Kaethe's Reviews > Fortune Favors the Dead

Reading, I was inexplicably grudging. There is no obvious reason; there's nothing wrong with the book. And yet, I kept second-guessing historical details, looking them up in order to think "Ah ha! Caught you!" Never did, of course, logically an author wouldn't include period details that were easily googled and found wanting, but I couldn't stop myself. Well, I learned some interesting stuff about what an amazing paper The Springfield Republican has been, which is irrelevant.

Anyway, it's a post-war noir with women in the leads as detective and protégé, and it deals realistically with disability and the failure of police in domestic violence. Maybe noir is too much of a downer for me right now? Whatever, I will keep away from Spotswood in the future only because he doesn't deserve a begrudging review saying the book is just fine, and I shouldn't have carried on. And to compound my sin, the book was overdue to be returned, and I kept it to finish, and no doubt inconvenienced someone waiting for it who would whole-heartedly love it. Blame the imp of perversity.

It delighted me when Father Divine came up, someone I only recently learned of, so plate o' shrimp! Also, Patience and Fortitude got a shout out, and I love them. Many mystery writers of the Golden Age were name checked, again, to my delight. I don't know what's wrong with me for not loving it, maybe the Adderall shortage is wrecking my life more than I realized.

Library copy