Kelli Stanley
Author of City of Dragons
About the Author
Image credit: lisakeatingphotography.com
Series
Works by Kelli Stanley
Children's Day 2 copies
Convivium [short story] 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Stanley, Kelli
- Birthdate
- 1964
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Dallas
San Francisco State University (BA, Classics and Art History)
San Francisco State University (MA, Classics) - Occupations
- Comic Book/Pop Culture retail shop (1989-1997)
- Organizations
- Mystery Writers of America
International Thriller Writers
Private Eye Writers of America
Sisters in Crime
International Association of Crime Writers - Awards and honors
- Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award (2009)
Macavity Finalist (2009)
Certificate of Honor, City and County of San Francisco, CA (2008)
Writers Digest Notable Debut Author (2008)
Indie Next Pick, February, 2010 (City of Dragons)
Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award Finalist (2010) (show all 8)
RT Book Reviews Best Historical Mystery Award Finalist (2010)
Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist (2010) - Agent
- Kimberley Cameron, CA (Reece Halsey)
- Short biography
- Kelli Stanley lives in San Francisco. When she’s not writing or wandering in the fog, she can be found at bookstores, speakeasies and classic movie palaces.
CITY OF DRAGONS [Indie Next Pick, February, 2010]—a dark, sweeping story of 1940 San Francisco—is a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was nominated for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award as well as the RT Book Review's Best Historical Mystery award. Lee Child praised this highly acclaimed noir historical as "Beautifully imagined and beautifully written--this book does everything great fiction is supposed to."
Kelli’s debut novel, Nox Dormienda (A Long Night for Sleeping), won the Bruce Alexander Memorial Mystery Award, and initiated a new genre: Roman noir. The sequel, THE CURSE-MAKER, was published by Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books in February 2011 to critical acclaim.
Kelli's next book is CITY OF SPIDERS, the sequel to CITY OF DRAGONS and second book in the Miranda Corbie series. It launches September 13, 2011; the CITY OF DRAGONS trade paperback releases August 30, 2011.
Visit Kelli at http://www.kellistanley.com. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- San Francisco, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
This new mystery series is set in Roman occupied Britain. The governor, Agricola, has subdued the Britons and built a fragile peace after the terrible destruction of the Druids' sacred isle of Mona and the defeat of Boudicca. But the balance is precarious, the Romans and the natives barely tolerate each other.
Arcturus is caught with a foot in both worlds. His mother was a Briton but his father and step-father were both Roman. He has managed to become a successful physician, officially he is show more Agricola's physician, but he manages to hover in the middle. He feels the tug of divided loyalties.One night, after a busy day treating patients, a beautiful woman comes to see him. Her name is Gwyna and she claims that the Governor is in danger. Arcturus has a knack for solving problems and a bit of a reputation for it, too. Perhaps because of his knowledge of both nationalities, he is able to win trust on both sides. He is a little distracted, though, by Gwyna, and the other interesting members of his household are both a hindrance and a help.
Before you know it a murder has taken place, and then another. The Romans blame the native community, particularly one young Druid who is conveniently in their path. Can Arcturus unravel the mystery in time to find the real killer, save the young man and avoid the civil war that is sure to erupt if the Romans execute the wrong man?
This mystery novel is full of well developed characters and has an intriguing plot. The setting of Roman Britain is so masterfully crafted that it is obvious the author has immersed herself in it. You can feel the mud and the dreary rain and see the gray mist that covers the Londinium of the time. I loved the inclusion of the excellent glossary in the back which included every Latin and Celtic word used in the book.
In her author's note, Ms. Stanley explains that she is a fan of Noir films and the classic private eye stories of Raymond Chandler. That is certainly apparent in this engrossing mystery. Some of the snappy language was hilarious and the whole time I was reading it I kept seeing Humphrey Bogart in his overcoat (make that a toga) and hearing Dick Tracy in my ear. It was a vivid, exciting, hard-boiled mystery with a bit of fun thrown in!
