Information:
- Author: Stacey Lee
- Genre: Historical. Mystery, Thriller
- Page count: 390
- Year Published: 2024
Read This if You Like:
- Asian American/Chinese American Protagonists
- Murder Mysteries
- Sisters Working Together
- 1930s, Depression-era settings
- Historical Fiction
- Old Hollywood Films
- Themes on Gentrification and Racism
- Glamorous Hollywood Settings
- Dual POV
Spoiler-Free Summary:
Los Angeles, 1932: The Chow sisters, Gemma, May, and Peony, have been working hard to provide for their family ever since their father was put into the hospital for tuberculosis. And living in Chinatown has become a challenge with the negative media portrayal of the Chinese, as well as the threat for Chinatown to be torn down to make room for a new railway depot. Then the sister’s quiet life is upended when they discover the body of Lulu Wong outside a stable. Lulu was a famous Chinese actress who was on the verge of a massive starring role- as well as a close friend of the Chow sisters before she left for Hollywood. Now, the media is using the murder to verify their claims that the Chinese are villainous and hostile, and the police won’t bother to help with the case. So the sisters set out to find out who murdered Lulu- even if it exposes many shocking secrets and sets the sisters on a path of danger.
Review/Opinions:
This is actually my fourth book by this author, and I’ve had mixed opinions on her works so far. The Downstairs Girl had a unique plot but a confusing story, though I may reread it because my confusion was probably due to it being one of my first YA books and historical fiction novels. (And also read it because it’s being challenged and banned in schools across America, and I don’t support book banning to any extent!). Luck of the Titanic was slightly better, but a bit predictable (because it takes place on the Titanic.) I did enjoy Outrun the Moon, however. Anyway, I got curious about what the author was up to because I haven’t heard about any projects from her lately, and got so excited when I found out she was getting into the thriller and murder mystery genre with this book. So I preordered it and waited MONTHS for it to arrive in April (because I think I preordered it on the day of or a day after it was officially revealed for the first time, and you know how long it takes between the reveal and the official book release. ). And this book was absolutely worth the wait and the order sitting on Amazon for so long. Not only is it the best Stacey Lee book I’ve read, but it’s also an amazing murder mystery.
Obviously, we are going to discuss the murder mystery part first, because this was a fun one. I can’t really get into it without bringing up a mountain of spoilers, so let’s just say it’s complex. Most of the time I understood what was going on, but I was lost at a few points. There were a bunch of possible motives and suspects, as well as secrets. But that’s exactly how I like my murder mysteries- so much stuff going on it’s impossible to tell which stuff is true. I do think the murderer falls into the “not your first guess but you realize it was actually obvious when they’re revealed” category, but they did have a pretty shocking motive and secret.
Also, the characters in this book were absolutely perfect. I love seeing a good sisterly bond in YA, and the one between Gemma, May and Peony was beautiful as they tried to support each other and find out who murdered Lulu. The chapters alternate between May and Gemma’s POVs, so we get a look into both of their thoughts and their experiences. I wish we got a bit more of Peony (and not just because she’s a mystery novel addict), but I understand why she didn’t have her own POV, since she was only 12, which is way younger than the average YA protagonist, and Gemma and May are 18 and 19, respectively (which is a bit on the older side of YA characters, especially with one being 19). Other than the Chow Sisters, there is such a great community in Chinatown, and we get to learn a bunch about their personal lives, even if it’s because some of them are murder suspects. There’s also a small romance subplot between May and her neighbor (and it involves some fake dating!), but it’s far from the main focus, and it only comes up in the novel randomly.
Another huge part of this novel is the themes of gentrification and racism in Asian American communities. Most of the story is based around how the Chinese were viewed as villains to the Americans during the time period, and how the media constantly portrays this fact. It leads to many of the conflicts for the Chow sisters in the novel, including the threat of Chinatown being torn down to create a railroad depot, and the fact that Lulu’s murder is being either ignored by the police, or blamed entirely on the Chinese. These themes also help connect to how significant Lulu was as a Chinese actress, which would be rare in Hollywood at the time. The murder motive, which I can’t really explain in depth due to spoilers, is also connected to these themes.
The last part I want to discuss is the historical Hollywood setting, which was also a fun part. Although the Chow sisters aren’t too connected to the luxurious setting besides being friends with Lulu, we do get a big view into the glamorous Hollywood life as the sisters complete their murder investigation, including the life of the actors on set. Oh, and there’s also 2 whole scenes that take place at very lavish Hollywood parties. I know that no one can resist a good Hollywood party scene.
I couldn’t find any real flaws with the story, except for the murder mystery being a bit confusing at times, but it was mostly understandable. So if it isn’t clear, I highly ask that you check out this novel. It might’ve taken some time for me to find a truly great book from this author, but this definitely is her best work, with a thrilling mystery, beautiful characters and themes, and a fun historical setting.
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