Miranda Corbie is back in this sequel to City of Dragons. "Impressive...Stanley's hard-boiled, strong female sleuth stalks Hammett's San Francisco and does the job with all the panache of Sam Spade. Readers will eagerly await the next installment in this exciting new series." -- Booklist (starred) When Pandora Blake is murdered at San Francisco's 1940 World Fair and her body marked with an anti-Semitic slur, Miranda is soon entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal that is only overshadowed by the threat of impending war. With a strong female protagonist more steel than silk and a mystery that will grip you until the last page, this sequel to the critically-acclaimed  City of Dragons  will appeal to fans of noir and historical mysteries. "Stanley brings 1940s San Francisco to life with her meticulously detailed, hard-boiled novel ... It's neonoir in a classical five-act structure, starring one of crime's most arresting heroines: angry, big-hearted, and fearless Miranda Corbie. " - Library Journal (starred review) "Miranda continues to fight the good fight in Hammett's San Francisco, making Sam Spade proud and giving readers a treat ." - Barbara Bibel, Booklist "A superb mystery, a noir tale of high order ... This novel rings across the decades with an eerie truth. " - T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times Bestselling Author "Lean and mean, Kelli Stanley's gritty 1940s-set mystery series gives readers a compelling snapshot of the past--a past as smart, complex and jaded as her lead character, female P.I. Miranda Corbie. A razor-sharp, tightly-plotted noir page-turner ." - Allison Brennan, New York Times Bestselling Author "Kelli Stanley is a writer who knows her place. It's mid-20th century San Francisco, same place Hammett knew, and with a detective as unique and unyielding. If you haven't been reading Kelli Stanley you've been making a mistake and it's time to do yourself a favor: Grab up this book. " - S. J. Rozan, Edgar-winning author of Ghost Hero KELLI STANLEY is also the author of a critically acclaimed Roman Noir series. The first book in that series, Nox Dormienda , won the Bruce Alexander Award for best historical mystery. The second, The Curse-Maker, was also published by Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books. The first book in the Miranda Corbie series, City of Dragons, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It was also named one of the 2010 Top Ten Mystery Thrillers by Oline Cogdill and one of the Top Ten Best Fiction by Bay Area Authors by the San Francisco Chronicle. Kelli lives in San Francisco, California. One   Pandora was still pretty. White skin, blond hair. Roots not faded back to black and brown. Stretched across the platform, breasts firm, nipples plump, pubic hair shaved. Head hung over the edge, upside down. Frozen, still, marble. Perfect artist’s model, except for the blood dripping. Drip-drop. Drip-drop. Fred was standing in the stage shadows, hat in his hands. Tom skittered around Miranda, keeping up a monologue. “I—I figure you know wh-what to do, Miss Corbie, bein’ a detective an’ all. You probably seen … She really is—dead?” Fred choked, his large brown fedora crumpled with sweat from where he was squeezing it. He took a step toward Miranda. “Ain’t you better—ain’t you better do somethin’, Miss Corbie? Whoever did this to Pandora…” She turned to face him. “Somebody threaten her? Try to get too close?” He shook his head. “I can’t say, Miss Corbie. Tom finds her like this—she ain’t supposed to be here, she was always late, but you know, it don’t take much time to take off your clothes, and she—she never had to wear much makeup.…” He turned his back to her, faced the shadows again. A calliope started playing from the merry-go-round. Miranda stood up from where she was crouched by the dead woman’s face. “You touch anything?” “I cain’t—cain’t remember, Miss Corbie. I saw her, might’ve shook her some.” Tom’s eyes came back to the dead girl, West Virginia accent thicker. Miranda took the pack of Chesterfields out of her purse. Said carefully: “You know how this got here?” She pointed to Pandora’s right breast, the one without a hole in it. Under the swell, under the small, slow trickle crossing her chest and oozing from the stab wound. A word in blood. Kike. Bombs exploded from the Elephant Towers, rattling the wooden platform. Signal for opening time, second Golden Gate International Exposition, step right up, folks, and welcome to Treasure Island. Miranda took a deep breath and lit a cigarette, staring at the dead girl. May 25, 1940. Opening Day at the Fair to End All Fairs. Closing day for Pandora Blake. *   *   * 9:06 A.M. Miranda folded the newspaper over the B-western fence post outside Sally’s and flicked the Chesterfield in the dirt, waiting for the bulls to make an appearance, waiting for someone official to show up and tell her to go away. Another explosion shook the Gayway, drowning out the Hawaiian and Spanish music from the turnstiles.