National Network for Equitable Library Service

Enter the world of Crescent City, an alternate history 1930s "Chinese Los Angeles" and home turf of private investigator, Lola Starke... A simple job. A den of thieves. A woman committed to the truth. It’s a straightforward case: find a missing husband who spends his work days examining old stamps. Still reeling from recent tragedy, however, Lola Starke is tempted to pass altogether, more so since her Ghost Aubrey insists it’s the perfect case to ease back into things. But the wife is adamant that something bad has happened. What’s a shamus to do—especially when the missing man works just down the hall? But straight ain’t in the cards, not in the middle of a high-stakes business deal involving the City’s most powerful film studio, a wily gangster, a rival PI… and a rare stamp. When her client is kidnapped, Lola discovers just how far down the twisting path she’s willing to go to save the woman and her missing husband. This is the ’30s and this is Crescent City, where gangsters and thieves are thick on the ground and the film studios are the biggest game in town. Where smiles hide secrets and intentions mean nothing. Where the only question is, what will it take to be last woman standing?