City of Dragons: Summary and book reviews of City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley, plus links to an excerpt from City of Dragons and a biography of Kelli Stanley.
City of Dragons
by Kelli Stanley
Hardcover: Feb 2010,
352 pages.
Paperback: Aug 2011,
352 pages.
February, 1940. In San Francisco's Chinatown, fireworks explode as the city celebrates Chinese New Year with a Rice Bowl Party, a three day-and-night carnival designed to raise money and support for China war relief. Miranda Corbie is a 33-year-old private investigator who stumbles upon the fatally shot body of Eddie Takahashi. The Chamber of Commerce wants it covered up. The cops acquiesce. All Miranda wants is justice - whatever it costs. From Chinatown tenements, to a tattered tailor's shop in Little Osaka, to a high-class bordello draped in Southern Gothic, she shakes down the city - her city - seeking the truth. An outstanding series debut.
This is one of those books that one needs to read for its entertainment value alone, turning a blind eye to its literary faults. This is the first book in what will likely become a popular series, and, despite its flaws, I find myself looking forward to the next installment. (Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
San Fransicso Chronicle
[A] terrific time-machine trip into the Bay Area's pre-Pearl Harbor past... City of Dragons, with its brittle patter and its broken heart of gold, is a joy to read
Kirkus Reviews
Sometimes Stanley seems too enamored of her settings and her neo-noir voice, but for fans of Hammett and Chandler, she'll hit the sweet spot.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Set in San Francisco in 1940, Stanley's stunning first in a new series introduces a gutsy, independent heroine who isn't always likable.
Library Journal
Starred Review. Miranda Corbie has the potential to be a great series character. Think Barbara Stanwick meets Myrna Loy, then toss in a hard-boiled crime story worthy of Raymond Chandler.
Booklist - Barbara Bibel
Starred Review. [Stanley's] hard-boiled, strong female sleuth stalks Hammett’s San Francisco and does the job with all the panache of Sam Spade. Readers will eagerly await the next installment in this exciting new hard-boiled series.
Lee Child
Beautifully imagined and beautifully written--this book does everything great fiction is supposed to.
Robert B. Parker
A stunning recreation of time and place that I greatly enjoyed...as will everyone who reads it.
George Pelecanos
Big and ambitious, both reverent and original. Author Kelli Stanley has her eye on greatness.
Linda Fairstein
A powerful crime novel that perfectly captures the noir mood of San Francisco in the 40's. Stanley's dialogue bristles with attitude, the atmosphere is thick as the bay fog, and her protagonist is a great new dame in crime fiction. A smart, stunning thriller.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Carrol Ann Smith Pure Fun I stayed up until 4 in the morning to finish City of Dragons the first time I read it and enjoyed it so much I have already read it again, something I have never done before.
Kelli Stanley paints such vivid word pictures of 40s San Francisco... Read More
Hard-boiled fiction arose in the United States in the aftermath of WWI, and gained popularity and refinement in the years leading up to WWII. The popular genre was a direct reflection of the pessimism, uncertainty and disillusionment sweeping the country in the wake of gangster-driven crime, political scandal and economic crisis, and marked a decidedly American departure from the classic whodunit formula.
Fiction magazines proliferated in the 1920's and one in particular, Black Mask, exclusively featured action-oriented detective stories. Founded in 1920 by H.L. Mencken and George Jean Nathan, it included the early efforts of such writers as Carroll John Daly and Dashiell Hammett. Captain Joseph T. Shaw, who favored "economy of expression" and "authenticity of character and action," took over as editor in 1926. His stylistic preferences molded the detective thriller into what is now defined as hard-boiled fiction, characterized by lean,...
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V.I. Warshawski returns in a case that forces her to go head-to-head with one of the world's largest providers of private security and prison services.
These are 2 of the 8 readalike suggestions for City of Dragons. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
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Fiction magazines proliferated in the 1920's and one in particular, Black Mask, exclusively featured action-oriented detective stories. Founded in 1920 by H.L. Mencken and George Jean Nathan, it included the early efforts of such writers as Carroll John Daly and Dashiell Hammett. Captain Joseph T. Shaw, who favored "economy of expression" and "authenticity of character and action," took over as editor in 1926. His stylistic preferences molded the detective thriller into what is now defined as hard-boiled fiction, characterized by lean,...
