Secrets Typed in Blood, Audio Book

Secrets Typed in Blood, Audio Book (2022) Stephen Spotswood narrated by Kirsten Potter (Pentecost & Parker #3)

Set in NYC in 1947

“I’ll say this, though—she refused to meet my eyes. That screams someone with something to hide.”

My boss shook her head. “I don’t think that was intentional,” she said. “I believe she is merely someone who finds eye contact uncomfortable.”

“Well, I find her lack of it uncomfortable.”

I slipped Hiram an envelope containing a handful of bills. It was more than on previous visits since we were buying Sam Lee’s cooperation as well. It would go in the expense report under “Specialist Consultation,” which was my preferred spelling of “bribe.”

I hadn’t had much in the way of expectations for the offices of a nationally distributed magazine of detective fiction, but what I had held were deflated. Most of it was contained in a single room with half a dozen desks spaced in a pattern Mrs. Campbell would refer to as higgledy-piggledy. In one corner was a door with a hand-lettered sign taped to it: cabinet of mysteries.

‘National’ doesn’t mean much when you’re a one-title shop,” Brent explained. “It was different before the war. Along with Strange Crime, we had Midnight Detective, High Class Crime, Dark Romance. This place was really jumping then.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“There was the paper rationing, of course,” Brent explained. “And then I and quite a few of our regular contributors got to go on a tour of Europe. That really put a crimp in things.”

I mean, yeah, it was one of our frequent topics, as well. But when we discussed murder, it was more like a pair of exterminators talking cockroaches. This crew were writing the vermin fan mail.

“He thinks he’s better than other people. Smarter. More talented,” she explained. “I’ve found that men like that can be particularly fragile, especially when confronted with someone who refuses to recognize their superiority.”

Characters: Willowjean “Will” Parker, Lillian Pentecost, Holly Quick, Michael Perkins, Connor “Conny” Haggard, Flavio Checchetto, Darryl Klinghorn, Brent And Marlo Chase, Jessup Quincannon, Detective Donald Staples, Lieutenant Nathan Lazenby, Eleanor Campbell, Sam Lee Butcher, Ken Shirley, Olivia Waterhouse

Cover by Michael J. Windsor

Publisher: Random House Audio

Rating: 8.5/10

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