVE LIKED IT MORE IF I TRIED.
THIS SHIT IS LIKE AGATHA CHRISTIE + KILLING EVE.
UGH I NEED THE FIFTH BOOK STAT.
I COULDN’T HAVE LIKED IT MORE IF I TRIED.
THIS SHIT IS LIKE AGATHA CHRISTIE + KILLING EVE.
UGH I NEED THE FIFTH BOOK STAT.
December 14, 2023
I love this Series! Willing to forgive the Cliffhanger because of author notes.
August 24, 2023
Immediate five stars from me, and read in one sitting. I am obsessed with this historical mystery P.I. series and especially with Will, because it's hard to find such a sharp protagonist who is also badass and bi, and especially the snark and how she doesn't pull any punches. Plus I have never ever guessed whodunnit in this series and I appreciate the twists and turns and especially Pentecost's intellect and her and Will's chemistry together. I loved the layers of this novel and how everything was woven together and then picked apart as this duo is wont to do. Can't wait for the next installment!
Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for this e-arc!
#MurderCrossedHerMind #NetGalley
Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for this e-arc!
#MurderCrossedHerMind #NetGalley
December 20, 2023
Another downright absolute banger of a book. Truly cannot recommend this series enough
March 23, 2025
YEEEEEEEES. ALSO NOOOOOOO
🤌
🤌
January 19, 2025
This series get better and better. Just adore the characters Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean Parker!
January 23, 2024
4 stars! I love this series and what a cliffhanger. I need the next immediately please.
February 16, 2024
The newest book in the Pentecost and Parker series follows the titular duo as they investigate the disappearance of Vera Bodine - an elderly woman with an exceptional memory and some hoarding tendencies. As the investigation progresses it becomes clear that her impressive memory, which made her a valuable employee at a law firm before her retirement and was later used by the FBI to track down Nazi spies during WW2, might have something to do with her missing.
I really love this series. It has the right blend of comedy, coziness and still treats the cases with the seriousness that disappearances and murders deserve. Willowjean is such a great point of view for the series - Spotswood succeeds in giving her a recognizable voice and that's further enhanced by the audiobook narrator (I hope they don't randomly switch Kirsten Potter for the next books - I'll literally be devastated). This time the story dives a bit deeper into her mind and how her trauma and pride prevent her from seeking help. We also got some exciting glimpses at Pentecost's past and inner demons and I can't wait for the next part of this series.
The mystery as always was good, though probably not the best we've seen in this series so far. It had a lot of moving parts that made it harder to guess. Even when it appeared to be mostly solved there were little surprises that I couldn't foresee. The thing that prevented me from giving this book five stars was how underutilized Vera's memory was. I tend to enjoy the trope of a person with impeccable memory and I thought that it would have been way cooler to see it used in in the actual investigation, rather than simply as a quirk of the victim.
I really love this series. It has the right blend of comedy, coziness and still treats the cases with the seriousness that disappearances and murders deserve. Willowjean is such a great point of view for the series - Spotswood succeeds in giving her a recognizable voice and that's further enhanced by the audiobook narrator (I hope they don't randomly switch Kirsten Potter for the next books - I'll literally be devastated). This time the story dives a bit deeper into her mind and how her trauma and pride prevent her from seeking help. We also got some exciting glimpses at Pentecost's past and inner demons and I can't wait for the next part of this series.
The mystery as always was good, though probably not the best we've seen in this series so far. It had a lot of moving parts that made it harder to guess. Even when it appeared to be mostly solved there were little surprises that I couldn't foresee. The thing that prevented me from giving this book five stars was how underutilized Vera's memory was. I tend to enjoy the trope of a person with impeccable memory and I thought that it would have been way cooler to see it used in in the actual investigation, rather than simply as a quirk of the victim.
October 25, 2023
While this one was still an enjoyable read, I felt like it was the worst of the series so far. It reminded me a little bit of the first half of book #3. I feel the books are at their best when Parker and Pentecost are together. I felt like this book was really missing Ms. Pentecost.
Still an enjoyable read and looking forward to book 5. At least, there better be a book 5.
Still an enjoyable read and looking forward to book 5. At least, there better be a book 5.
February 10, 2024
Loved this one!! The series is awesome and the books keep getting better and better!
April 14, 2024
Another solid book in this terrific series! I thought the mystery in this one was a bit tough to solve as a reader, but I enjoyed it and always looking forward to the next one.
