A review by megmcardle
City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley

4.0

It's always great to get some SF noir in the reading pile, and this title only missed by a little. Miranda Corbie is a female PI in 1940 San Francisco, which in and of itself is a stretch for the imagination. She stumbles on a body in Chinatown during a local celebration which draws her into a complicated investigation involving local gangs of all ethnicities: Chinese, Japanese, and even some Italians for fun. The local color and setting is fantastic, but the author gives mannerisms in place of character development. At one point I wanted to laugh at the number of times she describes Miranda lighting a cigarette or drinking a bourbon: we get it - she's badass. The character's backstory is also interesting, but so much is alluded to rather than explained that perhaps a future series installment will give us more of Miranda. I'd give the author another try, as she's definitely one to watch.