Fortune Favors the Dead

A Novel

By: Stephen Spotswood

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

A wildly charming and fast-paced mystery written with all the panache of the hardboiled classics, Fortune Favors the Dead introduces Pentecost and Parker, an audacious new detective duo for the ages.

“Razor-sharp style, tons of flair, a snappy sense of humor, and all the most satisfying elements of a really good noir novel, plus plenty of original twists of its own.”—Tana French, bestselling author of The Searcher

It's 1942 and Willowjean "Will" Parker is a scrappy circus runaway whose knife-throwing skills have just saved the life of New York's best, and most unorthodox, private investigator, Lillian Pentecost. When the dapper detective summons Will a few days later, she doesn't expect to be offered a life-changing proposition: Lillian's multiple sclerosis means she can't keep up with her old case load alone, so she wants to hire Will to be her right-hand woman. In return, Will is to receive a salary, room and board, and training in Lillian's very particular art of investigation.

Three years later, Will and Lillian 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—her body slumped in the same chair where her steel magnate husband shot himself the year before. With rumors flying that Abigail was bumped off by the vengeful spirit of her husband (who else could have gotten inside the locked room?), the family has tasked the detectives with finding answers where the police have failed.

But that's easier said than done in a case that involves messages from the dead, a seductive spiritualist, and Becca Collins—the beautiful daughter of the deceased, who Will quickly starts falling for. When Will and Becca's relationship dances beyond the professional, Will finds herself in dangerous territory, and discovers she may have become the murderer's next target.

©2020 Stephen Spotswood (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

Winner of the 2021 Nero Award

“Bullets, blood, bodies, and belly-laughs: all the ingredients of a classic mystery novel. Stephen Spotswood hard-boils with the best of ‘em!”—Alan Bradley, bestselling author of the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series

"Fortune Favors the Dead takes gritty 40s noir, shakes it up, gives it a charming twist, and serves it up with unforgettable style. My new favorite sleuthing duo are Pentecost and Parker, the spiritual sisters of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. An utterly brilliant debut!"—Deanna Raybourn, author of the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

“Witty. . . Humorous and fun [with] all the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie mystery, and there’s a delightful dose of noir thrown in for the more hardcore pulp fiction crowd, too. . . As mysterious and fun a caper as you will ever read, with plenty of misdirection and intrigue to keep you guessing. You don’t need a clairvoyant to realize this duo will be around for years to come.”—Bookpage *Starred Review*

A Female Nero Wolfe!

This story is Nero Wolfe rewritten to a female version. An Archie type character does the narration, the yellow chairs are reused, and we have an Orly character who was killed off in the Nero Wolfe series. Enjoy.

Fantastic story with perfect narrator

Creative twist on the Holmes pastiche. Surprise ending that Sherlockians with love. I will definitely be checking out the next book in the series.

Great story!

Awesome narrator and very original and fun Murder mystery. Can’t wait for the sequel in December!

Great characters

This book is a 4.6 but I will be in love with the characters before the end of the second book. A really solid and interesting story.

Great who done it and excellent narration!!

I love mysteries with smart bad ass women sleuths and this book gives us two of them! I love Will’s humor and Ms P’s sense of justice. There were so many layers to this story and each thread kept me engaged. I didn’t figure out who did it and there were a good amount of twists and turns to keep me guessing. The narrator was brilliant! Every voice was unique and the accents superb! I must say she’s one of the best narrators I’ve listened to. I plan on seeing if she narrated any other sapphic books! I am so excited to see that there’s a sequel! On to book 2 😀

You will be hooked.

Greatly enjoyed plot, characters and fine performance. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Wonderful

Great story line - fantastic narration ! Loved it. From start to end it was engaging, funny, full of twists. I highly recommend.

Solid story.

If you're coming here for the gay, you won't get much. The story is still good though. the characters shine well and all feel unique. If you like a nice old school "who did it" this is a nice one to listen to.

A great audio medley

This audiobook had all the desired flavorings for a delightful treat:
queer ✔️
Solid story✔️
Intriguing time period / setting ✔️
Interesting realistic characters ✔️
A lovely narrator ✔️

Ive purchased the next installment!

Great listen!

Clever writing with sometimes unexpected and unique phrasing I really enjoyed. Likeable characters. I also didn't figure out some of the twists and turns which I appreciated