Kelli Stanley

A critically-acclaimed, bestselling author of crime fiction, Kelli Stanley is the author of the award-winning Miranda Corbie historical noir series (City of Dragons, City of Secrets, City of Ghosts, City of Sharks), featuring "one of crime's most arresting heroines" (Library Journal), private investigator Miranda Corbie, and set in 1940 San Francisco.

Stanley also writes an award-winning, highly-praised series set in Roman Britain (Nox Dormienda; The Curse-Maker).

Her newest novel, The Reckoning, is a first-in-series mystery-thriller set in Northern California's "Emerald Triangle" in 1985.

Recently I asked Stanley about what she was reading. Her reply:

Well, because I’m on a deadline to finish the second Renata novel, I can’t read fiction. That’s a huge frustration for me, because I’d like to start plunging into Cara Black’s Huguette and James L’Etoile’s Illusion of Truth and Rhys Bowen’s Silent as the Grave, to name a few.

I make it a practice to avoid reading current fiction while I’m actively writing (as opposed to researching) a book, because I’m afraid that I’ll unconsciously start imitating it. So….

Non-fiction is my getaway, and I’m currently reading a delightful book by Jane Austen scholar Devoney Looser. Devoney is a critic and professor (her course on Austen on “Great Courses” truly is a great course) and the book is a gem.

The title is Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane, and it’s one of several I’m devouring to commemorate the 250th birthday of one of my favorite writers. I’ve been an Austen devotee since I was about fourteen—way before Colin Firth took a bath with his clothes on—and her genius never fails to awe and inspire me. Devoney’s book examines just how un-“cozy” Jane Austen was, as a person and as a writer, and I find it a fascinating and provocative read. I recommend it!

Visit Kelli Stanley's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Kelli Stanley & Bertie.

The Page 69 Test: City of Dragons.

The Page 69 Test: City of Secrets.

The Page 69 Test: City of Ghosts.

My Book, The Movie: City of Ghosts.

The Page 69 Test: City of Sharks.

My Book, The Movie: City of Sharks.

Writers Read: Kelli Stanley (March 2018).

The Page 69 Test: The Reckoning.

--Marshal Zeringue