Secrets Typed in Blood

A hardboiled take on Nero Wolfe which somehow manages to be thoughtful and action-packed simultaneously

Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean "Will" Parker are the preeminent PIs in 1940s New York. Life begins to imitate art when a pulp author arrives at their Brooklyn brownstone and asks them to discreetly investigate 3 murders that appear to be recreations of murders from her short stories. Stephen Spotswood has found the sweet spot of hardboiled fiction with well fleshed out characters, dialogue that feels familiar without falling into cliches, and a plot full of twists and action. Fans of Nero Wolfe will also find a familiar dynamic between Pentecost, largely confined to her brownstone by advancing multiple sclerosis, and Parker as her Archie Goodwin, albeit an Archie that might one day take the great detective's place. It's also the 3rd in the Pentecost and Parker series, but newcomers should have no trouble jumping in here without previous entries.