January 5, 2024
The newest installment of the Pentecost and Parker series and I loved it so much.
It had everything I loved about this series, women being amazing complex characters. History coming alive and is true to the time period. Showing multiple different queer characters as real people and fleshing out the world they would have lived in at the time. The murder mystery was stronger this time around and had a bite to it, which was fun and thrilling to read.
I even liked the cliffhanger and it's a doozy.
Can't wait to read the new book and see what is next for our crime-fighting duo.
It had everything I loved about this series, women being amazing complex characters. History coming alive and is true to the time period. Showing multiple different queer characters as real people and fleshing out the world they would have lived in at the time. The murder mystery was stronger this time around and had a bite to it, which was fun and thrilling to read.
I even liked the cliffhanger and it's a doozy.
Can't wait to read the new book and see what is next for our crime-fighting duo.
May 30, 2024
Another fantastic installment in this series. This book has the most twists and turns.
I highly recommend reading these!
I highly recommend reading these!
December 31, 2023
This goes right up there with book 1 as far as favorite installments go; but all 4 books are excellent. I devoured this, try as I might to savor it until at least another year. Fun, snappy stuff as always. I can't praise this series enough.
And that cliffhanger was a doozy.
And that cliffhanger was a doozy.
May 11, 2025
4.5/5 - Best entry in this series so far.
August 28, 2025
A CLIFFHANGER?!?!! Spotswood what are you doing to me?! I'm even more hooked for book #5! However, book #4 was an amazing ride! so many crimes little and big and all intertwined but how?! Pentecost & Parker sure weave a web and I'm glad that at least the bulk of the mystery is put to rest. (Don't worry I already have #5 on deck 😂)
April 13, 2025
Such a good installment in the series!!!!! I love seeing the growth between books with these characters. I can't wait to read the next one!
December 12, 2023
Always entertaining series with great characters.
December 8, 2023
Rep: bi mc, bi li, trans side character
October 27, 2025
Entertaining story largely revolving about the disappearance of a shut-in hoarder with an eidetic memory and an interesting backstory.
Plot: The mystery was perhaps more convoluted than it needed to be, with a major, a minor, and two side plotlines. The major plot was a well-handled mystery with the usual twists. The minor plot (arising out of one of the red herrings in the major plot) was thematic, but handled a bit conclusorily. The conmen plot was hand-waved and Parker's decisions did not comport well with her previously established character, though the use of the conmen in the main plot did make for a fun twist. And the long-term side plot felt a bit tacked on.
Characters: I like both Pentecost and Parker. Parker's girlfriend, the main subject of the previous book in the series, has lost most of the personality she showed in that book, and ends up being just a way to virtue signal here.
World: I like mystery and suspense stories with a strong atmosphere and interesting and unusual environments. And this is one of the best elements of this series (even with the occasional anachronism). But I would prefer it if Spotswood would dial down the preaching just a bit.
Ending the story on the worst sort of cliffhanger was unnecessary and annoying. And note that I say this even though I had already purchased the next book in the series. Damaging the story told here just to increase the pressure on your readers to buy the next book is a poor choice that resulted in at least a half-star reduction in my rating of this book. Without the cliffhanger, this would be an easy book to recommend. As is, I can only recommend this to people with at least some tolerance for heavy-handed social commentary who have already committed to reading the next book in the series.
Plot: The mystery was perhaps more convoluted than it needed to be, with a major, a minor, and two side plotlines. The major plot was a well-handled mystery with the usual twists. The minor plot (arising out of one of the red herrings in the major plot) was thematic, but handled a bit conclusorily. The conmen plot was hand-waved and Parker's decisions did not comport well with her previously established character, though the use of the conmen in the main plot did make for a fun twist. And the long-term side plot felt a bit tacked on.
Characters: I like both Pentecost and Parker. Parker's girlfriend, the main subject of the previous book in the series, has lost most of the personality she showed in that book, and ends up being just a way to virtue signal here.
World: I like mystery and suspense stories with a strong atmosphere and interesting and unusual environments. And this is one of the best elements of this series (even with the occasional anachronism). But I would prefer it if Spotswood would dial down the preaching just a bit.
