“One thing I’ve noticed about getting older, it takes twice as much work to get half the results one formerly achieved by falling out of bed.”

“What I like about cooking is that, so long as you follow the recipe exactly, everything always turns out perfect. It’s too bad there’s no recipe for happiness. Happiness is more like pastry—which is to say that you can take pains to keep cool and not overwork the dough, but if you don’t have that certain light touch, your best efforts still fall flat.The work-around is to buy what you need. I’m talking about pastry, not happiness, although money does make things easier all around.”

“Snowden said carefully, 'I've been unable to get in touch with the person I thought might know about our mutual friend's difficulty.'The guy sounded like he worked for the CIA. Or Charles Dickens.”

“I noticed you right away.” She gave me an approving look. “I like quiet, polite men. And men who wear Hugo Boss. I was hoping you weren’t gay. Or that you were only half-gay. Like Paul.”“Uh…sorry,” I said. “It’s pretty much full-time now. The pay’s not great, but the perks…”

“I think it was Mark Twain who said, “Get your facts straight, and then you can distort them as much as you like.”

“It means I know you, Adrien with an e, and I know you get reckless when you're impatient. You're paying for this investigation, and I'll keep you apprised every step of the way, but if you even think about going rogue on this one, I'm turning in my fedora and you can hire some other dick."I don't want any other dick. I closed my mouth on that one—metaphorically speaking—and said, “I don't know why the hell everyone seems to think I'm so reckless—”

“Wanda's sole interests are getting high and getting laid. I can't picture her wasting valuable stoner hours on murder.”