Kelli Stanley (born 1964) is an
American author
American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...
of
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
-thrillers. The majority of her published fiction is written in the genres of historical
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
and
noir. Her best known work, the Miranda Corbie series, is set in San Francisco, her adoptive hometown.
Biography
Novels
Stanley's
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
, ''Nox Dormienda (A Long Night for Sleeping)'' (released in 2008) was the first of a series set in Roman Britain in the 1st century CE (The Arcturus Series).''Nox Dormienda'' takes its title from a line by the Roman poet
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His ...
in the poem known as
Catullus 5 (''Vivamus, mea Lesbia'' ...). Stanley has said that the title is an homage to
The Big Sleep
''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...
, and roughly translates as "A night that must be slept, i.e., death." Stanley was a graduate student in
Classics at
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...
when she wrote the novel, and labeled this first series as "Roman noir," a pun on the French literary term for “black novel,” a unique combination of historical setting and hardboiled style. ''The Curse-Maker'', the second novel in the series, was sold to
Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur and published in 2011.
Stanley's second novel, ''City of Dragons'', was published by
Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur in 2010.
The novel marked Stanley's move from a small press to a major publisher.
The first novel in the
Miranda Corbie mystery series, ''City of Dragons'' is set in 1940 San Francisco, particularly Chinatown, and tackles issues relating to the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
. The protagonist,
Miranda Corbie, is a private investigator, former
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
nurse and ex-escort. Stanley has said that she wanted to create a femme fatale as a hero, playing tribute to
noir conventions while at the same time challenging them.
''City of Secrets'', the sequel to ''City of Dragons'', was published in 2011. The plot centers on the murders of two young women, the crime apparently motivated by anti-Semitism. The novel continues to explore the major themes of Stanley's oeuvre: racism, sexism, and the erroneous romanticism of history.
''City of Ghosts'', the third novel in the Miranda Corbie series, was published in August 2014. In addition to genre elements and an ongoing authorial redefinition of noir, the plot explores the role of art in culture, specifically centering on how Nazi Germany labeled most modern art "degenerate" while simultaneously looting Old Masters and other works from conquered European countries.
Short stories
Stanley's first published short-story, "Convivium", is a prequel to ''Nox Dormienda'' and was published in the now-defunct e-magazine "Hardluck Stories", founded by author
Dave Zeltserman. "Convivium" was nominated for
Spinetinger Awardfor best e-story in 2007.
"Children's Day", a short story prequel to ''City of Dragons'' featuring
Miranda Corbie, Stanley's private detective protagonist, was published in the bestselling
International Thriller Writers
International Thriller Writers (ITW), was founded October 9, 2004, at Bouchercon XXXV, the "World Mystery and Suspense Conference", in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Six months later, some 150 authors with more than one billion books sold worldwide h ...
anthology ''First Thrills: High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors''. The collection, which was edited by
Lee Child
James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher'' novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former America ...
, was released in 2010 by Tor/Forge.
"Memory Book", another
Miranda Corbie short story prequel to both ''City of Dragons'' and ''City of Secrets'', was published September 6, 2011, on Macmillan'
The Criminal Elementwebsite and as an e-book.
Stanley also participated in the first charity e-book anthology, spearheaded by author
Timothy Hallinan. The project, which resulted in the bestselling e-book ''Shaken: Stories for Japan'', contributes all money—including the share normally retained by
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
—to the Japan America Society of Southern California, to be used to help the country recover from the devastating effects of the
Great East Japan earthquake
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
. Stanley's contribution is set during the
1906 San Francisco earthquake, and is entitled "Coolie".
Stanley's first contemporary fiction, a short story about the 2008 financial meltdown entitled "Survivor", is available in the "Scoundrels" anthology in both print and e-book formats. The anthology is edited by noir author
Gary Philips.
Critical reception
The city and county of San Francisco awarded Stanley a Certificate of Honor for her invention of the "Roman noir" subgenre, and ''Nox Dormienda'' went on to win the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award for best historical mystery published in 2008, despite its limited print run as a small-press book.
''City of Dragons'' received early praise from several notable writers, including
Lee Child
James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher'' novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former America ...
,
Linda Fairstein
Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947) is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's offi ...
,
Robert B. Parker,
George Pelecanos and
Otto Penzler
Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.
Biography
Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The ...