I hope I will be able to review the next book in the series, Maledictus. I have to know what happens to Arcturus & the rest of the lively characters that live in Ms. Stanley's world of Roman Noir. show less
Arcturus is caught with a foot in both worlds. His mother was a Briton but his father and step-father were both Roman. He has managed to become a successful physician, officially he is show more Agricola's physician, but he manages to hover in the middle. He feels the tug of divided loyalties.One night, after a busy day treating patients, a beautiful woman comes to see him. Her name is Gwyna and she claims that the Governor is in danger. Arcturus has a knack for solving problems and a bit of a reputation for it, too. Perhaps because of his knowledge of both nationalities, he is able to win trust on both sides. He is a little distracted, though, by Gwyna, and the other interesting members of his household are both a hindrance and a help.
Before you know it a murder has taken place, and then another. The Romans blame the native community, particularly one young Druid who is conveniently in their path. Can Arcturus unravel the mystery in time to find the real killer, save the young man and avoid the civil war that is sure to erupt if the Romans execute the wrong man?
This mystery novel is full of well developed characters and has an intriguing plot. The setting of Roman Britain is so masterfully crafted that it is obvious the author has immersed herself in it. You can feel the mud and the dreary rain and see the gray mist that covers the Londinium of the time. I loved the inclusion of the excellent glossary in the back which included every Latin and Celtic word used in the book.
In her author's note, Ms. Stanley explains that she is a fan of Noir films and the classic private eye stories of Raymond Chandler. That is certainly apparent in this engrossing mystery. Some of the snappy language was hilarious and the whole time I was reading it I kept seeing Humphrey Bogart in his overcoat (make that a toga) and hearing Dick Tracy in my ear. It was a vivid, exciting, hard-boiled mystery with a bit of fun thrown in!
I hope I will be able to review the next book in the series, Maledictus. I have to know what happens to Arcturus & the rest of the lively characters that live in Ms. Stanley's world of Roman Noir. show less
It's raining outside, of course; it always is in Londinium. Arcturus, medicus to the governor and sometimes detective, has a murder to solve and limited time to solve it in. There's a beautiful woman, a trusty assistant, a bully with a heart of gold, sneaky politicians, and plenty of villains, of course. All the elements you would expect of a hard-boiled detective story. The difference here is there's also a Mithraeum, a sprinkling of Latin phrases, some Druids, and talk of the Emperor. See, show more this isn't just any old noir- it's Roman Noir.
The idea of having a hard-boiled detective story set in London (aka "Londinium") 83 AD is a great one. All the fun of your usual noir, plus Roman intrigue. As far as the mystery goes, I'd say Ms. Stanley pulled it off nicely. She clearly knows her history (and her noir) and the story had plenty of nice twists and turns. Occasionally there were odd jumps that read, to me, like someone had edited out a scene but forgotten to fix the transition, though that may have been fixed in the final copy. My main gripe, though, is about the romance. This is the third historical fiction I've read in the least few months that would have been vastly superior had it not included the romance. Ladies, I know you really want to have a love interest in your story but please- if you decide to go for it, spend as much time developing that as you did you history. An unrealistic love affair can ruin the suspension of disbelief just as easily as a poorly researched historical scene can. I read in Ms. Stanley's bio that she loves Shakespeare and I can believe that- some of the relationships read like the comic love stories of Shakespears in that everyone seems to fall in love with exactly the right person by the end, for no apparent reason and with no explanation, and they do so seemingly instantaneously. I'm reasonably romantic but come on. It takes more than a pair of pretty eyes.
