Dead in the Frame: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery

The lively fifth installment in Spotswood’s historical mystery series (after Murder Crossed Her Mind) finds bisexual sleuth Willowjean “Will” Parker trying to clear her boss, Lillian Pentecost, of a phony murder charge in 1940s New York City. After returning from an idyllic vacation with her girlfriend, Parker finds Pentecost being led from her home in handcuffs. The senior detective has been charged with killing wealthy eccentric Jessup Quincannon, a collector of memorabilia connected with infamous murders. Quincannon died during one of his notorious Black Museum soirées, where his crime-obsessed acquaintances gather to discuss the art of murder; Pentecost was invited to the event and feared the topic of conversation would be the brutal murder of her own mother. Motive and opportunity point to Pentecost as Quincannon’s killer, and she’s sent to the New York City Women’s House of Detention to await trial. Will, meanwhile, is certain of her mentor’s innocence, and pokes around some of Manhattan’s most unsavory upper-crust circles to prove it. As always, Spotswood pairs voicey narration (especially in Will’s chapters) with a briskly satisfying fair-play whodunit. Series fans will be satisfied. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Agency & Assoc. (Feb.)

Correction: A previous version of this review incorrectly referred to protagonist Will Parker as a lesbian.