New York Times best-selling author Stacey Lee’s new young adult murder mystery novel, “Kill Her Twice,” transports readers into 1930s Los Angeles Chinatown. Known as the “Golden Age” of Hollywood, the 1930s for Los Angeles was a turning point for film, marking a time period when stars were born. Underneath the glamor, though, was economic and political turmoil that included the questionable origin of the iconic railway depot, Union Station. As for Los Angeles Chinatown, it was a lot larger than what it is now and continues to face gentrification to this day.
Set in 1932, Hollywood is starting to sparkle and shine thanks to its growing popularity, but corruption exists in all corners of Los Angeles. An upcoming starlet and pride of Chinatown, Lulu Wong is a face known to many, which is in part due to her being one of the only Asian Americans to make it onto the silver screen. That is until she’s found murdered in a stable far away from her Beverly Hills mansion. The Chow sisters – May, Gemma, and Peony – discover Lulu in a grizzly state and while they immediately suspect foul play, the LAPD thinks otherwise. Riddled with corruption, the LAPD is encouraged by the city to use Wong’s death as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, so the city can demolish the town to make way for the new railway hub, Union Station. With the police and media willing to overlook the crime, it’s up to the Chow sisters to find out who the real killer is and to hopefully save their neighborhood’s reputation.
Stacey Lee is a queen at writing about the Asian American experience throughout various time periods. Kill Her Twice was the perfect balance between a noir novel and the intricacies of the erasure of Chinese people in Los Angeles during the 1930s. Through the Chow sisters, readers are taken through iconic locations of a budding LA from Beverly Hills, Hollywood studios, and the farmlands that were Pasadena at the time. Of course, behind all the luscious looking scenery and locations, Lee utilizes these backdrops to tell a story about family bonds, the effects of the Great Depression on the Chinese American Community, and the orientalism in Hollywood during this time.
Told in dual perspectives, Kill Her Twice alternates between May and Gemma as they each pursue different avenues to solve the mystery behind Lulu’s death. Along the way, they get assistance from various other characters including their youngest sister Peony, May’s childhood friend-to-possibly-more Wallace, a dashing yet mysterious Doctor, the Chinatown neighbors, and more. While the mystery and historical backdrops are enticing, it’s the relationships and growth the Wong sisters develop throughout the novel that is the true highlight of Kill Her Twice. Readers can identify with either May or Gemma through their sisterly and familial bonds or even the cultural expectations to be female in a traditional Asian family.
Kill Her Twice is perhaps Stacey Lee’s strongest novel yet to date. This may be her first attempt at a mystery novel, but her character Gemma as a budding amateur detective warrants a spin-off, please! While there are numerous themes and historical context throughout the novel, Lee successfully interweaves them into an enthralling and riveting story in which three girls can make a difference. Make sure to also read the Author’s note at the end that explains her choice in setting her Los Angeles story during the 30s. In today’s news with the many changes of certain areas and most importantly their communities, public erasure is still an ongoing issue, and it’s never been so important to also look at the past and its effects today. Lee showcases the importance that no matter the time or place, we can triumph and influence those destinies.