, and was published to high critical acclaim: three starred reviews from
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
,
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
, and
Library Journal, an RT Book Review Top Pick, an Indie Next Pick from the
American Booksellers Association, and a Killer Book from the
Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independen ...
.
Crime fiction critic Tom Nolan of the
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
wrote in a review dated March 28, 2010, that "Stanley, winner (for a previous book set in ancient Rome) of the
Bruce Alexander Award for best historical mystery, knows how to bring the past to life: not only with a wealth of references to old buildings and politics and popular culture, but with thoughts and attitudes, dialogue and gestures, that seem both true to another time and as spontaneous as right this minute. ''City of Dragons'', with its brittle patter and its broken heart of gold, is a joy to read.”.
Oline Cogdill of the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel praised on February 21, 2010: "Kelli Stanley's riveting new series about 1940s San Francisco private investigator Miranda Corbie revels in the character's uniqueness without resorting to cliches ... The gritty, hard-boiled ''City of Dragons'' works as an insightful look at racism and sexism. Stanley never misses a beat as she also shows San Francisco's hidden corners, seething emotions in the days before WWII. ... ''City of Dragons'' is a wonderful start to what should be a long-running series."
The hardcover edition of ''City of Dragons'' reached No. 2 on the bestseller list for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association and was published in hardcover, paperback, large-print, audio and e-editions.
The novel won the
Macavity Award
The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the " mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' ...
(Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery Award) for 2010,
a major mystery award given out by
Mystery Readers International Mystery Readers International is a fan/reader organization open to all readers, fans, critics, editors, publishers, and writers of Mystery fiction. It was founded by Janet A. Rudolph in Berkeley, California.
It publishes the ''Mystery Readers Jo ...
. ''City of Dragons'' was also selected as a finalist for the
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Since 1980, the ''Los Angeles Times'' has awarded a set of annual book prizes. The Prizes currently have nine categories: biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award added in 1991), history, mystery/thriller ...
in the mystery/thriller category, was nominated for the
Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award, the
RT Book Reviews
''Romantic Times'' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novel
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love betwee ...
Reviewer's Choice award in the historical mystery category, and was a finalist for the
Shamus Award
The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction ( P. I. = Private investigator) genre novels and short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one ...
for Best First PI Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America.
''City of Secrets'', the sequel to ''City of Dragons'' won the Golden Nugget Award at
Left Coast Crime
Left Coast Crime is an annual conference organised by mystery fiction fans for mystery fiction fans, first held in San Francisco in 1991. It is concerned with western North American region mysteries, but the conference itself travels worldwide, ha ...
2012, in Sacramento, California, on March 31, 2012, for the best California-set mystery of 2011.
The book was also nominated for a RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award.
Non-fiction
Stanley contributed an essay and writing exercise to "Now Write! Mysteries", part of the successful writing instruction series published by Penguin.
She also contributed an article to "Books to Die For", a selection of essays by 120 mystery writers world-wide on the subject of their favorite or most influential books in the genre. "Books to Die For" is edited by
John Connolly and
Declan Burke
Declan "Dec" Burke (born 22 May 1972 from Limerick) is an Irish guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist.
Biography
Burke was born on 22 May 1972 in Limerick, Ireland, and moved to the UK in 1989. He has one son.
Career
Burke began as a keyboard p ...
, and is published in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton and in the US by Washington Square Press.
Academic
As a graduate student, Stanley published an article on the sociological and cultural impact of
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
, the
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
superhero. The paper is entitled “’Suffering Sappho!’: Wonder Woman and the (Re)Invention of the Feminine Ideal.” ''Helios'' 32.2 (2005): 143–171.
Personal life
Stanley is a member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
, holds a master's degree in Classics from
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...
, is published in that field, and has lectured internationally at academic conferences. She lived and attended high school in northern Mendocino/southern Humboldt counties in northern California. In the 1990s, she owned a successful comic book/pop culture store with her family in San Francisco and was an
Overstreet Guide adviser. More recently, she has had a hiatus from publishing another novel between ''City of Secrets'' and ''City of Ghosts'' because of the deaths of her parents in late 2011 and early 2012.
Stanley served as President of the Northern California
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Awa ...
for two years (2011, 2012). Stanley is also a member of the
International Thriller Writers
International Thriller Writers (ITW), was founded October 9, 2004, at Bouchercon XXXV, the "World Mystery and Suspense Conference", in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Six months later, some 150 authors with more than one billion books sold worldwide h ...
