September 4, 2017
Set in 1908 Los Angeles, Kincheloe’s winning sequel to 2015’s The Secret Life of Anna Blanc finds feisty young assistant police matron Anna Blanc disowned by her wealthy father, who objects to her scandalous pursuit of a law-enforcement career. Tensions with police officer Joe Singer, whom she loves only slightly less than her own independence, compound Anna’s woes. The pair is sent to the city’s Chinatown district, where a suspicious death has been reported. In the apartment of importer Leo Lim, who has vanished, Anna and Joe find a trunk holding the decomposing, half-dressed corpse of a Caucasian woman. Realizing that the victim—a missionary who was Lim’s lover—has connections to her own family, Anna feels honor bound to bring the murderer to justice. A hush-hush investigation ensues, since the Chinese community will face violent reprisals if one of its own is suspected of murdering a white woman. Kincheloe skillfully juxtaposes a witty, playful voice with richly evocative details that bring L.A.’s Chinatown—and its long history of ethnic tensions—to life. Agent: Neil Blair, Blair Partnership.
September 1, 2017
A former socialite continues to live life on the edge.Anna Blanc has given up wealth, security, and a stuffy fiance to become a crime solver. If you think that's an unusual career path today, imagine how it played out in 1908 Los Angeles. Because Anna's determination to live her own life led her father to disown her, she lives in a dump in which leftover trappings of her former lifestyle fight for space with tins of sardines and packages of Cracker Jack--all she can afford to eat on her salary as an LAPD matron. Her former escapades (The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, 2015) have made her notorious, and her police colleagues don't know what to make of her. She and Detective Joe Singer, son of the police chief, are mad for each other, but Joe wants to marry and have a family, whereas Anna can't see herself as a meek homemaker following a husband's orders. After Joe is assigned to Chinatown, he and Anna end up investigating the murder of a childhood friend of Anna's, a white missionary whose Chinese lover has fled town. Leads are scant in Chinatown's closed society, and Joe realizes that if the news gets out, it could cause riots and deaths. So they must investigate in secret, even as the police deal with two Tongs on the edge of war. As Anna grapples with the pain of seeing Joe court other women, Joe struggles to keep Anna away from Chinatown and out of trouble. It's an impossible task, for the brave and often foolhardy Anna, who hates injustice, throws herself into her quest with abandon. Freezing mountain searches, dangerous opium dens, and water rescues are all in a day's work for the intrepid woman. The feisty heroine's sleuthing abilities and tricky love life make it hard to put this fast-paced historical mystery/romance down and leave you wanting more.
COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
November 1, 2017
In 1908 Los Angeles, police matron Anna Blanc, disinherited by her wealthy father because of her interest in detecting, is sent to Chinatown with Det. Joe Singer, her former sweetheart whose marriage proposal she turned down. In an apartment belonging to a missing Chinese importer, they discover the decomposed body of a white woman in a trunk. The victim turns out to be an old acquaintance of Anna's who was working as a missionary. As the investigation evolves, racial tensions heat up and threaten to explode. VERDICT Anna is occasionally exasperating, but she is also strong and determined and has an intriguing voice. Historical fiction fans who loved The Secret Life of Anna Blanc will enjoy her second investigative adventure.--ACT
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2017
Disinherited heiress Anna Blanc is learning how to live on a police matron's salary in 1908 Los Angeles. She is also, as the opening sentence declares, the most beautiful woman ever to barrel down Long Beach Strand with the severed head of a Chinese man. Unfortunately, investigating a crime in Chinatown means working with Detective Joe Singer. Anna is in love with Joe, but a relationship on his terms means settling down. When Anna discovers that a former society friend who was doing missionary work was murdered in Chinatown, she can't help but offer her unique brand of assistance. Fans of historical fiction starring feisty heroines will love this crime-solving suffragette. Pair Anna with Amy Stewart's similar Constance Kopp.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)