So, the romance was bad, and I really, sincerely hope Ms. Stanley will work on that because she has a whole series planned around this concept, and I for one think it has great potential. As of now, I'd check out the second installment for sure, then see how it develops. I wouldn't call this a great book (even without the romance) but it was a solidly good read and has the potential to be more. Excellent job with the innovation, Ms. Stanley, and I'll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series. As for the rest of you, if you enjoy Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet, and especially if you enjoy Roman history, or even if you don't know much about either but want a fun, original murder mystery, check this out- it's good, muddy fun. show less
The idea of having a hard-boiled detective story set in London (aka "Londinium") 83 AD is a great one. All the fun of your usual noir, plus Roman intrigue. As far as the mystery goes, I'd say Ms. Stanley pulled it off nicely. She clearly knows her history (and her noir) and the story had plenty of nice twists and turns. Occasionally there were odd jumps that read, to me, like someone had edited out a scene but forgotten to fix the transition, though that may have been fixed in the final copy. My main gripe, though, is about the romance. This is the third historical fiction I've read in the least few months that would have been vastly superior had it not included the romance. Ladies, I know you really want to have a love interest in your story but please- if you decide to go for it, spend as much time developing that as you did you history. An unrealistic love affair can ruin the suspension of disbelief just as easily as a poorly researched historical scene can. I read in Ms. Stanley's bio that she loves Shakespeare and I can believe that- some of the relationships read like the comic love stories of Shakespears in that everyone seems to fall in love with exactly the right person by the end, for no apparent reason and with no explanation, and they do so seemingly instantaneously. I'm reasonably romantic but come on. It takes more than a pair of pretty eyes.
So, the romance was bad, and I really, sincerely hope Ms. Stanley will work on that because she has a whole series planned around this concept, and I for one think it has great potential. As of now, I'd check out the second installment for sure, then see how it develops. I wouldn't call this a great book (even without the romance) but it was a solidly good read and has the potential to be more. Excellent job with the innovation, Ms. Stanley, and I'll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series. As for the rest of you, if you enjoy Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet, and especially if you enjoy Roman history, or even if you don't know much about either but want a fun, original murder mystery, check this out- it's good, muddy fun. show less
It's a man's world. San Francisco in the 1940s. No place for a dame. Yeah, don't tell that to Stanley's hard-boiled female PI, Miranda Corbie, fedora and all.
Two girls are dead, stabbed and left with the word `kike' drawn on their naked body with their own blood. Europe is at war and some factions in the States are dealing with their own anti-Semitic problems. Aryans in America. In this second of a series, following "City of Dragons," Stanley's noir masterpiece takes us into a dark realm of show more the American historical novel.
With a short, staccato beat, resounding like bullets launched from gangster's machine gun we are led into the world of Miranda Corbie, ex-escort, detective to the stars in the underbelly of the Gayway at The Golden Gate International Exposition of 1940. Corbie breathes in every tune from every juke joint in town, scouring the city with help from a local rag reporter and her Jewish attorney, as they battle to locate evidence to reverse a charge that has led the police to send one of their own to Riker's on a trumped up charge.
Running from an Italian mob boss looking to cut short her charmed life, and one-step ahead of a malevolent police force, Corbie unearths the Nazi's in the backwoods town of Calistoga, just north of town. Lead by an evil dentist, a group of professionals is doing their part to sterilize young Jewish women, by using the guise of abortion clinics.
This book is a blast-from-the-past as Stanley liberally intersperses name brands, musicians, and gangsters from long ago that brings to mind the Humphrey Bogart or Ava Gardner era we have witnessed in the movies. Recently nominated for a Golden Nugget, a special award to be given to the best mystery set in California, I hope this goes on to even more recognition for this very special author. show less
Two girls are dead, stabbed and left with the word `kike' drawn on their naked body with their own blood. Europe is at war and some factions in the States are dealing with their own anti-Semitic problems. Aryans in America. In this second of a series, following "City of Dragons," Stanley's noir masterpiece takes us into a dark realm of show more the American historical novel.