,
Sisters in Crime,
International Association of Crime Writers, and
Private Eye Writers of America
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
, and credits
Raymond Chandler as her greatest writing influence.
Awards and honors
''City of Secrets'' won the
Golden Nugget Award for best California-set mystery of 2011
and was a finalist for the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award (Historical Mystery).
''City of Dragons'' won the
Macavity Award
The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the " mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' ...
(Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery Award) for best historical mystery of 2010.
''City of Dragons'' was selected as one of the five finalists for the
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Since 1980, the ''Los Angeles Times'' has awarded a set of annual book prizes. The Prizes currently have nine categories: biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award added in 1991), history, mystery/thriller ...
,
the
Shamus Award
The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction ( P. I. = Private investigator) genre novels and short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one ...
, for Best First Private Eye Novel,
the
Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award for Best Historical Mystery of 2010, awarded at
Left Coast Crime
Left Coast Crime is an annual conference organised by mystery fiction fans for mystery fiction fans, first held in San Francisco in 1991. It is concerned with western North American region mysteries, but the conference itself travels worldwide, ha ...
in March, 2011, and the
RT Book Reviews
''Romantic Times'' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novel
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love betwee ...
Readers Choice award for Best Historical Mystery of 2010.
''Nox Dormienda'' won the
Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award for Best Historical Mystery of 2008, awarded at the mystery conference
Left Coast Crime
Left Coast Crime is an annual conference organised by mystery fiction fans for mystery fiction fans, first held in San Francisco in 1991. It is concerned with western North American region mysteries, but the conference itself travels worldwide, ha ...
in March, 2009. ''Nox Dormienda'' was also nominated for a 2009
Macavity Award
The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the " mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' ...
(the Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery Award). The Macavity is awarded annually by the members of
Mystery Readers International Mystery Readers International is a fan/reader organization open to all readers, fans, critics, editors, publishers, and writers of Mystery fiction. It was founded by Janet A. Rudolph in Berkeley, California.
It publishes the ''Mystery Readers Jo ...
.
''Nox Dormienda'' was a Writer's Digest Notable Debut (July/August, 2008), and Stanley was awarded a Certificate of Honor from the City and County of San Francisco for her creation of the "Roman noir".
Stanley's short story "Convivium", a prequel to ''Nox Dormienda'', was published in the webzine ''Hardluck Stories''
[*''Hardluck Stories'' (]
Convivium
,” Summer, 2007). Retrieved June 28, 2008. in 2007, and was nominated for
that same year.
Selected works
The Miranda Corbie Series
''City of Dragons'', Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Large Print, E-Book
''City of Dragons'', Tantor Media, Narrated by Cynthia Holloway, Audio Book
"Children's Day" (short story) included in ''First Thrills: High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors'', Hardcover, Mass-Market Paperback, E-book, Audio Book
"Memory Book" (novella), St. Martin's Minotaur, E-book
''City of Secrets'', Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover, Large Print, E-book
''City of Ghosts'', St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover, Large Print, E-book
''City of Sharks'', St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover
The Roman Noir Series
''Nox Dormienda (A Long Night for Sleeping)'', Five Star Mysteries (Gale Group), July, 2008, Hardcover, Large Print, E-book
''The Curse-Maker'', Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur, February 2011, Hardcover, E-book
"Convivium" (short story), republished in e-book anthology ''Left Hanging: 9 Tales of Suspense and Thrills''
Non-Series Fiction
"Coolie" (short story), published in e-book anthology ''Shaken: Stories for Japan''
"Survivor" (short story), published in anthology ''Scoundrels: Tales of Greed, Murder and Financial Crime'', Trade Paperback, E-book
Non-fiction
"She Can Bring Home the Bacon" (essay and writing exercise), published in ''Now Write! Mysteries'', Trade Paperback, E-book
Contributor, ''Books to Die For'', hardcover, ebook
References
External links
Kelli Stanley's websiteMacmillan Author Page for Kelli StanleyKelli Stanley's blogScripts and Scribes Interview with author Kelli Stanley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Kelli
1964 births
Living people
21st-century American novelists
American crime fiction writers
American women short story writers
American women novelists
Writers from San Francisco
21st-century American women writers
Women mystery writers
21st-century American short story writers