Ending the story on the worst sort of cliffhanger was unnecessary and annoying. And note that I say this even though I had already purchased the next book in the series. Damaging the story told here just to increase the pressure on your readers to buy the next book is a poor choice that resulted in at least a half-star reduction in my rating of this book. Without the cliffhanger, this would be an easy book to recommend. As is, I can only recommend this to people with at least some tolerance for heavy-handed social commentary who have already committed to reading the next book in the series.
December 30, 2023
I'm a bit behind with reviewing (the end of 2023 was pretty intense work-wise and we are in the middle of planning a house move) so only just catching up with the latest Pentecost and Parker mystery.
For those who haven't come across these books yet (and if you haven't, please go back and read them in order) Willowjean "Will" Parker and Lillian Pentecost solve crimes in postwar New York City. Will is a runaway who worked for a time in the circus: Lillian is the city's foremost private detective.
In Murder Crossed Her Mind, the two investigate the disappearance of Vera Bodine, a retired legal secretary who has a preternatural memory but has become a "shut in" - a hoarder who refuses to leave her apartment and lives surrounded by years of clutter. Bodine's only friend, a slippery defence lawyer who gave Lillian a hard time on the witness stand in an earlier book, begs the women to look for Vera but at first they're not inclined to accommodate him. In a slick opening section to the book, Will, suffering after being assaulted and Lillian, struggling with her MS, spend a gruelling 24 hours establishing that there is something to investigate - all of this absolutely top-notch procedural work, a joy to read, really.
If Bodine has suffered harm, it soon becomes clear that there may be many motives - Vera's prodigious memory may mean that she retains information from her legal career, but it also seems she assisted the FBI in hunting Nazi spies. She's dropped a hint that she may want to report a crime. And then there are other suspects, closer to home, like the mysterious buyer who wants to take over the apartment building...
Pentecost and Parker navigate all of this with aplomb, also negotiating their own ongoing cases running on from previous novels, some of which seem to pose threats that I'm sure will come back to bite them in future books. Will's assurance and independence continue to increase (as I noted in reviewing the previous book, Secrets Typed in Blood) but here she's brought down a notch or two by Lillian - I love the relationship between the two women, both strong and complex personalities, both pointedly not saying a lot that they might. Indeed I'll go further and say that for all the genuinely intriguing detective stuff, it's that relationship which is at the heart of these books. Spotswood is taking his time showing it evolve, and I am in no rush for that: I want to enjoy what happens at a decent pace (so while it was great to get two instalments in 2023, I'd prefer these books to continue at one a year!)
For those who haven't come across these books yet (and if you haven't, please go back and read them in order) Willowjean "Will" Parker and Lillian Pentecost solve crimes in postwar New York City. Will is a runaway who worked for a time in the circus: Lillian is the city's foremost private detective.
In Murder Crossed Her Mind, the two investigate the disappearance of Vera Bodine, a retired legal secretary who has a preternatural memory but has become a "shut in" - a hoarder who refuses to leave her apartment and lives surrounded by years of clutter. Bodine's only friend, a slippery defence lawyer who gave Lillian a hard time on the witness stand in an earlier book, begs the women to look for Vera but at first they're not inclined to accommodate him. In a slick opening section to the book, Will, suffering after being assaulted and Lillian, struggling with her MS, spend a gruelling 24 hours establishing that there is something to investigate - all of this absolutely top-notch procedural work, a joy to read, really.
If Bodine has suffered harm, it soon becomes clear that there may be many motives - Vera's prodigious memory may mean that she retains information from her legal career, but it also seems she assisted the FBI in hunting Nazi spies. She's dropped a hint that she may want to report a crime. And then there are other suspects, closer to home, like the mysterious buyer who wants to take over the apartment building...
Pentecost and Parker navigate all of this with aplomb, also negotiating their own ongoing cases running on from previous novels, some of which seem to pose threats that I'm sure will come back to bite them in future books. Will's assurance and independence continue to increase (as I noted in reviewing the previous book, Secrets Typed in Blood) but here she's brought down a notch or two by Lillian - I love the relationship between the two women, both strong and complex personalities, both pointedly not saying a lot that they might. Indeed I'll go further and say that for all the genuinely intriguing detective stuff, it's that relationship which is at the heart of these books. Spotswood is taking his time showing it evolve, and I am in no rush for that: I want to enjoy what happens at a decent pace (so while it was great to get two instalments in 2023, I'd prefer these books to continue at one a year!)
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