With a short, staccato beat, resounding like bullets launched from gangster's machine gun we are led into the world of Miranda Corbie, ex-escort, detective to the stars in the underbelly of the Gayway at The Golden Gate International Exposition of 1940. Corbie breathes in every tune from every juke joint in town, scouring the city with help from a local rag reporter and her Jewish attorney, as they battle to locate evidence to reverse a charge that has led the police to send one of their own to Riker's on a trumped up charge.
Running from an Italian mob boss looking to cut short her charmed life, and one-step ahead of a malevolent police force, Corbie unearths the Nazi's in the backwoods town of Calistoga, just north of town. Lead by an evil dentist, a group of professionals is doing their part to sterilize young Jewish women, by using the guise of abortion clinics.
This book is a blast-from-the-past as Stanley liberally intersperses name brands, musicians, and gangsters from long ago that brings to mind the Humphrey Bogart or Ava Gardner era we have witnessed in the movies. Recently nominated for a Golden Nugget, a special award to be given to the best mystery set in California, I hope this goes on to even more recognition for this very special author. show less
It's a man's world. San Francisco in the 1940s. No place for a dame. Yeah, don't tell that to Stanley's hard-boiled female PI, Miranda Corbie, fedora and all.
Two girls are dead, stabbed and left with the word `kike' drawn on their naked body with their own blood. Europe is at war and some factions in the States are dealing with their own anti-Semitic problems. Aryans in America. In this second of a series, following "City of Dragons," Stanley's noir masterpiece takes us into a dark realm of show more the American historical novel.
With a short, staccato beat, resounding like bullets launched from gangster's machine gun we are led into the world of Miranda Corbie, ex-escort, detective to the stars in the underbelly of the Gayway at The Golden Gate International Exposition of 1940. Corbie breathes in every tune from every juke joint in town, scouring the city with help from a local rag reporter and her Jewish attorney, as they battle to locate evidence to reverse a charge that has led the police to send one of their own to Riker's on a trumped up charge.
Running from an Italian mob boss looking to cut short her charmed life, and one-step ahead of a malevolent police force, Corbie unearths the Nazi's in the backwoods town of Calistoga, just north of town. Lead by an evil dentist, a group of professionals is doing their part to sterilize young Jewish women, by using the guise of abortion clinics.
This book is a blast-from-the-past as Stanley liberally intersperses name brands, musicians, and gangsters from long ago that brings to mind the Humphrey Bogart or Ava Gardner era we have witnessed in the movies. Recently nominated for a Golden Nugget, a special award to be given to the best mystery set in California, I hope this goes on to even more recognition for this very special author. show less
Two girls are dead, stabbed and left with the word `kike' drawn on their naked body with their own blood. Europe is at war and some factions in the States are dealing with their own anti-Semitic problems. Aryans in America. In this second of a series, following "City of Dragons," Stanley's noir masterpiece takes us into a dark realm of show more the American historical novel.
With a short, staccato beat, resounding like bullets launched from gangster's machine gun we are led into the world of Miranda Corbie, ex-escort, detective to the stars in the underbelly of the Gayway at The Golden Gate International Exposition of 1940. Corbie breathes in every tune from every juke joint in town, scouring the city with help from a local rag reporter and her Jewish attorney, as they battle to locate evidence to reverse a charge that has led the police to send one of their own to Riker's on a trumped up charge.
Running from an Italian mob boss looking to cut short her charmed life, and one-step ahead of a malevolent police force, Corbie unearths the Nazi's in the backwoods town of Calistoga, just north of town. Lead by an evil dentist, a group of professionals is doing their part to sterilize young Jewish women, by using the guise of abortion clinics.
This book is a blast-from-the-past as Stanley liberally intersperses name brands, musicians, and gangsters from long ago that brings to mind the Humphrey Bogart or Ava Gardner era we have witnessed in the movies. Recently nominated for a Golden Nugget, a special award to be given to the best mystery set in California, I hope this goes on to even more recognition for this very special author. show less
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- Works
- 11
- Also by
- 8
- Members
- 408
- Popularity
- #59,621
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 31
- ISBNs
- 31
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