From Roman Noir to the Streets of 1940 San Francisco: The Novels of Kelli Stanley

Kelli Stanley is the acclaimed author of two very different series. Her “Roman noir” books are set in the first century AD and feature physician and sometime investigator Arcturus. The first in that series, Nox Dormienda: A Long Night for Sleeping (with a tip of the hat to Chandler’s The Big Sleep), was a Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award winner and a Macavity Award finalist. Kirkus Reviews thought that novel “takes the reader on a colorful tour of this singular culture high and low, from jails and brothels to the corridors of power. First-timer Stanley is sure-footed and enthusiastic about history … and crafts a satisfyingly intricate puzzle.” The second novel in the series, The Curse-Maker, is just out and finds Arcturus investigating a murder in the sacred spring at Bath, Brittanica. Booklist noted of this second installment: “Stanley serves up fascinating and never heavy-handed information on Roman life.”

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