Four (and a half) Mysterious Strangers for Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood

In the style a Noir Hard-Boiled Detective Story, Murder Under Her Skin follows Willowjean "Will" Parker and her BA PI Boss, Ms. Pentecost, head to the circus that took Will in when she was a teenaged runaway. Will's friend, and former crush, the circus's Tattooed Lady has recently been murdered and, to Will's dismay, her old mentor has been accused of the murder.

Full disclosure: I thought this was book 1 in the series but, as it turns out, it's book 2, following Fortune Favors the Dead. There were a few references to things that occurred during past cases which may have been covered in the first book, but for me it just, seamlessly, felt like a bit of character background.

The narration was charming. Written as Will's case notes, there were little asides and reflections from the Will as the narrator, distinctive from her character within the story. Both Will (narrator and character) and Ms. Pentecost were smart and snarky. Reminiscent of other, more famous, literary investigative duos, Ms. Pentecost has keen observational skills that her partner finds endlessly impressive.

This historical fiction mystery is full the brim with quirky and cool characters and the descriptions of the circus were truly delightful. Honestly, I'd give it a full five mysterious strangers, but I was a little bit bummed by the actual murderer.